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This article focuses on activities and resources to create empathy and understanding around the ELL experience, focusing on telling the real stories of English learners!

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What does it feel like to be a language learner in school? These resources give teachers a sense of what English language learners (ELLs) and their families experience and share ideas on how to build empathy among students and staff for each other.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action.

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What It Feels Like to Be a Language Learner

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What does it feel like to be a language learner in school? These resources give teachers a sense of what English language learners (ELLs) and their families experience and share ideas on how to build empathy among students and staff for each other.

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The Relationship between Language Equity and Digital Equity 

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The Relationship between Language Equity and Digital Equity 

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In order for ELL students to succeed they need many resources and a lot of support. One of the best ways to do this kind of teaching is through the use of digital resources. This is what closing the equity gap looks like, on both the digital side and the language side. Without adequate resources to digital services, ELL students cannot succeed. Without the change in educational techniques for ELL students, they cannot take full advantage of digital resources offered to them. The educational system needs to prepare students to be able to take full advantage of the opportunities given to them, digital and otherwise, while also still working to provide them with those opportunities in the first place.

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Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education in Digital Learning

Race, social class, gender, language, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, ability, and other social forces can worsen inequalities faced by students, especially with regards to access to resources, opportunities, and power within the education system. These inequalities can be further exacerbated by the move to digital learning. Considerations should be made to acknowledge and overcome these inequalities and treat students' sociocultural differences as assets for their learning.

Many of the same considerations that promote culturally responsive and sustaining education apply to digital learning environments, but some additional considerations should be made for this specific environment. The digital learning leadership team as well as other leaders and teachers in the district or school should be educated about culturally responsive and sustaining education specifically in digital environments.

As you plan for digital learning:

Treat student differences as an asset to learning

Build trusting relationships and nurture connections with students

Engage with families to better know what they need and how you can work toward their goals

Minimize stress within learning environments, particularly if digital learning is happening at home

Develop learner-centered lessons with varied teaching methods and strategies

Provide opportunities for student-directed and redirected learning by giving students choice about topics, order to material covered, and student outputs and activities

Ask for student feedback on learning activities and identify the types of activities that they enjoy and learn from the best (e.g., projects, videos, games)

Provide opportunities for students to engage communally (this can be hard if digital learning occurs outside of a school building, but it can be as simple as having students use reaction features and emojis in the chat)

Incorporate students' interests and background knowledge into lessons

Pay attention to factors within students' lives that could limit access or time availability

Provide affirmation for the racial, cultural, and linguistic identities of students

Find ways to infuse arts, culture, and creativity into students' learning

Choose materials that reflect a diversity of contributions to society, including preferencing the impacts and contributions of BIPOC

Research and discuss the inequities inherent in digital learning and provide students with opportunities to study and challenge these inequities

Pay attention to which students are taking up the most space within digital learning environments and how this relates to power within society

Examine how student pacing differs when learning online and how to adjust workloads based on how long it takes students to complete assignments

Provide additional support for students who are more greatly affected by unjust systems and power inequity within society

Digital learning allows for and encourages flexibility. Rather than attempting to adapt traditional learning into the digital space, devise ways to disrupt inequalities in education through digital learning and create a more just educational system for students. This can include adapting with students rather than punishing students if they are unable to maintain traditional learning structures in a new environment.

Finally, when digital learning is happening at home, reconsider who the teacher is and the learning that students are doing. Even when students are not in the school building, they are learning and have many teachers in their lives. Celebrate these other teachers and the lessons they impart, even if those lessons are not prescribed by the mandated curriculum. Think about how to use students' lives and homes in their learning.

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Equity and Accessibility Considerations for Digital Learning - Digital Promise

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Culturally Responsive and Sustaining Education in Digital Learning Race, social class, gender, language, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, ability, and other social forces can worsen inequalities faced by students, especially with regards to access to resources, opportunities, and power within the education system. These inequalities can be further exacerbated by the move to digital learning.

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How Working with Parents Broadens ELL Opportunities 

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How Working with Parents Broadens ELL Opportunities 

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This video demonstrates one of the problems ELLs have within the education system that feeds into the equity gap; the fact that their parents often time don't speak English either. This means that what is being learned in the classroom isn't being reinforced at home. This teacher works with the parents of the students to help them learn what is being taught in the classroom. This leads to a more connected class and better learning for everyone involved!

