Effective ELL strategies teachers should consider.

While there are many ways for educators to tailor classroom instruction and support toward English language learners,
Dr. Schneider recommends starting with the following five tips.

1. Focus on academic language, literacy and vocabulary

Reading, writing and vocabulary exercises are essential building blocks for developing language fluency, but it is only
part of what is needed. Students who appear fully fluent in English may nonetheless struggle to express
themselveseffectively in academic settings, as they lack the words and phrases needed to connect their ideas
and discuss them with others.
Dr. Schneider emphasizes the importance of teaching students how to talk about what they know. This is called
“academic language,” and while some learners adopt this naturally over time, many students — native English
speakers included — need reinforcement to develop this skill. She points out that,
 
If we teach our students the content but never provide them with the language scaffolding that they need to share
about it, it’s like we’re giving them the bricks but we’re not giving them the mortar to hold it all together.
This extra help could come in the form of semi-structured small group discussions, adding visuals to a lesson, having
students keep a journal and providing instruction in their native language, when possible.

2. Link background knowledge and culture to learning

Numerous studies show that students perform better when their home culture and background knowledge are
incorporated into the academic environment. When children and their families are represented and respected in the
classroom, they are much more likely to be engaged and successful.
Allowing students to express themselves in a safe environment and learn from one another is also a wonderful social-
emotional learning opportunity that benefits the entire class, especially students of color.
Educators should consider implementing the following tactics in their practice:
 Become familiar with your students’ backgrounds
 Use examples that connect to their lives
 Represent students’ cultures with art, music and literature
 Encourage students to tell stories in a variety of mediums: drawing, poetry, visual art, drama, essays, etc.
 Ask students to speak and write about their lives regularly in casual, low-stress ways without forcing them to
share
 Allow students to use their native language and/or translation apps
Dr. Schneider acknowledges that some instructors, particularly high school teachers, may not have enough wiggle
room in their schedule to allow for daily sharing in this way. “Think about maybe doing this once a week for 15
minutes,” she suggests. “Even though it takes away instructional time, you get so much more from it, that I think it’s
worth it in the long run.”

3. Increase comprehensible input and language output

English language learners learn both through the language they encounter (input) and the language they produce
(output). Students should also be given ample opportunities to produce language, and they should receive direct
feedback to increase their comprehension and improve their language skills.
Dr. Schneider remarks that the increased use of digital technology in education has opened up many additional
opportunities for teachers to supplement lesson plans. Strategies for increasing comprehensible input include:
 Read out loud or play audio versions of texts
 Front load vocabulary and key concepts before reading
 Provide a similar text in the student’s first language
 Go beyond the textbook and include artwork, videos, guest speakers, stories
 Slow down your speech
 Use graphs and visuals when presenting
 Give students an outline of the information
 Use closed captioning for videos
 10/2 rule: For every 10 minutes of lecture, stop for 2 minutes of student engagement
In order for students to deepen their understanding, and clarify and negotiate for meaning, they must talk about what
they are learning. Strategies for increasing language output include:
 Provide multiple opportunities for structured and unstructured talk
  Opportunities for students to collaborate with each other
 Include open-ended questions in your lessons
 Provide daily low-stakes writing opportunities in all content areas

4. Promote classroom interaction

When teaching English language learners, keep in mind that vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation develop faster
when there are opportunities for interaction in the classroom using the language being learned. But many new teachers
make the mistake of simply presenting a lesson and then pairing students up to discuss without providing guidance, as
was the case for Dr. Schneider.
She recommends that teachers explicitly model and practice academic language so that students can more fully engage
with one another. This could take the form of question prompts, such as:
 Can you tell me more about …?
 Let me see if I understand you …
 Following up on ___’s idea …
Teachers should also provide ample opportunities for more structured classroom interactions with a clear purpose and
goal. There are hundreds of activities to consider, but here are a few ideas to get you started:
 Think-pair-share
 Carousel or gallery walk
 Book clubs
 Student interviews
 Pick a Side:
o What do you think/believe about…? Why?
o How would you convince someone to…?

