Strategies That Help Multilingual Students Learn Content and English at the Same Time by Sancha Gray

2024-10-08 01:24:01 UTC

According to the article, we have many students in school districts that are English language learners. The problem is schools is that there aren't enough resources to provide the students with help to support them. A misconception is that ELL's are behind, but that isn't the case. English language learners just speak a different language and it doesn't make them any less than other students. I liked that the teacher introduced her students to the KWL chart. The chart was able to keep her students engaged and willing to participate. Often times, students don't realize how much they already know about a topic. The teacher implemented the KWL chart in her lesson to get students engaged and willing to learn more about a topic. -Stephanie Tavares

2024-10-08 01:53:36 UTC

After reading the hot topic this week, I love the strategies utilized to help students grasp a new concept. I find that many ELL students perform very well if subject matter is taught differently than how we are used to teaching students. The KWL chart is a great way for the teacher and the students to visualize what they already know about a topic that they may not have considered as content knowledge. The KWL chart is also a great way to informally assess students after a topic has been taught. I also really liked the sentence patterning chart, as it is a great way to help students learn how to create sentences. English is a difficult language to learn for ELLs, as well as young students who may not have been in a school environment before. For visual learners, color coding is a great way to draw the eye to important information. Regardless, we need to consider different ways to gauge students and help them grow in the classroom, ELL or not.

sinchese — 2024-10-08 02:02:58 UTC

After reading the article I was able to learn about new strategies that I would like to use in my future classrooms. One strategy that I already knew about and had used is the KWL chart. I think this chart is very effective because it shows what the students already know about a topic and they do not need to know the learning language to know information about topics. Also, this chart helps the teacher know what students would like to know about the topic and so the teacher can create a lesson covering what the students want to learn. The strategy that I did not know about and that I think would be very effective for students who are learning about sentence structure is the Sentence Patterning Chart. This chart allows students to understand what part of speech words correspond to. A lot of English Language Learners (ELLs) struggle in writing so therefore this strategy would be very beneficial for them. I definitely think that every teacher should incorporate strategies into their classroom for ELLs as is most likely that eventually, every teacher will have ELL students in their classrooms at one point in their career.

solorzanokarina1 — 2024-10-08 12:10:17 UTC

After reading the article, I reflected on my experience currently in a 3rd grade bilingual classroom and realized that we are already implementing many of these strategies for our students. My cooperating teacher and I work with 24 ELL students, each student at different proficiency levels—some students understand English better than others, some students can read it more, and some students can speak it more. Currently, our instruction is primarily in Spanish, as that’s what they can comprehend. We repeat everything in English afterward so they can hear it in both languages. All of their activity sheets are in both English and Spanish.

The KWL chart as mentioned in the article has been particularly helpful; it allows us to discuss topics and identify what students still need to learn, enabling us to focus on those areas. One strategy we haven’t yet used, but I plan to discuss with my cooperating teacher, is observation charts. I believe our visual learners will benefit significantly from them.

I also recognize a common misconception about ELL learners. My cooperating teacher has heard from general education teachers that our students may struggle to participate due to language barriers. However, she believes that, despite not fully understanding the language, ELL students often thrive and push themselves to learn, sometimes even outperforming their peers.

2024-10-09 13:45:22 UTC

This week's article outlined some beneficial strategies to help teach ELL students content and English at the same time. With the diversity in our schools, it's important to know how to cater to all students' needs, especially English language learners. I think having a color-coded sentence pattern chart is a great visual to help students construct sentences. Using a KWL chart to organize thoughts and concepts is a positive resource to help keep students engaged throughout a lesson or a unit. Finally, suggesting pre- and post-surveys is another beneficial idea to help ELL students because it allows them the opportunity to leave feedback to the teacher regarding their understanding of the material, engagement throughout the unit, or any concerns they may have. I feel like all of the strategies mentioned in this article are important to know when teaching ELL students.

2024-10-09 15:04:26 UTC

I loved this article since I will be working with ELL students. I was very excited to learn new strategies that I could implement in my classroom. I want to use the KWL chart with my students. I like to see what my ELLs know. There is a misconception that ELL students are low academically and this is completely false (in most cases). We know that they can't express what they know academically in English because of the language barrier, but that does not mean they are low academically. This is why I really like the KWL chart because it will display their knowledge, and give the teachers an idea of what level they are on academically. This helps the teachers come up with a plan to help them. I like that the students can also be responsible for their learning and share with us what they want to learn. I also like that it engages the students and makes them excited to learn. I know the students feel good about themselves when they can display their knowledge, especially if they are not able to express it in the English language yet. I have an Arabic student and she is so bright but doesn't know a bit of english, their alphabet is not even the same. She does not let this get in her way and she shows us constantly how high she is academically. We try to accommodate her to the best of our abilities so she can thrive in class and she does. I even try to give feedback in Arabic by using by translator. I try to write my feedback in Arabic for her. She seems very happy that I do that and she is very content to show us her knowledge. We give her positive reinforcement constantly.

