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This website discusses the hardships that ELL students face within a classroom in which their native language is not dominant. This article provides strategies in developing the ELL students social and emotional skills. These skills are crucial in the development of social interactions and meaningful relationships.

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Social and Emotional Learning - Aperture Education

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Did you know that about one in 10 students consider English as their second language? English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have unique learning needs. Many are unfamiliar with U.S. cultural norms, and learning a new language can be difficult. These students often suffer from high levels of stress, anxiety, and the inability to form meaningful relationships with peers or educators. To effectively support ELs, educators must adjust their teaching practices. Part of this adjustment is understanding the challenges EL and immigrant students face and how SEL can help.

SEL can ease EL and immigrant students' transition into schools and communities. It promotes strong relationships with educators and peers and lessens the challenges of learning new cultural norms. SEL also nurtures cooperation, clear communication, and conflict resolution. Additional benefits include stress management, motivation, self-efficacy, and confidence to seek and offer assistance when it's needed.

Here are five ideas to help engage ELs by using SEL:

1. Teach stress management. Stress is a normal part of our everyday lives, and everyone needs to learn how to manage it. For ELs, it's important to start by teaching them how to express their feelings using English words and phrases. This not only improves their language skills, but also gives voice to their feelings and ability to ask for help. Read this article for ideas on how to teach EL students ways to talk about and manage stress.

2. Use SEL visual aids. Every educator who has worked with EL students knows the power of visual aids. When teaching social and emotional concepts, use flash cards, posters, and images to improve comprehension and understanding.

Pinterest has many free printables that can help your students identify and recognize emotions. Or, try a free image library for educators such as Pics4Learning. Teach the English words and phrases that exemplify each emotion, and discuss cultural nuances and appropriate reactions to emotions.

3. Build students' confidence. EL students may lack confidence, and this can impact their academic performance and ability to assimilate. Research shows that when students believe they are capable of doing or learning something, they are far more likely to persist and overcome challenges. On the other hand, when students lack confidence in their ability to perform a task or overcome a challenge, they are more likely to give up and may even go out of their way to avoid working toward the desired outcome. Build EL students' self-confidence with these actionable steps.

4. Foster strong relationships. Strong teacher-student relationships are important for all students, but especially for ELs. ELs often feel isolated when they enter a new place and culture. Having a teacher they can trust can make a big difference.

There are many ways to build relationships with EL students. Check in with the student on a daily basis verbally or with a written note; get to know the student's family; or learn about the student's culture. Here are even more ideas.

5. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Encouraging and teaching students to set specific learning goals can keep them motivated to continuously improve. Help students avoid setting vague objectives, such as "I want to learn English," because these can be difficult to achieve. Instead, use the S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time Based) model, which breaks goals into manageable tasks. This model can help your students create attainable goals that will keep them engaged and motivated to keep progressing.

SEL can engage EL students in learning and help them achieve academic success. SEL nurtures clear communication, stress management, relationship-building, self-efficacy, and effective goal-setting. And, developing ELs' social and emotional skills makes teachers' jobs easier because students become more engaged, motivated, and integrated into U.S. culture.

Interested in learning more? Contact our SEL experts through the form below, and let's chat about creating a plan to leverage SEL to support EL and immigrant students.

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5 Ways to Engage English Learners with SEL

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Did you know that about one in 10 students consider English as their second language? English learners (ELs) and immigrant students have unique learning needs. Many are unfamiliar with U.S. cultural norms, and learning a new language can be difficult.

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The Impact of Social Media on ESL Students' Learning Performance

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The Impact of Social Media on ESL Students' Learning Performance

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This resource is useful in explaining the importance of social media in students lives today. The writer discusses how these types of social platforms and apps are useful in the classroom and at home in benefitting the students. The article shows how media expands learning horizons. It encourages students to communicate, practice, and learn no matter where they are.

