English learners come from diverse backgrounds. List and explain some of the factors that affect their success in school. Explain how you can integrate multiple perspectives into learning experiences and interactions that capitalize on the learner's real world experiences, identities, and heritage.
Explain the role of the ELD teacher. Please be sure to include specific examples outlining the responsibilities of an ELD teacher.
First Language (L1) Development and Proficiency: A strong L1 provides a cognitive scaffolding for learning a second language (L2). ELs whose L1 is underdeveloped may struggle with complex cognitive tasks in both languages, a challenge known as the "double-gap."
Socioeconomic Status (SES): Lower SES often correlates with reduced access to high-quality early childhood education, fewer learning resources at home, and increased stress/health issues, all of which can impede academic focus and achievement.
Acculturation and Social-Emotional Factors: The process of adapting to a new culture (acculturation) can be stressful. Students may experience culture shock, identity conflicts, isolation, or anxiety. These emotional factors can create an affective filter (Krashen's theory) that blocks language acquisition.
Parental Involvement and Education: Parents' ability to support their children's education is often constrained by language barriers, lack of familiarity with the U.S. school system, and long working hours. The level of parental education often correlates with the value placed on schooling and the academic vocabulary used at home.
Quality of English Language Instruction: The effectiveness of the language instruction program itself is paramount. Instruction must be comprehensible, engaging, and systematically address both Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) (social language) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) (academic language).
Effective instruction for ELs moves beyond deficit-based models and focuses on their strengths: their real-world experiences, identities, and linguistic heritage. This approach is central to culturally responsive teaching.
Harnessing Real-World Experiences (Funds of Knowledge):
Strategy: Conduct student/family interviews or create "identity texts" to document their skills, cultural practices, and experiences (e.g., family trades, migration stories, community roles).
Example: If a student's family owns a small restaurant, a math lesson could involve calculating profit margins or scaling recipes. In a science class, a unit on ecosystems could begin with the student comparing the climate and agriculture of their home country to the current location, validating their real-world knowledge as a form of expertise.
Affirming Identities and Heritage (Additive Bilingualism):
Strategy: Create a classroom environment that views the L1 as an asset to be developed, not a deficit to be eradicated (Additive Bilingualism). Incorporate authentic materials and celebrate cultural achievements.
Example: Encourage students to use their L1 to discuss complex concepts with peers (paired L1-L2 discussions) before synthesizing in English. A history unit on exploration could include literature, maps, or historical accounts from the students' countries of origin to ensure their heritage is represented as a valued perspective.
Utilizing Home Language and Translanguaging:
Strategy: Allow translanguaging—the flexible use of multiple languages simultaneously—to support deeper cognitive processing. This can bridge the gap between BICS and CALP.
Example: A teacher might allow a student to write an initial draft of an essay in L1 to organize their thoughts, then translate and refine it into English. Similarly, anchor charts and vocabulary lists can be displayed with cognates and L1 translations to make academic language immediately accessible.
The success of English Learners (ELs) in school is influenced by a complex interplay of personal, linguistic, social, and academic factors. Some of the most significant factors include:
Prior Schooling and Literacy: Students who have limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) in their home countries may lack foundational academic skills, even in their native language. Conversely, those with strong literacy in their first language (L1) can leverage those skills to accelerate English language acquisition and academic content learning, known as linguistic interdependence.