Striving for Success with English Language Learners in the Classroom
Mentor Information
Ilene Berson (College of Education)
Description
Throughout this teacher inquiry project, our goal was to gain more insight on how to differentiate instruction and how to further support English Language Learners (ELLs) during whole group instruction. We know from the research literature that we must include the students, modify our speech, scaffold accordingly, and build autonomy. From this inquiry, we plan to answer the question “How can we better support ELLs within the classroom?” More specifically, we want to take a close look at how to better support ELL students within the classroom while taking into account their needs in learning the English Language. Our students range from Kindergarten to second grade, or ages five to eight years old, providing us with a diverse range to explore different instructional methodologies and assessment approaches to enhance ELL student outcomes. Our data include a collection of students’ benchmarks and diagnostic assessments, work samples, photographs, anecdotal records and transcriptions of video recordings. Educator-posed questions on the main lessons, extension activities, learning targets, and student reflection were coded for data analysis. These findings have suggested that strategic seating arrangements, cultural awareness, adequate wait time, and scaffolding are key to supporting ELLs in their academics. After gathering our results, we have identified new strategies, techniques, and methods that allow us to support ELL students in an educational setting.
Striving for Success with English Language Learners in the Classroom
Throughout this teacher inquiry project, our goal was to gain more insight on how to differentiate instruction and how to further support English Language Learners (ELLs) during whole group instruction. We know from the research literature that we must include the students, modify our speech, scaffold accordingly, and build autonomy. From this inquiry, we plan to answer the question “How can we better support ELLs within the classroom?” More specifically, we want to take a close look at how to better support ELL students within the classroom while taking into account their needs in learning the English Language. Our students range from Kindergarten to second grade, or ages five to eight years old, providing us with a diverse range to explore different instructional methodologies and assessment approaches to enhance ELL student outcomes. Our data include a collection of students’ benchmarks and diagnostic assessments, work samples, photographs, anecdotal records and transcriptions of video recordings. Educator-posed questions on the main lessons, extension activities, learning targets, and student reflection were coded for data analysis. These findings have suggested that strategic seating arrangements, cultural awareness, adequate wait time, and scaffolding are key to supporting ELLs in their academics. After gathering our results, we have identified new strategies, techniques, and methods that allow us to support ELL students in an educational setting.
