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Using multilingualism to helpenrich the teaching experience
By Sarah Barr |
May 30, 2012, Wednesday
|
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EAL coordinator and English teacher at BISS Pudong campus
It is essential that as international school educators we know how to make the most of the multilingual faces that fill our classrooms. Our (more often than not) sole-language-charged teachers are impressed by a myriad of foreign expressions every day, and the fusion of cultures brings vibrancy to the corridors.
When it comes to teaching multilingual students, it is imperative that we address this as a social skill. While we cannot ensure literacy in another language is developed, we can tweak our teaching to allow the student to independently mature as a multilingual learner. Do not clamp down when you hear a language other than that of instruction but instead, use this as an opportunity to help the student distinguish the right time and place to be using each language.
A few successful strategies I use:
1. When teaching a language point, invite students to recognize similarities and differences among other languages and cultures. "What's the word in Spanish? Dutch? Mandarin? Korean?" Reluctant language learners should also be inspired by this.
2. Do not be afraid of pauses. Give the student time to process the language. I think carefully and use one, clear, concise and accurate way to pose a question or comment. The student possibly knows the answer in another language and may be translating or scanning their brain for the parallel. Their brain has vocabulary and grammatical structures floating in and out and you need to allow them some time to bring these together.
3. Make your language expectations clear. Encourage students that it is acceptable to develop understanding in another language but ensure you let them know when is the appropriate time.
Multilingual students develop a heightened sense of compassion as a result of a multilingual approach to the world. Let us foster their languages and assist them to the future.
It is essential that as international school educators we know how to make the most of the multilingual faces that fill our classrooms. Our (more often than not) sole-language-charged teachers are impressed by a myriad of foreign expressions every day, and the fusion of cultures brings vibrancy to the corridors.
When it comes to teaching multilingual students, it is imperative that we address this as a social skill. While we cannot ensure literacy in another language is developed, we can tweak our teaching to allow the student to independently mature as a multilingual learner. Do not clamp down when you hear a language other than that of instruction but instead, use this as an opportunity to help the student distinguish the right time and place to be using each language.
A few successful strategies I use:
1. When teaching a language point, invite students to recognize similarities and differences among other languages and cultures. "What's the word in Spanish? Dutch? Mandarin? Korean?" Reluctant language learners should also be inspired by this.
2. Do not be afraid of pauses. Give the student time to process the language. I think carefully and use one, clear, concise and accurate way to pose a question or comment. The student possibly knows the answer in another language and may be translating or scanning their brain for the parallel. Their brain has vocabulary and grammatical structures floating in and out and you need to allow them some time to bring these together.
3. Make your language expectations clear. Encourage students that it is acceptable to develop understanding in another language but ensure you let them know when is the appropriate time.
Multilingual students develop a heightened sense of compassion as a result of a multilingual approach to the world. Let us foster their languages and assist them to the future.
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