Module 3:
What are effective strategies to address the linguistic needs of second language learners with special needs?
When it comes to strategies for English Language Learners with special
needs, there are quite a few effective ones that can be used and put into place for these students. As stated by Ortiz, students fail in school for different reasons but in some cases, their academic difficulties can be attributed to deficiencies such as not having access to effective bilingual or English as a second language instruction. One strategy that can help these students is a shared knowledge base which means that the teacher must have a common philosophy and knowledge for the education of students learning English. Teachers also having a recognition of the students’ native language also helps as the development is shared responsibly by all teachers
not just those that are bilingual and the ones in ESL classes. Having effective
instruction for these students is also a very important strategy as they can provide the proper instruction for the students who are ELL, like drawing on their prior knowledge, giving opportunities to review previously learned concepts, and teaching them how to employ the concepts, organizing themes or strands that can connect to the curriculum across all subject areas
and giving guidance, assistance, and support to fill gaps in any background knowledge.
