English as a Second Language with Teachers

 We recently had an open day at school and while I was sitting having a break, I was listening to a fellow teacher in Technology talk to family members in their own language. That got me thinking about how many teachers we have at school where English is not their first language. I asked the teacher in question here what goes on in her head while she is speaking to family members in her original language as I could a mix of English and Her original language going on. I asked her what language was going in her head when she thinks about things.  I have been thinking about this a lot recently as there is a lot of students in my Level 1 DVC and Visual Art classes who have very little English and I have been thinking about and planning ways that I can present the work that they have to do.

I have sent out a Google form to the whole staff, asking for feedback about how they see themselves as using English as a second (or more) language within the expectations of planning for school and the literacy requirements that come with it.

I am very thankful for the responses that came back as they give a really interesting insight into how language as a whole can be part of the day with students even if it is not the subject that is being taught.

In my future thinking about how to approach planning for my students with little English, I realise that I have a wealth of expertise in the school in regards to using language in the classroom. 

The results of this form have also helped me to realise that it does not have to be one or the other, English or original language. Using both at the same time and crossing over between them mid thought, or mid sentence is very common.

What language did you grow up speaking and using?

English

Dutch and English. My parents always used Dutch at home but we children typified the children of new immigrants when the children increasingly speak the community language but fully understand the language of their parents.

Vietnamese

Punjabi (mother tongue), Hindi, Gujrati, Marathi, English, Haryanvi, Kannada. BASIC, Visual Basic, Object Pascal, Cobol, Lotus, C, C++, Java, Javascript, Html, XHTML

Japanese

Tongan and English

Tongan & English

Marathi

Hindi & Punjabi

Spanish

Malayalam

Thamizh, English and Telugu

Afrikaans mostly with English in between

Niuean

German

Telugu

What age did you start learning English?

How difficult / easy is it for you to plan your lessons etc in English? Do you ever plan in your language then translate?

easy

I'm strong in English. No problem. It would now be more challenging to do so in Dutch as I use Dutch less now because my my parents have passed and we siblings use English.

Generally, I found it easy to plan my Maths lesson in English but difficult to make it engaging enough and suitable for a range of students' different abilities. I also need to improve my explanation - not just preach from the textbook. I've never planned in my language as I forgot many technical terms in my mother tongue. But sometimes, I can search for things in my mother tongue or Japanese to compare different curriculums.

It seems that it is ONE OF my first languages - rather than second. So yes it is easy. Umm - No. All my lessons are planned in English as my medium of instruction was English. As a student, that is the language I studied Science/ Physics/ Maths in.

never translate from my native language to English. It's not so difficult to prepare in English but found sometimes difficult to converse effectively with others.

Not difficult as I would plan in English.

It is very easy and convenient to plan and teach in English. I am more comfortable thinking in English than my mother tongue.

It's very easy. I am fluent enough in English. I "think in English" and do not plan and then translate.

Every day it is easier for me to plan my classes in English. Some times there are some words I need to translate.

very easy, because all my education was in English medium

Not applicable/ I do not teach

Easier to plan in English

Plan in English, not issue with that.

No however I try my best to use other languages day in and day out!

Never

I have no problem in doing my lesson planning in English. No, I don't.

Do you use your original language while at work? In what settings does this happen? 

Yes...with my Afrikaaner colleagues and sometimes to illustrate the value of remaining. bilingual and bifluent when an immigrant.

No I don't. I only use it with my family members at home.

Department meetings .... when people dont understand English

I sometimes say basic greetings in my language when I come to work and meet colleagues and students.

Not really except when I am talking to students/peers and parents who speak it.

yes when I need some of the Tongan speaking kids to understand what we are doing or to give a firm world to the Tongan student.

Yes all the time as I teach english.

Only in informal settings when i am in my "ethnic group". With other teachers who speak Hindi or Punjabi

Yes, to help my Spanish speaker students in their classes or help them to fallow instructions. Otherwise I just use English.

No, never

Yes, when I am really angry and I do not want them to know... (Profanity)

not too often / when speaking with South Africans

No

Never use my original language at work.

NA

Never

Yes, I do. Whenever I'm teaching.

Do you use your language with the students? What sort of effect do you see happening when you do this?

See above. They love it when we share ideas in our languages and feel proud of their language capabilities - spoken and written.

No I don't. But some students interested in Japanese (or anime) sometimes tried Japanese with me, and it was fun.

No - except when they want to hear Punjabi Music after finishing their work.

Rarely use my language with students, only if they show some interest about my language and culture. I believe it is a good way to connect with students.

Yes, It is very effective especially if I am angry or offering praise!

More respect and like they would at home with their families

no never

No. But sometimes students do ask meanings of Hindi words, in particular, about greetings.

Yes, for them is easier to understand some instructions in Spanish, so I speak to them in our own language. They also are more confidents to explain what they need or express their feelings.

