Over the next few weeks, more than one million early childhood education students will head off to their very first day of school. And while most of these students will be nervous about meeting their teachers, finding their cubbies, and making new friends, some of them will be apprehensive about something else entirely: learning a whole new language.
English learners at the pre-K level need support from their teachers just as much as English learners in K–6 grades. In fact, supporting young English learners in preschool is critical to their success in later years. NAESP President Barbara Chester notes that “when kids come to kindergarten unprepared, they struggle and continue to struggle.” In other words, getting off on the right foot with your young English learners can make a big difference as they progress to kindergarten and beyond.
So how can you help your early childhood English learners feel welcome in your classroom and get ready for kindergarten? One of the beset things you can do is create a positive learning environment. Here are three tips for getting ready for a new school year with your linguistically and culturally diverse (LCD) students:
1. Gather multicultural materials for your classroom
Before school starts, collect as many books as you can in the languages you know your students will be speaking. Look into creating a library of authentic music from your students’ cultures that you can play during work time, activity time, or on special occasions. See if you can find any authentic looking dress-ups from different cultures to keep in the classroom. Having multicultural items in your classroom will not only help your LCD students feel more at home, but it will also give you a chance to teach all students in the class about appreciating new cultures.
2. Create a language-rich environment for your students
Create an environment that exposes your LCD students to as many good models of English language use as possible. Consider having upper-grade students come in once a week to read to your kids one-on-one. Plan for meaningful speaking and listening activities like show-and-tell, talking with puppets, or listening to electronic books. A language-rich environment where students hear, read, write, and speak on a regular basis can help your English learners experiment with and acquire language more quickly.
3. Develop a relationship with your students’ families
One of the best ways to help your pre-K students succeed is to get their families involved. Before the school year begins, plan how you will involve students’ parents in meaningful ways. Consider how you will communicate with them about their child’s progress: Can you send home progress reports in their child’s first language? Have handouts translated and sent home? Keep in mind that parents are most likely to get involved if their interactions with you are positive and supportive. Developing relationships with students’ families can be a great way to gather more multicultural items for your classroom, too. Ask if parents have any books, music, or other cultural items that they would be willing to share with the class.
Happy preparing to all you teachers out there! If you have any other great ideas for getting ready to work with young English learners, please share in the comments below.
I hope this isn’t heresy, and I’m not a teacher. But if I were, and I were in such a situation, I would try to find out which language(s) my incoming students were coming from, and I’d try to learn a few simple phrases. For one, I love languages. But more importantly, I’d like to think that such an effort would be appreciated by the student, and make them feel a little more at ease in what has to be a terribly frightening situation. They’re going to be intimidated enough as it is, and I would hope that a familiar phrase, a greeting in their native language, etc. would put a smile on their face and encourage them to try out a little English.
That’s actually a valid suggestion, Carter. Some of the research I came across indicated that Pre-K ESL teachers should learn students languages if at all possible. I like your idea of learning a few basic phrases to help students feel comfortable. I think it’s a great alternative to trying to master multiple languages.
Of course, you can always use the Imagine Learning translator tool (located in our sidebar) to get started with some basic phrases!
As an early childhood ESL teacher for almost 20 years I have to add my 2 cents. While in a perfect world it might make sense for an ESL teacher to learn the languages of his or her second language learners, the reality is that I have had as many as 22 different languages spoken in my classroom- at one time- making it impossible for me to do so. Do I know a few simple phrases (hello and bathroom) in several different languages? Of course, but anything beyond that is unrealistic. In certain languages that are especially difficult such as Vietnamese, Cambodian, and some African dialects it is almost impossible. In classrooms where the teacher does not speak the student’s native language fluently the students learn English more quickly. When students know that you speak and understand their native language they begin to “wait you out” – or wait until you translate in their native language so they don’t have to learn the new one.
http://www.pre-kpages.com/esl/
http://www.pre-kpages.com/multicultural/
That’s a great point, Vanessa–in a class with a significant number of different languages spoken, learning even a few phrases in each language would be impossibe.
What are your favorite ways to make young ESL students feel welcome in the classroom?
I think all of your suggestions above are excellent ones. I would add that it is extremely important to be culturally aware and sensitive when working with second language learners and their families. Knowing certain customs and traditions can make your life so much easier and help you avoid faux pas. Things like smiling is a sign of nervousness in some cultures, not happiness. Certain cultures do not believe in looking you in the eye, it is a sign of disrespect. Shaking hands is also not always appropriate when meeting parents of certain cultures. Certain clothing or jewelry can hold great spiritual meaning for a family so suggesting alternatives can be insulting.
That’s a great point about being sensitive to cultural differences when working with ESL students’ families. When I worked with writing tutors at a local university, we would always briefly address cultural sensitivity issues like being aware of personal space, body language, etc. I never thought how important that would be when working with young children and their families.
Thanks for sharing, Vanessa!
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