“English language learners are extremely resourceful learners with a unique bilingual reservoir of skills and experiences.” - Fred Genesee, 2008
English language learners bring a wide variety of life situations and understandings and a range of educational experiences to school with them every day. They are very valuable students to have within your classroom. As a teacher of a safe, positive and welcoming environment you are given the “opportunity to tap the rich resource of knowledge and understandings that [your] ELLs bring to school, and which, in turn, enrich the learning of all students in the classroom” (Supporting English Language Learners, 2008).
How does a teacher “tap” into the rich resources that ELLs bring to school to help enrich the learning of all students in the classroom?
A caring, patient, and understanding teacher will try and implement many strategies to make sure his/her ELLs are progressing well in their literacy skills. By developing literacy skills of ELLs, the teacher knows her whole class will benefit.
ELL Strategies and Supports. Adapting the Ontario curriculum for English language learners, Supporting English Language Learners in Grades 1 to 8. Retrieved from: http://etfo-ots.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ELL-Supports.pdf
Ferlazzo, Larry. (2012). Do's & Don'ts for Teaching English-Language Learners. Retrieved from: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/esl-ell-tips-ferlazzo-sypnieski
Haley, M. H., & Austin, T. Y. (2014). Content-Based Second Language Teaching and Learning: An Interactive Approach (2 nd ed.). Chapter 6, Literacy and the English Language Learner. Toronto, ON: Pearson.
Supporting English Language Learners: A practical guide for Ontario educators Grades 1 to 8. (2008). Retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/esleldprograms/guide.pdf
**Fred Genesee, from a speech at TESOL 2008, “Learning to read a second language: What does the research say and what do we do about it?”. Quote retrieved from: http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/esleldprograms/guide.pdf
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