Free Essay: Strategies Used By Teachers to Teach Bilingual English Learners Effectively

Introduction

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), about 9 percent of students across the United States public schools are English Language Learners (ELL) (NCES, 2020). The number is estimated to be higher in cities because they make the primary destination for most immigrant families and individuals who enter the country searching for better economic prospects. Most of these English language learners often get into high-intensity programs for English learning while others join mainstream classrooms that go for almost a year to equip themselves with English proficiency. In a country like the United States whose official language is English, it means that the instructional language is English. Therefore, English language learners need to gain proficiency to excel in all the other subjects offered in English. These facts necessitate that teachers should use effective strategies when supporting students who use a language other than English as their first language.

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Having come from an immigrant family, I am primarily interested in this particular topic because of my experience. As I grew up, I saw some of my relatives struggle with reading and writing English. Remembering this gives me perspective on what most bilingual learners go through when becoming proficient in the language. I am further interested in this topic because of my previous work as a kindergarten teacher. Through my work, I interacted with several bilingual learners struggling to master reading and writing English. In cases where neither parent spoke English, it became extremely difficult for the learners to learn fast since they lacked so much-needed support from home.

As a result of my interaction with bilingual learners and being in a position to assist them in learning English, I believe that the strategies used in the classrooms must be sufficient for learners to benefit. Teachers must use proven methods to help their students achieve their academic goal of mastering concepts often delivered in English.

The Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this study is to identify the strategies teachers use to teach bilingual English learners effectively. The study examines the most effective strategies that are in use in classrooms. It will focus on existing teaching methodologies to determine their effectiveness. It will then distinguish the most effective methods that can be emphasized for use in classrooms to help bilingual learners. According to the Cambridge Assessment International Education (CAIE), bilingual learners routinely use two or more languages, other than English, for communication in different contexts (CAIE, 2020). However, individuals with proficiency in two languages can also be referred to as bilingual. Broadly, bilingual learners use their first language for communication while at home and within their community and uses a second language while at school. In this study, bilingual English learners refer to students who use their first language, for example, Chinese or Spanish, while at home and use English as their instruction language while at school. A term was closely related to bilingual learners in bilingual education. For instance, while the American curriculum is offered primarily in English, some curricula offer instruction through two or more languages (CAIE, 2020). Such education systems are referred to as bilingual education.

One strategy used in teaching bilingual learners is translanguaging. Garcia (2009) defines translanguaging as accessing different linguistic features of autonomous languages for the maximization of communicative potential. In this paper, it is used to refer to a teaching pedagogy where teachers use different languages together. For example, bilingual teachers with mastery in both English and Spanish can use resources from Spanish to help Spanish learners to master the intricacies of English.

Research Questions

• What are the effective strategies used to teach bilingual English learners?
• Is translanguaging an effective teaching methodology?
• Is the cultural background necessary in designing a teaching strategy for bilingual English learners?
• What is the effectiveness of visual aids in teaching bilingual English learners?
• What teaching strategies should be emphasized in bilingual English learners’ classes?

Significance of the Study

Globalization has increased human interaction, which means people are ready to take on new opportunities in other countries. The challenges, such as poverty and war in some developing countries, have also contributed to the migration of people from politically unstable countries to developed nations. America is one of the countries that admit immigrants in search of better financial prospects, and others get into the country as refugees. These scenarios have led to the need for teachers to be prepared to handle students who learn English as a second language. Palmer and Martinez (2013) examined the role of teachers in teaching bilingual teachers. The authors argue that teachers must develop a good understanding of bilingualism and the dynamics of interaction in bilingual classrooms. The authors note the limitations of teachers focusing on teacher-directed literature instead of understanding the dynamics of bilingual spaces.

Garcia (2009) examined the effectiveness of using translanguaging in helping learners develop their writing and reading of a language. The author seeks to show the effectiveness of this practice, not as a pedagogy but as an available tool for bilingual learners. Given the debate surrounding this practice, examining the strategies for the teaching of bilingual English learners will establish the most effective strategies teachers can use in the classroom. In my practice, I have realized that many learners struggle due to several factors. These include teachers without a good understanding of the dynamics of interaction in a bilingual classroom, parents who do not speak English, and ineffective strategies that only confuse learners instead of helping them. Therefore, this study is critical because it identifies effective methods that can be used in a bilingual classroom to improve the performance of learners and their perceptions of the English language. It will help scholars interested in this area of study to expand on the available literature.

References

Cambridge Assessment International Education (2020). Bilingual learners and bilingual education. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from, https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/271190-bilingual-learners-and-bilingual-education.pdf

García, Ofelia (2009). Education, multilingualism, and translanguaging in the 21st century. In: Ajit Mohanty, Minati Panda, Robert Phillipson, and Tove Skutnabb-Kangas (eds). Multilingual Education for Social Justice: Globalising the local. New Delhi: Orient Blackswan, pp. 128-145.

NCES (2020). English Language Learners in Public Schools. Retrieved September 25, 2020, from, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgf.asp

Palmer, D., & Martínez, R. A. (2013). Teacher agency in bilingual spaces: A fresh look at preparing teachers to educate Latina/o bilingual children. Review of research in education, 37(1), 269-297.