English As A Second Language
I find one of the biggest challenges in the classroom is language. Many students are in the class with very basic English skills. Therefore when they take concept classes like Psychology they can really struggle because they do not understand what certain words me. As an instructor you have to break the concepts and examples down into basic form in order to help students understand the material. This can be frustrating to some students who understand the concepts. You have to find balance in doing this so all students are challenged.
I think it is important to understand each students personality and whether they are bold and like to speak out, or if they are shy and do not want to be called on, so that the instructor can decide which students may work better with computer self tests.
ESL students are very prevalent in my school. I may have as many as 5 in each class. So I bring them together to learn as a team. There is always at least one with a better grasp of English and that person helps tremendously with my abilities to communicate new ideas and industry concepts. And better yet if you have one bi-lingual student in the class.
If the student is willing to learn more and putting an effort, the instructor should go an extra mile to help them to learn
Dr. Meers,
I have to agree with you on this topic. Understanding the culture of the studrnts helps you be able to connect with them. During my time in the teaching field I have had chance to work with some esl teachers when I taught Math for GED students, and one of the things that they made clear when we would discuss diversity in the classroom is that esl student tend to think as if they were in thier culture and we have to slowly introduce american customs to them, and we have to do this gradually. I also agree with the other points as well.
Thomas,
we have to be aware of these cultural differences, especially the difference in high context & low context cultures.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I think a lot if the issues also involve our use of the language. We may use other words or terms out of context and they may easily get confused. Not to mention if sarcasm is used, it can completely change the way the sentence comes out.. It can hinder them
Peggy,
this is a great resource to help these students & then to make yourself available after they take the test I'm sure is very helpful.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Living so near an Army post, I have many ESL students. I find them wanting to learn and eagerly accepting of any help. I meet with them one-on-one and also with other students if they need familiarity. Also, I have found websites that aid the ESL student by letting them take self-tests to help them with any grammatical issues they may have (I teach English). Often, a student wants to be alone with their computer to take these self-tests because they feel more confident. I have found it helps them a lot and they are very appreciative of the fact they can do it on their own timeframe.
Benjamin,
it can definitely be a challenge & this is where we as instructors can help these diverse learners & students by understanding where they are coming from.
Dr. Ryan Meers
I really feel for these students because I lived in Argentina for a year and staying interactive in classes and discussions in your second language is very intimidating.
It definitely is a bigger challenge when instructing students who have english as their second language. I find that they are so much more motivated sometimes; more so than the students who don't have to worry about english as their second language. It is sometimes even refreshing to know that they do not take advantage of the knowledge they are achieving.
