Working with Young Ells- Some Considerations

DIGEST EDO-FL-03-01 • MAY 2003

Working With Young English Language Learners: Some Considerations

BRONWYN COLTRANE, CENTER FOR APPLIED LINGUISTICS

In to d ay’s p resch oo l p ro gram s an d p rim ary sch oo l classroo m s, teach ers are workin g with an in creasin gly d iverse p opu lation of you n g st ud en t s, in clud in g m an y wh o co m e fro m h o m es wh ere En glish is n ot sp o ken . Acco rd in g to Kin d ler (2002), En glish lan gu age learn ers (ELLs) n o w rep resen t 9.6% o f all st ud en t s en ro lled in pu blic p re-kin - d ergart en t h ro u gh Grad e 12 classes in t h e Un it ed St at es; 67% o f t h ese st ud en t s are en ro lled at t h e elem en t ary sch oo l level. Th e gro wt h in en ro llm en t o f En glish lan gu age learn ers is n ot rest rict ed to big cit ies an d u rban areas; in fact , st at es wit h large ru ral areas, su ch as Geo rgia, Mo n t an a, an d Mississipp i, h ave exp erien ced sh arp in creases in t h e en ro llm en t o f ELLs in t h eir pu blic sch oo ls. Teach ers in p resch oo l an d p rim ary edu cat io n p ro gram s all o ver t h e co u n t ry m ay h ave En glish lan gu age learn ers in t h eir classroo m s. Un fo rt u n at ely, m an y t each ers are n ot p ro vid ed wit h sp ecialized t rain in g in h o w to m eet t h e n eed s o f ELLs (Men ken At u n ez, 2001) an d m ay h ave n o p rio r exp erien ce in t each in g yo u n g st ud en t s fro m lin gu ist ically an d cu lt u rally d iverse b ackgro u n d s.

Th is Digest p ro vid es gen eral in fo rm at io n o n t h e ch aract erist ics o f En glish lan gu age learn ers in U.S. p resch oo l an d p rim ary sch oo l p ro - gram s an d d escribes learn in g co n d it io n s an d in st ru ct io n al p ract ices t h at are m o st effect ive fo r edu cat in g yo u n g ELLs.

Charact erist ics of Young ELLs

Th ere are so m e im p o rt an t ch aract erist ics o f yo u n g En glish lan - gu age learn ers t h at m ay be u sefu l fo r edu cato rs to keep in m in d .

Youn g child ren ’s first la n gu a ge is n ot yet fu lly d eveloped

As Ch om sky (1969) d em on strated , ch ild ren between 5 an d 10 years o ld are st ill acqu irin g t h e st ru ct u res o f t h eir first lan gu age. Fo r ch il- d ren yo u n ger t h an 5, m an y asp ect s o f t h eir first lan gu age h ave n ot yet fu lly d evelo p ed . So wh ile o ld er learn ers h ave t h e fo u n d at io n o f a fu lly d evelo p ed first lan gu age wh en t h ey begin acqu irin g a n ew lan - gu age, yo u n ger En glish lan gu age learn ers are wo rkin g to ward t wo m ilesto n es at t h e sam e t im e: t h e fu ll d evelo p m en t o f t h eir n at ive lan gu age an d t h e acqu isit io n o f En glish .

W h ile ch ild ren are p erfect ly cap able o f acqu irin g t wo o r m o re lan - gu ages, an d t h ere is n o evid en ce t h at t h is p ro cess p ro du ces an y n ega- t ive co n sequ en ces—in fact , in m an y p art s o f t h e wo rld it is t h e n o rm , rat h er t h an t h e excep t io n , fo r ch ild ren to gro w up bilin gu al o r m u l- tilin gu al (De Hou wer, 1999)—edu cators m u st keep in m in d th at you n g ch ild ren d o n ot h ave a fu lly d evelo p ed n at ive lan gu age o n wh ich to base t h e learn in g o f a seco n d . Ch ild ren m ay n ot kn o w cert ain vo - cabu lary wo rd s, gramm at ical st ru ct u res, o r ot h er lan gu age feat u res in t h eir n at ive lan gu age befo re t h ey learn t h em in En glish , in wh ich case m erely t ran slat in g a wo rd o r p h rase m ay be o f litt le h elp to t h em .

