Enhancing Instruction of the English Language in the United States - Research Proposal Example

Enhancing Instruction of the English Language in the United s INTRODUCTION The group of families that have settled to the US as well as familiesthat have temporarily come to the United States specifically for educational reasons has been growing. In the latest US census, 47 million people from ages five and above converse at home using a vernacular other than English, compared to 31.8 million in a decade ago. This signifies 18 percent of the entire population in the year 2000 and 14 percent during 1990. Owing to the massive societal changes in recent times, young children in our day dwell in a sundry populace having various experiences and perspectives (Konishi, 2007). In addition, the accomplishment gap between learners of the English language (or the ELLs) and all other students of public schools are noteworthy (Patterson et al, 2009). The most significant force driving the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is most probably to come from a change, not of politics, instead of population – the growing status of American students who are not speaking English (Sparks, 2007). Indeed, the call for reform in education is rampant in the US today (Maxson et al, 2001). This phenomenon magnifies the need for a more effective and efficient means of teaching the language. This paper will discuss crucial factors would help bridge the gap between the deficiencies and the desired state, including discussions on the role of technology, school administration, innovations in and outside the classroom, cultural considerations and policies. Research Problem This paper will identify the crucial factors that will help bridge the gap between the deficiencies and the desired state of ESL instruction in the United States. The main problem of this study is: What are the crucial factors that will determine the success ESL instruction in the United States? This main problem will be analyzed with more specific problems that include the following: 1. What are the crucial factors in ESL instructions? 2. How can these factors be creatively utilized to realize improvement in the ESL instruction? Objectives of the Study Based in the aforementioned research problems, the goals of this study are outlined. This study will focus on crucial factors that would help bridge the gap between the deficiencies and the desired state. Among the other objectives are the following: Role of technology in ESL instruction Effective school administration for enhanced ESL instruction Innovations in and outside the classroom Cultural considerations Policies affecting ESL Significance of the Study As the populace of ELLs continues to occupy arger portions of the population pie, the need for a more effective instruction of the English language to non-English speaking citizens is now more pressing. The ELLs proficiency in the English Language will make a huge difference in their academic success and ultimately, will enhance their competitive stance after graduation in the United States and even more in the global competition. This small-scale study will be able to determine what crucial factors need to be considered and how they can be utilized in effective ESL instruction. While there is also a macro view of this study, most part the research intends to suggest improvements in the classroom level. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE This migration phenomenon in the US magnifies the need for a more effective and efficient means of teaching the language. Among the crucial factors include the role of technology, school administration, innovations in and outside the classroom, cultural considerations and policies. Role of Technology             Technology, in the structure of Internet and software, has developed into an increasingly significant resource for putting up with the issue at the present’s multilingual classroom. The appropriate web resources and software can be important for addressing the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) (Bishop, 2001).           The Computers on Wheels by the Brownsville Independent School District in Texas is just one of various means used to facilitate the integration of the Special Learning Students and ESL into classes. Twenty to twenty five laptops which functions double duty fill the mobile carts and both liberating classroom space in an active district and providing logistical expediency of technology which is hand-delivered to teachers who just arrange time slots to improve a lesson (Zuger, 2009).             To meet the requisites of English learners, the hypermedia environments can be modified to a suitable amount of text for the language level of the students as well as by appending sounds and images. These settings also offer the students with learning options and let them follow the course at their individual pace. Therefore, the employment of the hypermedia environment of this sort kept the students involved on a task, and in turn lessened their disappointment level throughout the learning process (Ohara et al, 2008).   Student Admissions Alongside a math test initiated and developed by the educators of Gwinnett Country, the international students’ central testing center at the school district in Suburban Atlanta offers a test on English-language-proficiency crafted by a states consortium. Examiners were also required to compose about two paragraphs in their local language (Zehr, 2009).           The mentioned school district—a population of 158, 000 where 18, 000 ELLs of which enrolls—has turn out to be progressively more systematic in its English-language learners assessment and placement and in its decision making procedure when such students ought to leave special programs. This shift considers the requisites of the national NCLB, and is common among school boroughs in the 19 states which are affiliates of the Consortium of World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) (Zehr, 2009).           