University of Kwazulu-Natal

10 Tips For Teaching English Language Learners Edutopia

Bonisiwe Shabane
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10 tips for teaching english language learners edutopia

Tools and Techniques for better instruction Classrooms across the United States are becoming increasingly diverse with increasing numbers of students whose primary home languages are not English. State-reported data in 2008-09 estimated 10 percent of the US school-aged population (PreK-twelfth grade) as students identified as limited English proficient. Terms more widely accepted and used are English-Language Learners or simply English Learners (ELs). To adequately assist ELs in learning both content concepts and English simultaneously, all educators need to view themselves as language teachers. Here are 10 tips for supporting ELs in general education classrooms.

Increase your understanding of who your students are, their backgrounds and educational experiences. If your students have been in US schools for several years and/or were educated in their country of origin, are literate or not in their native language, may provide you with a better understanding... Understanding more about the students' families and their needs is key. When ELs have siblings to care for afterschool, possibly live with extended family members or have jobs to help support their families, completing homework assignments will not take priority. Imagine trying to learn a classroom lesson when you don’t understand the language in which it is being presented. Teaching English language learners requires specialized strategies; and at the most basic level, one of those strategies is to “put yourself in their shoes.”

More than 5 million children in U.S. schools are classified as English language learners (ELLs), according to the Department of Education. These students face the dual challenge of learning the material while also learning the language, as their teachers face the added challenge of using the right educational strategies to help them succeed. Some of the most effective English language learner strategies start with common sense and respect for cultural differences. Simply getting to know the students is considered to be an essential part of the process. For educators who teach English language learners, developing a deeper understanding of their unique needs and the best practices for teaching them has many benefits.

These include: Here, we will review a range of time-tested English language teaching strategies that benefit students and educators alike. This article provides classroom teachers with ideas for supporting their ELLs' language development. This article is part of our Strategies for ELL Success guide. If you are a classroom or content-area educator trying to figure out how to teach English language learners (ELLs), you are not alone! You are off to a good start by looking for ways to support your students!

There are many things you can do that will make a big difference to ELLs, and they often prove helpful for other students in the class as well. Here are some ideas to help you begin. Look for a few ideas you can try and one or two topics where you would like to learn more information. Note: This article also includes some research-based recommendations offered by Dr. Diane August in her 2018 American Educator article, Educating English Language Learners: A Review of the Latest Research. Learn about 10 instructional practices for English language learners (ELLs) that research shows to be highly effective.

These guidelines emphasize an asset-based approach to teaching ELLs and can be integrated into your regular teaching routines. Download the PDF version of this article › (opens in a new window) Having an asset-based perspective, rather than being deficit-focused, is the underlying foundation for effectively teaching English language learners (ELLs). Educators must hold an inherent belief that all students bring a richness of cultural and linguistic backgrounds and experiences to the learning environment. Teaching ELLs is the responsibility of all teachers. With some adaptations to regular teaching routines, as described in the recommendations below, all teachers are capable of providing high-quality instruction that leads to ELLs achieving rigorous standards.

ELLs vary considerably in factors that significantly affect learning. These factors include language and literacy proficiency in students’ native languages and in English. Educators should learn about individual students’ development of first and second languages. Cultural and experiential factors also influence learning. For example, educators may notice differences between ELLs whose parents are U.S. born and those whose parents are recent immigrants.

Family routines and communication practices shape the knowledge and experience that students bring to the classroom. Teaching English as a second language is a task that is often easier said than done. Even for an experienced teacher, successfully leading your first ESL class can be challenging.However, teaching ESL, at its core, is the same as teaching fluent students because you still need to apply basic classroom... Your lessons need to be structured to cater to an array of learning needs too. But you’ll also face some unique challenges when working with English language learners.Teaching language skills while compensating for different cultures, learning styles, and educational backgrounds, all while trying to break through language barriers, can... But with the right tips and tricks up your sleeve, teaching your students the English language can be an extremely rewarding experience.Let’s take a look at some essential language skills and teaching tips every...