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Social Factors in Second Language Acquisition

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Social Factors in Second Language Acquisition

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This website provides a paper discussing the impact of social factors on the efficiency and amount of time it takes for students to learn a foreign language. These social factors include language, native language proficiency, knowledge of the second language, dialect and register, attitudes, goals, peer groups, role models, home support, their learning process, age, gender, social class, and the language classroom. Each of these social factors plays a significant role on the overall language development of ESL students.

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The Role of Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning for ESL Students In Academic context

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The Role of Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning for ESL Students In Academic context

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This research paper was long, but very informative. The researcher discusses the relationship between EL and EP students in the classroom. The research provides academic challenges that come with speaking a foreign language in an English classroom. The students demonstrated poor language development due to the inability to efficiently communicate with their EP peers. The article suggests that finding one's identity and being academically proficient stems back to their ability to participate and interact.

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How to Support the Social and Emotional Health of Middle/High School ELLs

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How to Support the Social and Emotional Health of Middle/High School ELLs

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This resource is beneficial in providing teachers with strategies in supporting their English Learning Students' social and emotional health. The article emphasizes that in order for a student to succeed in the classroom, we must first focus on these important aspects. The article also describes why each aspect is important in improving both their social and emotional health.

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Working with middle and high school English Language Learners (ELLs) presents a unique set of opportunities, benefits, and challenges. In order to achieve the highest level of success in the classroom, it's important to acknowledge these factors and understand how they affect student learning.

Even with great instruction, success in the classroom will become that much more difficult to achieve if the social and emotional needs of a student are not met. This is especially true for middle and high school ELLs, who often have significant responsibilities at home.

This article will provide an overview to how you can support the social-emotional well-being of your students with practical strategies. Educator voices from around the country are also featured in the related videos.

You can learn about teaching this age group from the other articles in this series:

Getting to Know Your Students

Why relationships matter

The better you know your students, the more effective your work with ELLs will be. Building relationships with students can help:

increase student confidence

provide meaningful connections to students' interests and experiences

inform your instruction and support.

Your role: Look for ways to get to know your students and build relationships, and stay attuned to clues about their schedules and responsibilities outside of school. Look for opportunities to interact informally before or after school, at lunch, during advisory periods, or through extra-curricular activities. Advisory periods can also be a good time to check in with students on classwork, their credits, or updates on how they are doing.

Video: Getting to know my students

Video: How advisory periods are helping my students

Video: Why building relationships with ELLs matters

Learning about students' prior experiences

While it's important not to ask too many questions of students right away, learning more about their past experiences can help give you some important information. For example, many ELLs are part of unique populations of students who might have shared some similar experiences, including:

refugee students

migrant farmworkers

unaccompanied children

Indigenous students

students in mixed-immigration-status households

internationally adopted students

students with interrupted formal education.

Learning about these special populations can give you context for students' experiences as you get to know their own unique circumstances and stories. It can also alert you to the possibility of trauma. If students may need additional mental health support, consult with family liaisons and mental health professionals at your school to identify possible resources and services that might be appropriate.

Video: Why an Indigenous student hid his background

Video:A long journey on a cattle raft

Family Responsibilities

Impacts of COVID-19

Learn how COVID-19 pandemic has affected ELL/immigrant families from the following:

Many ELLs at this age are responsible for much more than the average teenager, and have a complex set of transitions and concerns to face - even moreso now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, it was not uncommon for teachers of older ELLs to receive assignments in the middle of the night after students finished working a late shift or got their siblings to bed.

In addition, many students in immigrant families may have significant responsibilities, especially if a family member, parent, or caregiver is not yet in this country or has been deported/detained. You can learn more about supporting the social-emotional needs of immigrant students from our related resource guide.

Financial responsibilities

Some students contribute to the family's financial needs by working outside the home. They may work all weekday evenings and on weekends.

Household responsibilities

Other students care for younger siblings while their parents go to work. Cooking dinner for the entire family and cleaning the house are common tasks for students when they get home. All of this - and they have to complete their homework too.

