Supporting English Language Learners in the Preschool Classroom

Summary

This video script explores strategies for supporting English Language Learners in preschool, emphasizing that teachers don't need to speak students' native languages to aid their English development. It highlights the importance of observing silent language acquisition periods, using parallel talk and self-talk to link actions with language, and the Total Physical Response technique to connect language with movement. The script also encourages learning key phrases in students' native languages and promoting home language use to build a strong foundation for English acquisition.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Teachers can support English language learners (ELLs) without needing to speak their native language, as underlying skills acquired in the first language are transferable to English.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 English language learners may be quiet and observant at the start, using cues from gestures and visual aids to understand routines and classroom activities.
• 🔍 The silent period for ELLs is a natural part of language acquisition where they are absorbing the sounds and structure of English.
• 💬 Encouraging conversation through questions and sentence completion helps ELLs develop their language skills further.
• 📚 Parallel talk and self-talk are effective strategies for oral language development, linking language with actions and activities.
• 🤸‍♂️ Total Physical Response (TPR) technique involves using body movements to teach language, making the learning process more interactive and clear.
• 📖 Learning some key words and phrases in the child's native language can be beneficial, as it helps in understanding and connecting with the children.
• 🔗 Cognates, words that have the same meaning and form in both languages, can be a powerful tool for vocabulary acquisition for ELLs.
• 👨‍👩‍👧 Supporting the child's first language at home is crucial as it lays a foundation for English language learning and should be encouraged by families.
• 🎶 Engaging in oral language activities such as reading, singing, and rhyming in the home language can enhance language development.
• 📚 The best practices for supporting language learners involve rich interactions around storytelling, reading, and conversation, which are beneficial for both first and second language acquisition.

Q & A

What is the main challenge preschool professionals face when working with young children who may not understand much English?

The main challenge is to work effectively with young children who are English language learners and may not understand much English, ensuring they can develop language skills and integrate into the classroom environment.

According to Dr. Ann Anderberg, why don't teachers need to speak the native language of English language learners?

Teachers don't need to speak the native language because they can still support the development of the child's first language and help transfer those skills to English, as the underlying skills acquired in the first language are similar.

What does Beth Martin notice about English language learners at the beginning of the school year?

Beth Martin notices that English language learners are nervous and scared, and they tend to be quieter and more observant than English speakers, looking for clues from gestures and picture schedules to understand routines.

What is the 'silent period' Dr. Anderberg refers to, and why is it natural for students to engage in it?

The 'silent period' is a phase where a child in an all-English environment doesn't speak any English. It's natural because during this time, they are subconsciously acquiring the sounds of the new language.

How do preschool teachers generally help children to create more language?

Preschool teachers help by extending talk, asking questions, finishing off sentences for children, and using techniques that encourage children to express more information verbally.

What are the two strategies Dr. Anderberg mentions for oral language development?

The two strategies are 'parallel talk', where the teacher narrates what the child is doing, and 'self-talk', where the teacher verbalizes their own actions, creating a tight link between language and actions.

What is the Total Physical Response (TPR) technique, and how does it help in language learning?

The Total Physical Response technique involves the teacher using body movements to correspond with language, particularly verbs. It helps by building on the relationship between language and movement, making meaning clear without expecting immediate oral responses from the child.

Why is it beneficial for teachers to learn about the children's native languages and include a few key words and phrases?

Learning about the children's native languages and including key words and phrases can help bridge the communication gap, make the children feel more comfortable, and utilize cognates to build vocabulary more effectively.

What role do cognates play in helping children learn vocabulary, and why is it important to point them out?

Cognates are words that have the same meaning and are basically the same in both languages. Pointing them out helps children make connections between the languages, aiding in vocabulary acquisition.

How can families support their child's language learning at home?

Families can support their child's language learning by engaging in oral language, reading to the child in the home language, and using rhymes and songs in their native language.

What is the best practice Dr. Anderberg suggests for supporting both first and second language learners?

The best practices include playful interactions with children around storytelling, storybook reading, rhyming, and rich oral language conversations, which are beneficial for language learners in both their first and second languages.

Outlines

00:00

👨‍🏫 Supporting English Language Learners in Preschool

The first paragraph discusses the challenges and strategies for supporting English language learners in preschool classrooms. Dr. Jeffrey Trawick-Smith introduces the topic, emphasizing the need for teachers to effectively work with young children who may have limited English proficiency. Dr. Ann Anderberg, a bilingual education expert, suggests that teachers can support the development of children's first language and facilitate the transfer of skills to English without necessarily speaking the child's native language. Beth Martin, a teacher, notes the diversity of languages spoken by parents at her school and describes the initial behavior of English language learners as being more observant and quiet. Dr. Anderberg explains the concept of a 'silent period' where children are absorbing the sounds of a new language. The paragraph also highlights the importance of teachers extending conversations with children to encourage language development through questioning and narrative techniques.

