Make sure to be using culturally relevant material, books and activities for the students attention to be kept. If he feels totally out of his element then he will not want to pay attention. Have a cultural lesson and allow students to bring in something from their culture whether food or a toy, picture or object.

I think the teacher should encourage the student to get more involved in the classroom. Maybe the ELL student is a kinesthetic learner and if he did a lesson that got him up and moving he might be more successful in the classroom.

Find out what his hobbies and interests are. Maybe using material that covers some of those things will keep him more focused on the task at hand. You could also put him on a behavior chart where if he does good for each segment of the day he can earn a sticker and then at the end of the day if he has so many stickers he can earn a bigger prize.

If he is very bright, he may be bored during the whole group instruction. She could try using an individualized behavior chart that focused on his specific needs, such as staying in his seat and responding appropriately to redirection. She may also want to try using nonverbal cues for redirection if communication is difficult. If he is very sweet and quiet, he could get embarrassed when he is redirected, even if he's not in trouble. He could also benefit from being able to help the teacher with classroom activities. Helping around the room might satisfy his need to move around the room in a more appropriate manner.

If he is performing well on tests, consider an incentive instead of punishment. Pass out little tokens kids can earn by staying seated and focused. The tokens will earn prizes. This encourages appropriate behavior without disrupting the class.