Teach English in Qibao Zhen - Shanghai Shi

Positive Instructional ApproachAs the numbers of immigrants continue to immigrate to Erie, Pennsylvania, most Adult Educators have had little or no preparation for working with diverse students, particularly english language learners (Carrier, 2005). Accommodating the needs of multicultural and bilingual learners is one the biggest challenges. Due to cultural and social situations, multicultural and multilingual students have unique needs and varied preferences for learning (Snowman & Biehler, 2003). Specific strategies have been found to be effective in accommodating the needs of diverse language learners. The teacher?s use of language should include providing additional wait time for student responses to questions when asked a question. english as a Second Language ESL and english Language Learners E.L.L typically translate it into their first language, formulate an answer in their first language, and translate an approximation of the answer into english, before giving their response. Educators need to be patient and guide students as they learn the english vocabulary. It is important for the instructor show openness, understanding, as the student is learning a new language. They accordingly need more time to respond than do students whose first language is english. Students will benefit if you take the time and examine your ?teacher talk? to enunciate clearly, avoid jargon, slang, run on sentences, lengthy monologues or side comments and provide students adequate wait time (Wallace 2007). Instructors need to be conscious of the vocabulary taught in the classroom as well. In english, everyday words are generally the easiest for ESL students to comprehend, because they hear and read these words frequently. Subject-specific vocabulary also includes many words that have different meanings in specific contexts. ESL students need to have these words explained in context, as the dictionary commonly lists mutual meanings of words first, which tends to increase the learners confusion. Cloze exercises, matching, crosswords, audio recordings based on lesson content are a good way to reinforce ESL student?s grasp of content and new vocabulary (Carrier, 2005). ESL students often translate idioms terms literally. For example, a teacher might say, ?take a stab at it ?to encourage a student. The ESL students would be very confused by their literal understanding of this. Lack of adequate vocabulary can be barrier for an individual learning english. Vocabulary development should have at least the following components: intentional word selection, (words representing new concepts, direct instruction with new word meaning, modeling strategies for new words, multiple exposures to learn the new words and a system to track the words learned (Wallace 2004). Because students often are in various stages of ability in the english language, teachers must become skilled in presenting information in ways that are less dependent on language. Visuals such as pictures, photographs, drawings, diagrams, and graphic organizers are highly effective when teaching students who are not auditory learners (Vaughn, Bos, & Schumm, 2003). For english language learners, visual teaching aids help them attach meaning and mental images to words and concepts through nonverbal means (Carrier, 2005). Furthermore, they provide visual stimuli helping to bridge the language barrier in multicultural classrooms (Curtis, A., & Bailey, K. M. (2001). Writing key words on the board and use various visual and supplementary non-verbal cues, wherever possible, to present key ideas (example objects, charts, maps, pictures, photos, gestures, facial expressions) form an important balance to oral explanations for ESL students (Crandall, J. A., Jaramillo, A., Olsen, L., & Peyton, J. K. (2001). Writing on the board clearly defined language objectives and sharing them with students is to provide a focus for purposeful teaching and learning (Wallace, 2004) Students may have difficulty with classroom instructions and they may not be able to process the oral information quickly enough to understand fully or to make their own meaningful notes. Written instructions are particularly useful to students when homework is assigned. Research have found that diverse students benefit immensely when they have the opportunity to interact with materials, participate in activities, and manipulate objects and equipment (Carrier, 2005). Avoid overcorrection of attempts to speak english, as this is likely will lead students to be self-conscious about their speech and to practice less (AYP Handbook "Instructional strategies that," June)). When students produce incorrect grammar or pronunciation, rephrase their responses to provide feedback on the content of what they say as well as a model of correct usage, without drawing specific attention to the error. In responding to students written errors, try to focus on consistent errors of a specific type (e.g., lack of plural endings and or tense) and concentrate on modeling or correcting only that error. Teachers should instead continue to model clearly spoken, correct english for students without interrupting the normal flow (AYP Handbook- "Instructional strategies that," June). With ESL students, it is often better to discuss before they read. The teacher can model how previewing the text so that students have a sense of the organization and content before they begin to read. In my classroom, the following activities are completed (Wallace, 2004) 1. Provide a pre-reading question about the title, images in the reading text 2. Students locate key words in the passage and use contextual clues to explain their meaning. 3. Vocabulary notebooks allow a student to record subject-related words and clarifications along with contextualized usage. 4. Follow up questions that refer students back to the text to find details from their reading In cooperative learning activities, students are paired in groups, usually comprised of two or four students where they work together on a common goal. Because cooperative learning groups require that learners interact and communicate with each other on a work-related task, students whose native language, is not english gain opportunities to learn and practice english and enhance their linguistic and communication skills (Crandall, 1999). Cooperative learning groups are extremely effective in multicultural classrooms because it promotes communication, motivates students, and helps learners attain higher levels of achievement while developing inter-ethnic friendships (Snowman & Biehler, 2003). The process of interacting, conversing, and sharing ideas in pairing of group members has been found to be particularly effective when english-speaking students are assigned to tutor english language learners (Crandall, 2001). Academic and social benefits have been identified for both participants, as they become tutors and resources for each other (Kline, 1995). When implemented in the classroom, students can practice new skills, role-play, review for tests, solve problems, and conduct research. The use of alternative assessment methods are widely used because it provides english language learners with multiple ways to demonstrate their understanding of information without heavily relying on language (Carrier, 2005). Performance based assessments, in particular, have been found to be effective in assessing the achievement of culturally and linguistically diverse students (Carrier, 2005). Practical tests are frequently utilized in classes to measure student performance, as are projects, journal entries, portfolios, and demonstrations; all have been found to be highly effective with multicultural, multilingual students (Kline, 1995). With the advent of immigrants, the growing diversity in the classroom will demand teachers to be knowledgeable, responsive, and well prepared to work with a multicultural, multilingual student population. To meet the needs of students from all backgrounds, teachers must use a broad array of research-based strategies that support diverse modes of learning and build on what they already know and do. References Carrier, K. A. (2005, November). Key issues for teaching english language learners in academic classrooms. Middle School Journal, 37(2), 4-9. Crandall, J. A. (1999). Cooperative language learning and affective factors. In J. Arnold (Ed.), Affective language learning (pp. 226-245). Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. Crandall, J. A., Jaramillo, A., Olsen, L., & Peyton, J. K. (2001). Diverse teaching strategies for immigrant children. In R. W. Cole (Ed.), More strategies for educating everybody?s children (pp. 33-71). alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Curtis, A., & Bailey, K. M. (2001). Picture your students talking: Using pictures in the language classroom. ESL Magazine, 4(4), 10-11. Kline, L. W. (1995). A baker?s dozen: Effective instructional strategies. In R. W. Cole (Ed.), Educating everybody?s children: Diverse teaching strategies for diverse learners (pp. 21-43). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Snowman, J., & Biehler, R. (2003). Psychology applied to teaching (10th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Vaughn, S., Bos, C. S., & Schumm, J. S. (2003). Teaching exceptional, diverse, and at-risk students in the general education classroom (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Wallace, S (2004). Instructional Strategies for english Language Learners in Mainstream Classrooms. New Horizons for Learning. http://home.avvanta.com/~building/journal/archive.htm 09/08/2011 Instructional strategies that. (June). Retrieved from http://dpi.wi.gov/ssos/ayp_handbook.html