Language Acquisition (Online Reflection #4)

Communication is essential in any school setting. The relationships teachers build with their students are foundational to how well those students will learn and perform in their educational careers, and they are based in communication. According to the Harvard Graduate School of Education, “The sense of safety and security afforded by close relationships with teachers provides children with a steady footing to support them through developmental challenges”. Building relationships with our students is instrumental in their development while they are in our classroom. 

So how does this hold true for students that are English Language Learners (ELL)? How can we build relationships with students who do not speak our native tongue?

Jennifer Gonzalez’s educational blog post titled, 12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroomis very helpful in giving practical tips to all teachers who are searching for ways to build relationships with all students, but especially those who are ELLs. All of the tips shared on her blog align with similar tipsand other identifying factors when looking at the learning processes of ELLs.

The first tip Gonzalez and many other experts give is to make it visual. Writing down all instructions, allowing for support with pictures, and modeling steps to take in the process are all key ways we as teachers can make instructions visual. Giving nonlinguistic ques or nonlinguistic representations can improve comprehension for the students who are in the first three stages of language acquisition; pre-production, early production, and speech emergent. While these first three stages are especially supported by visual aids, all English language learners at any stage in their language acquisition are encouraged by visual representations. 

Another tip is to allow for more time in group work. Giving students time to work with their peers in low- stakes, low-risk settings are key when searching for opportunities to allow students to practice or engage with English speaking peers. Small groups will not only allow the ELL students good practice, but small groups give opportunities to all students to be engaged. 

Learning a new language in a place where your primary language is not spoken by the majority can be intimidating. Gonzalez advocates for all English language learners to be given time in the “silent period”. This is a time during which the English language learner will speak very little, if at all. It is crucial for all teachers to allow for this period to work itself out naturally. Do not push students to talk if they do not want to. Understand that this is a normal part of the language acquisition process, and trying to budge a student out of it before they are ready will bring stress and unwelcome pressure for the student and for you. 

All students deserve to have relationships cultivated by their teachers, but especially the English language learners. They may not be as easy to reach as the native English speakers, but it is our responsibility as educators to try to reach them even in the face of difficulty. 

English language learners are in a difficult stage of their educational careers, especially while learning a new language in the classroom that does not privilege their native language. As educators, we are responsible for making those students feel comfortable, supported, and appreciated in and throughout their educational careers. Hopefully these tips and links to other websites are helpful for all teachers searching for ways to accomplish these important tasks.