Through the research articles I have read I really have decided to look deeper into the concept of developing English Language Learner’s literacy development. This is a very prominent topic with both academic and general audience because of all the many foreigners coming to America. In fact the article “Effective Strategies for Improving Writing Skills of Elementary English Language Learners” states that, “Demographers predict that in twenty years, the ratio of English learners in the student population could be one and four” (Cole, Feng 3). Through researching more about the linguistics aspect I have begun to understand language skills are going to influence the education these ELL students need.
When focusing of the English Language Learners Literacy development one needs to consider the environment in which this literacy learning is being taught. In the article “Mainstreaming English Language Learners: Does It Promote or HinderLiteracy Development” looks at a study of two fifth grade students that are English Learners. In this article it states that” The study explored their classroom activities with the expectation of unraveling the difficulties faced by immigrant students in developing literacy in English as a second language” (Guiebre 33). The findings suggested that the students were lacking content knowledge (Guiebre 35). There was a divide in the classroom when it came to fluency. Both of the students were taken out of there mainstreamed class during a subject and then would return back into the class in the middle of another subject. This article also shared that “the higher their fluency, the more interaction there was with the teacher” (Guiebre 37). Over all it comes down to their language skills; after reading this article it seems to me that the more developed their language and literacy abilities are they will perform better in the classroom as a whole.
The article “Building Vocabulary for Language Learning: Approach for ESL Learnersto study new vocabulary” focuses on the best approach to educating these students. The article right off the bat states that “language learners need to master both spoken and written forms of vocabulary and distinguish its meaning to craft successful meaningful connections socially and mentally” (Alharbi 501). Although the article does suggest read–aloud, word cards, word walls and list group label for beginners; it also says there is more to it. It is suggested by this article that when learning new words mental and cognitive strategies are important. It is stressed that students should “understand the basic meaning, categorize them, and put them in groups” (Albarbi 503). Based on studies the technique they recommend consist of building on synonyms, learning definitions with context, listening and punctuation process , book mark word search, and remember strategies for writing. These techniques are a progressive method to develop ELL’s vocabulary that are encouraged to be started at an early age.
To build off of the vocabulary and expanding the language development for ELL students it is important to focus on writing aspects of their language usage as well. The article “Effective Strategies forImproving Writing Skills of Elementary EnglishLanguage Learners” emphasizes the importance of essential writing and language skills especially as our world has become so text- dependent and oriented. Therefore, writing is such a dominant factor in comprehending a language. The article suggest “that the use of technology, pre taught vocabulary, various teachers influences and the implementation of positive diverse literacy practices…” (Cole, Feng 2) can help to create the best language learning out come for ELL’s. This article feels for the ELL student and validates that “ their vocabulary is often limited … they can communicate orally and be understood through gestures ,… writing proves to be frustrating for them as they attempt to express their ideas without the luxury of using their hands (Cole, Feng 4). The article expresses the importance of creating a conductive and comfortable environment. The article refers to this as “Fluency First Approach”; helping the students to get used to using the new language in context without being put down by grammatical errors. Then teachers take it a step further by “shar[ing] their experience, discuss students thoughts, and request additional information as feedback” (7); these methods help to prompt the students to want to write and use the language. Teachers then need to prepare the students to write properly. The article encourages teachers to activate prior knowledge, and preview vocabulary by giving both definitional and contextual information about keywords. (Cole, Feng 8) Then the teachers have to scaffold and build on the student’s strengths. Once these students acquire these skills they can use resources such as technology and journals to further their skills. I look forward to using these skills one day and learning more approaches to educating English Language Learners in early education.
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| http://taylorfisk-ell.weebly.com/uploads/2/6/5/0/26503813/18336.jpg This pictures represents the some English Language Learners a teacher could encounter in their class |
