So you now have a beginner learner enrolled into your classroom. It may take time to adjust your routines for students so here are some do’s and don’ts for when they first attend an inclusive classroom.
Firstly, always maintain high expectations. As with all students, you will want to identify what your student knows about your curriculum. Consider providing them with an image related to your topic and get them to write about it in their own language or talk to an aide perhaps with translation support. Images are always an excellent way to bridge the unknown where language is the barrier.
Secondly, take note of the students background. When I conducted enrollments, I always informed staff about students background. If a student has been educated in their home language, it is likely you are looking at translations being one of the early avenues to meaning making. If the student had interrupted or no prior learning, it is possible they will struggle with the content as well as how to express it. This necessitates you taking two very different approaches over time as they may advance at a different pace.
Thirdly. Have students sit and learn from their peers. If you’re fortunate, you might have a student who speaks the same language. Don’t fret if you don’t though. In a high school setting, I find new students are eager to pick up a few new words from the start, and encourage peers to just highlight up to 5 words that can be physically pointed to or demonstrated.
Consider this routine – provide the new student with 5 key words that you will be referring to during that lesson. Have them listen for its use (in some cases as I teach whole class, when I use the word I deliberately point to the word on a card on the student’s table). Label an image with the words if possible. If you have access to digital devices, get the student to look for images to illustrate those words
If you have a teacher aide in your class, assign them to the student but give them very clear expectations of how to work with students. Focus on learning single words. I once supported a mathematics class with a few new beginning learners. Students were drawing graphs and the teacher and teacher aide were concerned and stressed about the student having to complete the whole exercise within the lesson. Once I broke the lesson down to key words – line, negative, positive, draw, and just naming the numbers – and got the student to focus on that, while illustrating with drawings, everyone was less stressed and I’m glad to say, the students were ready to pick up more words in the next lesson to support expression of meaning.
You could get students to write out sentences or short paragraphs that you have read with them or peers could do so, and if the students are capable, get them to translate these.
These are activities you could use to actively support learning.
What doesn’t work for the beginning learner in your class? And yes, I have seen these in classes I’ve visited where well-meaning teachers are stretched as they try to support the student.
- Don’t give the student an ipad or book for them to read on their own. This is entirely fruitless when they don’t have any language or perhaps, have not had any prior learning.
- Don’t get the student to sit in corner of the room on their own (so that you can give them support later when you have the time). Sitting with peers will be a whole lot more useful for them.
- Don’t discourage the use of their own language.
These are some simple things you can do when first faced with the beginning learner in your class and you haven’t had a chance to prepare for differentiation yet. Look out for my blog on STEP 2 – when I’ll offer some routines that you can work on next to take the learning further.
Share your thoughts!