ELL240 week 5 final paper BAIN
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English Language Learner Case Study Analysis
Kenslee Bain
University of Arizona Global Campus
ELL240: Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners
Laura Rowe
October 2, 2023
English Language Learner Case Study Analysis
English language learners are students who are enrolled or are preparing to be enrolled in
elementary or secondary school. They usually range in age from five to twenty-one years old. An
English language learner is not born in the united states and does not speak a native language other than English; is a native American, Alaskan native, or a native resident of the outer lying areas, and comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant
impact on his or her level of English language proficiency; or is migratory, has a native language
other than English and come from an environment where a language other than English is dominant. The first step when an English language learner arrives at school, is to give the student
an assessment to figure out how proficient the student is in reading, speaking, and writing English or test their language proficiency levels. The assessment is done to examine the students acquisition level in English and determine which type of classroom the student should be placed in. An analysis of English language learners, their progress and struggles they face.
Identifying the language and academic needs of English Language Learners is important because it is the basis for developing an appropriate program of instruction. Some students experience cultural shock when they are trying to learn English, there are four stages Euphoria or
the “honeymoon stage where students are excited about their arrival, shock once the euphoria wears off and irritability occurs, integration which is the gradual adjustment in the new environment and acceptance where the goal is biculturalism. “Implementing language objectives can be a powerful first step in ensuring that English learners have equal access to the curriculum even though they may not be full proficient in it (Himmel, J, n.d.),”
Struggles English language learners face
In the case study analysis for young learners from Mrs. Serpe’s classroom Maria has Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) on the playground and communicates with other classmates. Maria could also be experiencing cultural shock due to being in a new place, usually talking with other classmates your age is easier than communicating in the classroom in front of all the students. Maria might also have a specific language disorder, “a communication disorder such as stuttering, impaired articulation, a language or voice impairment that adversely affects a child is learning, it’s not caused by hearing loss or other developmental delay (Piper, T.,
2015).” In the case study analysis Abed seems to be doing extremely well academically, he can function and succeed in an academic setting, which is Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). Abed also has some background knowledge in English as he came to the school knowing a little English. Abed has a strong understanding of the oral language in English and excels, however his writing proficiency level is more intermediate as he struggles with writing English. Maria has a language proficiency level or early production; she is beginning to talk with her friends on the playground however in class she only nods and smiles because she does not have a complete understanding of English and is most likely struggling with some of the vocabulary and meanings of words. She can most likely understand more English than she is able
to produce. Abed is at the speech emergence language proficiency level due to him being able to communicate with classmates on the playground and being able to participate in classroom discussions, however he is struggling with his grammatical mistakes in writing.
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When it comes to Maria the teacher is struggling with helping her and trying not to get frustrated. The teacher is most likely using a summative evaluation or assessment to measure periodically to determine what Maria knows and what she does not know. Comprehensible input could also be a strategy the teacher is using for Maria, which is “language that listeners can understand despite being able to understand all the word and structures in it (Piper, T., 2015).” In
Abed’s case analysis the teacher most likely gave him a performance assessment for him to demonstrate content knowledge by reducing reliance on language, he also has background knowledge in English due to him coming into class with a little bit of English. The teacher creates learning objectives in both cases for both students, to help the student understand exactly what they need to know and learn to complete a lesson. The strategies that the teacher is using for Maria are effective, but I do not believe they are enough due to her not communicating. In the case study analysis, they mention that Mrs. Serpe tries to make Maria feel comfortable in class, however she could be experiencing cultural shock, lack of receptive language skills, or could have specific language disorders. Mrs. Serpe needs to continue assessing Maria to determine whether she needs to be in a regular classroom setting or an English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. She could also create language objectives individualized just for Maria and work on vocabulary with Maria, this could help her be more comfortable in class and participate in the classroom. Mrs. Serpe is trying to hide her frustration, however Maria could possibly be feeling or seeing that Mrs. Serpe is getting frustrated. As stated by Jo Gusman, in the Differentiated instruction and the English language learner video “First thing is to create a physical, social, and emotional environment that says this school is for children (Films Media Group, (Producer), 2004).” When it comes to Abed Mrs. Serpe is happy with how he is learning when it comes to his vocabulary and oral language skills.
However, when it comes to writing he makes a lot of grammatical errors and has a hard time trying to get what he is thinking to develop into words. Writing is usually the last of the language
levels that is learned and proficiency in the other four domains does not ensure success in writing. Vocabulary is the foundation of instruction, without vocabulary students cannot read, without reading a student cannot build comprehension. The teacher is most likely thinking that Maria is experiencing cultural shock due to her not participating in class, or that she is using an affective filter. “An affective filter is a filter that when raised screens out much of the language input but when lowered makes the input available to learn the learner for processing (Piper, T., 2015).” The teacher needs to figure out what Maria’s cultural background is and get to know Maria to be able to teach her and make her feel more comfortable in the classroom. Culturally responsive teaching is the way the teachers play to
the strengths of the student, using their cultural knowledge, prior experience, and performance styles making learning more effective. Mrs. Serpe assessed Abed and realized that his vocabulary development proficiency is not very high due to him not being able to write without grammatical errors and it is hard for him to get what he is thinking to the paper. Action Plan
From what I have read in the last four weeks when it comes to Maria, I would continue to
use formative evaluations, which are ongoing assessments that teachers and school under take to gauge the effectiveness of a lesson, assignment or unit. The teacher can use the English Language Learner program options to determine whether Maria needs to be in a mainstream classroom or an ESL Classroom. “Learning objectives can be a powerful first step in ensuring that English learners have equal access to the curriculum even though they may not be fully proficient in the language (Himmel, J., n.d.).” A language objective that could be used for Maria
would be to read the story and communicate with a partner what you just read in the story. This would give Maria the chance to communicate in the classroom with another student about what she just read, this would work on her oral language and reading skills. Regarding Abed, a good language objective for him would be to write a summary of the story they just read in class. This could help him with his writing and vocabulary skills. Response to intervention (RTI) is a multi-tier approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs. The RTI model has different levels. Maria would fall under level 3, which is where she would be in a smaller group, individual instruction, frequent interventions, enhanced progress monitoring. Abed would be level 1 because he is doing pretty well except for struggling with writing. Level 1 on the RTI model is universal screening, progress monitoring, high quality classroom instruction. English language learners are all different, no two students are the same. Each individual student must be assessed to determine what their proficiency level in English is, then they are placed in a mainstream classroom or an ESL classroom. Every student should feel welcome, and teachers should implement different lessons from different cultural backgrounds to ensure every student, English speaking or not feels welcome in their classroom and school. English language learners all face struggles just like English speaking students, their progress depends on their proficiency in English and their ability to learn.
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References
Films Media Group (Producer). (2004).
Differentiated instruction and the English language learner
Links to an external site.
[Video file]. Differentiated instruction and the English Language. https://digital.films.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=100753&xtid=60329
Himmel, J. (n.d.).
Language objectives: The key to effective content area instruction for English learners.
Links to an external site.
Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-objectives-key-effective-content-area-
instruction-english-learners
Piper, T. (2015).
Language, learning, and culture: English language learning in today’s schools
. Bridgepoint Education.
For additional information on APA Style formatting, please consult the APA Style Manual, 7th Edition
.