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Alyssa Lang

Research Project

English Language Learners/ ESL

Professor Yochim

Stockton University

*The purpose of this paper in written for inclusion

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As a language that comes naturally to most Americans and something we have grown up

with, speaking the English language can be harder for some that did not grow up in the same

environment. Currently English is the number ONE most spoken language in the world. The

history of English Language Learners (ELL) starts in the 1920s. During the 1920s English

teaching in the classroom was a sink or swim process. If learners could not pick up on the

language fast enough, they would fail. This made it not only a struggle for the teacher to have to

try and explain something, but difficult for the students, as they were in an environment of a

foreign language and wouldn’t be able to communicate with anyone. This took place for about

forty years. Up until 1963 when the first large-scale government-sanctioned bilingual program

was initiated in Dade County, Florida, and soon became an unofficial model for the nation. This

was due to the rise of Cubans migrating into the 1960s.

ELL and ESL has gone and is still going through large legislation movements to include

all students into society. It first began in Act of 1968: Establishes federal policy for bilingual

education for economically disadvantaged language minority students, allocates funds for

innovative programs, and recognizes the unique educational disadvantages faced by non-English

speaking students. The following movements have been sourced from Language Proficiency

Assessment Committee (LPCA), 1978- expand eligibility to students who are Limited English

Proficient (LEP), and permit enrollment of English-speaking students in bilingual programs. The

first addition was in 1982 and it provided program funding for LEP students with special needs,

supported family English literacy programs, and emphasized importance of teacher training. The

second was six years later in 1988 which increased funding to state education agencies,

expanded funding for "special alternative" programs where only English is used, established a

three-year limit on participation in most Title VII, and created fellowship programs for
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professional training. The latest revision to the act was in 1994 which now allows new provisions

reinforce professional development programs, increase attention to language maintenance and

foreign language instruction, improve research and evaluation at state and local level, supply

additional funds for immigrant education, and allow participation of some private school

students. The final addition was in 2001, when the no child left behind act was initiated. This

held all educators responsible and making sure they did the most that they were able to, to

guarantee student success.

Throughout history there has been historical moments in increasing the rights for ELL

students. For example, in 1974 the supreme court case between Lau vs. Nichols: This suit by

Chinese parents in San Francisco lead to the ruling that identical education does not constitute

equal education under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. School districts must take

affirmative steps to overcome educational barriers faced by non-English speakers. This ruling

established that the Office for Civil Rights, under the former Department of Health, Education,

and Welfare, has the authority to establish regulations for Title VI enforcement. In 1982 the case

of Plyler vs. Doe, a supreme court case, in which the ruling declared that under the Fourteenth

Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the state does not have the right to deny a free public

education to undocumented immigrant children.

Mainstreaming ESL students into the can be difficult for students to function and

succeed. Some methods of teaching can be using “Research with U.S. school children (R. Dunn,

1983, 1984; Reinert, 1976) has demonstrated that learners have four basic perceptual learning

channels (or modalities): 1. Visual learning: reading, studying charts 2. Auditory learning:

listening to lectures, audiotapes 3. Kinesthetic learning: experiential learning, that is, total

physical involvement with a learning situation 4. Tactile learning: "hands-on" learning, such as
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building models or doing laboratory experiments” (Reid 3). Allowing different learning styles

into the mainstream classroom can not only help the ELL learners but the other students in the

class as well. Mainstreaming ELL students allows them to break through the social barrier. This

will make the students feel more comfortable in community as well as the school, because they

are not being excluded due to the language barrier.

English language learners are the most rapidly growing student population in U.S.

elementary and secondary schools, and this growth rate will continue throughout the next few

decades. Indirect evidence has suggested that the youth population that grows the fastest has the

highest risk of dropping out of school. A large downfall for ELL students is the drop out rate.

“Most are not making the transition to English quickly enough. Many ELLs remain stuck in

academically segregated programs where they fall behind in basic subjects. Only 63 percent of

ELLs graduate from high school, compared with the overall national rate of 82 percent. In New

York State, for example, the overall high school graduation rate is about 78 percent. But for

ELLs, it's 37 percent.” (Language, assessment, and English language learners). Supporting

students in the classroom and pushing them to do better can decrease the amount of drop out

rates in schools. The graph shown following, exemplifies the ELL verse the total graduation rate,

highlighted is the state of New Jersey.

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As an educator, we want to support our ELL students for the optimal success. Making

class to hard will hurt, as well as if the class is too easy, like any lesson. A major tool an educator

should use in scaffolding the lesson for ELL students. “scaffolding as both structure and process,

weaving together several levels of pedagogical support, from macro-level planning of curricula

over time to micro-level moment-to-moment scaffolding and the contingent variation of support

responsive to interactions as they unfold”, (Aida). Throughout the article, evidential proof that

scaffolding will make learners more successful, as well as give students more motivation to

succeed and continue learning.

A major tool educators can use in the classroom to support ELL students is technology. A

way to bring learning English home for students is designing your cirrculm to be a flipped
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classroom. The difficulty of doing this is that all your students would need the use of technology

at home to support the learning and carry-out the process. “A few savvy strategies coupled with

technology integration can enhance not only English language learning within the four domains

(listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of ELD, but your assessment of language development

over time as well.”(Ponce). Throughout this article Ponce demonstrates different strategies that

integrate technology into the classroom, and carryout the learning process.

In conclusion, every teacher will come across an ELL student in their classroom at some

point in their teaching career, some will come across more then others. Regardless as educators

we must acknowledge the student’s strengths and use that to our ability in our classroom. It is

essential to maintain positive support, because although it is difficult for the teaching, it is ten

times harder for the learner. As educators we want to ensure we do the best that we can to ensure

success for each student.

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References

Aída Walqui (2006) Scaffolding Instruction for English Language Learners: A

Conceptual Framework, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 9:2, 159-

180

Language, assessment, and English language learners. (2016). Assessing English

Language Learners,23-36. doi:10.4324/9780203521953-3

Language Proficiency Assessment Committee Framework Manual. Pgs. 10-13. Retrieved

2/28/12 from

http://portal.esc20.net/portal/page/portal/esc20public/bilesl/LPACFramework/Files/LPAC_Fram

ework_Manual_Accessible_2011-12_2.pdf

Ponce, J. (2018, September 20). Technology Integration to Support Language

Development in the Primary Classroom. Retrieved from

https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2018/05/23/technology-integration-to-support-language-

development-in-the-primary-classroom

Reid, J. (1987). The Learning Style Preferences of ESL Students. TESOL

Quarterly, 21(1), 87-111. doi:10.2307/3586356