#005 - 4 Ways to Use Students' First Language in Teaching English

You're listening to episode 5 of the ESL Teaching Podcast. In today's episode, I will be answering the questions that I hear quite frequently. Should we use the student's first language in the classroom? If so, how and for how long, I will share a story that will put things into perspective for you and maybe you've been in a similar situation in your life at some point as well. You will also hear about 4 ways you can bring English learning to life by utilizing your student's native languages as well as ideas for assessments. Without further ado, let's get to the episode. Hello and welcome to the ESL Teaching Podcast. I am your host, Yeva Grossless, otherwise known as Simply Yeva, and I am so thankful that you tuned in. I'm looking forward to sharing both my knowledge and experience on this podcast as well as that of my fellow teachers. Hello, hello everyone. Today, I wanted to chat with you about our student's first languages, otherwise known as L1 in the classroom. In this episode, I will be sharing tips not only for the ESL/ELL teachers, but also for content area teachers who have English learners in their classroom. So if you think your colleagues will like it, benefit from this, please share this episode with them. I see this question time and time again. Are we allowed to use the student's first language in the classroom? If so, how much and for how long? I can translate all the materials, but where does English learning come in? This is exactly what I want to chat about in this episode. Here's what you will hear. First, we will go over the challenges of using the first language and a few reasons why students would want and even need to use it in the classroom. Then, we will look into ways that monolingual teachers in English-only context can incorporate their students' first language in the instruction, as well as we will learn about the term "trans-languaging." And finally, I will share some ideas for assessment and how long you should be using the student's L1 in the classroom. Learning a new language is an experience like no other. It can be both very rewarding and intimidating at the same time. As I frequently do, I have a story to share with you that will hopefully illustrate what I will be talking about in this episode. When I was in my first years of college studying English, we were supposed to choose another language to explore. The choices were Spanish or German, and even though deep down I wanted to learn Spanish after a few lessons, for some reason I completely ignored my wishes as often happens with young people or maybe just me, and I took the practical approach to continue with German because I had started a bit of it in high school. To tell you the truth, my German is still limited to the phrases "I don't speak German" and "Where is the bathroom?" The first year was great. We were learning the basics, simple grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary, and I felt quite successful and empowered, simply because it was at my level. But then life happened, I took a year off, and when I came back, I was placed in a different group. I cannot exactly remember what the process or reasoning for assigning me to that particular German level was, but I pretty quickly realized that I was quite severely misplaced. It may have been German 3 seeing that I was in my third year and the professor spoke exclusively German. I literally could not understand 90% of what she was saying. During the occasional glimpses of light, so to speak, when I would grasp a word, I'd be so happy that I'd missed the rest of a sentence. It was excruciating. I remember the tension in my body of trying to keep up and still retain the remains of my dignity. Now that I look back, from my perspective as a teacher, I can see where a student like me might have faltered. Schools which would have been really helpful were few and far between. There was a lot of teacher talk, and the class was quite fast paced. I was the odd duck out, no doubt about that. Of course, this was all happening before the widespread use of the internet and Google Translate and other tools that make language teaching and learning so much easier. I could tell the teacher tried really hard to embrace the method of German only, no translation, in her classroom, and I appreciate that, but that leads to the main point of this episode that would answer the question, should I allow first language usage in the classroom? Yes. Yes, you should. As a student in the German as a foreign language class, I could have totally appreciated a little bit of help in Lithuanian. My effective filter was so high that I could not focus on anything but the idea that I'm a loser and I cannot produce. And chances are your English learners, especially newcomers and beginners, are in the same boat. While using students' first language in the classroom sounds great, the how is a little bit more complicated. So let's take a look at our first point. Some challenges of using the first language or L1, and let's talk about how it can reduce the effective filter and improve the student's academic achievement. There are different programs for EL instruction, ranging from ones that embrace English-only approach to bilingual programs who utilize the student's L1. We can always look at an issue from two sides. One approach is that using the minority language is a barrier to assimilation in the society, personal success, and social integration. As an example of such an approach would be the laws that get rid of bilingual education programs for students, and instead place them in one-year transitional programs after which they're expected to succeed in English-only classrooms. But what if we looked at the first language usage as an asset? Our students bring prior life experiences and background knowledge to the classroom that cannot be erased. Their native language is one of those assets as well. If someone told me to completely stop speaking and reading in Lithuanian, my identity would crumble. Who am I without it? Am I not supposed to share what I know even though I cannot express it in English yet? I have always been a firm believer in multilingualism, and I have reaped the benefits of seeing the world through different lenses. Utilizing the student's first language as a resource will yield far more rewarding