ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: HOW TO PREPARE TEACHER CANDIDATES
By: Ayanna Cooper, Ed D.
Lessons, Demonstrations and Discussions
Students in Georgia’s public schools have continued to become more culturally and linguistically diverse. On the state’s 2007 – 2008 report card, 60,257 students in grades K – 12 were reportedly receiving language support services through English to Speakers to Other Languages (ESOL). Just nine years ago, the enrollment of English Language Learners was 30,977, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The United States Institute of Educational Statistics ranks Georgia’s eighth in the nation when listing the states by the number of ELLs enrolled in elementary and secondary language support programs. Currently there are 1,962 teachers in Georgia , who teach at least one segment of ESOL. With the steady increase of English learners, the task of preparing all teachers for this population of students is critical for the teaching profession.
As a professor at Kennesaw State University’s Bagwell College of Education in Georgia, one of my roles is to direct undergraduate teacher education candidates who are preparing to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students. As teachers in training, they are placed in educational settings to observe and tutor English language learners. The majority of the teacher candidates are not very experienced with English learners. Their ability to relate to the ELLs is usually from their own limited experiences learning a foreign language while in high school. Most of the student teachers are apprehensive about their field placements. In many cases, it only takes a first few visits and a few class sessions for their confidence to rise and class discussions to focus on the art of being great teachers. At that point, they realized the importance of being passionate about what you do.
Creating Awareness
In general, discussion topics are about diversity, gender, race, ethnicity, classism, linguicism along with other “isms” — some of which are such unfortunate aspects of society. The goal is to get the student teachers thinking about things that make them uncomfortable. Once they identified with the goals of the course, learning and application became effortless. Last semester I used several exercises that were effective in preparing the teacher candidates for their field placements.
CLASS ACTIVITIES & EXERCISES
1. One class lecture focused on aspects of each student’s identity. On separate pieces of paper the students wrote their names, religion, gender, ethnicity and language. In small groups the students had to decide which of these, they could give up first, then second and third. Usually the name card was the first to go, then the language. The students explained how they could easily choose a new name or learn another language. Only after encountering people who have actually had to give up these important pieces of themselves to assimilate into American society, did the students begin to see the bigger picture associated with the cost of becoming an American for many people. For example, choosing a more American sounding name while learning a new language is very common for some immigrants. At this point, the students began to make connections to significant pieces of themselves that perhaps, in reality, they would not be so quick to part with.
2. In another exercise, we touched on some of the terminology associated with second- language acquisition. To demonstrate the difference between the Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP), students discussed the new dining facilities on campus for a few minutes. This was easy for them; even those who had not eaten in the new dining hall felt comfortable enough to join the conversation. Then they discussed trigonometric equations. Most of them looked at each other with blank faces, smiled or even laughed out loud.
This example of academic language proficiency resonates long after the lecture. When they see English learners struggling with an academic concept, they have an idea of the difficulty associated with learning academic language and how different it is from casual conversations.
3. The third exercise focused on the domains of language acquisition Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening (SWRL). The student teachers were asked to observe the instructional practices that are used in their field placements. They were asked to observe the classroom arrangements, the schedule followed, the racial breakdown of their students and their native language spoken. Were their students allowed or encouraged to use their native language? Did their cooperating teacher speak the student’s native language? All these and similar questions were discussed in class. The students then quickly become advice-givers and takers with each other. They were surprised at how resilient most English language learners are and began to advocate for them during our class discussions. They asked about homework, parent teacher conferences and field-trip permission slips. We talked about the graduation policy and how difficult it can be for students who do not speak English fluently and who may have come to the United States as teens or young adults. The teacher candidates were required to write about the times when their experiences as tutors connected with course content.
For future educators of diverse student populations, it is essential that these experiences come early during their preparation. Unfortunately, those moments often occur when new teachers are fully responsible for the students despite not having any training in teaching English as a second language.
Resources for Teachers.
Twenty-one states are part of the World Class Instructional Design and Assessment consortium that provides an English language screener and an annual language proficiency assessment.The assessment’s score reports show an English language learner’s progress from one level to another across language domains. This vital piece of information is usually misunderstood, not recognized and filed away into the student’s permanent record where it cannot help their teachers. The data from this assessment is often absent from instructional decisions.
ELL training courses should educate student teachers on how to review and interpret the score-reports released by the WIDA as if they were on grade-level teams making instructional decisions. This practice could prove to be instrumental in the student teachers to use the vocabulary and begin to formulate the questions needed to begin conversations about their students. Through discussions, the student teachers find a true sense of understanding of their role, therefore less intimidated about embracing the future experiences they will have with English Language Learners.
Since teacher licensure requirements vary from state to state, it is imperative that teacher candidates know how to obtain certification and complete classes that will prepare them for English learners. Most states allow teacher candidates and in-service teachers to take courses to add the ESOL endorsement onto their certificates. These courses usually include instruction in linguistics, teaching strategies and cultural issues.
A few programs may require an additional ESOL teaching practicum, although this is very rare. Other options include passing the state’s Assessment for the Certification of Educators’ exam for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages or completing a degree program in TESOL.
Websites
Books
- Fifty Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners (3rd Edition) by Adrienne L. Herrell and Michael L. Jordan
- What Every Teachers Should Know About: English Language Learners by Nancy L. Hadaway, Sylvia M. Vardell and Terrell A. Young
- English Learners in American Classrooms: 101 Questions, 101 Answers by James Crawford and Steven Krashen
Organizations
- TESOL – Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages
NAME – National Association for Multicultural Education
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