Translation responsibilities

Your ELLs may be the most proficient English speaker in their family. As a result, they are often called upon to take care of adult business. ELLs accompany family members to various appointments with doctors, landlords, tax agents, social services, etc. While that beginning level student in your 1st period class may have limited language skills when compared to his classmates, at home, s/he may be the only one who can speak English. In addition, look for opportunities to share information about finding language access support with families when possible.

Your role: The best thing you can do as a teacher is talk to your students about their responsibilities at home. If necessary, work out alternative plans for them to complete assignments and make up work if they miss school. Most importantly, lend them an ear if they need to talk and let them know that they are supported.

Video: Older siblings' family during family separation

Video: When bilingual children translate for their families

Setting students up for success

The importance of structure

By coming to a new country, with an unfamiliar culture, and a foreign language so many aspects of older ELLs' lives have been disrupted. Creating structure in the classroom offers students comfort and familiarity, and sets them up for success. Students know what to expect and as a result, stress and anxiety are reduced. While this is important for all students, it is especially helpful for students with little or no formal education.

Your role: Create a structured, well-managed classroom for your ELLs. Establish classroom routines, post daily schedules, and make sure students have a copy of their daily schedule that they can refer to easily.

Video: Helping ELLs understand the difference between rules and procedures

Fitting in

ELLs want to fit in with their American peers, but at the same time they want their identities and cultures validated. This is an ongoing, internal struggle for most students. This struggle may also follow them home where their desire to adopt certain U.S. cultural values clashes with their parents' desire to uphold their own traditional values.

Your role: It's important to be cognizant of such struggles and the added stress it may have on students. As teachers, the best we can do is build rapport with our students, ask questions, listen, welcome their cultures in our classroom, and offer help and understanding to their unique circumstances.

Encouraging students' interests and activities

Finding out what your ELLs' interests are is a great way to set students up for success. It also highlights students' strengths and sometimes reveals talents you didn't know students had.

Your role: Ask students about their interests, talents, and hobbies. Make sure that students have information about extra-curricular activities and talk with them about whether there are ways to help fit some activities into their schedules. In addition, look for ways to incorporate hands-on learning where students can feel successful while still learning a new language.

Video: My students' many talents

Video: Cheering for my ELLs in our state soccer championship

Featured video: Supporting newcomer students

You Are Welcome Here (#DearbornWelcome) is an award-winning 20-minute film highlighting how the Dearborn, MI public school district is helping its newcomer immigrant students succeed.

Looking at the whole child: Conversations with an award-winning social worker

Meet Dr. Rola Bazzi-Gates, a special education coordinator for Dearborn Public Schools and Michigan's 2016 Social Worker of the Year. Learn how her personal experience living through conflict helped prepare her to support students and families today.

About the Author

Michelle Lawrence is a high school ELL teacher in New York state. See more from Michelle in:

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How to Support the Social and Emotional Health of Middle/High School ELLs

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Working with middle and high school English Language Learners (ELLs) presents a unique set of opportunities, benefits, and challenges. In order to achieve the highest level of success in the classroom, it's important to acknowledge these factors and understand how they affect student learning.

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Second Language Socialization in English Programs

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Second Language Socialization in English Programs

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This case study shows the impact of students socializing while developing a second language in an english-only setting. The role of social environment plays a significant role in an english learners language development. The writer studies two candidates and their socialization experiences in a setting in which an english-only policy has been imposed.

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9 Ideas to Support ELs’ Social-Emotional Learning

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9 Ideas to Support ELs’ Social-Emotional Learning

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According to this site, EL's are, "...thought to be at a higher risk than their general education peers for social-emotional and behavior problems," (Haynes, 2015). There are many factors that contribute to this. However there are many strategies and techniques in which teachers can utilize in developing a safe learning environment for ESL students to learn how to meaningfully communicate and build relationships

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Social-emotional learning is a process for acquiring life skills, including how to deal with others, build relationships, and work in an effective manner. ELs are thought to be at a higher risk than their general education peers for social-emotional and behavior problems. There are a number of factors that contribute to this:

ELs don't yet have the English language and vocabulary skills to express their concerns and problems. They don't have the language to initiate social interactions with teachers and peers and will often feel cut off from their peers.