results not only for the EL students, but for all who work with them. Now let's take a look at a few reasons why students would want and even need to use their first language in the classroom. Reason number one is simple, they simply do not understand yet. When they are placed in a new environment where everyone around them speaks an unfamiliar language, they experience the feelings of insecurity and inadequacy. This raises their effective filter, which is an invisible psychological filter that can either facilitate or hold back second language learning. When the effective filter is low, students are more willing and able to engage in language learning, but when it is high, not much learning can take place. Reason number two is that they are afraid to make mistakes and therefore stay stuck in the safe zone. This is more of a psychological aspect of language learning, but it is very real for many students. Reason number three, they do not trust that what they know is good enough and therefore utilize their first language to check and for comprehension with Google Translate or their buddies. Reason number four, they do not see the why in the lesson and this frequently happens when the what of the lesson is not clear. Learning a language involves not only linguistic but also behavioral and psychological factors. We frequently notice that younger students have fewer inhibitions when it comes to language learning as they are more open and seek friendships right away. The older the students, the more stories, quote unquote, they have around why they should or shouldn't do things. Here are a few examples. Word pronunciation is funny to absolute beginners. Their mouths are simply not used to pronouncing English words. Making mistakes is frowned upon where they come from, therefore, they may associate any error with personal failure. Losing one's identity if I speak English will I fit into my community? And of course, being a teenager has its own variations of the above. The above is by no means a complete list of reasons for why someone might be reluctant to use English, but they do open up doors for you, the teacher. Among the students to use their first language reduces their stress and anxiety and opens the doors for students to participate in a lesson in a way that they can. As teachers of English learners, we know that it takes a couple of years for students to acquire social language, which means that they can communicate with peers and teachers informally are able to express their needs, preferences and share experiences. However, it takes longer for the academic language to kick in upwards to five, seven years. So if we think about somebody who arrives in America in grade five, six, seven, eight or older, that does not give a lot of time, which brings us to the second point. What can you the teacher do in this situation? There are some ways that teachers in English only context can incorporate students first language in their instruction, and you don't need to know the language. Of course, it always is helpful, but it is impossible to know all of the languages that your students are speaking. The first thing you can do is to activate prior knowledge. All students have background knowledge that can be used to access the material taught in the classroom. Their first language is that background knowledge as well. For example, teaching content area words that are cognates words that look and sound the same or similar to the words in your students first language is one way to begin building academic vocabulary. This strategy works well for students who come from languages that are related to English German, Spanish, French, Dutch and a few others. Many students come with knowledge and education in their first language. Frequently, they are familiar with the concepts that class is learning. Reviewing those concepts in their first language will then allow the teachers to assist the students to transfer that knowledge into English. This can be done with providing the necessary vocabulary and sentence frames. The second way you can incorporate the first language is to use materials published in other languages. These can include bilingual dictionaries, although a lot of students are using online dictionaries nowadays, books, story books for elementary EL students, and possibly curriculum related books such as Romeo and Juliet or Animal Farm, for example, for students in middle and high school. When the students are reading the same material that everyone else is, they can then transfer that knowledge to learning English, possibly expressing key ideas, identifying themes and so on. Other print materials include posters in students' languages or magazines if they are available. The third way you can help is use the students' first language to discuss language learning and grammatical points. Compare and contrast English with your students' first language. This will draw their attention to language functions, word order, parts of speech, word formation. In addition, as I mentioned, finding cognates in English and the students' first language will help them see the similarities and differences in vocabulary as well as facilitate content area learning. Another way of honoring students' language and teaching English could be a discussion about social and cultural norms of language usage in both languages. This will help both activate prior knowledge and increase literacy skills. The fourth way is to utilize trans-languaging. It is interesting how we do things in class naturally without even knowing that there is a term for it. In order to help my students access the curriculum, I have encouraged them to read the required books for content area classes in their first language if they can find a translation in it. It is not always easy and it is a little bit more challenging in languages that are more removed from English and do not share the same alphabet. But it is possible and that's how they have been able to access great works like Great Gatsby, Romeo, Juliet and others. Educationally speaking, this is an example of trans-languaging, a term coined by Sen Williams in Welsh language and later translated in English. So, here is the definition of trans-languaging. A purposeful cross-curricular strategy for the planned and systematic use of two languages for teaching and learning inside the same lesson. Sounds quite