English Language Learners

English is my mother tongue. My family all speaks English as a first language, and I was lucky enough to be immersed in the language from the word go. Virtually every book at home (and there are over a thousand--I counted) is in English; we listened to music; and I even went to a preschool where English was spoken.

I have never experienced the difficulties of ELL (English Language Learning) or ELD (English Language Development). (ELL used to be called ESL).

I do know about learning French as a second language. When I was five, I was enrolled at the Ecole Francaise in Sri Lanka. None of my classmates spoke a word of English, and I did not speak a word of French.

It was a quiet year for me. At home and at preschool I was talkative and peppy, but in a kindergarten where I did not speak the language, I barely spoke a word. I was like a spaceman on a different planet, watching and learning, sitting still and trying to figure out where I fit in.

In the end, I figured it out. I must have been like a sponge, sucking all the information and words up. By grade 1, I was functionally fluent in French.

In class today, as we discussed English Language Learners, the difficulties they face, and ways we can help as teachers.

I loved learning about ways to accommodate students who are just learning English, particularly in celebrating the languages and skills they already have. It is so important to give new students a chance to flourish in the classroom in order to make them feel confident and motivated, but it can be hard to do if the students have a limited understanding of the language of instruction. Letting students do some of their work in another language (particularly paired with a buddy) is a great way to make sure that students are not totally impeded by language in their work, while at the same time acknowledging and recognizing that student's language as an important part of who they are and how they function.

The reading for class, Many Roots, Many Voices (http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/manyroots/manyroots.pdf) discussed helping and including not just students, but parents and guardians. I think that parents and guardians are an important and often ignored component of education. Parents and guardians often form a large part of a student's support network. We need to make sure that parents and guardians are also supported, since chances are good that if their child is an English Language Learner, their parent may be, too.

It is so easy for a parent who does not speak the language of the school to be excluded from school social events and be scared of communication with the school.

I did a little research into what I could give to a parent of a student in ELL or EDL and I found this resource: http://www.bctf.ca/parents.aspx?id=3666
Admittedly, it is still uses the old terminology of ESL rather than ELL. However, the brochure is offered in several languages which could be printed off for a parent. I imagine this could be especially helpful for parents looking to understand the Canadian school system.