Creative Ways To Support English Learners Engosify Com

Teaching English learners can feel like climbing a mountain—exciting, a bit overwhelming, and definitely rewarding once you reach the top. Every student arrives with a unique story, language background, and set of dreams. But here’s the catch: a one-size-fits-all approach won’t cut it. To truly support these learners, teachers need a toolbox filled with creative, flexible, and culturally responsive strategies. This article explores 63 creative ways to support English learners. From using visuals and gestures to tapping into technology, small-group learning, and even drama or storytelling, you’ll discover strategies that are practical, engaging, and backed by research.

Whether you’re a classroom teacher, language tutor, or parent, these ideas will help you make English learning meaningful, fun, and confidence-boosting. So, ready to spark curiosity, build bridges across cultures, and give your students the tools they need to thrive? Let’s dive in. When words fall short, pictures, charts, and diagrams can do the heavy lifting. Imagine introducing new vocabulary with a vivid image or breaking down a science process with a step-by-step infographic. Visuals cut through the noise, giving learners a clear anchor to grasp meaning.

Even something as simple as labeling classroom objects or projecting a diagram on a document camera can transform confusion into clarity. According to Edutopia’s guide on supporting ELLs across all subjects, visuals don’t just aid comprehension—they also reduce anxiety and help students feel included. Words plus movement? Now that’s a winning combo. Gestures and body language can reinforce meaning faster than translations alone. Think about demonstrating “jump” by literally hopping or pointing skyward to show “up.” That’s Total Physical Response (TPR) in action, and it works wonders, especially with beginners.

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. Get a year of membership🎃PLUS A FREE BONUS MONTH🎃 Teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) can sometimes feel overwhelming, but with the right strategies, you can create a classroom where every student feels seen or supported. Whether you’re new to working with ELLs or looking to refresh your approach, these seven, simple, effective strategies will help you build a more inclusive and engaging learning environment.

Visual aids, like anchor charts and labeled classroom items, help ELLs understand and retain information. Quick Win: Try adding simple labels to classroom objects using both words and pictures. For example, label the door, windows, and supplies with visuals alongside the words in English (and students’ home languages if possible). This small change can make your classroom more language-friendly in minutes! Provide sentence starters that help guide ELLs to write more complete and detailed responses. Teachers of any subject can use these tips to help English language learners be more engaged and at ease in class.

While we bring the mental health needs of our students into laser focus this year, it’s still crucial that we keep the social and emotional world of our English language learners (ELLs) front and... Just like their peers, ELL students come to our classrooms with the burning need to be seen and acknowledged for their unique personalities, life experiences, and talents. But language challenges can obstruct all these amazing facets of their personalities. Additionally, the social pressures of suddenly being in person again and needing to communicate may make them feel anxious, isolated, and embarrassed. Because of the often-obvious communication difficulties, grade-level and subject-area teachers understandably often rely on ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers to step in and help these students. However, even if you aren’t an ESL teacher, there’s a plethora of strategies you can use to help these incredible students feel comfortable sharing their strengths and unique perspectives on the world.

1. Closed captioning isn’t just for the hearing impaired. If you’re showing video content, turning on closed captioning supports ELL students’ comprehension as well as everyone’s literacy skills. According to a 2017 study, the simple act of using closed captioning improves learning, even for students without learning challenges. 2. Voice typing in Google Docs (under the Tools menu) provides students with a voice-to-text option that can help learners who have some oral language but struggle with spelling and writing.

By clicking the arrow next to the language, students can even dictate a text in their native language, if need be, and then use Google Translate to translate it. Download these free eBooks for a sampling of fun games for the online English classroom! It’s common for English language learners to struggle. Students may struggle for a variety of reasons – lack of confidence, learning style, and time constraints to name a few. The good news is that there are ways to help struggling English language learners overcome these challenges. Let’s explore some systems and strategies you can employ in your classroom, whether teaching in person or online, to help struggling English language learners be successful.

