As educators, we have a necessary responsibility to ensure that our ELL students are not falling behind. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (ECES), 4.9 million students in the United States speak a different native language (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). Difficulties for these students include not only learning a new language, but adapting to a new and unfamiliar culture. More than likely, our ELL students come from a country and a culture that is very different from American culture. These children have the obvious obstacle of learning a new language, but they also are learning a new way of school. As a teacher, it is important to not only welcome your new ELL student into your classroom with open arms, but also embrace the language and culture that they came from.
ELL students go through a series of emotions and thoughts when transitioning into this new culture. The first stage is referred to as euphoria. Euphoria is when ELL students may experience the initial excitement about their new learning environment and school setting. The second stage is culture shock. ELL students may experience anger, frustration, and/or resentment towards this new culture they are learning. Next is acceptance. ELL students may slowly start to accept their surroundings. Lastly, ELL students adapt and may begin to embrace their new culture (Colorin Colorado, 2019).
Many teachers do not understand the significance of ensuring that their classroom environment is welcoming. This is a problem. All educators who work with ELL students must take the time to understand and embrace that student’s cultural background. Without doing so, ELL students feel intimidated and resentful towards their new school.
Colorin Colorado (2019) provides many key tasks for teachers to do to create a welcoming classroom environment. The first is to simply learn that student’s name. There are certainly names that may be difficult for teachers to pronounce because they are not a typical American name. Although it seems like an obvious task, it is important that teachers take the time to learn the correct pronunciation of their students’ names. The second task is to assign a peer partner. Teachers can assign the new EL student to a peer to help the student understand the day-to-day tasks. Preferably, this peer partner speaks the same native language as the EL student. The third task is to invite that student’s culture into the classroom. Teachers should encourage EL students to share their native language and culture in the classroom. EL students can share personal stories and experiences and even share words and phrases in their language. Next, teachers should label classroom items in both languages. This will help EL students better understand essential objects and places in the classroom, such as “bathroom,” “library,” and “chair.” EL students are also learning new English words by seeing both languages written side by side. Lastly, teachers should post a visual daily schedule. It is first and foremost important for EL students to get used to a new structure and routine. It would also be beneficial for students if the teacher puts pictures next to the activities on the schedule for EL students to better understand.
English Language Learners in Public Schools. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgf.asp
Colorín Colorado. (2019, August 5). How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment. Retrieved from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/how-create-welcoming-classroom-environment