ELs often perceive that their classmates are prejudiced against them. This may keep ELs from bonding with their classmates and becoming an integral part of the school community.

ELs may have low self-esteem because they haven't made friends or are unable to participate in the academic learning of their class.

Here are nine ways that teachers of ELs can help their students develop social-emotional life skills.

1. Directly teach skills that allow ELs to manage stressful situations. It is important to provide a realistic context for these situations (classroom, hallway, playground, cafeteria).

2. If your ELs are exhibiting negative behavior, teach a lesson that includes scenarios that students can role-play. The use of role-play fosters social-emotional learning for ELs. Have students gain knowledge about how to observe their peers for models of correct behavior. This can be direct observation or video.

3. Promote social-emotional learning for ELs' social skills by using children's literature. Not only do children's stories include common difficulties that ELs may have in school, but they include solutions to these problems. A series developed by Teaching Tolerance entitled " Perspectives of a Diverse America " addresses anti-bias and encourages the use of a multicultural curriculum.

4. Have students practice phrases to ease social interactions. For example, learning how to approach a teacher to ask a question or engage a classmate in a conversation can help ELs develop the social skills that they need to bond with their classmates and teachers.

5. Give ELs encouraging messages every day. Messages such as "I like the way you...", and "I can see you are really trying" can encourage ELs as they are learning. Use gestures to accompany your positive message (thumbs up, pat on the shoulder. high five, smile) so that a child whose English is limited will understand that you are saying something positive.

6. Teach social skills that are valued by the ELs' families. Involve parents in reinforcing these skills at home. For example, learning how to greet other children and adults in English can increase ELs' confidence during social interactions. If parents emphasize the same skills in their home language, they will be more meaningful for students.

7. Help ELs acquire pride in their culture. In addition to your annual multicultural fair or food tasting, incorporate pride-building activities into your everyday instruction. Multicultural books are one way to develop this pride. You can also use video and other multimedia resources.

8. Help ELs develop self-esteem by supporting their academic progress. Scaffold
content information so that ELs feel successful in school. Classroom teachers need to learn what ELs should be able to do at different levels of language acquisition so that they are not putting too much pressure on them to reach academic goals that they don't yet have the language to achieve.

9. ELs may have negative feelings about themselves in response to many situations that they experience at school. Teach ELs positive self-talk so that they can better mange their feelings. Have them write positive messages that they can use in either their home language or English to help build self-esteem.

If you have other ideas to promote social-emotional learning for ELs, please share them in the comment box below.

About Judie Haynes

Judie Haynes taught elementary ESL for 28 years and is the author and coauthor of eight books for teachers of ELs , the most recent being "Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence and Chronic Stress" with Debbie Zacarian and Lourdes Alvarez-Ortiz. She was a columnist for the TESOL publication "Essential Teacher" and is also cofounder and comoderator of the Twitter Chat for teachers of English learners #ELLCHAT.

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| 9 Ideas to Support ELs' Social-Emotional Learning

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Social-emotional learning is a process for acquiring life skills, including how to deal with others, build relationships, and work in an effective manner.

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This article, written by Elsa Billings, discusses why social interaction is essential in the development of English Language Learners. She discusses what constitutes quality social interactions, and how educators can create a safe space for this to be conducted within.

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Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning

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Peer Interaction and Second Language Learning

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This literature review discusses the relationships amongst ESL and English proficient students. The review consists of everyday challenges in relation to conversational interaction and the impact of these interactions on their overall academic experience. This is a research paper that was submitted within an eduation graduate program at York University in the year of 2016.

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This research was conducted by Phasita Anankulladetch, as a research paper for a graduate program at California State University. This paper discusses an experiment conducted on ESL students using the growing popular resource of social media. In this experiment, a conclusion was made that students who utilized social media intervention showed a greater perception ff engagement and improved their learning performance than those who did not receive social media intervention.