The Missouri Reader Vol. 37, Issue 2 | Page 14

Figure 5. Strategies used for oral language development.

100%
90%

Brainstorming

94%

Storytelling
Guessing games

80%
70%

Interviews

74%

Research reports

60%
50%

40%
30%

58%56%
55%

Categories of preference
Simulations

43%
39%
34%31%
30%
27%27%

20%

17%

10%

Opinion polls
Group puzzles
Survey talking
News reports
Rank-order problems
Values continuum

0%

Advice to Classroom Teachers
At the end of the survey, ESOL teachers
were asked if they would like to offer any advice
to classroom teachers. Almost all of the
teachers responded to this question. The
following advice was offered to classroom
teachers:
 Learning another language takes time.
 Be flexible, open minded, and patient.
 Work from your ELs strengths and build
on what they know.
 Know your ELs proficiency levels and
backgrounds.
 Be willing to modify assignments and
tests.
 Use formative assessments and check
frequently for understanding.
 Know about BICS and CALP.
 Be an advocate for your ELs. Make sure

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they get the resources they need.
Reach out to ELs’ families and learn about
their cultures.
ESOL teachers are great resources! Reach
out to them and communicate with them
on a regular basis.
Make classrooms a welcoming place.
Assign a study buddy and bring their
culture into your classroom.
Build ELs’ background knowledge before
teaching the lesson. Use brainstorming.

Implications
We believe our findings offer two
implications for practice. A primary implication
of this study is that regular classroom teachers
and ESOL teachers need to work more closely
together to ensure their English Learners are
receiving comprehensible instruction. We
believe this goal can be achieved through (a)
©The Missouri Reader, 37 (2) p.14