Everything+ESL

=Everything ESL (English as a Second Language)=

As a multi-cultural society there is room for supported improvement in teaching and consequently learning experiences for the ESL student in an inclusive classroom. An ESL student is a student with additional needs, and with the appropriate strategies and resources a teacher, independently or ideally through collaborative teaching, can ensure that they receive quality social and educational experiences from the first day they enter an English speaking school.


 * Current Research**
 * ESL students are experiencing disequilibrium when they initially move into an English speaking school. Their self-concept may be changing with new interactions and experiences (Krause, 2010, p.100;Donald, 2010, p.43).
 * ESL students will adjust more easily into an English school if they have “the experience of caring (family), feeling of connectedness and cultural identity as protective factors” (Yates, 2010,p.3).
 * Lesson content should consider student’s background and knowledge. Yates (2010,p. 8-9) found for example that ‘Hydroelectricity’ was not as culturally engaging as an ‘Our Stories’ unit for newly migrating ESL students.
 * ESL students in a foreign culture “need to know how schooling is related to real life” (Rushton, 2008, p26).
 * Donald (2010, p.41) discusses how reticence has been observed as a barrier to learning and socialising for ESL students.
 * Tsou (2005, as cited in Donald, 2010 p.41) supports that oral participation is “the most observable” for a teacher in a classroom setting and therefore if an ESL student is not speaking their level of understanding can be misinterpreted.
 * Teaching style is important. Teaching in ‘managerial mode’ may result in ESL students feeling reluctant to participate (Donald, 2010, p.50) and error correction in class group questioning should “be focused on reducing defensiveness on the part of the learner” (Horwitz et al, 1986 as cited inDonald, 2010, p.52).
 * Small group discussions can provide a feeling of “…greater security” (Donald, 2010 p.53).
 * Hook (2010, p.15) discusses how “group dialogue” for ESL students in a withdrawal lesson with an ESL teacher helps them to explore more complex ideas than they would in the classroom.
 * In the classroom “strategies to develop reading skills and build vocabulary” can include “shared reading with BigBooks, plays and reciprocal reading” (Hook,2010, p13).
 * Yough and Fang (2010) discuss the change in academic support for the use of an ESL student’s native language to assist in teaching and learning English. It is now considered beneficial to utilise native language for grammatical explanations and to convey meaning.
 * Yough and Fang (2010) discuss the change in academic support for the use of an ESL student’s native language to assist in teaching and learning English. It is now considered beneficial to utilise native language for grammatical explanations and to convey meaning.

In researching resources to assist teachers with engaging and preparing for an ESL student in their classroom [|www.everythingESL.net] appears to be very useful. Although it is an American site it does provide an avenue for communication of advice and experiences,whilst also disseminating a wealth of information, e.g. preparing for a new ESLstudent in your class, reference material, book publications, and lesson plan ideas. This resource is particularly useful for ESL teachers however equally as beneficial for teachers of a mainstream classroom as not every school has a designated ESL teacher. Primary school teachers would find this resource useful, however for example articles advising on how to involve ESL parents in their child’s education are also transferable to secondary school teachers.

Bilingual Special Education

References:

Donald, S. (2010).Learning How to Speak : Reticence in the ESL classroom. //Annual Review ofEducation, Communication & Language Sciences,// 741-58. Retrieved fromEBSCO//host//.

Foreman, P. (2008). //Inclusion in Action//. South Melbourne, Australia: Cengage Learning.

Hook, E. (2010). ESLStudents: Learning Through Talking. //Practically Primary//, 15(2), 13-15.Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.

Krause et al. (2010).Social, emotional and moral development. //Educational psychology forlearning and teaching,// 98 – 146. Retrieved from University of Canberra E-Reserve.

Rushton, K. (2008).Cooperative planning and teaching for ESL students in the mainstreamclassroom. //TESOL in Context//, 18(1), 21-28. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.

Yates, R. (2010). A child’s life on Mars: Investigating theexperience of newly arriving migrant children. //Primary & Middle YearsEducator//, 8(1), 15-23. Retrievedfrom EBSCO//host//.

Yough, M. S., &Ming, F. (2010). Keeping Native Languages in ESL Class: Accounting for the RoleBeliefs Play Toward Mastery. //Mid-WesternEducational Researcher//, 23(2), 27-32. Retrieved from EBSCO//host//.