The expression ‘English as a second language’ (ESL) describes a person who speaks a language or languages other than English at home. As an Australian, all students have the right to learn how to communicate effectively in standard Australian English. They have the right to learn how the English language works and to learn and think using English. One of the main reasons as to why children learn to speak English as their second language is because it is the language used within schools. ESL learners are expected to do all this within a school and its’ curriculum. Children who speak English as a second language have been found to generally come from low socioeconomic status areas and have a higher number of dropouts in comparison to people who speak English as a first language (Ovando, Combs, & Collier, 2006). Studies found that ‘in 2006, 20% of children between the ages of 5-17 spoke a language other than English at home, and 5% spoke English with difficulty’ (Planty et al, 2008, page 12). A recent study has found that teachers with ESL learners that have special educational needs in their classroom expose them to restricted curriculum while attempting to fit their teaching practices to meet the needs of a variety of individual differences within their classroom (Wedin, 2009). To accommodate for students in a classroom that has English as their second language, teachers must understand the importance that language and culture have when it comes to learning, teaching and socialisation. A teacher must be sensitive to individual student’s learning needs and interests in respects to language and culture. To help students with ESL to engage better with a lesson and get more out of a lesson, as teachers we must be able to create outcom... ... middle of paper ... ...tive to individual differences is key to students especially that speak English as a second language. Every child’s rate of development varies so we must plan lessons to suit the needs of every student and create personal goals. Piaget believed that cognitive development involved enrichment of general operations such as conversations that can be uses as a tool to help solve problems. He suggested that student’s should be provided with options for exploration and discovery to assist experiences of operations and growth Works Cited Laura Baecher & Abigail M. Jewkes, (2014) TESOL and Early Childhood Collaborative Inquiry: Joining Forces and Crossing Boundaries. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education 35:1, pages 39-53. O’Donnell, A., Dobozy, E., Bartlett, B., Bryer, F., Reeve, J., Smith, J. (2012). Educational Psychology – First Australian Edition. Qld: Wiley.
One beneficial way Piaget’s theory helps the children is it creates an environment of support for the students. This is a key point in Piaget’s cognitive theory which is called scaffolding. Scaffolding is a teaching style that provides assistant from peers, teachers and family members. This allows students to be assisted by well-educated adults, or peers, to provide clear direction and decrease students’ confusion. Another useful technique Piaget’s theory is being used in the classroom is group activities. He wanted students to be more involved with hands on activities, social interaction and to explore different scenarios of the environment when it came to learning. In the article, Duckworth gives an example of how Piaget wanted kids to interact and experiment with each
Piaget (1936) was the first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development. Piaget placed great importance on the education of children. According to Piaget, children are born with a basic mental structure on which all learning and knowledge is based. They challenge the behaviourist theory as most of their research was done on animals and is missing knowledge. The implications of this theory are that not only should we be interest in the answer the learner gives but also the method of how they got there. I find that due to the gaps in the learner’s education, they may be missing important parts that they have had to find out for themselves these methods are not always the easiest ways of calculating. I try and make it as stress free as possible so will demonstrate other methods that may be easier for them. Piagets theory accepts that children go through the same development stages but that they may go through at different times, I ensure I make effort to cater for these different paces and ensure tasks are differentiated to accommodate this. I am aware however that this theory relates to children’s development, and I work with adults, I can still apply parts of this
One of the first challenges that ELL instructors must come to terms with is the identification and assessment of their students’ learning capabilities in their classroom. Traditional identification instruments designed for English speakers may not be valid with English language learners. Identification of English language learners with special needs should include consideration of several factors, such as family history, developmental and health history, first language and literacy development, previous schooling, and the learners' current academic ability, just to name a few. Learning in any language is affected by learning disabilities, but second language learners with special needs present additional educational challenges. According to the British Columbia Ministry of Education, Skills, and Training (Fowler & Hooper, 1998), instructors of English language learners with special needs should consider the cultural, developmental, and first language background of the learner. They should also do the following: (1.) Provide a highly structured learning environment; (2.) Focus on contextual learning;
There are a lot of students being placed whose primary language is not English. Students walk into a mainstream classroom not being able to speak English. Students in this situation are call English Language Learners(ELLs). These students are not receiving appropriate language support to succeed in their language development which is causing them to not have the ability to acquire language.
Gage, N.L. , Berliner, David C. (1992). Educational Psychology (5th edt.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). English as a Second Language (ESL). Limited English Proficiency (LEP). English Language Learners (ELL). All of these are programs for students who did not learn English as their first language. Every day, students face many different challenges while going to school. Some struggle to grasp the concepts of math. Some struggle to manage their time wisely. Many struggle to get up in the morning. Many also struggle to fit in. But many of these struggles would be a little easier for those who have learned English as their first language. Those who did not, juggle learning English while trying to learn new concepts that are taught in English. It starts to sound like a catch 22, which is part of the
Children tend to learn more when they know why what they are learning is important and if that material is presented in an interesting way. Take for example a preschool teacher who needs to teach her class about the different shapes. Instead of just showing her students a poster with the different shapes on it, she has her students get out of their seats and begin exploring the classroom for differently shaped objects. Once they have found some objects, have them share with the class what the object is and what shape it is. This exercise will not only help the other students learn the shape of the object, but it will also help the student who is sharing. Piaget believed that children’s cognitive growth is fostered when they are physically able to experience certain situations. By having students share with the class what shapes their objects are, they are fostering their public speaking
When observing and studying ELLs, there are many advantages and disadvantages in a classroom and school for these students. In the classroom, ELL students have many individual opportunities to develop their literacy, especially in small reading groups. English learners also, are pulled aside by an ESL teacher during class hours to focus on reading and writing skills of English. According to Netten, Droop, and Verhoeven (2010), reading is “an activity which benefits from practice” (414). Many of these students struggle to become literate at a young age, but the more practice they receive the better they will become when focusing on developing literacy. Also, ELL students have an advantage when learning two languages because this makes them bilingual. The goal of bilingual education is to develop
Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved [date] from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cogsys/piaget.html
Snowman, J, McGowan, R, & Biehler, R. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. New York: Houghton Mifflin.
Krause, K, Bochner, S, Duchesne, S & McNaugh, A 2010, Educational Psychology: for learning & teaching, 3rd edn, Cengage Learning Australia, Victoria
LeFrancois, G. R. (1999) Psychology for Teaching. (10th ed.) University of Alberta Wadsworth: Thomson Learning.
Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A. Bochner, S, and Krause, K. (2013) Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching. 4th Edition. South Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Many schools are now faced with a language challenge, because many students do not speak any English at all. The number of students who speak little or no English has more then tripled in the past ten years to about 27,000 roughly the size of the one of the states largest school districts(Smith,1). This is the reason why schools are now hiring more ESL teachers then before. There is a great demand for them. The students in the ESL classes are as different as the languages they speak(Smith,2). Although many of the students might be well educated they still face the challenge of learning English. While of the schools by law are required to teach English to students who are foreign how schools do it will vary widely.
It is a well-known fact, that due to the rapid expansion of the English language worldwide, developing countries, included Chile have promoted the use of modern English as a foreign language in their classrooms.