1) An index card – There are multiple colors of cards with different Letters and Numbers

2) A handout with two sections for your responses and the comments of a partner

3) A Handout of the PowerPoint slides for notes

BEFORE WE BEGIN . . . .

Everyone should have one each of the following:

The World is changing . . . . . . . . . . Are YOU?

Turn to the Person on your left and ask this question: क्या� आपका� पहला� ना�म ह�

No response from your shoulder partner? Or, were you not even able to ask the question?Then let’s try the question in another way:

Τι είναι το όνομά σας; If you said to yourself: “That’s Greek to me.” You’d be right, at least about the second version. The first is in Hindi.

How about this version:What is your first name?

What if you ask that last question of a student who does not understand English?

Welcome to the changing world of education.

If you have not yet encountered students who

are English Language Learners (ELLs) and

understand little to no English, likely you will.

How do you feel about that?

Who Are English Language Learners?“English language learner refers to a person who has a first

(home, primary, or native) language other than English and is in the process of acquiring English.” 1

That’s about the only similarity that many young ELLs have, according to Coppett, et al:

Like all children, ELLs vary in family structure and stability, household composition, parental education and socioeconomic status, exposure to literacy, life experiences, knowledge, cultural norms, abilities, and dispositions.

ELLs bring with them varied cultural experiences that have shaped their notions of appropriate adult-child interaction.

ELLs differ from each other in their previous literacy experiences. For example, a chronological narration of events is highly valued in U.S. schools, while in other settings narratives are judged on imagery, poetics, word play, contextual details, or other criteria.2

There are Federal guidelines that require and fund programs to help ELLs.

However, how states carry out their instruction programs for ELLs is in their purview.

Approximately 79 percent of ELLs nationally are from Spanish-language backgroundsWhile English learners reside throughout the United States, they are heavily concentrated in the six states of Arizona, California, Texas, New York, Florida, and IllinoisThese six states contain 61percent of the nation’s ELL population. In addition, the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico accounts for another 1 percent of the U.S. ELL population.3

Some statistics on ELLs in the United States

“The responsibility for the ELLs’ whole education, both in language and academic content, is shared by regular classroom teachers and English language assistance teachers alike.”4

Does this surprise you, or alarm you? Even if in your professional role as a teacher you understand these educational diversity demands, that is not always true of the political and social climate in which we live.

The profile of the U.S. is changing and as a result, causing concern about the rapid growth of minority populations. “Between 1979 and 2008, the number of school-age children (children ages 5-17) who spoke a language other than English at home increased from 3.8 to 10.9 million, or from 9 to 21 percent of the population in this age range. An increase (from 18 to 21 percent) was also evident during the more recent period of 2000 through 2008.”5

Some of these statistics have triggered responses from different agencies and legislators regarding addressing real or perceived problems. For example. . . . .

Let’s deal with the elephant in the room.

Should English be the official language of the U.S.?

Politicians at the federal, state land local levels link this discussion with the separate, but sometime-related realms of minority population growth, illegal

immigration, naturalization, etc. However, some almost see a national recognition of English as the nation’s language

as a reflection of patriotism and loyalty, and critical to success in this country

“While no one can deny the advantages of speaking a foreign language, in order to best prepare citizens for success, we must ensure that no matter how many languages an American can speak, one of them should be English.”6 -Mauro E. Mujica, chairman of U.S. English, Inc., a non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to the role of the English language in the United States, May 2012. [Mujica emigrated to the U. S. from Chile.]

While we must be cognizant of these debates; as educators we must assume a role that falls outside of the rhetoric and looks

more closely at how best to help our EL students.

There is no way to avoid all of the political and societal rhetoric that comes with the discussion of how to accommodate and teach students who are

not native English learners.

There are frustrations when mono-lingual English speakers encounter mono-lingual speakers of another

language.

How does this affect us as Educators?

How does this affect us as Individuals?

On a personal note, I am a vegetarian and sometimes go to fast-food restaurants where they say they will prepare the

food my way.

For me, this is sometimes a problem Cashiers stare at me blankly and are confused: “No meat?”

Yes, I say, I want a cheeseburger with everything, but no meat.I’ve even attempted, when appropriate:

“Cheeseburger, por favor, pero sin carne.”Sometimes I get what I ordered, and sometimes my husband winds up

with a double order of burgers.

Did you think you were alone as an individual or a teacher in wondering how you can communicate with students who are

struggling with understanding English in your classroom, and you cannot speak any of their native languages?

Please take a few moments – three to be exact – and jot down your thoughts on your handout

about how you feel about teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) in your content area.

At the end of three minutes I will ask you to stop writing, and exchange your sheets with

your shoulder partners on the right. I will leave it up to you whether you put your name

on your sheets.

Now that you have exchanged your sheets

with your partners, please take 5 minutes to write

down your comments on the sheet regarding what

your partner wrote.

Here are a few prompts for your comments:•Wow! I never thought about this before, because ….•I am not sure that I can help ELL students in my area of …•This person has more knowledge on this subject than I …•I don’t feel that I fit in with this group; I will never ….

At the end of 5 minutes you will return the handouts.

•What did you write?•What did your partner provide for a comment?•Has your perspective changed a bit after reading the comments?•Why do you think you are participating in this discussion today?

Let’s discuss. Volunteers? Or, shall I call upon you randomly? Or, … both?

The Myths and/or MisunderstandingsRegarding Two Primary Areas of Concern:

1) Immigrant Language LearningMyth: Many do not want to learn EnglishMisunderstanding: Many want to learn

English but face obstacles, e.g., socio-economic conditions

1) The Role of Heritage LanguagesMyth: Clinging to a heritage language is

indicative of reluctance to full participationMisunderstanding: Many, adults and youth

alike, feel that eliminating their heritage language eliminates their personal identity7

Where do We Go From Here?This is the question posed by Lucy Tse in her book: “Why Don’t They Lean English?” She has several suggestions that we can act on now as a nation, individuals and educators.

If we accept the premise that most EL students want to learn English, as well as retain their cultural heritage, then . . .

• Implement or support free or low-cost English language programs for immigrant adults

• Support and fund reinforced or new bilingual education programs within schools to help young EL learners

• Help culturally diverse students address the issues surrounding their cultural and language heritage, while helping them learn English8

Where do You Go From Here?

Comments?

Feedback?

Questions?

Anecdotes from your experience with ELLs?

References

1 Coppett, C. Harmon, S. & Shallenberger, M. (n.d.). English language learners. Slide # 4. Slideshow presentation available at http://www.slideshare.net/jabaricain/esol-presentation-5878787.

2 Coppett, et al. (n.d.). English language learners. Slide # 9.

3 Coppett, et al. (n.d.). English language learners. Slide # 14.

4 Coppett, et al. (n.d.). English language learners. Slide # 2.

5 Coppett, et al. (n.d.). English language learners. Slide # 13.

6 U.S.English Chairman to Congress: Support English as Official Language of the United States. May 26, 2012. Retrieved from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47451275.

7 Tse, L. (2001). “Why don’t they learn english?” Separating fact from fallacy in the u. s. language debate. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.

8 Tse, L. (2001). “Why don’t they learn english?” p. 72.