Ten Things You Can Do to Support English Language Learners

1. Consider English language learners when addressing the class. Use language and concepts that are inclusive and which are easily understood by all students in your group.
2. Give frequent feedback. Acknowledge efforts, accomplishments and struggles. Modeling the language you would like to hear, let children know that you are following their progress.
3. Watch children before you engage them. Sit quietly and observe what children are doing, encourage their efforts and step in to help thoughtfully to support additional learning.
4. Bring language to silent moments. Guide children's learning by asking questions and talking about what children are doing. When teachers ask questions that challenge children's thinking, they are guiding their learning.
5. Help children to think out loud. Describe what you see children doing and help them to think about their work. Having children think out loud offers you insight into how they are learning.
6. Talk with children to help them put their actions and ideas into words. Doing this helps children be clear about what they are doing and strengthens what they are learning.
7. Ask children open-ended questions. Questioning children not only extends their learning, it also lets you see their learning and progress. Open-ended questions, on the other hand, ask a child to give more than a one- or two-word answer and have many possible right answers.
8. Create situations for children to talk with their peers. Children can teach each other and learn a lot from one another. Children can sometimes learn more from a peer buddy than from an adult or teacher.
9. Use props that children can see and feel with stories and songs. Children understand better when they can use more than one sense...when they can hear, see, touch, smell and feel rather than just hear. This works well for children whose first language is not English.
10. Create a language-rich classroom. Using labels in many languages, signs, books, charts and media, make sure there are many opportunities for children to find words in the classroom.

This resource is provided as a informational guide; it is not intended to be an exhaustive overview of information, but as a tool for highlighting potential training needs.

Posted on June 17, 2008.