05:01

👶 Enhancing Language Acquisition for English Learners

The second paragraph delves into specific strategies for enhancing language acquisition among English language learners. It begins with the discussion of cognates and the importance of making children aware of words that have the same meaning and form in both their native language and English. The narrator and Dr. Anderberg emphasize the significance of native language proficiency as a foundation for learning English. Families are encouraged to support their child's first language, as it will aid in English language acquisition. The paragraph also suggests engaging children in oral language activities and reading to them in their home language, using rhymes and songs as a means to foster language development. The paragraph concludes with Dr. Anderberg's assertion that playful interactions, storytelling, and rich conversations are beneficial for language learners, regardless of whether it's their first or second language.

Keywords

💡English Language Learners

English Language Learners (ELLs) are individuals who are learning English as a second language. In the video's context, these are young children in a preschool setting who may not have English as their first language. The theme of the video revolves around supporting these learners in their language development, as highlighted by Dr. Ann Anderberg's suggestions and classroom examples.

💡Bilingual Education

Bilingual education refers to the use of two languages in teaching and learning. Dr. Ann Anderberg, a bilingual education expert, provides insights in the video on how to support the development of both the child's native language and English, emphasizing the transferability of skills between languages.

💡Silent Period

The silent period is a phase in second language acquisition where learners may not speak the new language for an extended period as they absorb the sounds and structure. In the video, it is mentioned that it is natural for children to go through this phase in an English-speaking classroom, and it is a part of their language learning process.

💡Parallel Talk

Parallel talk is a strategy where an adult narrates what a child is doing, providing a running commentary on their actions. This technique is highlighted by Dr. Anderberg as a powerful tool for oral language development, as it links language with actions, as seen when a teacher describes a child's play in the video.

💡Self-Talk

Self-talk is when an individual verbalizes their own actions or thoughts, which helps in reinforcing the connection between language and actions. In the video, a teacher is shown using self-talk while demonstrating 'open, close' with scissors, which aids in the child's understanding of the language associated with the action.

💡Total Physical Response (TPR)

Total Physical Response is a teaching technique that involves using physical actions to teach language, making the learning process more interactive and clear. Beth Martin explains in the video how TPR strategies can be used to teach verbs by performing the actions, which helps children understand the language through movement.

💡Cognates

Cognates are words that have the same meaning and are similar in form in two languages. The video mentions that recognizing and teaching cognates can be a powerful tool for vocabulary acquisition, as children can make connections between words in their native language and English, such as 'animal' being the same in both languages.

💡Native Language Proficiency

Native language proficiency refers to the ability to use one's first language fluently. Dr. Anderberg emphasizes the importance of children developing proficiency in their native language, as it forms a solid foundation for learning English and transferring skills between languages.

💡Playful Interactions

Playful interactions are engaging and enjoyable activities that facilitate learning. The video suggests that these interactions, such as storytelling, storybook reading, and rhyming, are beneficial for language learners, as they create a rich language environment that supports both first and second language development.

💡Oral Language

Oral language refers to the use of spoken language in communication. The video highlights the importance of developing oral language skills in children, especially for English language learners, through strategies like parallel talk and self-talk, which encourage children to use language actively.

💡Rhymes and Songs

Rhymes and songs are used in the video as a method to engage parents and children in language activities in their native language. They are effective tools for language acquisition, as they provide a fun and memorable way to learn new words and phrases, as illustrated by the class singing 'Dos, tres' in the video.

Highlights

Preschool professionals are challenged to support young children who may not understand much English.

Teachers can support English language learners without speaking their native language by developing underlying skills.

English language learners may be nervous and quiet at the beginning, observing others to learn routines.

A silent period is natural for children in an all-English environment, as they acquire the sounds of the new language.

Preschool teachers are adept at extending talk to elicit more information from children through questions and sentence completion.

Encouraging children to talk to themselves, teachers, and each other is crucial for language development.

Parallel talk and self-talk are powerful strategies for oral language development, linking language with actions.

Total Physical Response (TPR) technique uses body movements to teach language, clarifying meaning without requiring oral response.

Learning a few key words and phrases from children's native languages can be beneficial for supporting English language learners.

Cognates, words with the same meaning in both languages, can be a powerful tool for vocabulary learning.

Families play a vital role in supporting their child's first language, which lays a foundation for English language acquisition.

Engaging in oral language and reading to children in the home language is encouraged for language development.

Rhymes and songs in the native language are effective ways to encourage parents to read to their children.

Playful interactions, storytelling, and rich conversations are best practices for supporting language learners in both first and second languages.