contoc1 — 2024-10-09 20:17:35 UTC

After reading the article, I had no idea there was an increase in ELL students. The fact that by 2030, 40% of ELL students will be in the school system is interesting but very worrisome. After reading there article I realized that as a future educator it would be more work an stress and I honestly thought that the strategies would be hard to follow but I was wrong. The KNW chart sounds great to use with kids because it seems very helpful to know what students have on a topic to help expand their knowledge more and not give them more redundant work. The gallery walks and giving the students different colored pens to write their responses is a simple yet fun idea to get them engaged. This article provided a very informative insight into how to help ELL students. I'm nervous about the future, but I accept the challenge because those students deserve just as much support as any other student.

2024-10-11 16:07:20 UTC

After reading the article, I found three strategies that resonated with me. Using KWL charts is an easy, low-prep activity that shows students that they know more than they think. A KWL also shows the students and the teacher how much was learned throughout the unit. I adore the idea of a color-coded sentence patterning chart. This strategy helps differentiate and scaffold learning and can easily translate to many disciplines, from science to math and beyond. I would have loved to have this type of support as I struggled with writing for quite some time. I also liked the idea of a learning log. This gives students some choices on how they showcase their understanding. I appreciate the simplicity of each of these strategies. They also require very little preparation. As someone who grew up in a multilingual home, I feel it is important to have these strategies as they are effective for all students. I remember my grandmother struggling with speaking English but that didn’t mean she wasn’t capable. She was a brilliant woman and could make anything work if she understood. I appreciate how these strategies address the barrier of understanding by creating support for all students.

redzinan — 2024-10-13 20:54:04 UTC

After reading this week's article, I gained more insight into beneficial strategies to teach and engage ELL students. I haven't had much experience working with ELL students apart from volunteering at a preschool in Elizabeth, however, it's important to accommodate how you teach to reach all audiences. Some of the strategies they talked about are KWL charts and observation charts A KWL chart is something that I have used in my classroom that engages student's in learning about social studies. It shows what students know and some of the questions they may ask. I like this idea because, at the end of the unit, it shows growth since students can answer their own questions and reflect on their learning. I liked the idea of the observation chart because it can tap into all kinds of learners. Since students are walking around, looking at pictures, they are more engaged than if they were sitting at a desk. It also helps students who have trouble reading or writing since they can look at the pictures and draw their observations. This is something that I look forward to implementing in my classroom. The article also talked about color coding each column to help students understand which part of speech words correspond to. Color coding is a great way to help students visually learn. I recently attended a PD as part of my school's weekly staff meeting and one of the things they mentioned was having student's highlight different words and phrases with different colored highlighters. Also, when students were learning about finding the area of irregular shapes in my placement last semester, I gave students different colored markers and had students color-coordinate the different lines and shapes to help students visualize how to find the missing length. These are all great strategies to reach ELL students and students with diverse learning needs.

callmich1 — 2024-10-14 18:31:07 UTC

As mentioned by both Claudia and Stephanie in their responses, I've seen first-hand how ELL students are sometimes misperceived as low performing students, which is actually crazy since there are a lot of studies that suggest bilingual children have cognitive advantages compared to monolingual children. I think KWL charts are a great teaching tool and it's a great idea to introduce them to ELL students. I also really liked the observation chart because it allows students to share what they already know or what they would like to learn more about.

2024-10-14 20:49:04 UTC

Shivani Singh

After reading this weeks article, I would say the inclusion of tools like the KWL chart, observation chart, and sentence chart shows how visual aids and structured activities can simplify ideas while also enhancing language skills. The article's emphasis on making lessons engaging and interactive through personal connections (e.g., the learning log and chants) reinforces the importance of relevance and creativity in the classroom. Overall, the practical strategies provide a solid framework for teachers to support the growing population of multilingual learners, ensuring that language barriers don't stand in the way of academic achievement. As a student that was in an ESL student I do believe that visual aids and charts to show students success will allow students to achieve their academic goals.