No.

I was surprised to find a new student this year from my Mother's native place called Tanjore in Thamizh Nadu.

i have two South African boys in my class/ only use it to get the explanation across to better understand

No

Student ask me a few time to say something in German. The are just curious and find it interesting.

NA

Never

I use English with my students. However, sometimes I use Afrikaans words to explain something which I then translate the meaning/s into English.

With the expectations of literacy in every subject, can you say what you think about this in terms of being a speaker of English as a second language. (thinking about the technical, subject specific words we have to use as well as the correct use of English in general)

From get go of my time at TC, I've wanted all teachers to be explicitly mindful of the students who bring into class the 'gold' of another language. It's about how English is used in the classroom but also an explicit recognition of some students being language resourced in other languages than English. There is a sweet spot between using clear, well-paced English, with best principles of language learning operating in the classroom, and using students' other languages to transition between languages that carry their learning. I'd be better talking to you more about the above.

I do think our students need more literacy in Maths because many students can't interpret simple word problems. And the problem with the new numeracy standard is that it has too much literacy. Apart from academic English, students should also learn reading strategies in Maths and Science. Definitions or technical, subject-specific words should be learned by heart as well. As for the correct use of English in general, I found Grammarly very helpful in improving my English and making sure I don't have any typos. As I have observed in my practicum school, some subjects, such as Maths and Science, have their knowledge booklet, and students must learn all the subject-specific words in it (both definitions and examples), which will be a part of their assessment. For my junior students, I'm trying to have them take notes on each lesson, and I'm thinking of giving my junior students a knowledge booklet next term. Being a speaker of English as a second language, I lack the flexibility to explain a concept in different ways, and my pronunciation sometimes is not good enough - I try to overcome this by looking up unfamiliar words' pronunciation and using my lesson slide/ board work to support my talking. Generally, my students understand me and would clarify if necessary.

Umm - I conclude that actually English is not really my second language. Just one of the many first languages like some Indian kids growing up in a megapolis - Bombay.

No matter where we come from, it is very important to keep high literacy level as long as we work as a teacher in NZ. I believe speaking another language is a bit of an advantage since many students are also speakers of English as a second language.

This will increase the barrier for students for whom English is a second language, it is why I am a big support of having subject specific vocabulary lists that you keep adding to throughout the year so that these students can learn and familiarise themselves deliberately in subject area rather than through osmosis! It is important for each subject area to also promote literacy activities and reading time. Exposure to reading and literacy activities across the curriculum, that is embedded into each subject and not an add on will be a big help for these students.

This can be challenging for the learner in front of us

It is hard of students with English as second language to articulate and express themselves.

I was taught formal, correct English which I still use - proper grammer, spellings, tense etc. The use of subject specific vocabulary and words is fairly easy as that is what was learnt in the subjects I did at school and then majored in at university

For English as a second language speakers, meeting literacy expectations across subjects requires mastering technical vocabulary and grammar. It involves understanding subject-specific terminology and using correct English syntax. For some of our students, this is something really difficult to achieve, especially if they have very little or no English foundation. Despite challenges, students put forth their best efforts to overcome this language barrier and progress in their learning across the various subjects they are studying in school.

You should be well versed in English irrespective of your mother tongue

It's very difficult as they have names for all things in their own language(Especially like me Thamizh is one of the oldest language with it's own script. Example: Acid in English is Called Rasayanam in Thamizh. I studied in Thamizh medium class till my 8th standard and then I was changed to English medium as I was exceptionally good for a student having English as second language. I got shifted to English medium but the transition was very hard for me to achieve distinction especially in Science, Geography and History.

Yes won't be a problem

While the expectation of literacy in every subject presents challenges for ESL students, it also offers opportunities for language and academic growth. With appropriate support, accommodations, and culturally responsive teaching practices, ESL students can achieve success and thrive in diverse learning environments.

Literacy in my subject means I also need to try to get student starting articulating in their write ups for their work. Most of the time no issue. But some struggled big times to write down a statement what their website is about. So I talk to them for a while and encourage them to express it verbally to me and then write it down. When I ask such students if they ever read a book, they say no. That's where the issue start. They had no habit of reading books.

Try my best to include a range of literacy strategies throughout the year: Formative / Summative assessments right from the beginning of the Year, for example when students complete an introduction about themselves (write a letter to me) we can gauge straight away their writing levels. Classroom activities (Close essays / write on the whiteboard / groups task filling in worksheets are all key indicators to see where they are at.

I believe that our Tamaki Students would achieve it easily.

In technical subject specific words, I think would teach these words in English, then unpack and try to simplify them for the learners. If there are second language learners in the class, I would get the more competent second language learners to explain these terms to them in their mother tongue with the help of a translation dictionary, if necessary.