How to be a Pro at Teaching English as Second Language: Although you might be fluent in the English language, that doesn’t mean you’re qualified to teach others. Anyone serious about teaching English as a second language should obtain a bachelor’s degree (in any subject) and complete a 120-hour TEFL certification course. Whether you choose to do your TEFL certification or master’s in TESOL online or at a physical college is up to you. After you’ve been certified, you’ll receive the resources you need to apply for teaching positions and set off on your new career, whether that’s in your home country or abroad. Native English speakers might not think that adding a few extra words to a sentence can cause confusion.

But from the perspective of a foreign language learner with limited English proficiency, there’s a major difference between “put your book on the shelf” and “would you mind placing your book back on the... You can gradually introduce new English words once your students have the building blocks in place that will ensure they understand the basics of the English language. Visuals can be words on desks, handouts, and even drawings. Regardless of whether you’re teaching kids or adults, visuals can help your students better relate to physical objects, which speeds up the process of picking up on words outside of their native language. A pictorial wall is also a great way to help expand the vocabulary of your students, and every great teacher knows this. You can also give your students time to watch movies in the English language, perhaps they could be subtitled to encourage active participation in the activity.

In the ESL class, the old saying that a picture speaks a thousand words couldn’t be closer to the truth. Language learning can feel bland and boring if you’re going at it in black and white for hours on end. And this is the last thing you want your learners to experience, which is why you need to find fun ways of sprucing up each lesson with interesting verbal and written instructions. Perhaps incorporating the interests of your students into the lessons helps them engage and broadens their understanding of the topic. Separating the class into teams that compete against each other is also a fun way to encourage students and ensure you’re adding an element of excitement to the learning process. And when learners are excited and interested in the subject, they find it easier to relate to the new language, which makes bridging the language barrier easier.

Posted by Larry Ferlazzo | Feb 12, 2025 | best of the year, ESL Web | 0 | I’ve shared lots of advice about teaching English Language Learners over the past eighteen years. I’ve tried to make it a little easier to access it all by posting THERE ARE TONS OF RESOURCES ON THIS BLOG TO HELP EDUCATORS TEACH ELLS – THIS POST IS A GOOD PLACE... Today’s “Best” list is another attempt to do the same. Several teachers, including me, have written short articles highlighting something like the “top ten tips” for teaching ELLs. Engage English Language Learners and Dual Language Learners with these online resources to assist in skill development and achievement.

10 Key Policies and Practices for Teaching English Language Learners | Reading Rockets - Learn about 10 instructional practices for English language learners (ELLs) that research shows to be highly effective. These guidelines emphasize an asset-based approach to teaching ELLs and can be integrated into your regular teaching routines. 11 Language Development Strategies for ELs | Brookes Publishing - Promote second language acquisition and literacy skills for English learners (ELs) with these eleven effective strategies. 36 Bilingual Spanish/English Core Board — Bilingüe AAC - This 36-symbol icon core board is based on Early Spanish Vocabulary for Children who use AAC (Soto & Cooper, 2021) and Project Core (Geist, Erickson,... We identified overlapping words between the two sources as well as added frequently used words for daily life, such as eat, drink, yes, and no. We made this available for FREE for all to use and begin modeling Spanish AAC!

Classrooms in the Middle East are highly diverse, students come from different cultures and not everyone has English as primary language. Educators must view themselves as language teachers to help English learners understand both content concepts and English simultaneously, all educators need to view themselves as language teachers. Here are 10 tips for supporting ELs in general education classrooms: 1. Know the language of your content English has a number of words. A student may understand one meaning but doesn’t know another meaning.

These are called polysemous words. You should review the vocabulary of your content area often and check it with English Learners just to assure they know the words and possibly multiple meanings associated with those words. 2. Be aware of students needs Your task as an educator doesn’t stop from the walls of the classroom. You need to understand each student’s family background and the current circumstances they’re in. When they have to take on jobs to support their families, you have to consider that homework assignments are not priority.

3. Know your students’ background You should be more aware of who your students are – background and educational experience. They may be literate or not literate in their native language. Understanding this may provide you with a better understanding of their educational needs and ways to support them. (This is the first post in a two-part series.) What is the single most effective instructional strategy you have used to teach English-language learners?

This series is part of a longer series of questions and answers inviting educators from various disciplines to share their “single most effective instructional strategy.” Last week, educators shared their recommendations when it came to teaching writing. Today, Valentina Gonzalez, Denita Harris, Cindy Garcia, and Deedy Camarena offer their responses.

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