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Engaging Parents of English-Language Learners

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Integrating Different Teaching Styles for ELL

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Integrating Different Teaching Styles for ELL

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This article represents the need for changing the entirety of the style in which students are taught in order to support ELLs. There are different strategies that focus on getting the most productive time with these students.

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Over 10 percent of students in the United States-more than 4.8 million kids-are English language learners (ELLs), and the number is on the rise. Though these students do not learn differently than their native-English-speaking peers, they do have particular educational needs.

To learn about these needs-and best practices for addressing them-I interviewed a range of educators and observers, including Larry Ferlazzo, an educator and author of The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide; longtime teachers of English as a second language (ESL) Emily Francis and Tan Huynh; and the journalist Helen Thorpe, who spent a year observing a teacher who works with ELLs.

The group emphasized that the strategies listed here, which include both big-picture mindsets and nitty-gritty teaching tactics, can be incorporated into all classrooms, benefiting both native English speakers and ELLs.

1. Cultivate Relationships and Be Culturally Responsive

No surprise here. A successful classroom, our educators agreed, is one in which students feel known, appreciated, and comfortable taking emotional and intellectual risks. That requires intentional planning and consistent messaging by the teacher.

Emily Francis, an ESL teacher in Concord, North Carolina, makes clear that she wants her students to "embrace their culture and their language as a foundation of who they are" and to consider their acquisition of a new culture and language "not as subtractive, but as additive." To help support students who may never have attended school before or may be coping with migration-based trauma, Francis emphasizes that little things make a big difference. "The first thing that I need to think about is, how is my student feeling in my classroom?" she says. "Are they sitting next to a buddy they can ask a question in their home language? Do they feel comfortable tapping me on the shoulder if they have to go to the bathroom?"

But creating a supportive environment is also about cultivating an appreciation of diversity-it's critical that both the curriculum and the classroom environment honor and reflect the lives of the students. For instance, Francis makes certain that her classroom library is reflective of her students' diverse backgrounds and identities.

ESL teacher Katie Toppel, who teaches near Portland, Oregon, champions the value of home visits to get to know students' families and takes care to incorporate the particulars of students' lives, such as pets' names and favorite sports, into lessons. Students are most engaged when they feel a personal connection to a lesson or unit, a connection that's created in part by a teacher's investment in culturally competent relationships.

2. Teach Language Skills Across the Curriculum

English language learners should not be learning the fundamentals of English in isolation; they should be applying their developing language skills to rich academic content in all subjects.

"It is key that in mainstream classrooms, teachers understand their role as language teachers," says Valentina Gonzalez, a district leader in Katy, Texas, suggesting that all teachers should be aware of the specialized idiom they work within. "If we teach math, then we teach the language of mathematics. If we teach science, then we teach the language of science." Math teachers, in other words, should take the time to teach the unfamiliar vocabulary of mathematics- add, subtract, calculator, solve -concurrently with the teaching of math skills.

3. Emphasize Productive Language

The educators I interviewed agreed that productive language skills-hard-to-master dimensions of language fluency like speaking and writing-should be front and center from day one, even if students feel hesitant about them.

Beginning ELLs often develop receptive language skills like listening and reading first. Educators who are unaware of the typical path to fluency may believe that students who can follow verbal or written directions will be able to produce oral or written language, but that's usually not the case.

To support reluctant speakers, Tan Huynh, an educator who blogs at Empowering ELLs, suggests using sentence frames. "For example, when a science teacher wants ELLs to produce a hypothesis, they might offer the sentence, 'If _____ was added, then _____ because _____.' This sentence frame provides clues that empower ELLs to sound and think like scientists," Huynh says.

Andrea Honigsfeld, a professor of education at Molloy College in Rockville, New York, suggests that all lessons touch on every letter of the acronym SWIRL, which stands for Speak, Write, Interact, Read, Listen. The approach intentionally privileges productive language skills "from the beginning," she says.

4. Speak Slowly-and Increase Your Wait Time

Easier said than done. Still, many of the teachers I spoke to said this simple change is vital. You can record yourself speaking in class to measure your cadence, and adjust.

