The Increasing Number Of English Language Learners

The all too familiar situation of English language learners (ELLs) struggling in a classroom that is not meeting their needs is the theme of this short film. ELL’s present unique challenges for teachers given how the California educational system calls for only one year of English language development (EDL). After this time, English language development goals rest on the shoulders of the general education teacher with the additional requirement of infusing SADIE strategies into their daily lessons.

“What it takes for English Learners to Succeed?” is an article written by Jana Echevarria, Nancy Frey, and Doug Fisher that illustrate concepts that will allow English Learners to become fluent in English. The purpose of this article is to discuss four accessible teaching practices that will allow English Learners in U.S. classroom to become academically successful and attain fluency in English. To clarify, the authors use access, climate, expectations, and language instruction as the practices that will eliminate education inequality and enable students to be able to fully participate in rigorous course work without excluding English Learners. Ultimately this provides an approachable school reform, creates additive integration of multicultural perspective and approach and lastly brings a way for language diversity to be seen in the classroom.

The author suggests screening native language and English language and literacy development from early education through the transition process, and then in English when students are prepared to leave and are no longer getting reading instruction in the native language. The author states that a team method to problem solving that considers many of these issues may ease the progress of a proper instructional plan. Plans and instructional routines such as repetitive language, rapid pacing, modeling, time to practice, and discuss school employees do not delay literacy instruction until student’s English oral skills are well-developed, but instead support Students benefit when school employees are focused on meeting student’s educational needs rather than on finding an outside source to explain the educational needs. Instructors, including the ones in special education, are worried that they do not have the knowledge and skills to properly teach English language learners. The author states how these teachers are scared that their lack of knowledge of the student 's native language makes them unable of providing valuable education. That 's why, it is important that teachers are provided with the resources required to support them in this process.

Creating and implementing effective lessons for a literacy learner who is struggling with reading and writing takes much effort and appropriate resources. Throughout the Literacy Development course, I have gained much insight and resources that have become valuable tools in addressing students’ literacy needs. Each week, I conducted lessons and activities that targeted the needs of many students, but my initial focus on was on one particular student. His individual reading level, spelling development, and writing abilities were analyzed and the recorded data was used

English learners (ELs) struggle with content literacy task because the “academic language of texts is not the language of conversational speech” Vacca et al. (2014, P.77). Every content area has a specific language. ELs find it difficult because they are not familiar with the academic language in that content area. For example, an English learner in first grade might have difficulties understanding his peers in a reading group excises because of the content language but, when they go outside to play, they communicate fluently because this English learner has mastered the playground language. Teachers can make content more accessible to students by using a variety of instructional strategies or aids to assist students with English language problems in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Interactive, cooperative activities, pictures, relevant media etc. are some of the shelter instructional strategies which teachers can use to make content accessible to students (p.82).

With nearly 30 million immigrants crossing our borders in the last three decades, the United States education system has seen a dramatic increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) entering the classroom (Migration Policy Institute website, n.d.). With this influx of non-native English speakers has come the need to find the best ways possible to meet them where they are academically and teach them accordingly. However, after years of research, education gurus are still divided on how to best meet the needs of ELLs. While there is no clear-cut approach, there are several strategies and programs that schools can implement in order to help immigrant learners and their families be successful in our school system.

Each year, schools across the nation are seeing an increase in the amount of English language learners they are receiving. Teachers of all grade levels are finding it harder and harder to teach these ELLs because of lack of or little to no proper training. So the article, Setting the Foundation for Working with English Language Learners in the Secondary Classroom aims to show you the ideas and strategies that current and future teachers can incorporate into their daily class lessons to make them more effective in meeting the academic needs of ELLs and in helping them learn the target language.

