Defining English Language Learners
English Language Learners can be abbreviated as ELLs. They are defined as a population that has a native language and is learning English as a new language (Lems et al., 2017). When working with ELLs, listening, speaking, reading, and writing are separate language domains to consider.
Currently, this population is growing within America's postsecondary educational institutions. As of 2016, ELLs comprised 40% of those within Adult Basic Education (ABE) and English as a Second Language (ESOL) programs for college credit. Furthermore, research on adult ELLs has shown a need for more accessibility as they navigate the American college system.
Online Learning Considerations
ELLs are not resistant to educational technology and as some may believe based on their countries of origin. In fact, use of these instructional tools should be encouraged to better support their development as they learn a new language. Innovative, digital teaching tools can help to expand all language domains and have been shown to motivate ELLs as these applications are able to provide instant critical feedback. Research has shown that providing opportunities to publish work via the Internet helps build extremely useful job-related skills (Ouellette-Schramm, 2018).
Best Strategies for ELLs
Sometimes ELLs are considered to have advanced language skills, but really they have great Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) which is known as conversational language. ELLs need to build their Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) in order to build specialized and formal language skills. In order to provide this opportunity, teaching strategies should include as much "context-rich" language as possible. The following are some methods of learning application for ELL populations borrowed from proven research (Pierson, 2014):
Create a podcast presenting learner's own stories, and publish these within a blog, web page, online community forum, or even a research institution
Complete a community service project so that learners have a sense of social agency and can work closely with others as they communicate ideas and potentially debate
Have students provide visual forms of class content (from magazines to package labels) wherever available and use these to build culturally responsive instruction
Provide a safe community for learners, but also provide challenging curriculum, a "comfort zone," should not be a "work free zone"
References
Lems, K., Miller, L. D., & amp; Soro, T. M. (2017). Building literacy with English language learners: insights from linguistics. The Guilford Press.
Ouellette-Schramm, J. (2018). Developmentally Distinct Learning Experiences Among Adult English Language Learners. Adult Learning, 30(2), 67–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1045159518816678
Pierson, S. J. (2014). The Power of Story: Using Personal Narrative, Computer Technology and Podcasting with Young Adult English Language Learners. Teaching English with Technology, 14(4), 3–16.
Comments