Jaime,
I hope you recedived my comment.
Sandra Mueller
I try to use a lot of small group learning and one-on-one conference time within my composition classes. I find this is helpful because my ELL students are often more comfortable in a small group where they can get to know who they work with. If there is a large group, they often do not want to speak up in case they same something incorrectly or do not know the answer (in English, that is). I always allow time for one-on-one conferences, which lets my students who need extra help (whether they are ELL, have a disability, or even just need help with a particular issues) talk to me without having to let others know of their difficulties. It gives them a sense of security and autonomy to know that they can seek personalized help.
Thanks,
Kate
For ELL students and all students, I have been adding more time in small groups. This seems less intimidating for most and gives more opportunity to talk, practice speaking, and consolidate the material we've covered.
Sometimes I assign the groups with at least one student who knows the material well and one who is having more problems. This seems to work well, but I also let the students choose their own groups at times.
One point mentioned in the class and forums that I experience myself is that students who I have no trouble understanding (and might not even know are ESL because of their ability to converse well on an everyday level) may need extra help. This class reminded me to be on the lookout even more. Thanks!
I use question/response approach. I use a student centered approach. I also use a lot of discussion. I have noticed that they use a lot of the English language too.
As an online Composition Instructor, my classes are diverse in many ways - native language, age, culture/religion and living locale. I encourage questions in our "introductory" area. Questions and answers must be respectful. When it is appropriate, humor is used and welcome. Once the students realize that they can converse freely, without fear of disrespect, things tend to flow fairly easily with the students being relaxed. Students who are relaxed, from my experience, tend to learn more.
Yes, there have been communication problems at times. However, with the students going out of their way to make sure they are not misunderstood, serious problems are rare. Only twice have I needed to pull in the "big guns."
I work entirely in the online environment. In my Live Chats, which are not required, but which I encourage, I require the students to use proper English, not smilies or texting symbols. I believe this helps them focus on the formalities of grammar, and expressing themselves in written form. I spend a lot of time with flow and expression remarks when I am grading paperwork.
My mother did not speak English until she was 14, and several of my aunts did not learn to speak English until they enrolled in school. I have numerous multi-lingual friends. I believe that this helps me with ESL students.
I try to create a highly interactive learning environment for my students (though the modes of interaction do vary based on course and requirements): multiple question-and-answer forums, live chats with audiovisual presentations, pronounced use of focused questioning in all discussion forums, etc. These strategies contribute to my students’ learning by allowing them multiple ways of coming to terms with our assigned course material and multiple means of drawing on their instructor’s expertise and guidance.
Mark A. Coppelli
The learning environment I would create for ELL students is the same environment I create for all my students: a clear description of the objectives for a given lesson; distinct definitions for new terms; short, verbal descriptions for solution processes (in mathematics); and an invitation for each student to participate through question/answer activities and partner exchanges.
It is very important to create a learning environment for an ELL student to give them confidence and the ability to learn in a relaxed environment. People need to feel comfortable to be able to concentrate on the learning materials being presented. Without this type of environment, a student(learner) can have difficulties focusing on the presented material. Material should also be given without reference to any type of religion affiliation. With a little care in preparing presentation/learning materials, an ELL student's classroom experience should be a good one.
I have my students do most of their assignments during class time - in between lectures. That way I am available for one on one help. I feel this ensures success for everyone as it's not just the ELL students who need some extra encouragement and help.
For my ELL students, I let them have extra time to complete assignments and tests if they seem to need them.
I use humor and a relaxed atmosphere to make students feel comfortable. I often engage in conversation with each student and use my interest in multicultural society to engage them and integrate their ideas with the class. It is an asset to have a diverse student group, and often, they are even more of an asset when we encounter patients who do not speak English. My students often translate for patients -into Tagalog, korean, Russian, Armenian and Spanish. As a result they feel valued and their language cpabilities are viewed as a benefit.
The learning environment for ELL students needs to be comfortable for them. This contributes to their learning because if someone isn't comfortable it will make it that much harder for the student to learn the topic you are teaching.
Could you give a specific example of how you make an assignment that the individual contributions are recognizable? Thanks.
Ha! I like this approach. I do this sometimes without even realizing I've said something wrong:)
So, after reading all of the comments in the forums I am getting the idea that making an ELL student feel welcome and comfortable with an atmosphere of acceptance of mistakes is very important. I like the idea of using small groups-I've actually done this with my last class. I remember having a Chinese student in one of my nursing classes. She was brilliant, however, even after taking ELL classes she still took notes and read in her native language. When she tried to document she used her native grammar as well. It was frustrating for both of us. I really wanted her to know that I acknowledged her intelligence but even that was difficult for her. She felt frustrated and disgraced. I didn't have resources for her and that really bothered me.
You could require each student to post their individual portions in the Group area as part of the collaboration. This will allow you to review each contribution. You could also require the team to denote which parts are done by which student as part of their planning process. This also helps ensure an equitable distribution of work.
Greg
I love using small group activities in all of my classes. One of the dangers I try to guard against is having students get in a rut as far as the role they play in a group. I try to encourage students to work their way into different activities gradually.
I also feel it is important to create a safe learning environment. I teach in a cooking school, and can often use this to the class's advantage as I encourage students to talk about the foods they grew up with.
We are a cooking school, so I try and make the students as comfortable as possible; I usually begin by asking everyone in the class where they are from, what made them come to school, and what food memories stand out for them. I also ask them to teach me a few words or phrases in their primary language - if (when?) I make a pronunciation mistake, they laugh and feel a little more at ease. They appreciate that the instructor has taken the time to find out about them, instead of ignoring them and hoping they catch on. So far, no one has been uncomfortable or intimidated.
The student and I was not in a classroom setting but in a hospital clinical setting. In the classroom, the student was able to use some kind of hand-held translator when he didn't understand something. In clinical, it was a little difficult to use the hand-held translator when ask to do certain task that were time managed. I and others used a lot of demonstration, verbal cues,and hand over hand techniques with the student to get skills/task done in a timely manner. Are there any suggestions for teaching ELL students in a hospital clinical setting.
One of projects I do with all my students is make sure they have a thesaurus with them. I try to impress upon them the importance of having a good vocabulary and good choice of words.
