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April 15, 2001
An Expert's Guide to Products for the Multilingual Classroom
By Ana Bishop
The right software and Web resources can be essential for meeting the needs of English Language Learners. Here is a compendium of practical tips for choosing the best.
A significant increase in recent years in the number of nonnative English speakers enrolling in U.S. schools has created a new demand for educators qualified to teach English Language Learners (ELLs) in K-12 settings. While Florida, New York, and other states with large populations of ELLs are scrambling to put teacher training programs in place, immediate relief is still not in the offing for many students and teachers. Technology, in the form of software and the Internet, is becoming an increasingly important resource for dealing with this issue in today's multilingual classroom.
What Is a Multilingual Classroom?
The multilingual classroom can exist in a variety of iterations. It can be simply a regular classroom containing a few students who need to develop their English language skills and who learn subject-area concepts in their native languages until they're proficient in English. Or it can consist of entire classes of students who, as a group, may speak up to 30 or 40 languages. It can also include classrooms where the objective is to have students of any language background emerge fully bilingual and biliterate-that is, with a knowledge of academic content area vocabulary in both languages, and the ability to communicate that knowledge to others. (For instance, a student should be able to explain a mathematical or scientific concept in either language.)
In any of these various versions of the multilingual classroom, appropriate, high-quality software or Web products can greatly benefit both students and teachers. Here, we take a look at criteria for choosing digital products that can be used either singly or in groups.
Tips for Choosing Good ESL Software and Web Products
Accuracy, correctness of content, and ESL approach. Some may be tempted to shortcut the language learning process by providing anything that seems appropriate to teach English, but ESL is a well-researched field and the stages of language acquisition are clearly delineated.
Not limited by regionalism or dialect. Most educational software tries to use American ("standard") English. But students may encounter a Southern, British, Australian, or other English language accent. If software is able to provide a variety of accents, especially at advanced levels, so much the better for language development.
Help in the native language. Research in the field of language learning has found that even at the most advanced levels of English language development, students benefit from assistance in their native language. This may help resolve issues of meaning or clarify instructions.
Open-ended activities available on- or offline. Practice in a language should never be limited to just interaction with a computer or software. Besides having good language teachers, students should be encouraged to participate in activities on the Web, such as peer-to-peer tutoring with students who already dominate the language, games, or exercises in content areas that help develop their "academic English" for math, science, social studies, music, and more.
True educational interactivity. Immediate feedback for self-correction and practice or rewards for accuracy are essential for language learning. Programs that record a user's verbal responses and compare them to a native speaker's, or that use voice recognition, are very useful. Beware, however: most voice recognition software is not up to the task of interpreting the speech of an ELL. Check if the software is too sensitive to variations in pronunciation that may frustrate a student at the beginner level. I've tested software that will ring up an unrecognized symbol even for native speakers. Better software allows some measure of adaptability so the teacher can select how easily the recognition engine will accept a heavily accented phrase or word.
Depth of content/curriculum
How much does the software cover? Products that claim to teach a language have to allow for a continuum of development and should provide additional modules as the student advances in a language. If it aims to teach "academic" English, or English in the context of mathematics, science, or some other content area, then consider the educational standards for that subject and level as well as for language development.
Educationally sound. The professional association Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages (TESOL) has set forth standards of learning at all grade levels. Get them and use them (www.tesol.org/). Ask vendors if software is correlated to these standards. If not, to what is the software correlated?
Ease of use by students. Working in pairs is recommended for many Web activities and other non-test situations. This reinforces language skills, facilitates success, and enables personal interaction among students who may be feeling isolated because of their language differences. Even students with different native languages benefit by pairing with other English Language Learners and native speakers of English, since they will end up having to communicate in a common language-English.
Ease of use by teachers. A teacher's job is easier when the software allows students to work independently and with minimal supervision, especially when working in pairs. When English-dominant teachers are trying to use bilingual software, knowing the content in its English version is very helpful for assisting students.
Age-appropriateness. Much software exists for younger children and for adults learning English, but there are limited choices for middle- and high-schoolers with no knowledge of English. Don't insult the intelligence of a teenager with "baby" software just because he or she cannot speak English.
