Students that don't have English as a first language
I have had students in the past that didn't have English as their first lanaguage and I have become frustrated with them. This section helped me a great deal in techniques to work with these type of students. Thanks, Denise
I have realized that when i have been working with apanish speaking students ,I manage to improve their knowledge of English by lecturing in English and repeating it in spanish as they need it ,pausing to explain or clarify any question and asking them in English and encoreaging them to answer in English too.
David,
This is a great example of taking advantage of a unique situation & better helping your students.
Dr. Ryan Meers
To me, teaching ELL students new industry terms is an opportunity. If I put my 5-7 culinary class terms on the board in English-French-Spanish, and review pronunciation with the definitions and applications. the French techniques are better learned by my ELL students in the classroom, and better applied in the kitchens by my English 1st speaking students with their Spanish 1st coworkers.
Emily,
I think this sounds like a great technique & one that demonstrates to your students that you are willing to meet them where they are & help them learn & progress.
Dr. Ryan Meers
Some students who have Spanish as a first language become more comfortable with writing assignments if I first allow them to write in Spanish, then spend some time with individuals or a group transtlating a paper and defining where the biggest difficulties lie. If I have two or more Spanish speakers, I will often ask one of them to translate the difficult concepts or words for the other(s)and vice versa, depending on who is more familiar with the words or concepts. Slow but steady improvement is often the result. I have some knowlege of Spanish so this technique is easy for me with Spanish speakers, but I believe it would work with any language.
Me too, I have had students from Thailand, France, and India, and each one had similar obstacles to face. Spending 5 minutes on common vocabulary words has helped.
Spanish speaking students who are not reasonably fluent in the English language should be placed in a beginning English class where the basics are taught. Placing that student in technical or math classes will prove disasterous to the learning experience of other students. Unending questions, clarifications in English, word meanings, pictorial meanings, etc take so long that balance of class is not sufficient to teach other students. ... The text could prove satisfactory after student learns basics of the English language.