New to TEFL? Learn about getting qualified with Bridge to teach online or in person around the world, and explore our online TEFL certification courses. Using visual aids and realia, or real-life objects, can significantly enhance learning for struggling English language learners by providing concrete, contextualized references that support comprehension. Visual aids such as pictures, charts, and diagrams help English language learners grasp new vocabulary and concepts by linking abstract ideas to familiar, tangible images. Using realia in the ESL classroom further reinforces understanding by allowing students to physically interact with props related to the lesson, making learning more engaging and memorable. Using props can help bridge the gap between students’ language abilities and the content, promoting deeper understanding and retention of material.

A note on terminology: The acronym ESL is used less often now in schools than it used to be, because we recognize that many students who are learning English already speak several other languages,... I use it several times in the post because schools sometimes refer to the teachers as ESL teachers, and the term is still widely used as a search term for this topic. My intent in using the acronym is to make this post easier to find online. You have a new student, and he speaks no English. His family has just moved to your town from Japan, and though he receives English as a Second Language (ESL) support, he will also be sitting in your room every day to give him... How can you be a good teacher to someone who barely understands you?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an average of 9 percent of students in U.S. public schools are English Language Learners (ELLs); that number is closer to 14 percent in cities. Although many of these students start off in high-intensity, whole-day English programs, most are integrated into mainstream classrooms within a year, well before their English language skills would be considered proficient. How prepared are you to teach these students? If you’re like most classroom teachers, you have little to no training in the most effective methods for working with English language learners (Walker, Shafer, & Iiams, 2004). So that means we have a problem here: Lots of ELL kids in regular classrooms, and no teacher training to ensure the success of that placement.

Below, three ESL teachers tell us what they know about the things regular classroom teachers can do to improve instruction for ELL students. These 12 strategies are simple, they are not very time consuming, and best of all, they will help everyone in your class learn better: Last week, I started Macbeth with my 10th-grade English class; usually, the start of this unit brings much excitement and anticipation to my teaching. Students usually love studying Macbeth and grow to appreciate the universality and timelessness of Shakespeare as we read, act, and discuss the text. This year, however, I was filled with worry. I have six English learners (EL) in my class.

Typically, when I teach native Spanish speakers, I feel confident and ready for the challenge because I am bilingual myself. My ELs this year are all Asian, mostly Mandarin speakers and this has given me a glimpse of what it is like for many monolingual teachers who face classrooms filled with ELs and do... I quickly realized that ensuring their success would require thoughtful planning, strategic scaffolding, and intentional support. It feels as though the number of English learners or Dual language learners (DL) in our classrooms increases every year. The variety of languages they speak has also seemed to increase. In another blog we published, we look at a historical overview of this phenomenon as well as the theoretical foundation for language learning and provide a number of strategies for fostering a learner-centered culture...

Establishing a positive culture in your classroom is a crucial first step. And then what? And how on earth was I going to get my Mandarin-speaking 10th graders reading Shakespeare? Supporting ELs starts with the planning process. They may need a head start on the content, additional resources, and longer times to process. They may struggle to find an inroad to connect to the content.

Here are the top tips to consider in the planning process: Consider how you will not only develop vocabulary lists for them but also how they will engage with the vocab rather than just being given a list. Educators share their strategies for teaching academically challenging (and fun) lessons that support native and non-native English speakers. Transitions can be challenging for any student, whether that is moving from elementary to middle school, or moving to an entirely new school district. For English language learners (ELLs) the challenges are even greater. Not only do these students have to learn how to speak, read, and write a new language, they have to adjust to a new culture, all while keeping up academically with native English speakers.

The challenge for these two educators, whose classrooms include native and non-native English speakers, is to make sure their lessons are academically challenging, while also teaching these lessons in a way that provides extra... Here’s how they do it. When working with toddlers during a weekly story time I held for the community at my school library, I often came across barriers such as language and cultural differences. Many of these children were shy ELLs. It was then that I discovered the magic of music to bridge the language gap. The songs I played would instantly perk these kids up and get their attention.

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