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ESOL Students and Classroom Atmosphere

Adrian Holliday declares in “Teachers’ and Students’ Lessons” that classroom events incorporate a lesson that the teacher plans and administers as well as a lesson for each student taking part. By seeing the classroom as a two-way exchange in which students bring some valuable personal experiences to the classroom, it is undeniable that a teacher must embrace this student contribution and utilize it to the best of her or his ability in an effort to enhance the overall experience as much as possible. In particular, an ESOL classroom is likely to be rich with diversity among its students. As a teacher in an ESOL composition classroom, it’s expected that issues and questions will arise about dealing with such a diverse classroom and how we might best benefit our students in doing so. The questions regarding not only how to best deal with the diversity in the ESOL composition classrooms, but how to build a community among these students are some that are answered in this document. By building a community and by respecting and embracing the diversity inherent in an ESOL composition classroom, the ESOL composition instructor can inevitably expect to have a much more successful interaction with her or his students.

What is “Generation 1.5?” What distinguishes them from other ESOL students?

Generation 1.5 students are those students that share characteristics of both first and second generation immigrants. These students have different needs from other ESOL students. This group of students can include those that immigrated to the U.S. while in elementary school or high school, or students that were born in the U.S. but grew up speaking a language other than English within their home. While these students may be famliar with U.S. culture and schooling, they often will not have a full command of the English language. More information about Generation 1.5 students and their specific needs can be found in Linda Harklau’s “Generation 1.5 Students and College Writing.”

How do I ensure that the diversity of students in my ESOL classroom is being respected?

In order to build a community among students in a multicultural classroom, it is imperative first and foremost that each student is respected as an individual. Following are some instructor guidelines to consider in an effort to create a comfortable and welcoming community for each student:

• Do not assume that all students will recognize cultural, literary or historical references familiar to you.
• If possible, bring in guest speakers from a variety of cultural backgrounds in an effort to familiarize the class with the varied backgrounds among their classmates.
• Speak up promptly if a student makes a distasteful remark. Explain why such comments are unacceptable in your classroom.
• Avoid singling out students as spokespersons. It is unrealistic to ask a certain student to speak for his or her entire race, culture, or background. This can reduce a complex culture to a generalization or stereotype and put unfair expectations on that student.
• Become more informed, and share that information with your students, about the history and culture of groups other than your own. Know what are appropriate and inappropriate behavior and speech patterns in cultures different from your own.

Some of these guidelines were taken or inspired by Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis.

How can I make visible that diversity is respected in my classroom?

As mentioned above, speak up promptly if a student makes a distasteful or inappropriate remark in your classroom. It is crucial for the community of the classroom that as an instructor, we not only correct the problem but educate our students on why these comments are a problem. Encourage your students to communicate with each other on an informal level and ask questions regarding those cultures that they may be unfamiliar with. Draw on the experiences of your students to further class discussions and perhaps motivate your students to explore the experiences of cultures other than their own.

Should ESOL students be included in classrooms intended for English speaking students labeled as basic writers?

As long as the teachers and curriculum involved in this classroom are specially prepared and trained for such circumstances, studies have shown that such an environment very likely benefits both the ESOL students and the native English language speakers. Because we live in a society that is becoming more and more diverse, the experience of such a classroom can make a positive impact on each student included. Paul Kei Matsuda and Tony Silva write in “Cross-cultural Composition: Mediated Integration of U.S. and International Students” about a proposed 10 year integrated program that fully supports these ideas about inclusion.

Works Cited

The authors of this article study the question of inviting students to write in their home language or dialect. In addition to questions of appropriate language use, the issue of diversity is addressed in the sense that these authors assert that students need their cultures and languages respected and understood in order to feel comfortable and confident in a basic writing classroom.

Dong proposes that teachers need to understand each student’s unique needs and experiences in relation to writing. Because students that are native speakers of languages other than English may have vastly different writing experiences, she suggests teachers ask their ESOL students to explain how they learned to write in their native languages. By understanding these experiences, Dong suggests that a teacher will be better able to build on these experiences and help these students better learn writing in English.

This book addresses the issues of teaching Generation 1.5 students in a college composition classroom. With specific attention to three main areas (Students, Classroom, and Programs), this book is a great overview of some of the many issues particular to those students labeled as Generation 1.5.

Kasper believes that feedback should be nonjudgmental and student-centered with ESOL students. She applies an adapted version of Gallwey’s principle of nonjudgmental awareness to her teaching method for three semesters and finds vastly improved results in both the students’ performance and their confidence and ability to self-edit and revise.

Matsuda and Silva discuss a proposed ten-year program in which native English speakers and ESOL students are included in one writing class. Emphasis is put on the importance of a specially trained professor for such a program and the two authors discuss in great detail some of the specifics of the program in this article. Overall, Matsuda and Silva see a need for an integrated classroom as a way to help familiarize both ESOL students and native English speakers with a very international world.

Williams addresses the importance of having tutors available in writing centers that are properly prepared and trained to deal with ESOL students. She recommends that tutors come to understand two crucial second-language acquisition theories in order to be able to appropriately guide ESOL students in the writing center. These two theories are the interaction hypothesis and sociocultural theory — which are both explained in the article.

This is a compilation of previously published articles and essays that address issues of diversity in the classroom both among teachers and students. These essays draw on various fields including composition and ESOL. The editors of this book are promoting a progressive approach to diversity in the classroom and generally suggest that a classroom of diversity is an excellent opportunity for growth and education.

• Working with ESOL Students
  • Classroom Atmosphere
  • Pedagogy
  • Using Technology
  • ESOL Bibliography