Under the provisions of NCLB, states were obliged to formulate a comprehensive test for English language proficiency that could annually measure the development ELLs make in writing, reading, speaking and listening to English language because lots of state schools use of whichever English-proficiency assessment they prefer and compose their own policies on the schedule of kids entering into programs or leaving programs. Moreover, the length of their stay in a program is permitted prior to the institution of NCLB. In earlier times, there exists very little uniformity. Today, every state has implemented an English-proficiency examination of some sort which their districts are compelled to use in order to evaluate progress in English. However, a number of states still allow school districts to decide when students must leave certain programs (Zehr, 2009).           Certain WIDA consortium states take a step ahead such that majority of the members require or recommend that school districts adopt a particular composite score in testing the English language proficiency. This is acknowledged as access for ELLs, in determining the time for students to leave a program (Zehr, 2009). On the other light, opting to that cut-off end is a complicated matter.  Majority of the states prefer a score at which researchers of WIDA have found out that English is not to any further extent, a block for students undergoing regular tests on state reading and math. At that point, a lack of English proficiency is apparently not an obstacle to performing well in main mainstream classes as well. Conversely, critics observe that WIDA has merely anecdotal proof to back up that conclusion. The best circumstance should be that federations are writing the policies so there is some suppleness for professional judgment whenever there is a need to decide on the time a student must leave programs (Zehr, 2009).   Program Adjustments           Around the year 1975, Lincoln Public Schools based in Nebraska got hold the cause of the foremost non-English speaking students upon their arrival in Lincoln. Over the years, Lincoln City has served as one among the largest centers for refugee resettlement in the country. It has carried families to eastern Nebraska who came from places like Cambodia, Vietnam, Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan and Mexico to name a few. In the same way when the countries of origin change, the needs of students and their family change as well, consecutively there is a need to continually expand and tweak services and assistance for these students (West, 2008).           The willingness of teachers and administrators to remain visionary in responding to the evolving needs of students is the key to sustaining their outstanding program for non-English speakers. Over the years, noteworthy changes in the program have evolved and some of which include the following:           From ESL to ELL. Learners of the English language were better epithet of our studentry than English as a subsequent language, given that English for many students, was not the second means for discourse instead their third language or even further (West, 2008). Having mentors at the center. While the ESL/ELL population comes to an incremental growth, a center method was applied as an improved approach to meet the needs of the students. Learners could be clustered with peers of the same level of language-proficiency while getting more focused training in writing, reading, speaking and listening (West, 2008). Changes in student evaluation. Acquiring or developing own evaluations to measure academic skills and proficiency in the English language of the non-English speaking students has become a priority (West, 2008). Assessment, goals and standards. The enhancement of working documents which supply assessment tools and give instructions has been significant. Standards and goals in accordance with the standards required by the English Teachers to other languages speakers were developed alongside rubric checklists to assess the proficiency of students in writing, reading, speaking and listening. In the determination of level movement, the rubrics also serve as the key (West, 2008). Bilingual connections. Bilingual liaisons have been adjoined to the staff to close the language and cultural gap between the school district and families (West, 2008). Interpreters. Through maintaining an official list of interpreters, the district shows its further support to the home-to-school contact. School personnel may get in touch with these individuals to help out with conferences of parents and teachers and any other parent communication (West, 2008). Therapy for trauma. A number of ELL families arrive as immigrants or refugees who have endured some kind of trauma; this may distress their ability to perform successfully in the school setting and cope with the new culture and practices (West, 2008). Innovations in the Classrooms Payson Unified School District in Arizona offers an exceptional approach in teaching the English language as a secondary vernacular. The plan is to provide kids quick-paced, high-appeal topics or content areas. For example, a number of teachers in the school have their students join a treasure-hunting activity. While the children explore the school, they internalize the landscape and come across everyone from the janitors up to the front office personnel. The onset of the school year is completely in relation to team building, conveying ownership to the kids, and making them recognize their position in the classroom. Similarly, their names are written on the “word wall” of the class. Kids are allowed to share what they wish to be, food-questions and their much loved color that attach them to the feeling of learning or discovering new words. The educators suppose that it is essential to lower the affective filter of the child in order to establish a safe, non-intimidating atmosphere wherein an English speaker who is non-proficient feels secured enough to make errors. Yet a number of students will not converse for a period of time. Some children will run through a silent period while they ascertain another language nonetheless, they are still persuaded to talk and they are supplied with hands-on activities as well (Shorr, 2006). As soon as the ease level is settled, the