The Importance Of English Language Learner

The authors of the article explained how important it is to meet the needs of the students with limited English ability in the education system. One of the main point expresses about how frustrating it could be for these students, especially if they were never expose to this sort of environment or language before. Another point that was made in the article, explains how the educational system was not prepared for changes in this sort of population. In most cases, some of the curriculum that is being offered in school cannot be changed to accommodate English Limited Learners, also known as ELLs. Budget is also another issue, as schools are limited to hiring more ELL teachers.

In many cases there is an assumption that by placing an ELL student into a mainstream English-speaking classroom they will quickly acclimate themselves to English because that is what they are surrounded by during the school-day. Students will hear English being spoken and will quickly pick up on what is being asked of them.

I love the idea of pairing English Language Learners with other students in the classroom. However, I have witnessed this in the classroom and I will say that it wasn't the best pairing for either student. The reason I feel this way is because of the personality conflicts. The native English speaking student would become very abrasive with his ELL because she was not listening to him. When I would remind him to slow down and explain to her what he was saying and the reason he wanted to do it his way, he would get aggravated. I feel when pairing ELL students we as teachers have to be mindful of both individuals personalities. It is my opinion that ELL's need to be partnered with a strong reader who is thoughtful and patient. A student who is

Educators care more about if the student is learning English than academic training as a whole. This prevents ELL students from getting access to challenging academic materials or/and to academic preparation necessary for higher education. Ell students are enrolled into other

ELL continue to rise year after year. In EDUC 628, the class delved into the rise of ELL in America and how the best teaching methods to approach each learner with. Every ELL student is unique and has different learning process. Although the semester covered a wide variety of topics ranging from dialects to teaching methods, every module served its purpose in providing a framework for future ELL teachers. Learning about how to teach ELL was significant to me because when I first entered the school system in America, I was placed into ESL and I have gone through the process of many of these teaching methods. EDUC 628 main focus was preparing students whose goal in the future was to educate ELL. The articles and readings assigned in the class provided a funds of knowledge going into each new lesson. Coupled with the readings, hands on activities such as the mini lessons and designing lesson plans provided each student with experience that will reflect on their teaching abilities in the classroom. In my paper, I will be provided a step by step synthesis of what was learned and accomplished every week along with a brief summary of the readings. I will probe deeper into the modules and lessons that piqued my interest the most and that also challenge my mindset.

The students that make up the school are mostly Latino, African American, West Indian and white. Language is the medium through which students gain access to the curriculum. (Tamara Lucas). For example, Maria was placed in a dual language classroom, since arriving from Mexico and when she entered middle school that was taken away. The teacher in her English class needs to realize it takes second language learners longer to develop fluency in academic English than in conversational English. (Tamara Lucas). Ms. O’reilly should take this inconsideration when it comes to the strategies used in the classroom. Social interaction will help Maria’s language development and a method that can be useful to promote social interaction is the use of group work. Using group work will allow Maria to not only expand her English skills but also learn from the other students. Tamara Lucas states; “Scaffolding learning for ELLs requires teachers to consider the relationship between students’ linguistic abilities and the tasks through which they are expected to learn”. Ms. O’reilly has set the goal of having all the students to be on the same level at the end of the school year, this might not be a realistic goal since each child comes from different backgrounds and learn at different speeds. Different scaffolding strategies should be use to accommodate the ELLs in her classroom. Group work, sharing about ones culture, knowing the child’s mother tongue and creating a comfortable environment where the students can raise their hand or ask questions without feeling dumb or like an

Grouping ELL students with “peer-buddies” or students appointed to assist the ELL student can give the ELL student more opportunities for using conversational English, allow them to receive minor assistance without interrupting the teacher, and give

There are many challenges that ELL students face; from the academic performance to poverty and social inequalities. Most ELL students don’t have access to the basic educational resources and opportunities. (LaChat, 2004) “In school, the greatest difference between English language learners and their peers is the magnitude of learning expected.” (LaChat, 2004) As noted the ELL students have started the educational race in the negative, with out the basic monetary and educational push as their counterparts.

