In the last blog post, we explored ways educators can leverage the learning environment as the “third teacher” to explore language acquisition. Creating a language-rich learning environment is one way you can facilitate English development for newcomer ELLs without focusing solely on explicit instruction or waiting for an ESL/ELD or MLL support teacher to work with ELLs in a one-to-one or small group format.
But what about the “second teacher” – the other students in the room? In any given classroom in Ontario, you will likely have students that have different levels of English proficiency. Some students will have been speaking English their whole lives, both at home and in school, and are completely fluent. Others will be fluent in multiple languages. Some may be in the intermediate or advanced steps of acquiring English.
Leveraging the “second teacher”, or the linguistic skills of the students in the room, is a powerful way to help ELLs acquire English. Recall that one of the best ways to accelerate language learning is to be in practical or interactive social situations where you must use whatever language skills you have to navigate the situation.
When ELLs build their oral language, or their ability to communicate orally in different social and academic situations and listen to others, they are also supporting their literacy skills in English. This is because they will now have vocabulary they can recognize when they read and use when writing. Typically, language learners will develop oral language at a faster pace than reading and writing skills.
Here are some ways we can develop the oral language skills of ELLs through peer-to-peer interaction.
Pair or Connect Newcomer ELLs with Same-Language Speaking Peers
If you have same language speakers in the classroom at different levels of language proficiency, you are in a great position to support newcomer students. Pairing newcomer ELLs with students that speak the same language is an easy way to bridge communication in the classroom.
And while your goal is to get newcomer students comfortable and confident in speaking English, using the strengths of same language speaking peers is a highly effective way to provide a scaffold for students when they are in the pre-production phase of speaking English.
In my own experience, ELLs that benefit from the support of their peers in this way are happy to support future newcomer students when they enter the school. It is incredibly rewarding to see newcomer students become more experienced users of English that share their multilingual skills with others.
Opportunities for Group Work
Group work can be a highly efficient way for students to develop the ability to speak spontaneously with others. When working in small groups that ares selected with care, newcomer students have a great opportunity to take risks and talk in a supportive environment.
When setting up group work, it can be critical for all students to learn norms of group work and collaboration, especially when working with students that have language learning needs. Take the time to visit each group individually and provide support and structure as needed.
Make Time for “Small Talk”
Simple conversations that happen in unplanned, unstructured contexts are an easy way to support language acquisition. When you bring students outdoors for play, take some time to make “small talk” with newcomer students. While this may seem inconsequential, it is actually a powerful way to help students build confidence in speaking.
Ask questions like:
“How are you?”
“What do you think of the weather?”
“Are you having a good day?”
“What did you do on the weekend?”
Model answers using clear language, and ask multiple students when possible so they can model responses for their peers.
Honour the Cognitive Load of Learning a New Language
Learning a new language, and being in a completely new environment, is a significant cognitive challenge for students. Add on the variety of stressors associated with adjustment, particularly for students that may be coming from refugee backgrounds or traumatizing situations, and the transition to school can be extremely challenging.
With these factors in mind, understand that oral language acquisition and peer connections can take time! Newcomer students may need more time to listen to their peers and teachers and absorb their surroundings before producing speech in English.
Looking Ahead
In our next article we will finally get to what educators can do to reframe content based instruction for newcomer ELLs and support language acquisition through direct instruction.
