Sharing Good Practice
Essential English Language Development strategies for the modern ESL classroom
By Lisa Fátimah
In addition to being the number one ( 1 ) studied language in the world , English is one of the most flexible , influential , inconsistent , and resilient languages . As a worldwide language with many geographical variations , English influences and some may say , dominates , the international market . It is also a precious asset allocation and status symbol that continues to multiply . Used for business , the Internet and in academia , increasingly , its power in the world of music and finance is global .
As a European language , English muscle and the need for its mastery ( speaking , reading , writing , listening / comprehending ) are monumentally favored and often expected . It is the lingua franca . Teaching and learning English is not for the faint-hearted . It requires vision and vigilance . It also requires an academic and assertive arsenal of instinct , ideas and implementation .
How can we help students to develop and eventually master English ? English Language Developmental Strategies , begin with purpose and intent . It is primary that we know :
• Why is English being taught ? Why is it important that the students learn ?
• Are the language learners interested in learning ?
• How will the students use the language ?
• Is the student ' s motivation intrinsic , extrinsic or both ?
• What are our meaningful language goals for the lesson / semester ? What are our preferred outcomes ? What should the students be able to do in the language by the end of the class ?
• What evidence is used to show they have met the teacher ' s objectives for listening , speaking , reading and writing ?
• How authentic are the assessments ?
Once there is a clear understanding of and an answer to these queries , the following developmental strategies can be designed and aligned .
Use Backward Design for effective instruction . Backward design means to begin with the END in mind . This includes :
• Speaking clearly and identifying desired results .
• Determining acceptable evidence .
• Planning learning experiences and instruction .
• Determining meaningful assessments and when they should begin :
Educator ' s Classroom Engagement should include :
• Using English 95-100 % of the class period .
• Speak aloud and model the language ( including the seemingly tertiary : " Now where did I put my pen ?")
• Scaffold the language so that , it is comprehensible to pupils .
• Extremely limit use of translation .
• Use authentic materials for teaching .
• Create and use personalized language .
• Incorporate students ’ interests in the materials .
• Use fluency passages that teach a subject of interest - move beyond their zone of proximal development ( ZPD ). ( See Lev Vygotsky , 1896 - 1934 ).
• Create conversational fluency passages using previously learned vocabulary . These may be written by the students / teacher .
• Phonics should be taught creatively by using a lot of animation , pictures , chunking , sequencing and it should be multi-sensory .
Create opportunities for meaningful , descriptive and extended language . Establish corresponding assessments .
This includes :
• Contextualization .
• Personalization .
• Reader ' s Theater .
• Poetry / song and discussion .
• Chunked or sentence length ( e . g . a telephone conversation ; writing an email to a friend ).
• Include a mix of acquired , but not memorized vocabulary centered on a directive or query ( e . g . Offering directions from school to a mall ).
• Interpersonal activities between classmates .
• Descriptions of objects in hand , on screen and / or visualized .
• Allow each student to have a " speaking " job in class . ( E . g . roll call ; reading the date , etc .)
• Guided , imaginative , but not memorized presentations
• Ensure opportunities for ALL students to speak in class .
• Create open-ended conversational prompts .
• Use correct English .
• Design on-going assessments , criteria and rubrics .
• Select pupil presentation groups . Decide the contextualized setting .
• Allow students to assess their peers and themselves .
Remember , when you teach from your heart ( teaching the child and not solely the curriculum ), you move , beyond a holistic connectedness to an indescribable , inimitable human connection .
18 | Jan - Feb 2017 | | Class Time