Mon, Dec 09, 2024 3:25 PM
Review of Supporting English Language Learners Re
Supporting English Language Learners’ Reading in the Science Classroom by Greg Corder is an overview of specific techniques science teachers can use in order to support their English Language Learners.
Corder does a good job of explaining what it means to be an English Language Learners in a science classroom, and he discusses some of the specific challenges ELLs face in US schools. He rightly suggests that ELLs come from a variety of different backgrounds, countries, and have different experiences when it comes to formal schooling. I appreciate his care in describing these backgrounds. Additionally, he provides statistical reasons why teachers need to be prepared to support our ELL students. Because this article was written in 2007, some of the language used to describe English language learners reflect a deficit mindset; whereas, currently, we look at English language learners from an asset mindset, even going so far is to change the terminology. Presently, these students are known as emergent bilingual students to reflect the fact that being bilingual is an asset, not a deficit. Again, this critique is simply because of how education changes over the years.
To support ELLs, Corder explains the necessity of incorporating a language objective along with the lesson objective. This simple addition is a great first step for teachers to remember that they are not just teaching a science lesson, but are also integrating language teaching in their course. These language objectives focus on ELL students’ need to practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening in English. He also suggests that language objectives should be varied based on the language proficiency of the students. This prevents a one-size-fits-all method of writing language objectives. It is not enough to just write these objectives on the board. Language objectives, just like lesson objectives, need to be comprehensible to the students doing the assignments. This creates a sense of ownership for the students in that class.
Another strategy that Corder recommends is building students’ background knowledge. Because ELL students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, it is sometimes required for teachers to provide them with background knowledge for them to be successful. Here, Corder suggests using a think aloud strategy while teachers are working though models. One area that this paragraph could be improved upon is considering the concept of funds of knowledge, in which students can provide information of the things that they do understand. This could be applied using simple strategies like KWL charts or having students develop their own questions. He also suggests pre-teaching vocabulary to ELL students so that they are prepared for challenging passages.
Finally, Corder explains why Linguistic Modification of texts is necessary to support English Language Learners. In this section of the article, the author provides many examples of how a text can be modified in order to support the learning of ELLs including providing pre highlighted texts, limiting the use of idioms and slang, and providing texts that limit the use of passive voice and long strings of consecutive nouns. While Corder admits that making linguistic modifications for English Language Learners can be a burden for teachers who already have a wealth of responsibilities and obligations, he also acknowledges that it is our duty and can be essential for supporting our English Language Learners.
Overall, this is a good article that suggests a handful of techniques that can be used to support English Language Learners. I appreciate what the author is doing for science teachers and it is very important. What concerned me most was the lack of more current articles and research on the NSTA website about supporting emergent bilingual students. I did not find many current articles, and that was troubling considering they are the fastest growing subpopulation in US schools.