Case
ESOL class

I am in my internship and most of the students are ELLs. I have tried using gestures, and pictures and using simple sentences, but I am still having trouble communicating with some students. I am in a eLearning classroom. I want to reach the students as best as I can, but I am struggling to find new ways of doing this.

Solution #1
Working with ELLs can be difficult at times, especially when you have tried many of the strategies you have learned while in college. First, I would ensure your students feel welcomed. Teaching virtually is hard to begin with and it is new to both students and teachers. I would recommend having a virtual icebreaker to see what your students like and dislike. I would also suggest to introduce new vocabulary words at the beginning of a lesson, being flexible with assignments, and to make use of the students' native language. I hope this helps!
Solution #2
I would try incorporating students' first languages and cultures into the communication. This way, the students feel seen and are more comfortable when trying to communicate.