Teaching is universally a rewarding but challenging job. For ELL teachers, a unique set of challenges present themselves.

Students with Diverse Abilities and Needs

A current ELL classroom in the U.S. can contain students of varying countries of origin, English speaking and writing abilities, and cultural identities. An ELL teacher has to assess, get to know, teach, and support all of these students, often on a tight schedule. In the Colorín Colorado article, Oral Language Development and ELLs: 5 Challenges and Solutions, Lindsey Moses Guccione shares the importance of differentiation as a powerful tool for ELL teachers taking on this challenge, “Differentiation is the key to effective instruction for all students. Students of varying proficiency levels can learn the same content when the teacher provides a wide range of learning opportunities for students with different academic and linguistic needs.”

Lack of Resources and Training

The number of ELL students in the U.S. has been growing rapidly; however, schools and teachers are simply underprepared. The Migration Policy Institute states that over the last 30 years nearly 30 million immigrants have settled in the U.S., many of them bringing families and children. In order to provide differentiated instruction to their students, ELL teachers, and indeed all classroom teachers, specialists, and administrators working with ELLs, need greater access to high quality, research based ELL instruction professional development and assessment tools. “Lessons Learned: New Teachers Talk About Their Jobs, Challenges, and Long-Range Plans” is a report from the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality and Public Agenda that surveyed new teachers dealing with students of increasingly diverse backgrounds and abilities. This report finds that new teachers, particularly in less affluent areas, felt under-supported in dealing with student diversity, and that “teacher preparation programs and new teacher support systems need to be reexamined and updated for the 21^st century.”

Poor Communication Systems

Parent and community involvement and parent-school cooperation has been repeatedly proven to benefit student academic success, and this is true for ELL students as well. A National Education Association (NEA) policy brief shares that in a 2004 study, California teachers reported having a serious issue with “poor communication among students, teachers, parents, and the community.” Because ELL teachers are often dealing with families from multiple cultural backgrounds and languages of origin, successful and meaningful communication can be particularly challenging, though not impossible. School systems can provide translators, opportunities for teachers and families to meet, and structures that support collaboration for improved communication between ELL teachers, the greater school community, their students, and the students’ families.

Helping ELL teachers to face these challenges has to be a concerted community endeavor. In their article, “Challenges confronting teachers of English language learners,” Thi Diem Hang Khonga and Eisuke Saitobwhile say that while strong ELL teacher education programs will help ELL teachers face these challenges, “concerted efforts by educators, local and central administrators, academics, local communities, and lawmakers are necessary” as well.

Seeing the increase of students from many diverse backgrounds underscores the need for multicultural books. Multicultural books allow students of different backgrounds to be able to relate to the story and be more inclined to read and retain the information.

Lectura books provides award-winning multicultural books. Their books are a great tool for students of different backgrounds. The multicultural stories help to engage not only the students but their parents as well. This encourages more reading and speaking of English at home. Visit Lectura Books YouTube page to see some of their most popular book titles.

The Latino Family Literacy Project are experts in working with Spanish speaking parents and can train your staff to work specifically with parents of diverse backgrounds at your school. The company offers both online webinar training and in person workshops.

Stay updated with the latest information about ELLs and follow our Facebook and Twitter pages. We post new information every day.

The post What Issues do Teachers of ELLs Face? appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

Crawford has written in support of Krashen’s and Cummins’ theories, in that the exposure to a new language doesn’t lie within the repetition, but from the quality of the exposure, or input, that the learner is receiving. He advocates in support of immersion within that language for more successful acquisition.

