Since we have so many ESL students (in remedial, "ESL," or normal classes) come in on a regular basis, and at one time or other we'll be at a loss as to how to explain something in terms they'll understand and internalize, I was thinking of having this be a running post - individual comments for insights, ideas, etc.
To start (of course, immersion is the best strategy, but that takes time and we have to work with what we have):
* How do we explain the reasons for using "a/an" or "the" in front of some nouns and omitting the article in front of others? General rules?
* Prepositions - a biggie.
* Verb tenses - in my experience, this hasn't been too much of a problem, but it's worth discussing anyway.
* Subject-verb agreement and "of" clauses - e.g. "The pack (singular) of cards (plural) is/are (they sometimes don't understand which one to use; this has entailed a lengthy explanation on my part on several occasions) sitting on the table."
* Punctuation marks (several peers have worked with some people who have no idea what the different ones look like).
* Sentence order and organization.
Continue...
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5 comments:
well hannah, what a great idea. I don't have any great strategies as of yet, but Jackie mentioned something cool- so I'm going to steal her thunder and mention it here.
Jackie's idea was to tell her ESL students, especially the ones who show an interest in how to improve their language skils on their own time, that they should go ahead and watch tv.. Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, remember, these students need help with grammar and structure as well as idioms and phrasing.
some of the books we have are great tools for certain exercises in language, like subject/verb agreement, etc, but to hold thier attn. AND give them examples of common phrases- the context they are used in , and how they apply to everyday conversation- tv is an excellent step towards understanding how to sound more natural in thier writing.
If you get into any side talk with the student, find out a little about their interests, you will likely be able to reccomend something that they would enjoy. maybe even asking them to jot down a few phrases that they heard to clarify at a further visit.
just an idea - thanks Jackie!
For me, tutoring ESL students continues to be my favorite part of the job. Of course, it's also the part that's been the most challenging to find and develop an approach that works for me within our time constraints. Fortunately, my experience has been that most ESL students really want to improve their reading and writing skills, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals.
So, my first appointment with a new (new to me, not necessarily new to the center) begins with a discussion about their goals. Do they just want help with the assignment at hand? Or, do they want help on a continuing basis? If it's an immediate remedy they're looking for, I do the best I can in the time allowed.
However, with a more motivated student, my next question is, "How much time are you willing to invest?" Then, we discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and outline their short-range and long-range learning goals. And, my first recommendation is that they come in at least twice a week--one appointment to discuss assignments and another to work on one of their set goals. I like working on one issue at a time since it gives me time to prepare, and it doesn't overwhelm the student. I've learned the hard way, through a couple of tearful sessions, that "coaching" can easily be misconstrued as "criticizing" when a student feels overwhelmed.
I also like to give homework--nothing daunting--just something that the student can do at home that will help reinforce what they've learned. This semester, I'm using some self-tests from the companion website to a developmental English textbook where they can self-assess and practice. In the past, when idioms are the issue, I've asked students to find and read a newspaper comic strip or an online magazine article--gossip, fashion, or something similarly mundane--and circle everything they don't understand before our next appointment.
I guess the point of this post is to encourage everyone to develop their own ESL tutoring style since the one great thing you can give to your students, that their textbook can't, is you.
I have already had the chance to use some of Jackie and Hannah's suggestions.
I have a student who comes in strictly for help developing and polishing specific writing assignments. At our first session, she was really struggling to express her voice in the assignments, as well as all the typical issues we've discussed.
by our third session I was amazed at how clearly I could hear her own voice in her writing and how well she had constructed her sentences.
We have used some of Hannah's advice, like how to determine which errors are really an issue with understanding the grammatical rules. I've noticed that she is showing a real pattern of correcting the types of mistakes we've worked on , on her own!
After reading Jackie's suggestions, I decided to take it a step further and see if she was at all interested in some personal writing skills development. Fortunately, the subject matter that she is being asked to write about is actually a book of stories that I am familiar with. The stories happen to be written by an author who shares this student's native language and is writing, very beautifully, about the struggle to adapt to a new culture and a new language.
She was happy to schedule time to work on some other areas of writing development when I mentioned it.
I have to admit, at our first session I was worried about tackling it all and felt a little like I had failed her. I think taking the time to have a few minutes of real conversation gave me some insight into the fact that she understood that the process would take time, and was willing to commit to it. Some students are very obviously not down with that concept. and I do what I can in 30 minutes, as well as try to encourage them to come back throughout the semester.
The ones who want the help, are likely going to benefit from any resources we point them toward and
the interest we show is definately
going to increase their chances of succeeding in whatever degree they are pursuing.
Regarding ESL strategies, I just wanted to post a couple of website addresses that may be useful to my peers during their sessions:
http://www.wadsworth.com/devenglish_d/special_features/grammarquizzes.html
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/exercisecentral/tutorials/menu.html
The first website includes a number of interactive quizzes that clients can utilize as a self-assessment tool to discover their own strengths and weaknesses. It's working especially well for a couple of my ESL students who are extremely motivated to work on their own.
The second, courtesy of Rochelle, is one I haven't used yet. However, I just spent the last couple of hours going through the tutorials, and it proved to be a great refresher course in grammar. It illustrates the basic rules of some common issues in an interactive and easy-to-read format. Moreover, it includes a nice little glossary, and I must admit that I had to refer to it more than a few times to remind myself of some things I know but have long since forgotten why I know them. Accordingly, I imagine that I will use this website to help me illustrate a particular concept to a client who is struggling to understand my verbal explanation.
That's it--enjoy the weekend!
Something interesting I found out while listening to my mom tutor one of her many Korean students; this is NOT intended to make your guys' job any sadder!: Korean (and quite possibly other East Asian etc. languages) makes no distinction between singular/plural. It's the context of a noun that determines its number.
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