Child ren n eed t o d evelop t heir n a t ive la n gu a ge(s) a lon g w it h En glish

Edu cato rs m u st co n sid er t h at yo u n g En glish lan gu age learn ers’ p rim ary m o d e o f co mm u n icat io n wit h t h eir p aren t s, ext en d ed fam i- lies, an d co mm u n it y m em bers is t h eir n at ive lan gu age. Ch ild ren are so cialized in to t h eir co mm u n it ies, learn h o w to in t eract in so cially app ro p riat e ways, an d receive n u rt u rin g an d d evelo p self-est eem t h ro u gh in t eract io n s wit h t h eir p aren t s an d fam ilies. In o rd er to d e- velo p t h eir n at ive lan gu age skills fu lly, yo u n g En glish lan gu age learn - ers n eed supp o rt in bot h t h eir n at ive lan gu age an d En glish . Id eally, t h o se wh o wo rk wit h yo u n g ELLs sh o u ld be able to sp eak t h e n at ive lan gu age(s) o f t h e ch ild ren . Ho wever, becau se m an y classroo m s in -

clud e ch ild ren wh o sp eak a variet y o f lan gu ages an d becau se bilin - gu al t each ers are n ot always available, t h is supp o rt m ay n eed to be p ro vid ed by bilin gu al p arap ro fessio n als o r by p aren t an d co mm u - n it y vo lu n t eers. Ch ild ren sh o u ld be p ro vid ed wit h o pp o rt u n it ies fo r m ean in gfu l in t eract io n in bot h lan gu ages, in clud in g verbal in t erac- t io n an d en gagem en t wit h p rin t ed m at erials su ch as boo ks an d ot h er m ed ia. In as m an y ways as p o ssible, p ro gram s fo r yo u n g ELLs sh o u ld supp o rt ch ild ren ’s n at ive lan gu ages.

Learning Condit ions That Support Young ELLs

Lea rn in g En glish a s a n add it ive process

Presch oo l an d elem en t ary p ro gram s fo r En glish lan gu age learn ers sh o u ld bu ild o n t h e p rem ise t h at ch ild ren ’s n at ive lan gu ages are a valu able asset to be fo st ered . Th is kin d o f n u rt u rin g en viro n m en t is crit ical to ch ild ren ’s so cial an d em ot io n al d evelo p m en t an d fo st ers st ro n g fam ily co nn ect io n s as well as ch ild ren ’s co n t in u ed p art icip a- t io n in t h e co mm u n it y. By co llabo rat in g wit h p aren t s an d ot h ers in t h e co mm u n it y, t each ers can ext en d t h is n u rt u rin g en viro n m en t in to t h e sch oo l. Co llabo rat io n s m ay in clud e u se o f p aren t an d co mm u - n it y vo lu n t eers in t h e classroo m to p ro vid e n at ive lan gu age supp o rt to ch ild ren , sp ecial classes o r wo rksh o p s to raise p aren t s’ awaren ess o f t h e im p o rt an ce o f supp o rt in g ch ild ren ’s n at ive lan gu ages at h o m e, o r fam ily lit eracy p ro gram s t h at give p aren t s an d ch ild ren t h e o pp o r- t u n it y to learn to get h er. Co llabo rat io n s su ch as t h ese, wh ich p ro - m ot e n at ive lan gu age d evelo p m en t , h elp to en su re t h at ch ild ren will co n t in u e to be able to co mm u n icat e wit h t h eir p aren t s an d ext en d ed fam ilies.

By valu in g yo u n g En glish lan gu age learn ers’ n at ive lan gu ages an d en su rin g t h at learn in g En glish is an add it ive p ro cess—n ot o n e t h at resu lt s in t h e lo ss o f t h e n at ive lan gu age—p ro gram s can p ro vid e a n u rt u rin g, supp o rt ive en viro n m en t fo r ch ild ren , wh ich can lead to im p ro ved self-est eem an d h elp fo st er p o sit ive relat io n sh ip s wit h p ar- en t s an d co mm u n it ies.

