Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: SPEAK ENGLISH! I am a Kindergarden teacher that has a big group of hispanic students in the classroom. Many of them do not know how to speak English and thus makes it very complicated and frustrating to communicate. What is even worse, is that these students tend to speak Spanish when they are amongst themselves. Clearly, as a teacher I want them to be able to Participate, however, I am not sure whether or not I should separate them and forcé them to leave their native tongue at home. Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) It seems that your classroom is extremely diverse and it is important to remember that they are trying to learn English on top of trying to learn math, science, and history. I believe that one of the most important things you can do as a teacher at this point is to show them that you care. The first step in good teaching, in my opinion, is building a relationship. When the students know you care about their success and are willing to help them achieve it, they will be more motivated to put in the effort. ESL students like the ones in your class are no different. Learn their hobbies, reach out to their parents in their native language when possible, and make time to meet with them before or after school. Try to make time to work with those ESL students individually during class to provide supplemental instruction or clarification on assignment instructions and content. I think that it is also important to familiarize yourself with their culture. Too many times ESL students are excluded or feel put on the spot because of their deficiencies in English. Instead of doing this, make it your goal to learn more about their culture. When they come to class, say something in their native language, or ask them about a food you tried from their culture. Trying to learn more about them will go a long way. Learning about other cultures is wonderful for your other students, too. Not only will you be making headway with your ESL students, but your entire class will also be learning about tolerance and other cultures. I think that it is also important to remember that our students are one of our best tools in the classroom. You might want to make it a goal of your entire class to learn more about the Hispanic student's culture. Have students choose an area to study, complete with food, native dress, and music. I believe that the ESL students will jump at the chance to tell their classmates more about their heritage, but they are getting the chance to practice their language skills while they do it. As far as letting them speak their native language in the classroom, I believe that that depends on what it is they are talking about. Most teachers will justifiably object to ESL students engaging in a general chat in their own language during lesson time. This excludes the teacher and other students, and switches the students off form the focus of the lesson. However, I believe that there are occasions where it can be quite acceptable for a student to speak his or her own language. Stronger students can quickly explain to less proficient students what the latter have not understood or what they have to do- this frees the teacher from constantly needing to check on the progress of the weaker student, allowing the teacher to devote enough attention to the other students in the class. It can be distracting to everyone, however, if an ESL student is trying to do a simultaneous translation of what you are saying while you are saying it. It is helpful, therefore, if the lesson contains a number of natural breaks in which less proficient students can be helped to understand the important points you have made or what they have to do next. In general, it is worth noting how important it is for students to be able to discuss their work in their own language. This not only helps to develop their understanding of the topic, but also serves to develop their mother tongue proficiency. Finally, it can also be very useful if you yourself speak the native language of an ESL student in your class. You can then use the language to facilitate or check the student's understanding of a task or explanation. It is good for the student's self-esteem to know that you have learned and value his/her language.