During my time teaching, I had an open door policy. Before the day began, during lunch and after school, my ELL students and their families would visit the library in my room, small though it was, because they knew there would be something for them. I made a point of keeping books that reflected their experiences-culturally and linguistically-and this was a unique experience for them. My students, most of whom seldom saw themselves in the books they read at school or found in the public library, found a safe space in my room and library, which created a stronger learning community.
Creating a community that is comfortable and accessible is one key part of a differentiated approach to language instruction. This approach, which aims to mimic the first language acquisition process, gives students tools to become more confident and fluent in English, making learning more accessible and equitable.
We sometimes think about ELL language learning in very traditional terms, and translate this into classroom practice through formal language instruction (like grammar and vocabulary exercises).
It’s important to note the difference between language learning and language acquisition, as outlined by Stephen Krashen:
Language acquisition forms the foundation of Krashen’s five hypotheses on language acquisition, which detail additional ways to support ELLs in language development. The fifth of these, the Affective Filter Hypothesis, is critical and too often overlooked.
In order for meaningful language acquisition to occur, learners are most successful when:
The existence of these factors lowers a student’s affective filter, enabling them to learn. If the opposite occurs and a student’s affective filter is high, they are less likely to retain concepts.
This concept was central to the work I did with ELL students and their families in my own classroom. A few specific approaches were most successful in lowering my students’ affective filters:
The ideas don’t have to be big ones, but by supporting ELLs’ capacity to build language competence that lower their affective filter, we enable them to grow confidently.
For more resources that you can use to support English Language Learners, visit our global education resources page.
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