Chapter 8: Teaching Students who are Still Learning English

Chapter 8 focused on teaching children who are still learning how to speak English. It was meant to help teachers who have a class filled with diverse students. The first step is to figure out what students actually DO know. Find out a background of that student which will help teachers to make connections with their students. Be aware of where they are from, what languages do they already speak, what their home life is like and what subjects they are most interested in. It’s important that teachers look past the language mistakes and focus on the thinking that is being done by the students. One helpful way to help these students comprehend the English language better is by having them make connections between the content they are learning and their own experiences. As a teacher it might be frustrating to have a class at such different levels but it is important to be patient with all students and understand that they really want to learn what the other students already know. That is why it is important to have students learn from one another.

When I was in high school our school had little diversity and about every student was able to fluently speak English except for the foreign exchange students. My teachers did not have to worry about having students who didn’t speak English because it was already assumed that everyone would know how. It’s interesting for me to think that when I am a teacher that I may not have students who can speak English and it makes me wonder what types of things I can do in my classroom to help make things easier for these students. I can’t imagine going to a classroom in a different country and not being able to understand anything. I can’t think of a more overwhelming experience and that makes me want to do everything I can to help these students learn. It seems like nowadays when people go into teaching that they just assume that all their students will know English this chapter shows that this is not the case.