But he also points out the shortcomings with policies such as No Child Left Behind in that the law doesn’t adequately address all of the challenges that second-language learners face with respect to setting goals for academic excellence that are too difficult to achieve because schools are ill-equipped to help these students reach the prescribed accomplishments. He feels that the mandates in place under the law are too “one size fits all”. While they may prove effective to native language students, they don’t take into account the difficulties second language learners face in not just understanding English, but succeeding with their studies in other topics and subjects. Crawford has argued that second language learners need particular assessments that are more in tune with their needs, but they are woefully under-served in this regard. They need unique instructional programs, alternative teaching models, comprehensive diagnosis and monitoring procedures in place to determine proper proficiency levels in a bid for greater accountability for their academic success. For these children, social and economic development could become greatly stunted and, as a result, they will fall behind in the American experience as adults.

Check out the video trailer for the popular elementary book, Letters Forever.

The post James Crawford’s Theory of Second Language Acquisition appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

State of Illinois Informational Resources:

•  Illinois State Board of Education: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/
• ELL Support Page: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/bilingual/default.htm
• WIDA English Language Development Standards – WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) is an organization comprised of a number of different states throughout the country dedicated to raising the standards of bilingual education policies and monitoring the progress and development of ELL’s in the United States: https://www.wida.us/standards/eld.aspx
• Illinois State Board Learning Standards Assessments: http://www.isbe.net
• Title III Information: http://www.ncela.us/

Educational Programs and Learning Resources:

• Illinois Board of Education Parent Resources: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/bilingual/htmls/ellparents.htm
• ITBE (Illinois Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages: Bilingual Education) – An organization comprised of teachers, students, parents, administrators, researchers, curriculum developers, and others within the community dedicated to promoting quality bilingual education through research and instruction in the teaching of English Language Learners: http://www.itbe.org/
• Latinos Progresando – A non-profit based in Chicago dedicated to the cause of serving immigrants with low-cost legal immigration services and access to quality educational resources: http://latinospro.org/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project – A program that teaches parents how to read with their children, establish a reading routine, and promote learning of the English vocabulary together as a family. https://www.lecturabooks.com/parent-programs/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project 2016 Workshops (Illinois): https://www.latinoliteracy.com/workshops/schedule/
• Family Phonics Workbooks: An English vocabulary program for parents and children learning English that uses a simple method to teach parents strong English vocabulary and proper pronunciation through the use of phonics: https://www.lecturabooks.com/family-phonics-workbooks/

References
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/states-and-districts-highest-number-and-share-english-language-learners

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/top-languages-spoken-english-language-learners-nationally-and-state

The post Resourceful Programs in Illinois for ELL Students appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

State of Texas Informational Resources:

• The Texas Education Agency: http://tea.texas.gov/
• Texas English Language Learners Website: http://elltx.org/
• Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) Resource Information: http://tea.texas.gov/student.assessment/ell/telpas/
• Title III Information: http://www.ncela.us/t3sis/Texas.php

Educational Programs and Learning Resources:

• Texas Association for Bilingual Education – An organization of education professionals advocating for educational policies and bilingual and multicultural programs that encourage equal educational opportunity and academic excellence for Bilingual/ESL students: http://tabe.org/index.cfm
• Mi Escuelita Preschool – This program offers early education courses to children ages 2-5 from low-income households : http://www.itbe.org/
• TexTESOL – A multi-regional organization representing ELL teachers and instructors throughout the state of Texas and setting competency standards for ELLs in grades K-12: http://www.textesol.org/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project – A program that teaches parents how to read with their children, establish a reading routine, and promote learning of the English vocabulary together as a family. https://www.lecturabooks.com/parent-programs/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project 2016 Workshops (Illinois): https://www.latinoliteracy.com/workshops/schedule/
• Family Phonics Workbooks: An English vocabulary program for parents and children learning English that uses a simple method to teach parents strong English vocabulary and proper pronunciation through the use of phonics: https://www.lecturabooks.com/family-phonics-workbooks/
• Lectura Books – Publisher of award-winning English and Spanish language development books for children of all ages ranging from infants to teenagers, including 2014 Moonbeam Award winner for Best Children’s Book (Spanish), Boy Zorro and the Bully.

