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Literature Review: Domain C

National University

Nicole Castillo

In partial fulfillment of the requirements for

TED 690 - Capstone Course

Professor Weintraub
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Abstract

In this paper, I will review the article, Five Things Teachers Can Do to Improve Learning for

ELLs in the New Year, by Kristina Robertson. I will discuss key topics of the article such as peer

interaction, language instruction, background knowledge, parental involvement, and writing; and

describe how these relate to Domain C.

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Literature Review: Domain C

During any lesson, it is important that the needs of all students are being met by the

teacher. In regards to Domain C: Engaging and Supporting Students in Learning, the needs of

English Language Learners are included as part of one of the Teaching Performance

Expectations. I selected the article Five Things Teachers Can Do to Improve Learning for ELLs

in the New Year, by Kristina Robertson, because it addresses strategies that lend to supporting

these students on a daily basis.

Article

This article, by Kristina Robertson, recommends specific strategies to be used in the

classroom to support English Language Learners. It focuses on five key topics: peer interaction,

language instruction, background knowledge, parental involvement, and writing.

Peer Interaction

A recommended strategy is for teachers to include a lot of peer interaction for students to

be able to work on their language development. According to the article, “there is nothing

teachers can do to rush English acquisition, but there are many ways to provide opportunities to

practice English in the classroom” (Robertson, 2017). This peer interaction allows for more

practice as well as an opportunity for the teacher to listen to their use of the English language.

Language Vocabulary and Structure

When teaching language instruction, it is important that the teacher is “identifying not

just the vocabulary that every student needs to know, but other vocabulary words and grammar

structures that ELL students may not be familiar with” (Robertson, 2017). The instruction

should be explicit and meet the needs of their individual language acquisition.
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Background Knowledge

An important strategy for instruction is to build upon the background knowledge of an

English Learner. Taking a topic they are familiar with, and building upon it, will likely help

strengthen their language skills in that area due to their connection to the topic.

Parental Involvement

The next key strategy to include is to keep the lines of communication with English

Learner parents open, so that they feel comfortable with their students learning experience. “The

more informed the parents are, the more likely it is that the student will get support at home and

parents will have the information they need to help their child be successful” Robertson, 2017).

Writing

Writing will continue to be an important part of an English Learner’s educational career,

and therefore requires extra attention. Being a strong writer helps students to become strong

communicators. “We write the way we think and speak, and by analyzing our writing we begin

to analyze our thoughts and speech as well” (Robertson, 2017).

Domain C

Domain C focuses on Engaging and Supporting Students in Learning (Commission on

Teacher Credentialing, 2016). The domain is made up of several TPEs, including TPE 7:

Teaching English Learners. One key aspect of teachers who meet these expectations is that “they

implement an instructional program that facilitates English language development, including

reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, that logically progresses to the grade level

reading/language arts program for English speakers (Commission on Teacher Credentialing,

2016, pg. 15). This article addresses the TPE by including strategies related to these skills. The
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first strategy, peer interaction, relates to the development of an English Learner’s listening and

speaking skills. As they continue to use the language, their skills will strengthen. The next

strategy, language vocabulary and structure, relates to their ability to read and write

comprehensibly. This understanding of grammar will help them to be able to succeed in both

areas. The next strategy, background knowledge, helps them to be able to understand meaning

behind the English words they are learning. Next, parental involvement, is key in student

success as they will need the additional support at home from someone who knows what it is

they are working on in school. The final strategy, writing, helps students to become better

communicators as writing is the most common way of expressing oneself in school.

Conclusion

While we all know that English Language Development is important, we may not know

where to begin. This article helps to target five key areas to help teachers successfully teach

English to non-native speakers. Through these five strategies, a teacher would be on their way to

representing TPE 7: Teaching English Learners in their regular classroom instruction.

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References

Commission on Teacher Credentialing. (2016, June). California teaching performance

expectations. Retrieved April 12, 2019, from https://www.ctc.ca.gov/docs/default-source/

educator-prep/standards/adopted-tpes-2013.pdf

Robertson, K. (2017, January 18). Five Things Teachers Can Do to Improve Learning for ELLs

in the New Year. Retrieved April 27, 2019, from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/five-

things-teachers-can-do-improve-learning-ells-new-year