5. Stimulate higher-order thinking skills and use of learning strategies

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) are essentially critical-thinking abilities that go beyond rote memorization,
concept formation and reading comprehension. Mastering HOTS is the ultimate goal of the learning process, as these
competencies are needed to become an independent and creative thinker.
Teachers can encourage the development of HOTS in their students by modeling and providing language scaffolding
such as:
 What do you observe?
 “In this picture, I notice …”
 “I noticed that, too, and I want to add …
An example of a high school-level lesson plan that emphasizes HOTS might be having students learn about garment
factory work in Cambodia, and then pairing them up to do the following:
 Discuss what it might be like to sew their own clothes
 Review a video about the experience of a Cambodian garment worker
 Compose a list of the advantages and disadvantages based on the video
Embrace ELL strategies to maximize student achievement
As an educator, you work hard to make sure everyone in your class has what they need to learn and thrive.
Implementing some of these innovative strategies for teaching English language learners is a great way to make
content accessible for all students, regardless of language ability.

The 10 best language teaching strategies explained!

1. Communicative language teaching (CLT)
This approach is probably now the most popular teaching model for English language teaching globally. In part
because it aims to put students in a variety of real-life situations, so that they can learn how to use their language skills
to communicate in the real world. Educators therefore tend to focus on fluency of communication rather than accuracy
and lessons are more hands-on than theoretical.
Interactive and relevant classroom activities characterise this approach along with the use of authentic source
materials. Teachers are encouraged to provide the students with as much opportunity to give and receive meaningful
communication as possible. The use of personal experience is also common in CLT classrooms. 
2. Task-based language teaching (TBLT)
The focus of TBLT teaching is solely on the completion of a detailed task which interests and engages the learners.
Learners use the language skills that they already have to complete the task and work through three distinct phases – a
pre-task, the task itself and post-task.
Students might, for example, be asked to deliver a presentation about an important environmental issue. In order to
complete it, they will need to read / listen to source material, conduct internet research, as well as writing and
delivering the presentation itself. Research suggests that students in TBLT classes are empowered and motivated
because they ‘own’ the language and can control the nature of the task response.
 
3. Content and language integrated learning (CLIL)
The CLIL approach principally involves studying one subject (for example, biology, science or history) and learning a
language, such as English, at the same time — effectively integrating the two subjects.
The language teaching is organized around the demands of the first subject rather than that of the target language. So
it’s critically important to make sure that the integration is clear and that students are engaged. Having said that, the
CLIL approach does create significant opportunities for cross-curricular working; it opens up language learning to a
wider context and can be used to re-engage previously demotivated students.
 
4. Cooperative Language Learning (CLL)
Cooperative Language Learning or CLL forms part of a wider teaching approach known as Collaborative or
Community Learning (CL). CLL seeks to make the maximum use of cooperative activities involving pairs and small
groups of learners in the classroom. As such, it is a student-centered, rather than a teacher-centered, approach to
language teaching.
In the CLL classroom, all of the language learning activities are deliberately designed to maximise opportunities for
social interactions. Students should accomplish tasks by interacting between themselves and talking / working
together. The teacher’s role is to act as a facilitator of and a participant in the learning tasks.
 
5. The Direct Method
In this language teaching approach, all teaching happens in the target language, forcing the learner to think and speak
in that language. The learner does not use their native language in the classroom at all!
As a result, students work out key grammar concepts by practicing the language and by building up their exposure to
it. Standard classroom techniques for this approach include Q+As, conversation, reading aloud, writing and student
self-correction.
 
6. Grammar-Translation
This is a very traditional teaching approach which prioritises translation from the students’ mother tongue into the
target language and vice versa. To succeed in this approach, students need to memorize long lists of vocabulary and
detailed grammar formats and rules.
The approach favours accuracy over fluency and tends to favour the development of reading and writing skills instead
of speaking skills. The downside of this approach is that it does not prepare students with spontaneous communication
skills. Classroom activities therefore usually include grammar drills, vocab tests and encouraging students to
incorporate new grammar concepts in standardised writing tasks.
 
7. Audiolingualism
This way of teaching was developed in response to some of the problems associated with Grammar-Translation. As a
result, classes are usually held in the target language as this approach deliberately seeks to prioritise speaking and
listening skills. 
Activities typically involve students repeating the teacher’s words (either face-to-face or through headphones in a
language lab) until they get the pronunciations and rhythm right. Good work is rewarded by the educator and mistakes
are quickly corrected.
 