Cultural sensitivity. This can range from including a variety of physically different human characters in the videos or graphics to ensuring that cultural stereotypes are avoided. Make sure the program represents not only a variety of cultures, but also a variety of economic settings. If all the situations are in upper-middle class settings, students of limited economic means may be put off. Also, is there a mixture of men and women in the doctors, lawyers, or other professionals depicted?
Visual appeal. Since repetition is a critical aspect of language learning, the software should make it more fun to repeat and practice by using varying examples, graphics, animations, and other exciting options.
Cost-effectiveness. Are you filling a gap in a mainstream classroom, or are you running a full-fledged ESL or bilingual program for large numbers of students? How you use the software and the educational objectives for your school or classroom are critical in deciding whether to buy more inexpensive, stand-alone yet good software; or more expensive and networkable software with sophisticated management systems.
Ana Bishop is a multilingual education technology consultant specializing in ESL and bilingual software integrated into the curriculum for K-12 schools.
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Terms for the Multilingual Classroom
Bilingual education, biliteracy
Teaching full literacy and content in two languages, usually English and another language. Students emerge with the ability to read, write, speak, and function academically in two languages (or, in multilingual programs, up to five, as is common in Europe).
ELL English Language Learner. This term is becoming the prevalent substitute term for LEP, ESL, and SOL (Speakers of Other Languages).
ESL English as a Second Language. Refers to the teaching of English to students who speak other languages. These students can range from having no knowledge of English to being at fairly advanced levels.
LEP Limited English Proficient. Formerly the official categorization of students in the United States whose main language of communication was not English. Many official federal (and state) documents still use this term, but the trend is now toward using the term ELL.
Native language The language usually spoken in the student's home. Also sometimes called the "home language." |
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Using Technology To Involve Parents
When dealing with students of multiple cultural and linguistic backgrounds, keep in mind that communication with parents will be very different. Parents who are new to the country, whose cultural heritage possibly requires them to accept educational authority above all, may not be inclined to participate in parent-teacher meetings. Most well-trained ESL and bilingual teachers understand this factor and learn ways to circumvent it. Bilingual teachers have the advantage that they can speak the native language of parents who may not speak English. But the average teacher is not bilingual, so schools sometimes rely on "translation engines" of different sorts to translate letters going home. This may backfire, as translations-especially from software or the Web-can be inaccurate, erroneous, or can even verge on the ridiculous. Also, parents may not be literate in their own native language, so sending them a written document may not help.
This is where technology comes in. Telephone systems that permit recording by a native speaker in multiple languages can allow parents to call in and receive updates on student progress from home. School Web sites that use translation services (not just engines) to provide a choice of languages for posting information may be another option. Finally, parent meetings that include several translators for the multiple languages in the school population could benefit from "voice-silenced communication" provided by wireless transmitting/receiving systems like TALK System. These devices connect a mask (covering the mouth to reduce sound where the interpreter is seated) or microphone (if the interpreter is seated closer to the language group) to a transmitter about the size of a pager. The pager can simultaneously transmit the human voice of an interpreter (teacher, parent, or community volunteer) to an almost unlimited number of listeners, each equipped with earphones attached to a tiny wireless receiver. The system transmits a signal in the low FM range, so outside interference during a PTA or other parent meeting is virtually eliminated. |
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Questions to Ask Vendors
It often comes only as a second thought for schools purchasing software to consider its flexibility in terms of meeting the needs of ELLs or bilingual students. To include ELLs in this consideration, purchasers should ask these key questions of software vendors when considering new orders.
Can the software toggle to another language or languages? A critical factor, especially for the dual-language classroom, involves parallel bilingual products. "Parallel" here means that both the English and the Spanish (or Chinese, or other language) software should be essentially the same in each language.
Is there more than one language option for help or support, and does it cost extra? Students will benefit from help in their native language, but some companies charge for such services.
Does the software come in any other languages? You'll find that most "tool" software (such as HyperStudio or Microsoft Word and Excel) does come in other languages-sometimes in hundreds of languages. The local sales rep may not even know this, as many companies will market their products in other countries but not sell the foreign-language versions in the United States. This does not mean you cannot get the programs, but you do have to ask the sales representatives specifically for them. |
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