"Adding in an extra three to five seconds after we pose a question offers all students time to think," explains Gonzalez. "However, for English learners, it also gives time to translate, process their thinking, translate back into English, and develop the courage to answer. If we call on students too quickly, many of our students will stop thinking about the answers-or trying to answer at all."

That means undoing some of our own habits, according to Larry Ferlazzo, a high school ESL teacher in Sacramento, California. "Researchers have found that typically most teachers give one to two seconds between asking a question and expecting a student response," he says. "The same researchers have shown that if you wait three to five seconds, the quality of responses is astronomically greater."

5. Differentiate-and Use Multiple Modalities

All kids learn better when they engage with material in multiple ways: Lessons that involve writing, speaking, drawing, and listening, for example, give students four opportunities to deepen their understanding of the work. For ELLs, those additional engagements also provide a little breathing room so they can work through the language barrier.

Helen Thorpe, a journalist who spent a year observing Eddie Williams's classroom in Denver in order to write a book about immigrants called The Newcomers, marveled at Williams's method of differentiation. "Eddie would enunciate very clearly in English multiple times, he would write it on the board, and he would go to the projector to give a visual. And, finally, he'd be asking the kids to verbalize aspects of the lesson themselves," she says, tracing Williams's efforts to move his students from receptive to productive language fluency.

Toppel uses a strategy called QSSSA to scaffold classroom discussions with ELLs. The letters stand for Question (the teacher poses a question, then gives ample think time); Signal (a designated motion like a thumbs-up, a finger on the nose-something that lets students indicate that they're ready to answer); Stem (the teacher provides a sentence starter for the question-for example, for "What is your favorite place to read a book?" the stem might be, "My favorite place to read a book is _____"); Share; and Assess.

6. Incorporate Students' Native Languages-and Don't Be Afraid of Technology

Bilingualism is the goal, of course, not replacement.

Ferlazzo uses a strategy called "preview, view, review," which leverages a student's native language skills as a foundation for learning the new language. He introduces a topic and encourages students to preview it in materials in their home language (often using multilingual videos and other online resources); he then teaches the topic in English, and then has students review the information in their home language.

Ferlazzo also encourages teachers to embrace technologies that students find helpful, like Google Translate. He stresses that the app can be a useful way for students to translate words quickly-but warns that it can quickly "become a dependency" if it's used as more than a handy dictionary.

Thorpe agrees that Translate can take pressure off teachers, who sometimes find that they "just stand at the front of the room and say things over and over. And if the kids didn't know what those words are, they're out of luck." Translation technology means you can say it once (or twice) and let the students use the technology to translate key words and phrases.

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6 Essential Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

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We interviewed educators with decades of experience in teaching ELLs and tapped a network of experts and observers to find the strategies that work.

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This post shows digital resources to assist high school ELL learners. One of the things that educators can forget is that secondary education is meant for English Language learners, not just your children. Kids who are older can also struggle more with learning a new language, so having these kinds of digital resources can help to make it easier for students to succeed!

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"Many ELLs today continue to grapple with similar challenges. They are given two choices: endure through the academic hurdles and succeed or retreat and become another failing statistic. My students who qualify for free lunch and who speak Spanish are already at a disadvantage in our education system. They must fight a silent battle against inequity every single day and remote learning is making this battle so much harder." (Rosales)

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The Testimony of an ELL Student turned ELL Teacher 

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The Testimony of an ELL Student turned ELL Teacher 

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This essay by a teacher who was an ELL student and felt the effects on her educational experience demonstrates how student who are working to learn an new language need extra support. When these students are asked to learn new content as well as learning a new language, the odds are stacked against them succeeding. This is even more relevant in the era of distance learning due to COVID-19. One of the best ways to make sure that English language learners don't follow behind on any of the content, is to help support them with digital resources. This can help to amend the gaps in education for these students, especially when they are trying to work remotely.

