o  Newcomers: those who immigrate from another country and speak a language other than English (or in a different dialect)

o  Canadian-born: those who are born in Canada but speak another language in the home that is not English. 
-      ELL students navigate the school curriculum while simultaneously learning a new language. 
-      There are four stages of adjustment that the English language learner goes through, but are not clearly delineated:

o  Arrival: First impressions of their new environment

o  Culture Shock: ELLs may experience homesickness, isolation. They require the most support in this stage. 

o  Recovery

o  Acculturation 
-      Acquisition & Learning 

o  Younger children learn their native language without any effort because of their exposure to it.

o  English language learners may have difficulty pronouncing various sounds, letters and syllables due to the fact that they do not have these sounds in their own language. 
-      BICS & CALP

o  Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills: Refers to conversational fluency, sufficient for social communication and day-to-day activities, most students develop these skills within the first two years of an immersion in an English-speaking environment 

o  Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency: to achieve academic language, lectures, presentation, need approx. 5 years to achieve this

-      When the teacher is unable to provide the support, a partner can be assigned that can assist the ELL student with classroom activities and assignments. It also ensures that the student does not feel excluded. 

-      Teachers can also incorporate various props and examples to clarify. Effective communication is key and can be accomplished through facial expressions, gestures and body language. 

-      Incorporate the students cultural/ethnic/linguistic background to make their learning more meaningful and relevant. 

 

Schecter, S. (2003). Multilingual Education in Practice: Using Diversity as a Resource. North York, ON: Pearson Education Canada.