Running head: EMPATHY & COMPASSION FIRST

Philosophy of Teaching ELLs: Empathy & Compassion First

Crystal Carroll

St. Thomas University

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Introduction

The world of teaching is constantly changing, but one thing that should always remain

the same is that the student’s best interests are kept in mind by the teacher. Not all students learn

the same way, and for us as teachers that is becoming more apparent as the amount of English

language learners are increasing in our classrooms. There are so many factors to consider when

teaching ELLs and it is crucial to ensure they are feeling included, like they are learning, and that

they are not put on the spot due to differences. These are just a few key points to remember, but

they branch in so many directions and leave a wide range of considerations for teachers to keep

in mind. Teaching ELLs creates such a wide umbrella. Some students have little to no English-

speaking ability when starting as an ELL, and some have developed to the point where they are

almost on the same level as first-language English learners. Considering there is such a wide

range of speaking ability for ELLs, teaching these students will vary with how to accommodate

their needs and it is something that can only be fully considered after getting to know your

students, their ability and their next English level benchmark.

How to Include

When welcoming ELLs into your classroom, the first thing to keep in mind is that unlike

other students, they are new and their language barrier might keep them from being able to make

connections with other students. Especially for the elementary level, it is important to

incorporate activities that encourage all students to get to know one another and make friends.

These small activities could bring ELLs out of their shell and begin to provide opportunities for

them to feel included with their classmates. Ensuring that other students are aware that speaking

English is not easy for these students can cause them to be aware of how they speak and be sure

the words they are choosing can be picked up by an ELL, perhaps by encouraging gestures, use
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of visuals or guided directions (Colorado, 2017). I believe social inclusion will play a huge role

in the development of ELLs speaking abilities and it is important as a teacher to provide as many

opportunities for this to happen in your class as possible during various activities and lessons.

Another way to particularly make ELLs feel welcomed to a new classroom would be by

incorporating their tradition and culture into your classroom and learning, as it is likely that they

come from different cultures and traditions that we are commonly used to (Colorado, 2017). As

ELLs strive to learn the new lingo and fit in with their peers in an environment they are not used

to, it would be comforting and calming to know that your teacher or peers took the time to

understand a few common phrases or traditions from their language. This could also act as a way

for ELLs to interact with their peers, as they could spend time learning from one another’s

language and cultures, leading the ELL to a better understanding of common English phrases as

an end result.

Pedagogies

As a teacher, a couple key concepts to remember when trying to ease the anxiety of ELLs

would be to use visuals and scaffolding (Coelho, 2016, p. 148 & 230). When teaching English

language learners, it is beneficial for them and for all students to have visuals around the

classroom. In an elementary classroom, it is not abnormal to have visuals throughout the class,

but for ELLs, it can create an extra reassurance knowing they have them to look to as a resource

for common phrases, words, commands, etc. Scaffolding can benefit all students as well,

however; it is almost a necessity when teaching ELLs. Scaffolding allows students to continue

building on prior knowledge and gain new information, just slightly beyond where they are

currently at, with the help of the teacher (Colorado, 2017). Essentially, scaffolding relates back

to a theorist we talked about in class, Krashen, who I believe made a great point concerning the
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teaching of ELLs. In order to reduce anxiety, yet still ensure our ELLs are learning and moving

forward, Krashen explained his Comprehensible Input Hypothesis, where one part of this

hypothesis suggests using an i+1 model, where i is the information students have already been

exposed to and have begun to master, and +1 is just the next step forward, without moving too

far ahead and overwhelming the student with information (Reiss, 2012, p.8). His theory is

another way of explaining scaffolding and I believe it is an important concept to incorporate into

teaching for all students, as we want to minimize their anxieties and worries to the best of our

ability.

How to Assess

Keeping in mind that we do not want to overwhelm our students, it is important that we

know how to best assess their work. Rather than a bad grade, we cannot expect ELLs to

immediately be at the point where mother-tongue English language learners are at. For some

evaluations, ‘N/A’ might be appropriate in certain fields, rather than incomplete, just because the

student did not get there yet. I believe that when we do take the time to assess, instead of sticking

to traditional pen and paper ways, we must be mindful of what type of assessing will show the

students potential best – and this is true for non-ELL students as well. For second-language

speakers, we know that they might need more time than their peers for a test that requires reading

and it is okay to allow that, however; I believe we would be better off steering away from

language-based tests in most subjects (Coelho, 2016, p. 298). I believe that if you know your

students, you will know how to best assess them, which could be a number of things – oral

testing, acting it out, keeping a portfolio, or even a simple checklist (Coelho, 2016, p. 299). All

of these options focus on the student’s strong points, rather than resorting back to testing that

will only emphasize areas that they are weak in. Being mindful that multiple choice, or even
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essay style question, will not be best for assessment purposes will strengthen ELLs learning

process as they will be willing to step slightly outside of their comfort zone, knowing they will

not have to face a test that sets them up for failure.

Conclusion

Teaching ELLs is a complex task that is not just as simple as making a couple

modifications. The process starts with compassion and empathy from the teacher and later

consists of making decisions that you feel are in the student’s best interest. There are obvious

things to avoid, such as language-focused testing, and things to continuously be mindful of, such

as visuals and scaffolding their learning. I believe that a teacher with a genuine interest in all of

their students and with a good understanding of where each student is at can make all the

difference and provide the best learning for all students in their class including ELLs.
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References

Coelho, E. (2016). Adding English: A Guide to Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms. Toronto:

University of Toronto Press.
Colorado, C. (2017). How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment. Retrieved from
Colorin Colorado: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/how-create-welcoming-
classroom-environment
Reiss, J. (2012). Content Strategies for English Language Learners: Teaching for Academic
Success in Secondary School (2nd ed.). Florida: Pearson.