In volvin g pa ren t s

Becau se p aren t s are t h eir ch ild ren ’s p rim ary t each ers, it is essen - t ial fo r p ro gram s t h at serve yo u n g ELLs to bu ild co llabo rat io n be- tween p aren ts an d teach ers. To th is en d , p aren ts of you n g ELLs sh ou ld be given frequ en t o pp o rt u n it ies to p ro vid e in pu t in to t h eir ch ild ren ’s edu cat io n . Teach ers sh o u ld sh are in fo rm at io n wit h p aren t s abo u t t h e st an d ard s, cu rricu lu m , an d in st ru ct io n al m et h o d s t h at are u sed in t h eir ch ild ’s class an d h elp p aren t s u n d erst an d t h e resu lt s o f vario u s p lacem en t an d ach ievem en t assessm en t m easu res t h at are u sed in t h e classroo m . As Nissan i (1990) p o in t s o u t , “t h e h o m e an d sch oo l sh o u ld id eally wo rk effect ively to get h er an d supp o rt o n e an ot h er in t h e job o f n u rt u rin g an d edu cat in g yo u n g ch ild ren ” (p . 6).

The Nat ure and Qualit y of Inst ruct ion for Young ELLs

En su rin g t ea cher qu a lit y

It is essen tial to h ave well-p rep ared , qu alified teach ers in p resch ool an d p rim ary sch oo l p ro gram s t h at in clud e En glish lan gu age learn ers. As Ech evarria (1998) p o in t s o u t , t each ers o f yo u n g ELLs n eed to be able to u n d erst an d t h eir lin gu ist ic an d ot h er n eed s, p rep are effect ive lesso n s t h at will m eet t h o se n eed s, p ro vid e app ro p riat e in st ru ct io n , an d be able to assess h o w well st ud en t s are co m p reh en d in g wh at h as been t au gh t . Beyo n d t h at , t each ers n eed a t h o ro u gh u n d erst an d in g

CEN TER FOR APPLIED LIN GUISTICS • ERIC CLEARIN GHOUSE ON LAN GUAGES AN D LIN GUISTICS • 4646 40TH ST N W • WASHIN GTON DC 20016-1859 • 202-362-0700

o f ch ild d evelo p m en t an d h o w t h is m ay be app lied to d evelo p m en - t ally app ro p riat e in st ru ct io n al d esign , sen sit ivit y to t h e cu lt u ral back- gro u n d s o f t h e ch ild ren an d t h eir p aren t s, an d skill in p ro m ot in g p o sit ive h o m e-sch oo l relat io n sh ip s.

Provid in g a m ple opport un it ies for pla nn in g

However well p rep ared an d exp erien ced an in d ividu al teach er m ay be in wo rkin g wit h yo u n g En glish lan gu age learn ers, p ro vid in g h igh - qu alit y in st ru ct io n an d p ro gramm in g requ ires t eam wo rk. Q u alit y p ro gram s t h at serve yo u n g ELLs sh o u ld in vo lve ext en sive coo rd in a- t io n an d p lann in g am o n g st aff. Too o ft en , t h e p lann in g t im e p ro - vid ed to t each ers o f En glish lan gu age learn ers is in ad equ at e. In o rd er to coo rd in at e go als, align cu rricu la, an d en su re p o sit ive t ran sit io n s fo r ELLs as t h ey m o ve t h ro u gh a p ro gram , ad equ at e t im e fo r p lan - n in g—in clud in g lo n g-ran ge p lann in g t h at co n sid ers ch ild d evelo p - m e n t —is e sse n t ia l. W h e n t h ey a re give n su ffici e n t t im e fo r co llabo rat io n an d p lann in g, t each ers an d ot h ers in p ro gram s t h at serve yo u n g ELLs m ay en su re t h at t h e in st ru ct io n an d go als t h ey d e- velo p fo r t h ese ch ild ren are p art o f a well-art icu lat ed fram ewo rk based up o n p ract ices t h at are d evelo p m en t ally app ro p riat e, wit h lo n g-t erm go als an d ach ievem en t in m in d .

