When you hear the term English Language Learner, you might think of international students who’ve grown up in countries where English isn’t a primary language. But many other English Language Learners (ELLs) have grown up in the U.S. in multilingual families. In Colorado, 16% of families speak a language other than English at home.
Value students’ intelligence and backgrounds
We can set ELLs up for success in our courses, first, by valuing their rich academic abilities. A person who completes a college degree in an additional language is highly intelligent. If someone struggles to understand spoken English or to read academic texts, this isn’t an indication of their potential for academic achievement—it’s simply a reality of the challenge involved in doing tasks in another language.
A student may be highly skilled at presenting complex thoughts in writing, explaining scientific processes, or understanding artistic concepts in one language but struggle to communicate this depth of thought in English. Additionally, our abilities in speaking and academic writing develop separately and at varied speeds, so a student who is less comfortable speaking English in class may be highly comfortable writing formal English and vice versa.
We can demonstrate the value we place on ELLs’ knowledge and abilities by getting to know students as individuals. In a writing class, for example, I’ll ask students to share what languages (such as English, Mandarin, or Hindi) and language varieties (such as Spanglish, Yooper English, or Pittsburghese) they speak, then I’ll draw on this diversity in our discussions. In teaching how writing becomes more powerful when we tailor it to our audience, I might take a simple phrase like “It’s cold outside” and ask students to share how they’d say the phrase in other languages or language varieties. My dad is likely to say, “Fa freddo l’America!” on a cold day, and a student from New York taught me her regional version: “It’s brick.”
Creating small moments for students to bring their languages into the classroom communicates that we value and celebrate their differences. When we ask students to bring their language backgrounds to the classroom, we help students feel a sense of belonging in college, which enables their academic success.
Small changes to support ELLs
Supporting English Language Learners doesn’t require an overhaul of teaching methods. Try these strategies for promoting ELLs’ success:
- Simplify language on course documents, such as syllabi, PowerPoint slides, assignment directions, study materials, and tests. Use simple words to define complex terms students need to know, and avoid multisyllabic words when possible.
- Encourage students to seek out peers with whom they share a language and use this language in small group discussion or study sessions outside of class.
- Invite students to bring a friend who shares their home language to office hours so students can process ideas in a different language with someone else while engaging in a conversation in English with you.
- Facilitate student interaction in class. Language learners benefit from opportunities to speak and listen along with practice in reading and writing, and chances to speak and listen with peers help all students find friends or study partners and learn more about the campus environment.
- When reading student writing, focus on ideas first, not sentence-level correctness. Feedback on a writer’s ideas coupled with encouragement to use a writing center or other support services will go much further to support a student’s learning than a document riddled with corrections.
Pitfalls to avoid
Not only do we want to encourage English Language Learners’ success, we also want to make sure not to do harm to students:
- Don’t make students representatives for their languages or cultures. Asking a student to speak to the perspective of a minoritized group creates discomfort for an individual and mistakenly models to others that this practice is acceptable. Instead, introduce diverse perspectives on your class content through guest speakers or readings, videos, or podcasts that represent your students’ varied backgrounds.
- Don’t make assumptions about a student’s linguistic or cultural background based on their name, their speaking, or their writing. Instead, invite information about all your students through an early-semester survey or a low-stakes writing assignment.
- Don’t speak louder when someone has difficulty understanding your spoken English. Instead, rephrase in simpler words and make sure you aren’t speaking too quickly.
We can support ELLs by encouraging them to develop a sense of belonging at our schools. This might look like connecting with a professor on an out-of-class project, joining a club, getting a campus job, or forming a study group. Let students know about events and work opportunities on campus related to your class, and encourage students to check out programs that celebrate diversity. Most of all, show students you care about them as individuals—that you’re interested in getting to know who they are and in helping them succeed in college.
Further Reading
Auslander, Lisa. “Getting Newcomer English Learners Off the Sidelines: Strategies for
Increasing Learner Engagement While Developing Language and Literacy.” TESOL
Journal, vol. 13, 2022, pp. 1-6.
Rajendram, Shakina, Jennifer Burton, and Wales Wong. “Online Translanguaging and
Multiliteracies Strategies to Support K-12 Multilingual Learners: Identity Texts,
Linguistic Landscapes, and Photovoice.” TESOL Journal, vol. 13, 2022, pp. 1-19.
2024 copyright pending. Graphic by Ann Amicucci.
Two Profs from Ohio 