Case
What did you say?

For your first few years as an ESOL instructor, you were provided with a bilingual assistant. You took her for granted, and now that she has moved on, you realize that you need help! The children that she used to communicate with and instruct in their native language are now asking you for help, and need assistance in their native language. What can you do to help this situation?

Posted on: 04/18/13 | Views: 1267
Solution #1
Top Solution
Translators and interpreters are not always available for ESOL teachers, so I would try to be prepared for this situation. I would make sure that I am expressive and use very clear gestures when speaking to students that need my assistance. I would give the student access to a dictionary that includes both English, and the student's native language. They would be allowed to consult this dictionary at any time. If possible, I would learn basic phrases in the student's language. This is not very difficult to do, and the student would surely appreciate it.

I agree with this solution. The ESOL students are learning an entirely new language. It would not hurt the teacher to learn a couple of helpful phrases.

I think that providing the students with a dictionary would greatly help them. Also, learning basic phrases in their native language will show them that you care about their culture as well as help you communicate with them better without the assistant there.

I think it would be nice for the teacher to learn key words and phrases, if only to show the students that they are making an effort to help them learn.

Making an effort to learn some key words and phrases can be very beneficial for the student.

I agree with making sure the gestures are easily recognizable. Communication can become an issue when two languages are involved, but by taking the appropriate steps it does not have to be an issue. 9/10

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Solution #2
It is time to implement a lot of the strategies that you have learned as a pre-service teacher. Gestures, visuals, simple questions, and electronic translation devices can be utilized. A bilingual assistant is nice, but what happens when you get a student that speaks another language than the first student and the assistant. As a teacher, you will have to focus on strategies that teach the content while using concrete objects or visuals to reinforce was is being taught.
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Solution #3
A helpful accommodation to provide to these ESOL students is to provide them with directions written in their native language. Another helpful accommodation is to learn key phrases in the students native language to help further direct students. It is also beneficial to use gestures and visuals associated with directions or instruction. Key visuals to use during instruction include graphs and pictures to demonstrate the concepts being taught to ESOL students.
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Solution #4
The main problem is that although you may have had a bilingual assistant, you will never have an assistant with the ability to understand all of the different language backgrounds that students come from. It is essential for you to provide translation dictionaries, use gestures and facial expressions with the students, and maybe learn a few key words and phrases in their native languages. Students from other countries may come to your classroom knowing only spanish, french, creole, chinese, etc. and their will never be a bilingual assistant to help you aid all of these students.
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Solution #5
Ask the school for another assistant, or have the students work in small groups. Maybe find translated directions online to see if that helps the students connect.
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Solution #6
If ESOL students are asking for help, they need it. always be flexible with them and make sure they understand instructions for projects. I would pair them with bodies, so they can practice their English during class. have available a dictionary for English and the other languages because ESOL students gradually are building vocabulary but sometimes they are stuck with one word that they dont know, so having a computer program or a dictionary for translation will helpful.
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