educators apply a complete phonics/language combination linked into high-interest-themes in order to train students in using English as speedily as possible. Speed is crucial since the Arizonan’s mandate is to mainstream the students as soon as one year in its curriculum called the Structured English Immersion Program. Everything is incorporated in these following themes: reading, spelling, speaking, writing and math. Teachers at all times employ non-fiction concepts since the children are at that moment learning actual concepts and words from the curriculum (Shorr, 2006). Another scheme is applied by P.S. 161 located at Harlem, New York City. The method is identified as reaching student wherever they may be. The P.S. 161 is actually a Pre-K-6th primary school at the core of Harlem, with roughly 900 students and half of which are categorized as ELL students. So each teacher required some techniques for dealing with learners of the English language. The school initiates by exerting all effort to meet parents and kids wherever they may be, with three subsets of learning “tracks” dedicated for ELL students: a bilingual program, an ESL program and a dual language program. The distinction is that the ESL program offers English only – the learners are completely immersed in English. The classes of the bilingual program offer core education in both Spanish and English. Subject learning begins early since there is no barrier in the language. Parents who are anxious in relation to coping with science and math as they get acquainted to a composite new language appear to approve of this option. The program on dual language is the latest offering and it grants children of Spanish-speaking and monolingual English category the prospect to understand and use a second language together. Students taking the dual language program shift back and forth amid two classrooms – one Spanish-only and the other English-only. The core curriculum is sheltered in both rooms, however in varied languages and with two distinct teachers. Regardless of which track students are on, teachers of P.S. 161 believe that distinguishing instruction as well as providing multiple methods to understand core ideas is crucial. The school concentrates on modeling and showing illustrations one after another until such time that the children come to understand the concepts. The school also suggests streaming the classroom with visual learning prospective – photographs and multicultural arts, word charts and numbers and a big world map, since visual clues truly help children spontaneously learn on words (Shorr, 2006). On the other hand, public schools in Hawaii strategize to teach English ‘up on the stage’. In West Hawaii, the drama program arrive from the reflection that while a foreigner is not well-versed with the language, s/he normally act out the words s/he wanted to convey (Shorr, 2006). In Hawaii, the population of immigrant families is rapidly increasing. Primarily, incoming students are Filipinos or those from the Marshall Islands, most commonly known as Marshallese, as well as students who are Spanish-speaking whose parents move from South America and Mexico to labor in agriculture. The Honolulu Theater for Youth (HTY) and the Drama Education are offering opportunity for new immigrant students to craft their personal theatrical pieces – while studying English (Shorr, 2006). Teamwork and group dynamics are encouraged which lets students of various proficiency levels to acquire confidence. The learners propose ideas and concepts which they wish to get developed, in certain times acting out the words they barely say in English. In the same way, the group interacts together to create story arcs as well as characters. Children who are more articulate or fluent take considerable speaking parts; nevertheless every student gets a role (Shorr, 2006). Beyond the Classroom The Northwest Regional Education Laboratory recommended other strategies. One is paying house calls. Even though the mentor drops by only once and for a short time, getting a glimpse of the students’ homes gains advantages for students and teachers in two manners: the teacher acquires important insight into a student’s family lifestyle and support system, therefore makes remarkable expression of interest and caring. It is also a brilliant means to foster collaboration between the parents and the teacher (Shorr, 2006). Another is by ‘visiting’ the student’s native country. I could be through virtual travel, by means of in-class discussion and reading will engender immigrant students a feeling of having something to impart with classmates, and at the same time it will acquaint the teacher with the culture and customs the kids carry with them. Think about persuading children to bring games, books and music native from their country to communicate with your class (Shorr, 2006). The teacher should also look both ways. It is essential for the immigrant students to master English; however it is also imperative that the whole class become well-versed in the multilingual and multicultural world in the present day. Regard the introduction of Spanish words (or Chinese and others) into relevant unit of social studies (Shorr, 2006). Also a key is to be a recruiter. Spread the word all throughout your church, neighbors, parents of the students, and community groups whose both volunteer and paid positions are existing in school. The school might be able to sign up people from inside the immigrant populace to become qualified aides and teacher’s staff, therefore presenting the students with excellent examples and providing you with worthy assistance (Shorr, 2006). Teachers should also welcome outsiders. Contact or coordinate with experts within the immigrant population when planning for Career Day panels. These fields of expertise will facilitate the incorporation of immigrant mores into the lecture designs, or as role models and tutors (Shorr, 2006). There are also other strategies to consider in addressing the social and educational necessities of second-language learners involve the measurement of needs, promoting a sense of belonging, empathizing, assigning a buddy, employing “sheltering” methods, reading and re-reading books out loud, teaching key words, providing chances for success, following track of progress in language, fostering involvement in less language-requiring content areas such as physical education, art, music, and fields of the math curriculum, valuing bilingualism, facilitating appreciation of cultural multiplicity, and encouraging the involvement of the family (Shore, 1999).   