Teaching Strategies

Here are three teaching strategies I would like to implement in my lesson plan:

  1. Create an effective multicultural and multilingual learning environment for emergent bilingual students

  2.  One-Step Directions

  3. Small group instruction

Create an effective multicultural and multilingual learning environment for emergent bilingual students:

As an ESL teacher, it is my responsibility to create a learning environment that addresses the affective, linguistic, and cognitive needs of ESL students and facilitates students’ learning and learning acquisition. This will be achieved by employing differentiated methods to ensure equitable access to language and content. For example, using instructional content that is related to an EBL student’s cultural background knowledge will result in better comprehension because the student is able to connect to his\her existing cultural understanding. Also, posting pictures of objects on the walls in the student’s native language and English, such as cognates, is also helpful.

One-Step Directions

For emergent learners, it can be difficult to follow directions when all steps are given at once. My strategy will be to create a song or rhyming chant for implementing procedures one step at a time. For instance, if I want the students to clean up their tables, I will choose a song, using prosody for engagement and enjoyment, including the directions. I will repeat the song many times to reinforce memory. This will also help students to develop a sense of rhythm and timing.

Small group instruction

Creating activity stations or centers in the classroom that include various lessons helps to differentiate activities allowing the ability to customize lessons based on the students’ needs. It also helps to reinforce what is being taught in a whole group setting. Additionally, since some pre-k classrooms have co-teachers, this is also an opportunity to give small group instruction, providing targeted support to EBS students or others who may be struggling in areas that others may not.