Perhaps you have just completed your TESOL or DELTA course and living your dream, teaching English in Japan, China or Kuwait. However, there is an increasingly common scenario where, according to Cloud, mainstream teachers, inclusive educators, or special education practitioners place a phone call or email to an ESL specialist wanting to know quickly how to teach ESL or when the situation is reversed and an ESL teacher contacts a special education unit when they are challenged by a student having difficulties learning. This is a scenario that as classroom populations are becoming increasingly diverse, including but not limited to first language speakers, English as Second Language learners and those with special educational needs. According to Nancy Cloud, “There is a paucity of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language programs which provide crossover training in special education or special education programs that encourage specialization in TESOL.” While, it is human nature to hope that simply asking how to solve a specific problem will result in a specific answer applicable to all students in all situations, fifteen percent of the global population according to the World-Health Organization and the World Bank, identified in its 2011 joint report as having a disability.
At a glance
- Presents Echevarria, Richards-Tutor and Vogt’s five-point teacher self-assessment framework
- Examines the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol for learners with disabilities
- Discusses the Optimal Learning Environment through a four-setting bilingual special education study
- Describes Chang’s Family Literacy Nights involving teachers and parents
- 40 sources in the bibliography
Contents
1. Introduction
2. How history has shaped theory and practice
3. Preferred Methods of Instruction & Adapting Practices for the Classroom
4. The Role of Family and Culture
5. Reflecting on your Practice
Objectives and Topics
This guide aims to help new ESL teachers recognize and respond to the needs of English language learners who may also have special educational needs. Its guiding concern is how teachers can distinguish language-learning challenges from possible disabilities and adapt instruction to support diverse learners.
- Assessment of language proficiency and learning needs
- Historical and theoretical perspectives on bilingual and special education
- Sheltered instruction and classroom adaptations
- Literacy development and alternative assessment
- Family involvement, culture and first-language support
- Reflective practice and professional collaboration
Excerpt from the Book
The Role of Family and Culture
According to Baca & Cervantes, (2004), students who are learning English as a Second Language are in survival mode. The learners are in a new cultural environment and are without their normal support system. They are also, “Unable to simultaneously consider others’ feelings, plan for their own futures and function outside an egocentric concern other than their own survival.” Graves (1998) recommends that if the classroom practitioner embraces activities that promote a chance for the learner to draw upon their relevant cultural connections and knowledge in the classroom community then students with behavioral issues or learning difficulties they will have an increased chance to experience a, ‘ greater sense of belonging, feel more supported emotionally and have a higher degree of self-esteem’.
Genesee, et al (2006) argue that when students are simultaneously trying to learn English as a Second language and meet other responsibilities at school their feelings of inadequacy and emotions are more intense. The environment these students learn in needs a great deal of care and thought by the practitioner. It needs to be safe, positive and nurturing. It needs to be a place where students are empowered and diversity is celebrated. Woolfolk (2013) believes that it is in this sort of environment students achieve greater academic success when the practitioner includes relevant student experiences and culture in their classroom instructions. Yet other scholars have taken the position that background knowledge and experience must be according to Beck, McKeown & Kucan (2007) “Built because the experiences often simply do don exist in the student’s repertoire.”
Establishing a student’s background knowledge of a content-area involves the educator being able to ask the student to generate questions and the ability to draw upon their own background. If students have special educational needs then they need to be able to draw upon and express themselves in terms of ‘abelism’. This is where they draw upon the, “themes of self-reliance and self-determination in the context of disability” (Echevarria & Graves, 2010). They went on to state that, “Reading about the definition of ableism and empowering individuals with disabilities to lead discussions about their perceptions and thoughts would be excellent pre-reading activities” that prepare students for discussions about the bias that is inflicted upon ‘individual empowerment.’
Chapter Summaries
1. Introduction: The guide introduces the challenge of distinguishing limited English proficiency from learning or behavioural difficulties. It considers assessment, referral and the risks of inappropriate educational placement.
2. How history has shaped theory and practice: This section discusses US bilingual and disability education policy alongside learning theories relevant to classroom practice.
3. Preferred Methods of Instruction & Adapting Practices for the Classroom: The author discusses sheltered instruction, the Optimal Learning Environment and strategies for teaching and assessing learners with diverse needs.
4. The Role of Family and Culture: This section considers students’ cultural knowledge, first languages and family involvement, including a family literacy initiative.
5. Reflecting on your Practice: The guide addresses professional reflection and collaboration and presents a framework for teachers to assess their own practices and set goals.
Keywords
English language learners, special educational needs, ESL teaching, inclusive education, learning disabilities, language assessment, sheltered instruction, SIOP, literacy development, differentiated instruction, family involvement, cultural diversity, reflective teaching
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this guide about?
It explores how ESL teachers can support English language learners who have or may have special educational needs.
What are its central topics?
Its topics include assessment, learning theories, adapted instruction, literacy, family and culture, and reflective teaching.
What is the guide’s primary objective?
It seeks to help teachers recognize diverse learning needs and adapt their classroom practice accordingly.
What approach does the author use?
The author draws on published research, educational theories and practical teaching frameworks to develop guidance for teachers.
What does the main discussion cover?
It covers the history of bilingual and special education, instructional approaches, the role of family and culture, and teacher self-evaluation.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include English language learners, special educational needs, inclusive education, sheltered instruction, literacy development and reflective teaching.
How does the guide address sheltered instruction?
It introduces the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol and its components, alongside examples of adaptations for learners with disabilities.
What role do families play in the guide?
The author discusses family involvement in literacy development and describes Family Literacy Nights as an example of collaboration between educators and parents.
How can teachers reflect on their practice?
The guide presents a self-assessment framework with a five-point rating scale and encourages goal setting and collaboration with colleagues.
- Quote paper
- Karen Dalton (Author), 2016, Teaching English Learners with Special Educational Needs. A diagnostic guide for new ESL teachers, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/438706