References

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/states-and-districts-highest-number-and-share-english-language-learners

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/top-languages-spoken-english-language-learners-nationally-and-state

The post Support for Programs with English Learner Students in Texas appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

No matter how fast or slow ELLs absorb and learn the information that is being imparted to them, teachers must always set high goals for their achievement, even if the students don’t feel such goals are attainable. It is the duty of the teacher to encourage them to strive for accomplishment. This is best achieved through the primary means of language development: speaking, writing, reading and listening. All four of these actions will serve to keep the ELL student fully engaged in practicing the language and will play an even greater part in their development, particularly if English is not spoken or practiced outside of the classroom. One of the most successful methods toward learning a new language is through repetition, but teachers must understand the homes and backgrounds of these children as well. They may have parents or families that are not proficient in English either; therefore, they won’t have the tools or opportunities to practice the language with parents or siblings. So speaking, writing, reading, and listening in class may be the only time they have to get into a routine of repetition in order to comprehend the finer points of their new language.

The Latino Family Literacy Project provides staff development for teachers and school staff to work with Spanish-speaking parents and children for English Language Development for strong literacy and reading skills using our Family Stories Curriculum. Age-specific programs are available starting with Infant/Toddler, Preschool, Elementary, and Middle/High. Register here for a workshop, webinar, or schedule a workshop at your district.

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7 Tips from Schools for ELL Success – Stanford Graduate Study

A research team from the Stanford Graduate School of Education released a study last month outlining the common practices and values of the top 6 high schools responsible for having an exemplary record of graduated and career-ready ELLs. The researchers profiled 7 key elements shared by all schools that contributed to their ELL success:

1. Passionate, strategic, mission-driven leadership. Principals, assistant principals, teachers, and other staff exhibited strong ideals and goals for their ELL students. Their effort went beyond normal lengths that included strategic decision-making, community and family outreach, and effective curriculum and teaching methods.
2. Strategic staffing. These schools are strategic in the type of school staff that is hired. Many of the school staff members are former ELL, immigrants, or have extensive travel experiences. Moreover, some are dual-certified in ESL and content areas. In this way, school leaders easily shared perspective with their students, communicated in their home language, and provided effective instruction tailored specifically to their ELL students.
3. Ongoing, intentional assessment with follow-through. Assessment and data drive each school’s progress. From entry to graduation and beyond, the school will assess student capacity and update course offerings and instruction accordingly. Frequent communication between family and administrators is another common element that helps the school evaluate the needs of each student and their family.
4. Intensive social-emotional support. The schools support student success and growth immensely, especially through family and school involvement. School staff is strategic in reaching out and involving their students and their families by understanding and respecting their cultures, communicating in their home language, and providing additional support in terms of health services, food security, and employment.
5. Unified language development framework integrating content, analytical practices, and language learning. Teaching methods and curriculum are effective and tailored to the needs of their ELL students. School leaders formulate lesson plans that will strengthen ELL first language development for a strong foundation so that students can then build and retain second language development.
6. Intentional, carefully orchestrated structures. Student focus is carefully orchestrated to ensure that students can maximize and enrich their potential and, effectively, reduce the need for credit recovery. These schools are also not bound by traditional class periods or schedules, and school staff is always readily available. Schedules can range from block schedules, afterschool and weekend tutoring, and looping.
7. Strategic community partnerships. The schools build partnerships with external organizations, such as STEM or philanthropic programs, and colleges, that will broaden the opportunity for students to network, gain extracurricular experience, and increase their knowledge of the college-going process.

In summary, these schools incorporated passionate and supportive leadership, strategic decision-making, effective teaching methods, meaningful curriculum, and family and community involvement into their ELL framework.

The Latino Family Literacy Project understands that all these are important benchmarks in serving any ELL population. Our organization can train school staff, with these principles in mind, to work with Spanish-speaking families to ensure positive English Language outcomes, strong parent involvement, and academic success.

To learn more about our program and how it works, check out our program overview.

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