According to statistics provided by the National Center for Educational Statistics for school year 2001-2002, almost four million students in the United States and its territories receive ESL services. Teachers who are certified to teach these ESL students have gone through specialized training designed to prepare them to meet the special needs of students learning English as a second language.
While most of these teachers have special training and access to many resources, some who will teach ESL students will not have all the resources they need. It’s sometimes easy to forget some of the basic facts about ESL students. Teachers who remember the following facts can make learning English easier and faster for ESL students.
What ESL Teachers Need to Remember
- Some ESL students may already know two languages other than English. Each parent may have a different native language, so the student and possibly both parents are learning a third language.
- Students and their families should be encouraged to use their native language at home, at least part of the time. Using the native tongue makes it easier for a child to grasp some concepts like manners, cultural traditions, and what’s expected at school.
- Reading and math skills learned in the native tongue transfer easily to English.
- Customs and traditions in the student’s country may be vastly different than in the U.S. This can be confusing for new ESL students and their teachers.
- ESL students need opportunities to share their heritage with other students.
- ESL students need respect and appreciation for their different cultures and traditions. Other students should be encouraged to appreciate the differences.
- It's a good thing for ESL students to be paired with other students who speak the same native language and placed in groups with English-speaking students.
- Explain concepts slowly, and repeat when necessary. Check for understanding often.
- Use pictures and nonverbal cues often. Encourage students to collect pictures and help file them.
- ESL students go through four stages of progress when they are learning English according to an article "How Children Learn a Second Language" by Linda Halgenseth.
- Although students use English well in social situations, they may not have mastered academic English.
Resources for ESL Teachers
Most teachers in public schools will teach a student who is learning English as a second language at some time in their careers. While the task can be daunting, especially for teachers who have not had sufficient training in ESL strategies, much information about ESL students is available in print and online. Remembering the basic facts outlined above can be helpful to both teacher and student.
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