Embracing Our International Students - Part Two

Shannon Marcus | April 2009

As mentioned in my previous article (February 2009 Christian School Teacher), an English language learner's first language plays an integral role when accessing prior knowledge and background information.  An international student possesses the same conceptual knowledge as any other student in areas such as science, math, and social sciences.  Since the students cannot communicate their knowledge, teachers will have to provide ways for the international student to access that prior knowledge.  Teachers could provide students with a list of key terms and vocabulary the day before teaching the new concept, so that the students have time to translate those words and reflect on what they already know.  Depending on the resources available, it may be possible to purchase a small set of first language textbooks to be used as a resource for each subject area.

In Many Roots, Many Voices, an ESL guide from the Ontario Ministry of Education, a variety of practical suggestions are given for how to build on international students' prior knowledge from different content areas.  In geography, for example, students could present a climate graph on their home country; in a physical education class, students could teach a game or activity, including key words and phrases related to the game that come from their home country.  In addition, content-specific cultural assignments can help the teacher avoid the issue discussed above where we make a student 'represent' their home culture in demeaning or stereotypical ways.

That learning takes place best in context, attached to prior knowledge, is another reason we do not require a certain level of English proficiency before 'allowing' students into a mainstream classroom.  Students will acquire language more quickly when they see it working in a given subject area.  Keeping students from a regular class setting where they learn what their classmates learn can have a negative effect on their self esteem and their ability to integrate properly into the school.  Students will be more motivated to learn vocabulary and structures when they can see these structures in use around them.

Bransford, Brown and Cocking explain that instruction should enable students to integrate facts with deeper conceptual structures for successful learning to take place.  For international students, this provides another pedagogical challenge, especially in the absence of a first language counterpart with whom students could collaborate at a deeper level.   One possible means of ensuring that this occurs is through journal writing.  Journal writing can be used for entire classes (not just English language learners) to develop ideas presented in class in personal, meaningful ways.  These are not necessarily for the teacher to read, and are often assessed by whether a student is writing or not.  For such assignments, the international student could be allowed to write in their first language, or a mixture of both.  Because the journal could also be a good way to practice paragraph writing in English, the teacher can switch between first language or English, as the situations allow.

Another way to ensure deeper learning takes place is through creative responses to the material being covered.  The goal of a creative response is to have students personalize and react to a given concept.  Creative responses typically are designed by the student, and are open to their choosing.  Students may complete art work to express an idea, may make a diagram or model of a concept discussed in class, or they can even write a poem or a song.  Some of these creative responses can be quite meaningful and can demonstrate deeper level processing without requiring a high level of language ability.  English language learners could be asked to explain their work orally to the teacher, or if they were to write a poem or song in their first language they could be asked to provide a rough translation of the text.

The third way that learning occurs most effectively is to have students take control over their own learning situations.  This would be an advantage for any student, but particularly for an English language learner who needs a program adapted to meet her specific linguistic needs.  Our international students may need an individualized plan where their own specific needs can be met.  The English language instructor should not work in isolation from the classroom teacher.  Classroom teachers should be invited to submit areas of concern, vocabulary and concept lists or assignments that need further attention so that the English language support can match what is being done in the mainstream classroom.

Another way to give students individual attention is through group assignments and activities.  Such work can be tailored to the student's personal interests, and the teacher can designate groups in such a way that the international student is placed with helpful, patient, willing classmates who will ensure that all their group members are equal contributors.  Many Roots, Many Voices also adds that there is safety in small numbers, and international students may feel more confident to add their opinion with fewer classmates listening.  The international student will also have fewer people to listen to in a group activity than in a large class setting, enabling them to focus ask questions more quickly.

In order to effectively meet all three principles regarding how people learn philosophies and expectations regarding assessment and evidence of learning may have to be altered.  To meet an English language learner's individual needs teachers should consider giving an oral test where the student can explain concepts without the burden of writing.  On questions that would normally be written in full sentences teachers could allow students to write in point form or to draw diagrams.  When the English language is not the purpose of the assessment, the teacher should give feedback and constructive advice, but should not penalize the student for poor grammar or word choice.

International students should be welcomed with open, loving, hospitable arms by both teachers and students.  Sometimes best intentions are misleading and the dominant group ends up holding a position of power over visiting students that is not welcoming and does not promote learning.  By considering research on how learning works, teachers can modify their curriculum and pedagogy in such a way that international students are respected and their gifts and strengths are allowed to shine. 


Shannon Marcus is Department Head of French at Durham Christian High School in Bowmanville, Ontario.