2024-10-14 23:16:43 UTC

After reading the article, I was able to learn about some new amazing strategies that I can apply in the classroom to help support English Language Learners when it comes to learning content and language development at the same time. I really like the idea of the KWL chart and can see how it can be very engaging for students. It's a great way to see what students want to know, what they want to learn, and what they learned by the end of the lesson. I'm also a big fan of the chants strategy as well. I think that it's a great idea to implement throughout lessons. As mentioned in the article, this strategy is not only engaging for the students but also helps students practice their language skills.

wyskowse — 2024-10-15 02:08:07 UTC

Reading this article has helped me to realize that various practices that allow students to relate their own experiences to new content are effective in fostering comprehension with ELL students. However, as I read the article, I viewed the strategies as methods that would be good for ALL types of classrooms, no matter the demographic. Tailoring your content to the experience of your students is an effective teaching strategy for all classrooms, and helps students to feel prioritized and heard while learning. One of the best ways to monitor learning while establishing a baseline for learning is EWLs, which I sometimes use in my classroom. I especially use EWLs for science lessons so that students are given the chance to relate their previous experiences to new, more complex information. Students sometimes struggle to process scientific information, no matter the type of classroom. Monitoring previous knowledge and bridging it to newly-learned information is effective pedagogy no matter what class you teach.

simoesb — 2024-10-15 17:20:34 UTC

After reading this week's article, I was able to learn more strategies for my ELL students. Linden has a large population of students that are ELL. The KWL chart is a great tool for not only the students but as well as me as the teacher. We can see where they are with their learning and where they want to go. With this chart we find the pathway to take them to their goal. I also enjoyed the learning log. I believe it can also be used as a way to assess their learning as it checks for their understanding throughout the unit.

gkish13 — 2024-10-21 00:38:26 UTC

I was very excited about this week's article because in my placement two students are multi-language learners. I have been trying to give directions in Spanish then English and then making the students repeat what I said in English. It seems to be working, but my "Spanglish" only gets me so far and I know that when this semester is over they will have a significantly harder time communicating with my CTs. Since I am always wondering what else I could do for these students, I found this article a bit underwhelming. I liked the suggestions, however I know that a lot of them do not apply to kindergarteners. I love the idea of using KWL charts in my future classroom, but right now the most effective strategy from the article is using chants that can be synced with familiar tunes to support learning and retention. Overall, I appreciate the strategies offered, but I do think that they will vary situationally and will most likely need to be modified for every student to support their individual needs.

Also, side note! I am a very curious person and find that I ask questions even if they are rhetorical... With that being said, I wonder if the surveys presented in the student feedback section of the article were specifically given to ELL students or if it was for the entire class. 17% to 57% is a drastic jump and made me question further the age of the students being surveyed and how the surveys were given. Just something I thought about! ;)

2024-10-29 17:32:20 UTC

Reading the article has helped me learn some useful strategies for multilingual students. I don't have much experience with this as all my clinical classes have not had a student who did not speak English. I think KWL charts are an important tool for all students. Knowing what the student already knows is important to understand their base knowledge. I also think the observation chart is useful! For students who struggle with writing or reading, having to draw or see a picture would be beneficial for them. Lastly, I love the student feedback idea. I think it's so important to understand how the students are feeling and make sure they feel comfortable about the material and the teacher.

masuccid1 — 2024-12-14 16:39:50 UTC

After reading this article I have added to my toolbox of ways I can help different learners. Using KWL charts and monitoring growth and learning could be beneficial to ELL learners. Using different colors helps students with a visual aid. Working collaboratively allows students to guide each other and also builds a sense of community. Working as a team to show what they know and guide each other in learning more. I had never heard of learning logs, I am intrigued by taking some of the language out of learning, I am always looking for strategies to aid students' growth especially methods that connect students directly to content. Connecting the content directly to themselves is an engaging way to learn.

2024-12-16 17:00:21 UTC

I really like the strategies discussed in this article, especially how they focus on engaging students and making learning more interactive. The idea of using an observation chart is a great way to get students involved in a hands-on activity while helping them connect real-life examples to what they are learning. I can see how moving around the room to look at pictures of extreme weather not only keeps students active but also sparks their curiosity to ask questions. The fact that students were able to draw their observations and use different-colored pens for individual contributions seems like a simple yet effective way to encourage participation and make the activity feel personal to each student.

Another strategy I found useful is the sentence patterning chart. By breaking down sentences into parts like adjectives, nouns, and verbs, students get a clearer understanding of how language works. The color coding and the ability to create sentences help them practice and the structure of language, which can be especially helpful for English language learners. It’s a great way to make grammar more accessible and engaging.

The learning log strategy also stands out to me. I love how it combines factual knowledge with personal reflection. It gives students a chance to think about what they've learned and connect it to their own experiences. This is especially powerful for multilingual students because it makes the content feel more relevant to them personally. When students can relate lessons to their own lives, it not only deepens their understanding but also makes them feel more comfortable participating. Overall, these strategies seem really effective for engaging students, particularly multilingual learners. They make learning feel more interactive, personal, and fun, which helps students feel more comfortable and motivated to participate. The results from the pre-and post-surveys show that these strategies can really boost engagement, and I think they are excellent ways to support students in a diverse classroom.