KWL Chart - Current Beliefs About Teaching English Language Learners

Know
- creating a safe, welcoming classroom environment is important for all learners to feel
comfortable to take risks and make mistakes
- learning to read in home language (L1) helps promote reading achievement in second
language (L2)
- Modelling, visual cues, incorporating movement and lots of repetition are successful
teaching strategies for all learners, including ELL learners
- New languages are easier to learn when you are young

Wonder
- How to effectively bridge the communication gap between the classroom and the parents
of your ELL students, when English is also their second language?
- How do you best support older students who are learning a new language?
- What are the best ways to develop literacy skills in a new language?
- How do you find balance between learning a new language while continuing to support
home language?

Learn
- Children who begin learning a second language before puberty acquire the sound
system of the new language relatively quickly and soon speak with the same accent as
local native speakers. (Coelho, pg.150). After puberty, students will most likely speak
with an accent.
- Learning a second language is most effective when it is modelled in the same way as
children acquire their first language; however, the conditions under which most of us
learn a new language seldom resemble the ideal conditions under which we learned our
first language (Coelho, p.149).
- Prior to starting this course I was unaware that learning English can be divided into two
categories - Social English and Academic English. I now have a better understanding of
the differences between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive
Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). I was also unaware that while students may
develop their BICS within the first two years, it will typically take at least five year to
develop CALP (Coelho).
- A learners first language (L1) is the foundation for second language learning, an
important tool for learning and important component of personal cultural identity
(Coelho). It is important to allow students to continue using their home language. L1
can be a useful tool for planning, but it is tricky to direct translate from L1 into English
when writing, so students should be encouraged to try to express themselves in English.
- There are many ways to develop literacy skills in a new language. Providing lots of
opportunities for students to talk and participate in oral language tasks, vocabulary
building, explicit teaching of phonemic awareness, scaffolded writing tasks, echo/choral
reading, morning messages and read alouds (Haley & Austin).