Transcending cultures and engaging the parents For a lot of students, studying new language is neither instant nor simple. If one has acquired knowledge of other languages, it follows that one is conscious of the time and effort necessary to acquire competence in a new language. English is a complex language with vast vocabulary and possess more sounds than nearly all languages. Contemplate on the fact that in United States schools, students who have been used to speaking English since childhood still have to devote years learning to write, read, pronounce and spell the language. School districts throughout the nation support and encourage the parents of the English-language learners through offering classes on language and college planning. However in the City of Salt Lake, Utah, the School District of Granite is bringing the idea a step ahead - assisting its youngest ELLs stay on track through taking the parents into K-3 classes regularly (What Works in Teaching and Learning, 2008). Among the inferences from these studies is that the bicultural and bilingual background of teachers appears to assist learning children cope to a different culture, principally for their emotional domains. An educator who has bicultural and bilingual backgrounds (specifically one who uses the similar language as the learners in class or has same ethnic upbringing or physical features) may be able to provide special care, in accordance to the needs of the children for added security and comfort at the onset. This can facilitate ease in coping with a new social and linguistic environment (Konishi, 2007).             If the mentor and her/his learners are of diverse ethnicities, it may be prudent to look for someone of similar or with the same mores as the students to mingle with them inside the classroom at the early phase of their development. Certainly, assigning a bilingual aide or a bilingual educator for every ethnic group of learners with limited proficiency in English within a linguistically and culturally diverse classroom may be impractical. In spite of this, conveying positive outlook towards learning students as well as exerting an effort to reach and appreciate them may be an effective way to demonstrate them acceptance and respect of their ethnicity. This may facilitate building constructive relationships between the students and the teacher, or yet between parents and the teacher. The imperative matter is the responsive, loving and nurturing quality of the educator, in spite of her/his native language and ethnicity (Konishi, 2007).           Second, it is essential for all adults around the learning children, as well as parents and teachers, to be responsive enough to recognize the feelings of those children through both vocal and non-vocal interactions. The teacher’s responsibility is to be a keen observer and dynamic listener as well as to ensure a comfortable, safe atmosphere with significant input for the learners. The educator’s use of body emblem, together with verbal expressions, will facilitate promotion of understanding among children. The educators may create link for them to belong to the world of their peers. In this manner, the students can efficiently enhance their skills in communication as well as skills in language by way of interacting with their peers and mentors (Konishi, 2007).           Third, educators should ascertain how and when to give suitable scaffolding to the students by means of play, which is among the critical factors of child development. To illustrate, a teacher’s task is to ensure essential support to children at an introductory phase for socio-dramatic play, and when they grow into it, aim to step apart from the children’s nature of play in so far as possible. This will provide the children an excellent chance to test themselves as well as encourage both their social and language skills by means of interacting with their peers. Using puppets can bring children to join the interactions in the company of other children with less apprehension. In addition, the employment of sign language in classroom dynamics can also be beneficial for children, who can exercise it as another tool for communication (Konishi, 2007). It is also a brilliant scheme to assign a buddy for the child, if possible bilingual, to guide the student about the school environment and help with routines and introductions in the classroom (Einhorn, 2002). Even if the language difficulty can appear enormous, the actual obstacle is cultural. Names of the students are probably difficult to pronounce and remember, however exerting the effort to do so, as well as understanding and using a few terms from their language will tremendously help build warm relationship. Certainly, the class can be abstracted because of too little cultural understanding or none at all. There will be instances when a class discussion has to stop for a moment to discuss a cultural misunderstanding (Barber, 2003). Culture shock or distress is a psychological veracity for every newcomer student. It implies anxiety, anger, sadness, estrangement, homesickness, frustration and loneliness. Second-language learning is the same way as second-culture learning. It is important to allow students the understanding and time they need, so as to their coping may turn out to be a little smoother (Einhorn 2002). Collaborations           While the call for collaborations between universities and public schools now stands for several decades, good archetypes remain to be needed. Partnerships as such can take a number of structures and can function in various ways. On a micro-scale, partnerships can implicate universities and public schools extending to each in order to increase learning results for specific groups of students. This