Differentiating instruction for ELLS is extremly inportant for their success in school. Sheltered Contenent Instruction state, "REsearch suggests that English learners benefit from a seperate block of time for ELD or ESL." They also stated that sometimes this can not happen due to the large amount of ELL's in a classroom. In this case the teacher can co teach with an ESL teachers to help these students.

It has been estimated that by the year 2025, approximately one out of every public school student will be identified as an ESL/ELL student in the United States. ESL stands for English as a Second Language and ELL stands for English Language Learner. An ESL/ELL student can be defined as a student whose predominant language or languages at home, is other than English, and would require additional English language support to develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. The difference between an ESL student and ELL student is minor; An ESL student participates in programs that are customarily specialized while an ELL student partakes in a traditional educational classroom. English Language Learners have surpassed other subgroups in becoming the fastest growing of the public school population. Despite the common misjudgement of some people towards the ESL/ELL population, 76% of the ESL/ELL students in elementary schools and 56% of the ESL/ELL students in secondary schools are native-born. The highest percentages of ELL/ESL students in public schools are found in the west of the United States. Taking the average of both bigger and smaller cities, ELL students make an average of 14% of the total public school enrollment and in suburban areas, ELL students make up an average of 8.5% of public school enrollment. The ESL/ELL population has more than doubled over the past 15 years and more than half of those students struggle with their academic performance. An ESL/ELL

The mere reference to the label given to students acquiring the English language potentially sparks debate amongst educators, policy makers and researchers. The federal government refers to these students as Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. This identification references the deficiencies the student may have rather than to identify the diversity and gifts that the student may possess. Such labels set premature limitations of the student and predisposes the student to limited rigor in instruction. Educators and researchers reference the same subgroup of students as ELLs, establishing the understanding that with sufficient support, increased rigor and cultural understanding, students will succeed.

With the immigration population increase comes a language barrier increase. Therefore, English as a Second Language (ESL) tools in the classroom is essential. ESL was established in the 1970s when children of many mother tongues, crowded classrooms due to the immigration increase (Tomkins, G., 1981, p.

Through my bibliographic search, I was able to learn the specifics of what scholars were discoursing on in regards to this topic. Current debates began with the teachers themselves. One article found that ELL teachers were generally “unwelcoming” (Reeves 2006). Reasons for this were the concern that there’s not enough time to address all the students’ needs, too much work for teachers when students are also enrolled in non-ELL classes, and feelings of unqualification to teacher ELL students (Reeves 2006). Another area of discussion is whether ELL programs should take an inclusion approach vs exclusion (from normal school curriculum) approach. Inclusion is when students are mainstreamed for most of the day, with some specific ELL classes. If only in ELL classes, students may not have access to the mainstream education needed to succeed (Reeves 2006). One article stressed the importance of education at home as well. If English is not also spoken at home, acquisition is slowed (Allen 2011). Pride also affects the rate of learning, students will often claim to understand, even though they d not, to avoid the perception of being ignorant (2011).

In order to effectively teach English as a foreign language it is essential to understand not only the learners current ability level but also their desires and goals in learning a language. By combing these two aspects, an efficient and practical lesson plan can be designed. In this case the student is already highly proficient even fluent at times in English, and was determined to be around MM2D level (ITTO 388). Because he studies international business, he is learning English primarily as a potential occupational skill. Furthermore, because he is already proficient at casual speech and understanding, it makes most sense to focus on areas he has less experience with, in this case formal writing and occupational vocabulary as these skills will likely be essential for his future employment.

Last year I went to Indian Springs. I was a responsible student and respectful student. I always made sure to turn in my work, even if it was a few days late. I would always pay close attention when the teacher was speaking. My English teacher last year was Mrs. Payne. Mrs. Payne was one of my best teachers because she always made sure that you understood what she taught, and helped every time she could. I got all of my credits last year. I need to make up Math 2B. I failed Math 2B in my Sophomore year because I wasn’t paying attention to my teacher. I have an Aeries account and I check it frequently to see if I have missing assignments or to check if my grades are slipping. I have a Gmail, and I can access my Google Drive. I remember all of my passwords. In this class I hope to learn how to do computer programming.