8. Total Physical Response

Total Physical Response or TPR is a way of language teaching in which the teacher presents language objects as
instructions and the students must do exactly what the teacher tells them. Students might therefore be asked to sit
down, stand up, point to the clock, or walk to the front of the class.
As students improve, such instructions can become more detailed including additional elements for language
comprehension, including adverbs (e.g. talk quickly), adjectives (e.g put on your red jumper) and prepositions (e.g
stand in front of the teacher).
 
9. The Silent Way
It’s perhaps hard to imagine a language classroom where the teacher doesn’t actually say much, but that’s the
principle at the heart of this approach. As with CLL above, this approach deliberately shifts the focus from the
teacher’s teaching to the student’s learning.
Evidently, the Silent Way uses silence as a teaching tool. It encourages students to be more independent and to
discover the target language for themselves. Teachers need to employ the widest possible range of gestures and facial
expressions to communicate. Props might also be useful and of course, make sure that you explain the whole process
to the class first!
 
10. The Natural approach
Adherents of this approach characterize it as recognizing and highlighting the difference between learning and
acquiring a language. For them, learning a language requires structure, textbooks, resources and memorizing grammar
rules or vocabulary lists. Whereas acquiring a language only needs teachers to create an environment which immerses
students in the repetition, correction and recall of their target language.
Primarily intended to be used with beginner learners, teachers emphasize interesting, comprehensible input (CI) and
create low-anxiety situations. As such, lessons delivered using the natural approach focus on understanding messages
in the foreign language, and place little or no importance on error correction, drilling or on conscious learning of
grammar rules.
 
Does it matter which language you are teaching?
While the core principles of effective language teaching apply to teaching any modern language, including English,
Spanish, French, Japanese or Mandarin, there may be some differences in emphasis or approach depending on the
specific language being taught. However, these differences are generally minor, and the most effective teaching
methods can be adapted to suit any language.
For example, Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), and Content and
Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) are all highly effective for teaching any language. These methods prioritize
authentic communication, meaningful tasks, and contextual learning, which are essential for successful language
acquisition regardless of the target language.
However, certain aspects of a language might require more specific attention or focus. For instance, English has a
more complex phonology and a larger vocabulary compared to some other languages, which may require additional
emphasis on pronunciation and vocabulary building. Spanish and French have grammatical gender and more verb
conjugations than English, which may necessitate a more structured approach to teaching grammar.

Types of Intervention in Schools

1.Behavioral Intervention
 If a child is displaying concerning behaviours, or has an education, health, and care plan (EHCP) which
highlights behaviour as a key area of need, students may work with staff on a behavioural support
intervention.
2.Collaborative Intervention
 Group interventions allow students to understand new or existing subject content through team discussion and
group work. In this way, students can listen to, respond, and consider their peers’ differing thoughts in a
collaborative environment.
3.One-to-One Intervention
 Usually targeted at students whose progress in a core area has dipped, or children with more complex SEND
needs, one-to-one interventions provide children with the opportunity to work with a teacher or teaching
assistant outside of the classroom. These sessions bring great scope to accelerate progress through focused and
personalised target setting. One-to-one interventions often involve two or three short sessions per week that
tend to run on a termly rota.
4.Classroom-based Intervention
 As their title suggests, classroom-based interventions often take place to support learners within their
classroom environment. Working with the teacher or teaching assistant, students will be selected to work
through a new concept or idea in a more structured and supportive way. Classroom intervention strategies
often minimise the number of students who are referred for further special education needs assessments.
5.Social, Emotional and Well-being Intervention
  Not all interventions focus on academic data. When students are experiencing trauma, or have experienced
loss, they may not be willing participants in the learning process. If students need support with their mental
health or general wellbeing, social and emotional interventions offer students a safe space in which to explore
their thoughts and feelings.
6.Peer Tutoring
 Common in most education settings, peer tutoring gives a more experienced student the chance to work with a
peer who may be struggling or needs further support. Both parties often benefit socially and personally from
the experience, and if well organized, they can have a demonstrable impact on progress too.
7.Metacognition and Self-regulation Intervention
 These interventions inform students how we learn and help them to think more explicitly about their own
learning. Often focusing on self-management and evaluation, or analytical skills, these sessions overview
strategies students can use for setting goals, monitoring their progress, and summarizing their learning.
8.Homework
 Homework is thought to be most beneficial when it covers material that has been taught that day, although
many schools use homework when introducing new learning. Secondary school homework is deemed
generally more effective than primary school homework, which has a much lower impact rate.