scientific, but in reality it is a rather natural way for multilinguals to communicate. For example, reading or hearing in one language, let's say Spanish, and speaking and writing in another, let's say English or vice versa. Students can use the elements of each language together and be able to communicate more effectively. And that's what the ultimate goal is to communicate using all of the available resources to us. Our final point today has to do with assessment and the first language. This is one of the more challenging areas to incorporate, mostly because of the concerns over the validity of test results. To monitor progress of English language acquisition, ELLs are given standardized tests. These are administered in English. However, the tests that assess student knowledge and progress in content area classes are frequently published or created by teachers and they're also in English. For students who are not yet proficient in the English language, this poses a challenge because they are unable to demonstrate what they truly know in the subject area. One way to help your students demonstrate their academic knowledge is to translate test items. You can also use translated assessment to check on prior knowledge. It is important to know, though, to note that translations on assessments will be most beneficial for English learners who have received education in their first language, are literate in their first language, and aware of the academic register. The ELLs who were not educated in their first language would not do well on translated assessments and the result may not be valid. Another way to assess is to provide bilingual dictionaries, but then again, there are variations on whether students are able to use them, what information is included, and so on. One of the better ways to assess your students by using their first language is to check for prior learning and literacy. As mentioned earlier in this episode, literacy skills are transferable from one language to another and vocabulary or reading comprehension assessments can be found in languages other than English. That way you can get a more accurate picture of what your student can do. Having gone over the three important points of using the first language in the classroom, the big question that I asked in the beginning was, "For how long do we use the first language in the classroom?" In an English-speaking school and society, we do not want them to forget their language and identity, but we also want the students to learn English and become competent readers, writers, and communicators. And while using their first language is a great way to facilitate learning, how much and for how long should we do it? The answer to this, I think, depends on the student and the situation. It is really important to know your English learner. Did they receive education in their first language? Did they study some English prior to moving to the U.S.? Chances are they have knowledge that will transfer sooner than that of a student who needs to be taught from scratch. I usually make a pact with my beginners that they are allowed to use Google Translate for the first month for starters, and then we revisit the frequency and the need after that one month. Again, it all depends on the student's exposure to English and whether they learned it before or if it's a completely new language. Especially once the students feel more comfortable in their new environment, they are also more open to actually hearing the language around them and retaining some information. So to help students see their own learning, I created a short-speaking self-assessment where I asked them to rate themselves on simple tasks. For example, on a scale of 1 to 10, did I understand when people spoke to me? Was I able to respond when someone spoke to me? Do I think I can do this again? What can I do to help myself understand? In my practice, stopping and revisiting what the students have learned in English gives them a real boost of confidence. I hope you found this helpful and have gained some insights and ideas of how you can use the student's first language in the classroom. As always, I like to do a quick recap of the episode in case you skipped some parts. First, we looked into the challenges of using the student's first language, as well as a few reasons why students would want and even need to use their first language in the classroom. Then, I shared some suggestions of how monolingual teachers in English-only context can incorporate their students' first languages in their instruction. And finally, I shared some ideas for assessment and tips for how long you should be using the student's L1 in the classroom. And that is all for today. Thank you so much for listening to this episode. I hope you found it helpful and have gained some insights and ideas of how you can use the student's first language in the classroom. Make sure to subscribe to the ESL Teaching Podcast so you don't miss an episode. And if you feel inspired, I would love a positive review. Please improve the chances of this podcast to be discovered in the field and help our fellow ESL ELL teachers. Again, thanks for listening and until next time. Before you go, I'd like to invite you, when you're ready, to check out the resources for ESL teachers on SimplyYava ESL website and teacherspeteachers. If you are a newer ESL teacher or have never worked with beginner-level English learners, you will greatly benefit from the ebook Teaching Absolute Beginners, the ESL teacher's handbook, where you will learn or review the basics of teaching this group of students. Another great resource for any teacher is 25 authentic speaking activities with complete lesson plans, just print or project and your lesson is done. But the crown jewel of all the lessons that you can find on my website and in the teacherspeteachers store is the ESL Teaching Roadmap, which encompasses all of the above resources and exclusive members-only content. For example, monthly uploads of scope and sequence, new creative lessons for both ESL newcomers and mixed proficiency level classes, as well as members-only access to 30-minute consultations. As ESL teachers, we sometimes need to talk it out. If you are interested in Ready, I'd like to offer a 10% off coupon just for podcast listeners. Use code ESLpodcast at checkout and I am looking forward to seeing you inside.