Chapter 8: Teaching Students Who Are Still Learning English

Fortunatley I have had a lot of experience working with students whose second or even third language is English. I was a volunteer my senior year in an intermediate ESL classroom. I was able to learn a lot about how to treat these types of students, and how to work with them. In Chapter 8 on page 154, Cushman says "Don't be afraid to let us use our own lnaguage as we figure things out." One thing I noticed in particular that the teacher did let these ESL students do was speak in their own languages with each other. Just because these students are learning how to speak English, does not mean that they should not be allowed to speak their native language. My Spanish teacher does not expect me to speak Spanish when I am being social with my friends, or when I am thinking to myself outloud, and that is how it should be. If I heard students in class speaking there native language I think it would catch me off guard at first, but I would want these students to be in their comfort level to learn, and if they are not allowed to speak the language that they know best, they are not going to be successful.