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By Lisset Rosales

Photo by Jessica Lewis on Unsplash

I fell through the cracks as a child learning English in the US in the 1990s. My experiences as a bilingual student were quite traumatic. Back then, my English-only teachers had decided that rigorous curricula would be placed on the back burner, and that English-only initiatives were a priority. I fell further behind as I was pulled out during academic content. The effects of all this were failing grades from assignments I could never make up and assessments given in a language that I was still developing. Being bilingual in the 1990s seemed to be a deficit; a cognitive impairment. Yet, I went to school every day in the hopes that I could change the lives of my family and my own. Just like English language learners (ELLs) today, I was silently confronting the status quo.

Many ELLs today continue to grapple with similar challenges. They are given two choices: endure through the academic hurdles and succeed or retreat and become another failing statistic. My students who qualify for free lunch and who speak Spanish are already at a disadvantage in our education system. They must fight a silent battle against inequity every single day and remote learning is making this battle so much harder.

Remote learning works when a child has access to technology and parent support academically and emotionally, is not worried about their basic needs being met, and is only responsible for their learning. Yet, most of my ELL students are not in this situation. They either don't have internet or technology access, most of their parents are worried about paying their bills and putting food on the table, and they have become the designated caretakers of younger siblings. They must share small living spaces with not just parents and siblings but also grandparents, uncles, cousins, and aunts. In these spaces, my students cannot get a "Buenos días" or good morning from their smiling teacher, see their friends, or take a break from responsibilities at home.

For these students, remote learning has turned into much more than a digital divide. While we were still in school, Brenda always had a smile on her face. She worked hard and always turned her homework in. Once remote learning started, I started to see a change in Brenda from very few responses to none. After a series of persistent messages, I finally got a hold of her mom. I asked, ¿Necesita ayuda? ¿Como le puedo ayudar? Do you need help? How can I help your family? Brenda's mom was in desperate need of help. She had lost her job and did not know how she would feed her family and pay the bills as a single mother. I realized there and then that for Brenda, remote learning was not the main concern; it was survival. As best as I could, I collected essentials and dropped them off at their door. Shortly afterwards, I received a message, " Dios la bendiga." God bless you.

As a community, we must stay connected with our students and families. We must provide parents with accessible resources and connect with community organizations to support those who might have language barriers or be uncertain as to how or where to call. Organizations like the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) have programs like their Immigrant Family Resource Program (IFRP) which provide low-income immigrant families and other limited-English speaking people with resources and support in times of need.

As teachers, we must also continue building relationships with our students and their families and be culturally and socioeconomically sensitive to the lives of our ELL students. We cannot assume and we must not be afraid to ask. We need to be the liaison to counselors, social workers, and nonprofit organizations that could further support our students.
Lisset Rosales is a 3rd grade bilingual educator at Cleveland Elementary School on the Northwest side of Chicago. She is a 2019-20 Teach Plus Illinois Policy Fellow.
Districts should use sound data to target areas where ELL students predominantly live and make the resources that would help students succeed easily accessible. Most importantly, as educators we must be empathetic and put ourselves in our students' shoes. The simplest thing we can do to support our students is to simply care. Asking Brenda's mom questions about their well-being helped strengthen the relationship we had and allowed my student to once again have a glimpse of hope during these stressful and uncertain times.

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Remote Learning Is More Than a Digital Divide for ELL Students

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By Lisset Rosales I fell through the cracks as a child learning English in the US in the 1990s. My experiences as a bilingual student were quite traumatic. Back then, my English-only teachers had decided that rigorous curricula would be placed on the back burner, and that English-only initiatives were a priority.

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The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. — Mark Twain.

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The Number of ELL Students in US Public Schools 

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The Number of ELL Students in US Public Schools 

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Before talking about the problems faced by students within the ELL community it is important to recognize the way that this problem is becoming more of a growing issue within the world of education, specifically in the US. Every year the number of ELL learners in public schools continues to grow, so why should we not fit both the regular curriculum and digital educational resources to them?https://www.statista.com/statistics/236285/english-language-learner-students-in-us-public-schools/

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This is a great example of the day to day challenges of education for the growing population of English Language Learner (ELL) every day. More than any other group, there are deep rooted struggles with an access to education and a lack of quality resources in terms of educational tools. This video shows how difficult and frustrating it can be to have fully change a curriculum with no additional support from the regular ideals of education.

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Teaching English without Teaching English | Roberto Guzman | TEDxUPRM