Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: New ESOL student I have a new student in my class. His family speaks Spanish and almost no English. He desperately wants to learn English, but refuses to speak Spanish. His family moves around a lot, and last year he was in Cuba. This is his first year in a public school that he is actually attending every day. He is in the process of being entered into the ESOL program. In the time being, he is reading at a D reading level (based on Running Record testing that ranges from A-Z. His classmates are at J and above.) During full class instruction, he refuses to complete the assignments. During small group, he will complete at least 80% of the work. What methods do I use to engage him in the classwork? All of his books are at his reading level, but it is a Kindergarten reading level. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) I would definitely tell the student that in order for him to learn English, he needs to try his best to participate in class discussions and assignments. I would also see if maybe a one-on-one or small group instruction would help him increase his reading skills. I would also suggest an advocate or ESOL teacher to speak with his parents in order to have a good communication system going. Some specific ESOL strategies can include TPR (total physical response), reading aloud, and sentence strips.                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) No The suggested solution is relevant to the case No The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No The suggested solution is original No Comments: The student won't understand what your saying if you say it in English Rated On: October 14, 2014 10:08 pm Rated By: ybaHyp                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) No The suggested solution is relevant to the case No The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No The suggested solution is original No Comments: I do not think that the teacher's first response should be to try to get him to participate more. Learning a language takes time, and in the earlier stages students are not comfortable participating in small groups. The teacher should help him get comfortable speaking the language before requiring him to participate. Rated On: October 17, 2014 8:41 pm Rated By: Megan Lee                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: I don't really agree with your solution. If the child can't speak any english how is the teacher going to tell him that he needs to participate in class discussions. I would put him in small group with a book that he can follow along with that is in Spanish and then give him the English one as well. Rated On: October 25, 2014 4:22 pm Rated By: VeHyge                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) No The suggested solution is relevant to the case No The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No The suggested solution is original No Comments: While I do agree, I also think that students that are still integrating are nervous enough and it will take time for them to talk in small groups and even longer for larger groups. Rated On: February 25, 2015 2:11 pm Rated By: Autumn Carroll                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) No The suggested solution is relevant to the case No The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No The suggested solution is original No Comments: I don't see this solution being helpful in this case. Rated On: March 3, 2015 1:24 am Rated By: eWeHaz                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) No The suggested solution is relevant to the case No The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No The suggested solution is original No Comments: I don't agree with this solution because ELL students go through a silent period. They don't talk, instead they communicate by pointing and simple yes/ no responses because they aren't comfortable yet. Forcing them to participate in discussions wouldn't help them at the start. Rated On: October 10, 2022 5:22 pm Rated By: Xetuzu