Identifying Barriers in Instructional Delivery
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Objectives
Participants will be able to determine how instructional delivery affects ELL achievement.
Participants will be able to identify instructional methods that may impede ELLs' understanding.
Pre Assessment
Write the answer to the following question on paper or on a digital document. Be as detailed as possible in your answer.
1) Imagine you are teaching a whole group lesson. You just gave all the directions and modeled an example. You send the students off to try the next activity, and all of your ELLs do the activity completely incorrect. What are some possible reasons why the instructional delivery was ineffective?
Video #1
Watch the following video, focusing on what challenges ELLs face during reading instruction.
Challenges for ELLs in Reading Instruction
React
Using slide 3 on jamboard, write down your reactions to the information presented above. You can use the following questions to guide your thoughts:
1) What challenge do students face during reading instruction?
2) How do the challenges ELLs face during reading instruction differ from students whose first language is English?
**You can add a sticky note, text box, drawing or image on Slide 3. There are no requirements for this space; just use this time to react as you see fit! Keep in mind that this is a public collaboration space, so you and others will be able to see the responses.
Video #2
Here is another video, this time regarding a math problem. Focus on the challenges the student is encountering with the teacher's instruction.
React
Using slide 3 on jamboard, write down your reactions to the information presented above. You can use the following questions to guide your thoughts:
1) What challenges do students face during math instruction?
2) What aspects of the teachers' directions were ineffective?
**You can add a sticky note, text box, drawing or image on Slide 3. There are no requirements for this space; just use this time to react as you see fit! Keep in mind that this is a public collaboration space, so you and others will be able to see the responses.
📄 Mini Lecture
ELLs face multiple learning barriers during instruction time. It is the role of the educator to identify possible barriers before class and plan for them. Working with students with so many language backgrounds, it can be difficult to prepare for every obstacle during instructional time. However, there are some common barriers that all ELLs face.
1) Vocabulary: Even ELLs who are can hold higher level conversations will struggle with academic and content area vocabulary. This includes words such as equivalent, impact or solution, as well as phrases like draw conclusions or believe in. This barrier becomes even more evident with homonyms, idioms, or sayings. As a rule, the more abstract it is, the more difficult it is to understand.
2) Sentence Structure: Sentences can vary in complexity. The farther a sentence strays from the simple Subject-Verb-Object format, the more difficult it will be for an ELL to understand. Here are some examples of how a simple expression can become increasingly complex:
- The mixture boils.
- With heat, the mixture boils over the top.
- When we add heat to the mixture, it boils over the sides of the container.
- If you look closely, you will see that as we added heat to the mixture, it began to boil over, and now it is spilling over the sides of the container.
3) Multistep Directions: As with sentence structure, multistep directions can become difficult to decipher. ELLs listen for key words and phrases to guide their listening. When presented with multistep directions, the ideas can become jumbled and confusing. They also cannot rely on a lot of their usual supports, such as visuals, models, or mimicry of peers.
4) Lack of Prior Knowledge: In order to teach grade level content, teachers have to expect that students have a certain amount of prior knowledge. However, ELLs have multiple obstacles working against them in this facet. Here are a few obstacles that may cause ELLs' prior knowledge to differ from their classmates:
- ELLs may be a part of a different culture that holds its own values, social and behavioral norms, foods, holidays or beliefs.
- As immigrants or refugees, ELLs may not have much experience in America; therefore they may fail to make connections to everyday objects or actions that their peers understand.
- ELLs may not be exposed to language or vocabulary that falls outside of everyday conversation or academic settings.
5) Wait Time: ELLs are learning a new language with new vocabulary and structures. They may be translating in their heads, or trying to remember definitions of certain vocabulary. Fast paced speech or activities, particularly ones that expect an immediate response will be challenging for ELLs.
💡 Assess Your Learning
Use the link to complete a quick quiz. You may use your notes to help!
References
Colorin Colorado. (2016, October 3). Challenges for ELLs in Reading Instruction. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo-X7i7kh2s
Mane, Erika. (2015, September 5). Esl Challenges. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Se9T3ZaBwRQ
Haynes, J. & Zacarian, D. (2010). Teaching English Language Learners: Across the Content Areas. ASCD.
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