kind of partnership has been progressively remarked as the figure of English language learners registered in public schools keep on growing. Scholars have been concentrating on the collaborations that take place as ESL specialists and content teachers act together to best the requirements of this budding population (Silva et al, 2008). While it is projected that nearly all ELLs will establish conversational fluency in two to four year-time, enhancement of the higher language competencies related with academic proficiency in language use probably requires five to nine years. Conversational language includes the exercise of interpersonal language in daily situations. On the other hand, academic language insists on students having background knowledge essential to comprehend and make use of content-specific technical terminologies, specialized discourse models and processes. For instance, despite the fact that ELLs may possess knowledge of words exercised in daily language, they possibly will not hold the academic words’ specialized knowledge used in academic perspectives. When it comes to discourse patterns and genre, ELLs might be more acquainted with the application of temporal order in narrative storylines and be less familiarized to the organization structures of the discourse (for instance, compare/contrast, cause/effect) which they will most probably come across in academic textbooks for science, mathematics or social studies (Silva et al, 2008). Frameworks of instructions intended to develop content and language – universally known as “sheltered instruction” – render content comprehensible to the learners by means of a vast range of approaches regarded as effective for this specific population. Teachers following sheltered instruction adjust the grade-level content in social studies, science and mathematics to the level of language proficiency of the learners, highlight major vocabulary, and develop endeavors which contextualize instruction, thus new ideas or concepts are understandable to the learners and encourage interaction among students (Silva et al, 2008). In establishing our partnership, the worth of having specialists on content and language working together in the curriculum development is very helpful. Joining these two specialists in concert helped to evade the intricacies frequently encountered in settings involved in the integration of curriculum (Silva et al, 2008). Classroom teachers of ESL, at the same time as recognizing the challenges of attaining academic discourse, are most of the time requested to establish curriculum in subject matters wherein they feel the need for further expertise. Conversely, content specialists, while adept in conveying academic rigor into the process of planning, are not all the time conversant or capable to acclimatize the curriculum to best benefit ELLs in the classroom (Silva et al, 2008).   Policies Officials of education and advocates of civil rights speak well of NCLB for featuring achievement gaps between learners proficient in English and those otherwise. Yet, as indicated by The Educational Trust’s annual funding report of 2008, greater consideration to English-language learners (ELLs) has not yet rendered to equivalent financial assistance. (Sparks, 2008). Moreover, a state policy which will oblige students majoring in education to take three credits in ESL will certainly help staff enhance a comprehension for what it bears to connect with ELL students (Galski, 2009). The denial to recognize English as a subsequent language (ESL) as only one fraction of essential holistic language learning purpose – multilingualism or bilingualism – drives a number of scholars to reason that each government must assure fundamental linguistic human rights for every child in the educational system (Waters, 2001). Conclusion While there are standard methods of teaching English to non-English speaking citizens, there are no prohibitions with regards to creativity for effective teaching. Technology should be utilized, administering schools should be enhanced, innovations in and outside the classroom should be made, culture and policies should be considered. METHODOLOGY Research Design This study will employ the qualitative approach. The research design intended was a review of relevant related literatures including primary and secondary data. Qualitative approach is suitable for a deep understanding of the human behavior and also best rationalizes it. The quantitative method, on the other hand, employs the examination (Padgett, 2009) and uses of variables that may be manipulated. Qualitative method requires a heavier burden of proof. There is also a hybrid method called the mixed method that utilizes both quantitative and qualitative data. The paper will use secondary research, collecting data that already exist. Secondary data may be in the form of previous researches, magazines, journals, newspapers, and official statistics. Research Methods This study will employ secondary data analysis to assess data that were gathered from various previous researches, magazines, journals, newspapers, and official statistics. It is useful to build a study with the foundation of previous researches that has already been done related to the topic. Church (2002 noted that secondary data analysis is done by accessing information from the mentioned secondary sources as well as the genuine source. References Barber, P.D. 2003. Teaching Non-English Speaking Students. Adult Learning, 14(1), 29-30. Bishop, A. 2001. An experts guide to products for the multilingual classroom. Technology & Learning, 21(9), 39-46. Church, R. M. (2002). The effective use of secondary data. Einhorn, K. 2002. Welcoming second-language learners. Instructor (1999), 112(2), 54-56. Galski, S. 19. Bloomsburg immigration forum focuses on ESL. McClatchy - Tribune Business News. Hixson, S. W. 2008. ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SOFTWARE. MultiMedia & Internet@Schools, 15(3), 41-43. Konishi, C. 2007. Learning English as a Second Language: A Case Study of a Chinese Girl in an American Preschool. Childhood Education, 83(5), 267-272. 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