D esign in g d evelopm en t a lly a ppropria t e in st ru ct ion

Th e kin d o f p lann in g t h at t each ers o f yo u n g ELLs sh o u ld be en - gagin g in in vo lves d evelo p m en t ally app ro p riat e p ract ice t h at t akes in to acco u n t t h e co gn it ive an d so cial n eed s o f yo u n g ch ild ren . W h at Green bu rg (1990) calls t h e co gn it ive/d evelo p m en t al app ro ach is gen - erally co n sid ered to be t h e m o st effect ive, as it co n sid ers wh at ch il- d ren m ay be able to d o at variou s stages of d evelop m en t. Th is app roach in vo lves d ifferen t t yp es o f learn in g, su ch as so cial learn in g, p h ysical learn in g an d p lay, em ot io n al learn in g, an d in t ellect u al an d acad em ic learn in g. Nissan i (1990) su mm arizes t h is app ro ach as o n e in wh ich “ch ild ren are en co u raged to beco m e in vo lved in pu rp o sefu l an d cre- at ive act ivit ies wit h ot h er ch ild ren ; to m ake m ajo r ch o ices am o n g h an d s-on learn in g activities; to in itiate an d accom p lish self-m otivated t asks in a rich en viro n m en t ; an d to co n st ru ct kn o wled ge at t h eir o wn in d ividu al p ace by d isco verin g an d en gagin g in o p en -en d ed act ivi- t ies t h at reflect all areas o f t h eir d evelo p m en t ” (p . 3). Th is kin d o f app ro ach t en d s to be h igh ly st ud en t cen t ered an d keep s ch ild ren ’s d evelo p m en t al n eed s in m in d by allo win g t h em to learn at t h eir o wn p ace an d in t h eir o wn learn in g st yles. It in vo lves a great d eal o f cre- at ivit y o n t h e p art o f t h e t each er, wh o co n t in u ally d evelo p s ways fo r ch ild ren to in t eract in h an d s-o n t asks an d act ivit ies in wh ich t h ey m ay co n st ru ct t h eir o wn m ean in g t h ro u gh in t eract io n .

Usin g fun d s of kn ow led ge

In add it io n , t each ers o f yo u n g ELLs sh o u ld t ap in to t h e fu n d s o f kn o wled ge t h at p aren t s an d fam ilies p o ssess an d u se t h is kn o wled ge as a basis fo r in st ru ct io n . Fo r exam p le, t each ers sh o u ld fin d o u t wh at kin d o f lit eracy p ract ices, su ch as sto ryt ellin g, are t yp ically u sed in ch ild ren ’s h o m es; wh at to p ics an d su bject s t h e ch ild an d fam ily en - jo y d iscu ssin g to get h er; t rad it io n s t h at are observed ; an d ot h er areas o f in t erest t h at m ay be bro u gh t in to t h e classroo m so t h at t h e kn o wl- ed ge base o f ch ild ren ’s fam ilies is resp ect ed an d valu ed . Gat h erin g t h is in fo rm at io n can be d o n e in a variet y o f ways, in clud in g in fo r- m al d iscu ssio n s bet ween t each ers an d p aren t s, elicit in g in fo rm at io n fro m t h e learn ers t h em selves, visit in g ch ild ren ’s h o m es, an d en list - in g t h e h elp o f co mm u n it y vo lu n t eers wh o m ay b e fam iliar wit h ch ild ren ’s h o m e cu lt u res. O n ce t each ers h ave id en t ified t h e kin d s o f kn o wled ge, lit eracy p ract ices, an d t rad it io n s t h at exist in ch ild ren ’s h o m es, t h is in fo rm at io n m ay be in t egrat ed in to classroo m in st ru c- t io n (e.g., d esign in g t h em at ic u n it s t h at in clud e to p ics t h at ch ild ren