15 Quick Fix Best Practices in the Classroom
Speak simply and clearly to the students. Try to speak in short sentences in a normal tone of voice. Unless the student is hearing impaired, it is not necessary to speak loudly. Use simple sentence structure (subject, verb, object).
Teacher attitude is very important. Have patience, try to establish confidence in the student's ability to speak and understand English. Too much anxiety can be debilitating. Establish oral/aural routines. Greetings each morning and closure at the end of class permit the student to become familiar with and anticipate limited language experiences. Examples include: "Hello, Juan, " Have a nice weekend," "Bye-Bye," "See you tomorrow," Line up for lunch," and "How are you?" Keep talking to the student. It is normal for him or her to experience a "silent period" that can last for several days, weeks, or even months. In order to learn the language, the student must first develop active listening skills, followed by speaking, reading, and writing. Establish a "buddy system" in which students are paired with others in the classroom, preferably native English speakers who have the patience to work with non-native English speakers. This is particularly helpful in science labs. (The buddies might become friends outside of classroom.) |
In early stages, secure simplified texts for ESL students. If you are studying World War II, use a fourth, fifth, or sixth grade text with similar information. Your media specialist and/or curriculum coordinator can be extremely helpful in this area.
Use prompts, cues, facial expressions, body language, visual aids, and concrete objects as often as possible. Pointing and nodding toward an open door while saying "Please, shut the door" is much more effective than giving the command in an isolated context. Pictures and demonstrations are worth a thousand words. This is especially true for ESL students. Use filmstrips, transparencies, and videos whenever possible. Announce the lesson's objectives. Write the objectives on the board and review them orally. List key terms and/or new vocabulary. Write legibly. Printed letters are easier to read than cursive ones. Give the student more time to complete assignments, or reduce the length of the assignment in the early stages of language acquisition. Expect progressively more as his or her comprehension increases. |
If you have time, set up tutorials on specific areas with which each student is having trouble. Sometimes just a few minutes of one-to-one or one-to-two teaching is worth a whole class period and is just what the student needs to clear up confusion. If there is an ESL teacher on your faculty, put a note in his or her mailbox concerning the concept or skill.
Decide whether you will have an English-only policy in your classroom or allow other students to translate in order to clarify a point. Frequently, a few words of translation allow both you and the student to "get over the hump" and move on to new material. Find people in the school or community who speak the student's language. Another LEP student at school, a foreign born, or a first generation student who speaks the LEP student's language can aid communication between the LEP student and the teacher. Foreign language teachers and ESL teachers are often able to provide assistance in emergency situations. Parents, church members, large businesses, universities, social service agencies, ethnic restaurants, and foreign merchants are valuable community resources. It is also helpful to know whether any of the LEP student's family members English. If the student is literate in the first language, encourage and expect him or her to use their English to First Language Dictionary. Assign the student a textbook even though it is too difficult. They need the printed word. The student will feel more confident having the book for a reference. |