These strategies are general in naure, aiming to be easy to implement in your classroom practice, and focussed on beginning language learners.
Many of these strategies will help support all students in your class, and results in a classroom that celebrates diversity.
1. Your District ELL Team
Your district ELL team is there to support all ELL students in your district and help you as that student's classroom teacher. They are knowledgeable about resources available to ELL students and their families both within and outside of the scope of the school district. They can provide support directly to the family in the form of sourcing translators, information regarding cultural connections relevant to them, and health and government services that are available and relevant to the family. They can also provide you with advice on appropriate or alternative activities for the ELL student in your class. ELL teachers can provide advice on what typical integration looks like, and help with assessment where appropriate, as well as help with reporting. ELL teachers are able to assess the students' needs, and provide direct support both in and out of your class in either a push-in or pull-out model of support. As a new classroom teacher, asking your ELL teacher for support with your ELL students should be your first approach to best supporting these students.
2. Dual Language Signage
Adding signage in your classroom that is in the student's first or primary language and corresponds to English signage can greatly assist a student with no or limited English language ability in gaining immediate access to oral vocabulary that can support them in the classroom (Castro, Paez, Dickinson, & Frede, 2011). This strategy relies on the student's reading ability in their first language. Keep in mind that while the student may be able to communicate orally in their first language, they may not be able to read or write in this language at the same level, if at all. Your district ELL teacher can help support you in implementing these in your classroom.
3. Visual Aids
Where possible, add visual aids and cues to both your spoken language and signage. When adding to your spoken language this can be called Total Physical Response (TPR). Small pictures, actions, modelling, video clips, or even short GIFs can help add context to your language or presented material and increase both engagement and the speed at which students develop their basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) (Celik et al., 2021)
4. Peer grouping
Assigning a "buddy" or partner to a new ELL student can be a great way to help the ELL student feel welcome and have direct support during activities (Pyle et al., 2016). This can be more than one buddy, and students can take turns. Supporting the student to have a peer they interact with to develop their basic interpersonal skills (BICS) can go a long way in building relationships and supporting social and emotional well-being. With the support of your ELL teacher, peer grouping can also take the form of another ELL student with the same language in another grade or class who spends some time with the new ELL student. This can take the form of doing a fun activity together, or supporting the student in a specific task. In peer groupings it is important to respect and consider how both students respond.
5. Technology
Technology can be an amazing resource to help students increase their acquisition of basic interpersonal language skills and aid in direct communication (Ok & Ratliffe, 2017).
Using a tablet, both the Apple Translate and Google Translate can be powerful and independently used tools for an ELL student that allows them to engage more in an activity or with a group. Both the Google and Apple translate apps include oral language translation, and photo translation options. The Google App itself can operate in a language of your choosing, helping the student navigate more comfortably. Technology can also help bridge the language gap during classroom activities that require the student to rely heavily on their cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP), and help them integrate during these activities, in turn practising their basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS) at the same time. During select times, having an alternative activity for an ELL student like Duolingo, can be a useful activity the student can do independently while the teacher delivers other material to the rest of the class. An example of an appropriate time for Duolingo could be during independent reading time, however giving the student the choice of primary language books could also be a good option.
It is important to use technology sparingly and when appropriate, not as a constant. Creating a dependence on technology has been shown to reduce the rate of language acquisition (Abu-Zahra & Shayeb, 2022). However, as the use of technology can help increase social interaction and support BICS language acquisition without a teacher or another adult's support, there are certain instances where the use of technology can act as an aid.
6. Continuing To Support Student's Primary Language and Culture
Remember to support student acquisition and practice in their primary language is important for a number of reasons: it may represent an area where students feel proficient and confident, and are already able to learn independently in content areas. Continuing to develop their multilingualism is a life-long skill with numerous benefits, and it has been shown that continuing to practise or learning a language in a first language can help with acquisition in a second language (Madriñan, 2014; Nation, 2003). Sourcing books and activities for your ELL student that reflect their culture and primary language can support their social and emotional well-being. Your district ELL team can help you with aspects of this. Another way to support the ELL student's culture is taking note of and recognizing relevant cultural celebrations the student might participate in. Certain students will be very responsive to sharing about their culture, while others may be more shy. Some families will also respond enthusiastically to sharing elements of their culture with the class, and reaching out, with the support of your ELL teacher if needed, can be a great opportunity to celebrate diversity in your classroom. Finally, thinking about how your ELL student or their culture is represented in your classroom decorations, teaching materials, and books can play a role in their feeling comfortable and welcome in your classroom.
A one page printable resource that summarizes the information on this page is included here for you to print, share, and reference.
