What are the important factors in the development and instruction of English language learners?

Children have the remarkable ability to learn new languages with surprising speed and native-like mastery, particularly when they are provided with the right learning environment. At Akorbi, we encourage learning new languages for people of all ages, and that includes kids! In today’s blog, the experts at Akorbi discuss the top four factors that influence language learning in children.

1. Exposure to the New Language

When learning a new language, the most important factor is exposure. Does the learner experience the language in the classroom only? Or do they have native speakers in their family at home? Even better, is the learner living in a place where the language they are learning is the native language? New learners will benefit immensely from the opportunity to talk in the language, listen to native speakers, and read and write in the new language on a daily basis. Maximizing the exposure to the new language is the number one factor for language learning among children.

2. The Age of the Learner

The age of the learner plays an important role in their ability to develop mastery of a new language. The earlier a child can begin learning a new language, the more quickly and completely they will develop mastery in speech, writing, and reading. Achieving a native-like mastery of a new language can be more difficult for adults than it is for children, so it is best to begin learning at a young age and stick with it!

3. The Learner’s Native Language

The learner’s native language plays an important role in their acquisition of a new language. If the learner’s native language is from a similar family of languages, the acquisition process will move along much more quickly. For example, it will be much easier to learn Spanish if the learner’s native language is French. Many general language skills, such as grammar and syntax, are transferable from one language to the other. So the stronger the learner’s mastery of their native language, the more quickly they will develop mastery of the new language. When a child is first learning a new language, it can often be helpful to include education about general language skills in their native language and how those skills transfer to the new language.

4. The Learner’s Motivation

Just like any educational activity, the motivation of the learner is a very important factor for their success. Learning a new language can be great fun, and it can also be an important necessity. So making the most of motivation is a good way to improve language learning for children. If the learner lives in their native country, but they are taking classes in a new language, they will have more success if they are taught by a favorite teacher who makes the learning environment fun and engaging. Creating a positive and enjoyable environment for learning is an important factor for success. If the learner has moved to a new country, and they must learn the new language out of necessity, this can also be a powerful motivator for success. If all the other kids in school are socializing and playing games in the new language, the learner will be much more motivated to join in and exercise their language skills. Similarly, if the everyday toys and foods and television shows that the learner experiences are in the new language, there is an intrinsic necessity to the learning that can make a big difference.

Akorbi Supports Language Learning for All Ages!

At Akorbi, we are dedicated to the belief that multilingual skills are important for people of all ages and walks of life. We are always in support of language learning, and that includes kids! If you are interested in learning more about Akorbi and the multilingual services we offer, reach out to our team today!

The five, research-based principles in this resource are “big ideas” or concepts about second-language acquisition and the academic challenges English learners face. Taken together, the principles can help teachers adapt their instruction and better support academic success for the English learner students in their classrooms.

These five principles apply to all teachers, regardless of what grade or subject area they teach.

Principle 1

English learners move through different stages as they acquire English proficiency and, at all stages, need comprehensible input

Beginning English learners typically understand a little but may not speak very much. These students face different challenges than those with intermediate level skills, who may be able to communicate interpersonally but lack specific vocabulary. Regardless of students’ proficiency levels, they need “comprehensible input” or information that is conveyed in a manner that ensures they can understand, even if they do not know every word. For example, for some students, that might mean communication through gestures or pictures; for other students, it might mean conveying new ideas with reference to terms already learned.

Teachers should do the following

• Scaffold their instruction and assignments and provide multiple representations of concepts
• Promote student interaction that is structured and supported
• Consult their state’s language proficiency standards; proficiency descriptors are helpful tools to describe how students are using language for particular audiences, tasks, and purposes.

Principle 2

There is a difference between conversational and academic language; fluency in everyday conversation is not sufficient to ensure access to academic texts and tasks

The language used in everyday communication is distinct from the language used in classroom discourse. It is all too easy to misinterpret a student’s ability to communicate with classmates on the playground or in the lunchroom—that is, a student’s facility with conversational English—as an ability to understand English in any setting, whether in chemistry labs or historical debates.

Teachers should do the following

• Provide explicit instruction in the use of academic language
• Provide multi‐faceted and intensive vocabulary instruction with a focus on academically useful words

Principle 3

English learners need instruction that will allow them to meet state content standards

It takes multiple years (perhaps as many as five to seven) for English learners to learn English to a level of proficiency high enough to perform on par with their native English‐speaking peers. English learners therefore cannot wait until they are fluent in English to learn grade‐level content. Instead, they must continue to develop their math and reading skills as well as their knowledge of social studies and science, even while learning English. This can happen through a variety of program models.

Teachers should do the following

• Provide bilingual instruction when feasible, which leads to better reading and content area outcomes
• In English‐language instructional settings, permit and promote primary language supports
• In English‐language instructional settings, use sheltered instruction* strategies to combine content area learning with academic language acquisition

In sheltered instruction, English learners learn the mainstream curriculum but often work with modified materials and extra supports to accommodate their linguistic needs. The term “sheltered” is used to indicate that this creates a more learner‐friendly environment for the students.

Principle 4

English learners have background knowledge and home cultures that sometimes differ from the U.S. mainstream It is all too easy for educators to see the “gaps” in the knowledge of new immigrant children who have never heard of Abraham Lincoln or old‐growth forests. In fact, English learners bring just as much background knowledge as any other student, but it is often knowledge of different histories, cultures, and places and not the background knowledge expected by schools and texts in the U.S.

Teachers should do the following

• Use culturally compatible instruction to build a bridge between home and school
• Make the norms and expectations of the classroom clear and explicit
• Activate existing background knowledge and build new background knowledge to increase comprehension

Principle 5

Assessments measure language proficiency as well as actual content knowledge

Oral or written assessments inevitably measure English learners’ English skills as well as, or even more than, the content being tested. It is easy for English‐language difficulties to obscure what students actually know.

Teachers should do the following

• Use testing accommodations as appropriate

Check out the original report on which this updated resource was based. To learn more about the services we provide to states, districts, and schools to better support English learner students, contact Kelli Scardina.

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