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Sure - try it - but find out just what the student's L1 proficiency is especially in reading and writing. He may be socially fluent, but can't read/write. Go with your instinct.

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I can understand that it's useful to use L1 to teach some complex ideas that the student may not have the necessary English vocabulary to work through. I can also observe in my teaching that students want to show they master English to teachers and peers so we should be careful not to single out students when they are using another language.
(Christina)

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I agree! For the moment, I am permitting students to use google translate to translate one word at a time (like a dictionary) so that they are still responsible for creating the structure of the sentence
(Christina)

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My ELL for my inquiry is just 13 years old. This is something I should keep in mind when thinking about how to incorporate grammar into the program
(Christina)

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I am thinking about how to incorporate this into my inquiry project. Perhaps I could encourage my student to use his language to work out more complex ideas.
(Christina)

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Important questions Natalie. To be clear about a couple of things. Most notably, working with L1 is a teaching strategy, and not a goal or objective in of itself. It comes out of compelling research by multiple researchers over the past 2 generations. It can't be more than a strategy because you work in an English language publicly funded system. As such you have neither the mandate, duty, nor skill to actually teach and assess it. That's the prerogative of international language programs alone.
Its also not a matter of 'allowing' because the kids won't be champing at the bit to use it. Being in an English language society, they are looking for cues about how to navigate their complex linguistic world.  More likely its a matter of enabling and encouraging within the flow and context of your daily teaching. As in all other aspects of teaching, go with what feels instinctively right to you in your minute by minute and also broad planning decisions. But also reflect. Written reflections will make you an excellent teacher. (Burns)

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The other thing to consider about grammar is that with pre-puberty language learners, they do a really bad job as language learners (remember Krashen and acquisition vs learning) especially in the ability to independently apply discrete language rules.
You are all noting the importance of providing a rich program, tapping into their prior knowledge, reflecting their own rich and varied backgrounds (Burns)

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Learning about the importance of L1 development is often one of the most significant learnings people take away from the course.
Getting it in balance with your teaching is another challenge though. Lets keep it all in mind as we work through the course. (Burns)

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I like the word 'nuanced' here. One way to think about it is 'what is the child's whole language development, and what can contribute to it - both the L1 and English? We are limited in both our teaching mandates and skills to do a lot about L1, but we defintely can encourage it and help parents to grow and support it. (burns)

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To what extend do you allow ELLs to use their first language in the classroom? I understand that it is important for students to utilize their first language, however I still want them to start speaking and practicing on developing their English skills in classroom activities. Is their a certain level you should redirect the ELLs before their first language solely takes over the course? or should I totally disregard this question..

(Natalie)

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Their are a lot of other effective strategies and activities teachers can use in their daily methods of instruction that does not solely focus on the English language in the classroom. As we have learned, ELLs bring a rich resource or experience and skills to their learning environments. With this being said, it is important for teachers to try and build upon the pre-existing knowledge of these learners to engage them in their learning as understanding the English language will come along in the process.

(Natalie)

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Agreeing with Christina, I thought that in order for ELLs to learn and enhance their educational skills In Canada, educators should incorporate as much English exercises throughout daily instruction in order for such learners to better grasp the English language. After reading about the topic in the resources provided, this is not the case! Having ELLs utilize their first language in the classroom not only helps create a positive educational atmosphere, but it also assists students in developing their problem-solving skills, and experiencing a sense of cultural stability in the classroom.

(Natalie)

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Christina,
I found your question about the use of Google Translate to be very interesting. I agree that it is a useful tool, but that also  students could become dependant on it, so it would be interesting to explore where the line should be drawn.
Rosanna

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Some questions and topics I look forward to learning about going forward are:
- What action different school boards take in supporting ELLs/how does funding affect this
- What are some more ways in which we could incorporate and embrace diverse culture and languages into every day subjects? I found the examples provided in the readings to be very interesting, for example, creating duo lingual books/stories.

Rosanna

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- It is not enough to solely talk English at ELLs, but rather engage them by using a variety of symbols, visuals, and pre-existing knowledge
- Low motivation, low self esteem, and high anxiety levels will create a wall in the child's brain that will block the absorption of information. This block will diminish as we create an environment in which the child feels comfortable, safe, confident, and when we embrace their home language and culture.

Rosanna

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- There are two "types" of English that ELLs learn, and both are essential: everyday conversational English, and formal academic English
- ELL students arrive from diverse circumstances, and it is crucial for educators to connect with each student and be aware of the background in which they are coming from
- Additionally, we must build upon their pre-existing knowledge and experiences and apply them to their new learning

Rosanna

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-How can I balance affirming and recognizing my student’s first language skills in the FSL classroom?

-Should I have the student work on an assignment in all three languages? (English, French, first language)? Would that be too much? (Interesting question, Christina!)

-To what extent should I simplify the assignments? Should I provide different assignments altogether?

-To what extent should I allow the student to use google translate? This can be a valuable tool (in some cases) but I find that it often keeps the students back from appropriating new language, as they tend to rely to heavily on the program.

(Christina)

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Instruction for ELLs must always be rich in content and context and include all academic subjects ; it must build on existing knowledge and students’ interest rather than teach the student the foundations of grammar that we believe are necessary to speak English in a polished way. In fact, grammar is something that will be acquired as the student learns about topics of interest to him or her
(Christina)

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-I thought that we need to give students as much English as possible, whereas, now I understand that this is more nuanced. Yes, we need to transfer our knowledge of English, but we need to do so in a way that builds on first language learning. This is because students can use the first language for thinking, problem-solving and developing cognitive skills.(Christina)

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Comment on others' notes and reflections. 

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Comment on others' notes and reflections. 

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What questions you have going forward?

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Note important learnings you have taken from the course so far.

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Briefly describe Some of your preconceptions as you started the course

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Reflect on your learning in the first 3 course activities. 

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Reflect on your learning in the first 3 course activities. 