Transcripts

Supporting English Language Learners in the Preschool Classroom

>> DR. JEFFREY TRAWICK-SMITH (Host): Most classrooms include children who speak a language

other than English. Preschool professionals are challenged to work effectively with young

children who may not understand much English at all. How can teachers best support the

English language learners in their classrooms? Bilingual education expert Dr. Ann Anderberg

offers us great suggestions for working with English language learners and their families.

>> DR. ANN ANDERBERG (Expert): Teachers do not need to speak the native language in order

to support its development and also to help transfer those skills to English. The underlying

skills that children acquire in their first language are similar.

>> BETH MARTIN (Teacher): We have a lot of parents that speak a variety of languages

other than English or Spanish at our school. For example, Urdu, Persian, Arabic, Chinese.

What I notice about the English language learners at the beginning of the school year is that

they are nervous and scared but as are all the rest of the children. They're probably

a little more quiet, though, than the English speakers, and also very observant in watching

what other kids are doing so that they know what's coming next and watching what I'm

doing so that they can get any type of clue that they possibly can from my gestures, or

from the picture schedules that I'm offering so that they know what's coming next and

so that they can learn the routine.

>> DR. ANDERBERG: It wouldn't be unusual for a child to arrive in a classroom not speaking

any English in an all English environment it ís very natural for students to engage in a silent

period. During that silent period, what's really happening is they are acquiring the

sounds of that new language.

>> Teacher: That's how you go to the park? On a bicycle?

>> Child: Yeah. >> Teacher: Yeah?

>> DR. ANDERBERG: Most preschool teachers are very good at extending talk and trying to

elicit conversations with children so that they draw out more and more information by

asking questions, by finishing off sentences for children, by just helping them to create

more language.

>> Teacher: These are different kind of scissors. >> Child: Girls.

>> Teacher: Theyíre girls'? What makes it a girl's scissor?

>> DR. ANDERBERG: Ultimately what we want is for the children to be talking, talking to

themselves, talking to us, talking to each other, and using the language themselves.

>> Child: It's a pizza de apple >> Teacher: It is. It's a pizza of apples,

but you call that an apple pie.

>> DR. ANDERBERG: Two strategies that are very powerful in oral language development are

parallel talk and self-talk. Parallel talk is when I am sitting next to a child and I

am basically narrating what that child is doingólike a play-by-play description of

their activity.

>> Teacher: You put that on top of the girlís head. And you put the legs under the girlís

body.

>> DR. ANDERBERG: Self talk is actually doing that for what I'm doing.

>>Teacher: Open, close. Open, close. Open, close, stop.

>> DR. ANDERBERG: And by doing that, it makes a very tight link between the language and

the actions.

>> Teacher: Pato, amarillo. In English, yellow, duck.

>> BETH MARTIN: We have different techniques that help that, help them to use more of the English

language and also encouraging them to play together in the dramatic play area.

>> NARRATOR: Another effective strategy is what's called the Total Physical Response

Technique.

>> BETH MARTIN: Total physical response strategies include using your body. If youíre going

to be teaching about verbs, do the actions that you want them to learn.

>> NARRATOR: Total Physical Response, or TPR, builds on the relationship between language

and movement. Total physical response teaches children language in the same natural way

that parents model language to their young children. As the teacher speaks, she acts

out the language to make meaning clear, and expects no oral response from the child.

>> NARRATOR: Another helpful strategy for supporting English language learners it to learn a little

about the children's native languages, including a few key words and phrases.

>> Teacher: This book is in English, and this book is in Spanish. What's happening on the

cover of these books? >> Child: They're giving besos.

>> Teacher: They're getting KISSES, right? Besos is kiss in Spanish?

>> DR. ANDERBERG: Some languages may share cognates; that can be a very powerful tool

for children to learn vocabulary. True cognates are words that has the same meaning in both

languages and are basically the same. So for example the word animal and animal in Spanish,

same word, they're a cognate, they have the same meaning. However, often if we don't

point it out to them, they don't make that connection. Once it's explicitly explained,

the children can begin to make those connections for themselves.

>> NARRATOR: Teachers can support families in their understanding that their childís

learning their first language will build a solid foundation for learning English.

>> DR. ANDERBERG: Native language proficiency is very important for children because they

can transfer the skills that are involved in that to their second language. Families

should be encouraged to support that first language and be assured that it will support

the child's English language acquisition at the appropriate time.

[Girl and her father speak Chinese while reading.]

>>NARRATOR: Families are encouraged to engage in oral language and read to their child in

whatever language is spoken in the home. One great way to encourage parents to do this

is with rhymes and songs in their native language.

>> Class: Dos, tres

>> NARRATOR: With support from her family and teachers, the child learns to speak both languages

and is preparing to read and write in both languages.

>> DR. ANDERBERG: At the end of the day, the most important thing or the best practices

are very playful interactions with children around storytelling, storybook reading, rhyming,

oral language, really rich conversations, those are the same things that will help second

language learners in their first language as well.