Emotionally Supporting ELL Students and Increasing their Self-Esteem

1. Expectations and Communication

1.1. Hold high expectations for all learners.

1.2. Communicate these expectations to each learner clearly.

1.3. Do not accept mediocre work, hold them accountable.

1.4. Check in with each student on a regular basis, make sure that they understand what is expected and that they are fully equipped to complete these tasks.

1.5. Have the students create goals for themselves, big or small, in order to stay motivated and on task. Help them find ways to obtain these goals.

2. Active Involvement

2.1. Use timelines in history compared to personal timelines for each student.

2.2. Do projects and hands on activities.

2.3. Active participation in all areas of the classroom.

2.4. Create a safe environment for all students, ensure they feel comfortable to participate, ask questions and reach their full potential without judgement from others.

2.5. Allowing time for group work is essential, students need time set aside to work with other students and those who speak their native language.

2.6. Provide them with the time and space to create their own personal connections with other students.

3. Create learning activities that will encourage successful reading and writing

3.1. Have the students do interactive journals with older peers or students. The teacher should also write back to provide feedback and support.

3.2. Hold interactive conferences each week where students can record themselves telling a story. The students can then look back at their recording and edit and revise it and read it to their partner.

4. Give students lots of time to practice and get careful, targeted corrections

4.1. Tell the students privately if their work is correct, almost correct, or wrong on their work.

4.2. Be sensitive and kind towards the students when publicly correcting them. Help them build on their correct answers and do not accept wrong answers.

4.3. Allow time for the students to ask questions about their work and about the corrections made.

5. Involve Family and Community Members

5.1. Bring members of the community (storytellers, local business owners, artists, etc) into the classroom to help inspire the learners and make them aware of what they are able to achieve, they are not limited.

5.2. Keep families informed and involved.

6. Provide native language support

6.1. Make an effort to ask the learners questions about their native language and even their culture, engage in conversations and show that you are interested.

6.2. Learn and use as much of the learners language as possible.

6.3. Bring in books and other resources into the classroom that are in their native language and/or about their culture.

6.4. Have translation sources on hand and ensure that you are fully equipped.

7. Teach relevant topics from students lives

7.1. Ask the students to survey some of their family members about a specific topic, then use their findings in a project or discussion.

7.2. Tell the students to make construction firms and plan projects to learn their math concepts. This way they are using their own strategies to help them learn easier.

8. Use different grouping strategies

8.1. Pair the students up for writing stories and rehearsing oral presentations.

8.2. Create small teams for students to research different cultures and language.

8.3. Group students with classmates they do not know as well so they can also work on their communication and social skills.