BEST PRACTICES with Non-Native Speakers of English - Karen Stanley
This is just a brief list of some ideas, both my own and some from other Academic ESL instructors. Many of these ideas can help native speakers of English (NSs) as well as non-native speakers (NNSs)
Lecturing/ speaking (to students)
- As much as possible, try to remove idiomatic speech from your explanations. Sometimes the same turns of phrases that make things more accessible and friendly-seeming for native speakers make them less accessible for non-native speakers.
- Speak more slowly, especially if you are asking students (or an individual student) a question, and when addressing a non-native speaker (NNS), try to use simpler vocabulary and syntax (grammar). Colloquial language (e.g., "get it" rather than "understand") may be more familiar for native speakers (NSs) than for NNSs. --> The problem is being *aware* of when you do these things.
- Pause after you have presented a complicated idea and give students time to absorb the information and to formulate questions
-Be cautious about using cultural references in your lectures and/or on tests (also applies to written work, such as math word problems about American football or "Big Bang Theory") that may be unfamiliar to students from other cultures.
- be sure to write all the important points on the board (or have it visible for a long enough time if you are using PowerPoint or a similar technology); even names very familiar to people who grew up in the US may not be something NNSs recognize or know how to spell - A vs 8 vs H
- When telling students to go somewhere new (eg, class is meeting at the Reference Desk in the Library), or you are advising and you tell the student to go somewhere to do something (eg, go to CH 365 and ask to see a Career Counselor) write down the instructions
NNS Participation/interaction in class, with other students, with instructors/advisors outside of class
- Encourage students to share their strengths and areas of expertise - they may be far more developed that native-speaking students in some subject-related areas and can exchange help in those areas for language help with other students.
- Encourage students to share answers with a partner or group before having to share them with the whole class - this helps to increase their confidence in the correctness of their answers.
- Be mindful that groupwork can sometimes be stressful for international students, but that this can often be mitigated by taking small steps. Try creating groups with a mix of native and non-native speakers; consider assigning roles within the group so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute meaningfully; provide ground rules and discuss the basics of effective communication before beginning a large group project.
- Don't single out an international student by asking, for example, "You're from the United States, what do people in the US think of this?"
- A couple of years ago, a friend attended a webinar in which a young woman from China spoke about how her professor invited all the international students to stay for five minutes after class on the first day of the semester. The professor welcomed them and gave a personal invitation to visit him in his office if they had any questions during the term. The student felt this was a great way to establish open lines of communication.
- I have an optional appointment sheet with preset times (15-minute increments) during my office hours. I circulate it periodically throughout my classes, particularly after tests. I always have it with me, usually on a desk at the front of the class. For students who get Fs on their tests, I put a "please make an appointment to see me" comment at the top of the test. It starts off a bit slow, but after a while students start coming up and asking for the appointment sheet.
- Understand that the way a student asks a question may not reflect not paying attention, but rather a lack of knowledge about how to phrase a question (eg, you have just explained how to do X, student asks, "How do you do X?" instead of, "I'm sorry, I didn't understand, could you explain that again please?")
Tests/Assignments/Instructor Policies
- On tests, use simpler vocabulary and grammar when phrasing questions to be sure that a student will only miss the question because of a lack of knowledge, not because s/he misunderstood the question (Nursing Board research)
- When preparing students for tests, provide examples of the types of questions you will ask, and how they are worded. (eg, "all of the following except)
- When you are talking to the class about plagiarism, provide examples of the kinds of things that students have been reported for in the past.
- Define very clearly how you define "cheating" in your course (and for different assignments). For example, you may be fine with students collaborating on a homework assignment, but have stricter rules for a take-home test.
- Demonstrate when possible, rather than just telling how to do something (e.g. walk the students through your LMS course page).
- Build in regular repetition and reminders (including when/where students can seek help). This may be especially helpful around week 3 of a course as students can suffer from information overload in weeks 1 and 2. (I usually send an email after each class meeting, "Activities and Assignments" - but it's sometimes hard to find the time.)
- Modify assignments and/or teaching examples to reflect the diversity of your students. This promotes a sense of inclusion and can give international students the opportunity to share their expertise and unique cultural perspective.
- Provide examples of a properly done assignment (perhaps a similar past assignment using well-done student work) (eg, the first time I had to write behavioral objectives: I understood the words, but needed to see examples before I really knew what they were asking for)
- Again, write everything down for students; don't just talk about it.
-- Special thanks to Margaret Hurdlik and Laura Blumenthal for their contributions to this list