Meeting the Needs of ELL Students

It is believed that information is stored in memory in two different ways. In words (linguistic) and in images (nonlinguistic). Imagery is expressed as mental pictures or physical sensations, such as smell, taste, touch, kinesthetic association, and sound. These tools are useful for all learners in a classroom, but they prove to be especially useful for English Language Learners. They tap into students' natural tendency for visual image processing, and this in turn helps them create relevance to material and increases their ability to recall the information later. Here are a few techniques for using nonlinguistic teaching strategies:

1. Using graphic organizers - These combine the linguistic and nonlinguistic forms of information. Students can visually see a connection with the notes that they are taking because the organizer draws patterns and makes connections for them. There are six types of graphic organizers that can be used: descriptive, time sequence, process/cause-effect, episode, generalization/principle, and concept.

2. Make physical models or manipulatives - These are concrete representations of academic content or concepts. It is important that students gain the appropriate information from using the models. Sometimes, students are more enthralled by the actual novelty of the model and having something to play with rather than a learning tool.

3. Generate mental pictures - This helps students make sense of the information from their own perspective and store in their learning for later use. Teachers can facilitate the construction of mental pictures by providing details that appeal to the students' senses.

4. Create pictures, illustrations, and pictographs - Pictographs are pictures that use symbols to represent information. Using pictures and pictographs allows students to learn the information in a personalized manner. This will help them recall more information.

5. Engage in kinesthetic activities - When students engage in physical activity associated with knowledge, they create a mental picture of them doing the physical activity. The physical sensations create more neural networks in their brains and this helps the information stay there longer.

The article that I read is called, "Minn. Superintendent Pioneered ELL Reforms." In it, they discuss how one superintendent, who describes herself as a second language learner, dismantled the TESOL program. This program used to isolate ELL students from their peers and they were taught in a separate classroom. Now, her ELL students are in mainstream classes with an aide that works closely with the teacher to provide support for the ELL student. She said that teaching students English first without teaching them content was not successful because too many of them were not getting to the content. With the addition of nonlinguistic activities and organizers in the regular classroom, ELL students will be able to better understand the content without having to have a full grasp on the English language first. They can learn both content and the language at the same time so that they do not fall behind.