Overall, literacy resources can be used to aid in language development while also building ELLs’ English proficiency. They can be easily integrated into teachers’ instructional

Implementing reading, speaking, and writing instruction for ELLs is in secondary classrooms is essential as these students face many challenges when entering the classroom. Student’s such as Luisa in our case study, must gain fluency in English while also learning grade-level content in several academic areas. As such, a sheltered-instruction model which integrates core academic courses with specially designed academic instruction in English (SDAIE) strategies and an intense focus on language development demonstrate best practice for these students. As Luisa’s teacher, it will be important for me to frequently assess Luisa to determine gaps in content area knowledge as well as language development. Strategies to address and develop Lusia’s reading, speaking, and

English Language Learners face a variety of unique challenges when compared to their non-ELL peers. For example, when assessing new English Language Learners, once such challenge is the lack of effective assessment tools. Many of the available instruments are not culturally relevant to the ELL student’s background, nor created at an appropriate level for their developing English language skills. Another challenge is the lack of availability of qualified education professionals, who are equipped to meet their specific needs linguistically. Language and cultural differences may serve to put ELL students at an academic disadvantage, regardless of whether they possess normal cognitive skills. For the educator and student alike, this matter is further complicated when an ELL is affected by a learning disability. In this essay, I will discuss some special factors and issues that an ELL professional may encounter when assessing an ELL student, and attempting to determine the cause of a language difficulty; whether it occurs because of normal language acquisition issues, or because of an underlying learning disability that calls for special education intervention and support.

Many English language learner students have experiences and socialized outlines that are diverse from the mainstream body. Each student, whether or not they are labeled as an ELL, come from a different set of backgrounds, personalities, families, and beliefs. All three educators have recognized the trend in their classrooms and have embraced the multicultural teaching using culturally responsive instruction. This type of teaching method inspires educators to adjust their instruction to meet the learning standards of all students. They believe that students should have the experience to use both their native language and the second language to draw real-life connections. Teachers that support the background of both languages are helping student’s link together vocabulary and word development to strengthen language development. All three educators believed in the variation of reading; including materials, text books, supplementary programs and fictional books. The adaption of numerous reading styles can assist diverse students to become more effective and competent users of the English language. They also reported that not only is it

ELLs face a series of adversities in their attempts to attain academic literacy and language development. For instance, they are exposed to curricula designed for monolingual English students. Another adversity is that teachers are not well prepared regarding the content-area they teach and consequently do not provide the needed explicit instruction (Ávalos, Zisselsberger, Langer-Osuna, & Secada, 2015 p.259). It is the task for teachers and school administrators to master the content of the area to be taught and to use optimal pedagogical practices which reflect such teachers’ knowledge (Ávalos, Zisselsberger, Langer-Osuna, & Secada, 2015 p.261). They should provide learners with favorable circumstances to attain English language and literacy

Throughout my field experience this semester, I learned a lot about literacy learners and teaching/learning. From my final tutoring session, I learned that literacy instruction that works for one student may not necessarily work for another and that it is important to teach literacy instruction using a variety of techniques and strategies (Serravallo, 2015). First, I learned how important it is to cater literacy instruction to the individual student. I have learned about many great instructional strategies for teaching literacy but not all strategies are going to work for every student. It is important to select strategies that build on student strengths to support the student’s literacy needs (Serravallo, 2014). I also learned that a

English Language Learners (hereafter referred to as ELLs) currently comprise 10% of the total school population in the United States (National Center for Education Statistics, 2005). It is a population that is going to continue to increase in American public education and their specific needs for learning literacy are of great importance to teachers. Since schools and teachers are increasingly judged based upon the academic achievement of students, then the success of the growing population of ELLs is going to be increasingly important. In the present paper the role of the teacher and specific research-based literacy strategies for ELLs is investigated.

Literacy is the cornerstone to all learning; it is imperative to future academic success. (Tracey and Morrow, 2012). Due to the significance of literacy instruction, there are a myriad of ways to teach literacy. Literacy is a complex subject, honing in on balancing reading, writing, speaking, and listening. As a result of the complexity of literacy instruction, we arrive at the age-old debate of what is the best literacy instruction. My philosophy of literacy instruction centralizes around the Whole Language Theory and Balanced Literacy; however, I also blend in additional theories/approaches to teach effective literacy.