Running head: ELL Instructional Practices

Instructional Practices with a Positive Impact for English Language Learners (ELLs)

Veronica G. Higareda-Perez

Texas A&M University-Commerce

Introduction

If a child cant learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.

Ignacio Estrada stated (Waters, 2015). As administrators take a microscopic look at their end of

year data, they may notice deficits in certain content areas as well as student groups such as

economically disadvantaged, special education, and English language learners (ELLs). The goal

is to evaluate data and devise changes in teaching practices to implement for the upcoming

school year that would yield greater success. This research will explore various types of

instructional practices that have impacted ELL student achievement.

The ELL group is one of the most fragile student groups failing to meet the challenging

standards STAAR assessment across the state. According to TEA, there are currently more than

one million ELL students enrolled in the state of Texas; less than 70% of the ELLs in Texas met

standard on STAAR (TEA, 2017). This is particularly alarming considering several state

standards range in the 50th percentile. While different school districts across the state have

adopted various program models for ELL students, one commonality they share is the lack of

academic progress. Thus the question remains, which specific instructional practices can be put

in place to ensure academic achievement for ELL students on formal high stakes assessments?

Statement of the Problem

This research will identify and explore various types of instructional strategies that can be

integrated in ELL classrooms. Studies show the understanding of student proficiency levels

along with good teaching practices have a positive impact on ELL students in the classroom.

Experts point to text selection, front loading vocabulary, shared writing, and the use of familiar

text to teach different skills as types of accommodations that contribute to the improvement of

ELL performance.
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Review of Related Literature

The limits of my language are the limits of my world. Ludwig Wittgenstein

One of the biggest topics in education today pertains to which instructional methods have

the greatest impact on English Language Learners (ELLs) achievement. Considering the

percentage of ELL students attending public schools continues to grow around the country,

educators are extremely interested in what they can do to aid students in acquiring the English

language. Students mastery of academic instruction will impact formal high stakes assessments,

whether it be on STAAR or Telpas in Texas. As more focus continues to grow on the success

rate of ELL students on these type of assessments, finding the most impactful instructional

strategies for ELLs is imperative. Literature reviews showed understanding the way ELL

students learn, differentiation of instruction, consideration to proficiency levels, and various

instructional strategies as key factors in ELLs student success. Research showed the importance

of customization in student learning and teacher implementation as dependent variables for

student progress.

Impact of Differentiation

The literature review revealed the importance of understanding how ELL students learn.

The acquisition of a second language is complex (Snow, 1992). Thus if second language

students are taught in the same way as an English learners, the acquisition of the second

language becomes increasingly difficult. Students require a lot of support when obtaining

information in a new language. Hence, it is important to find similarities in the students native

language and apply them to the English language to ensure a smoother transition to the

acquisition of the second language. The articles also demonstrated the value of making

connections with students schema, or knowledge of concepts they already possess. ELL
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students encounter challenges when they are given topics which they do not hold prior

knowledge of, thus they struggle to make connections and are unable to elaborate or extract

meaning on the unfamiliar subject matter before them (Chamot and OMally, 1987). This causes

frustration and the childrens affective filter to increase, which can lead to students shutting

down. To prevent that occurrence, the emphasis of scaffolds and support then become a crucial

part of instructional practices in an ELL classroom environment.

Proficiency Level Differentiation

Differentiation of instruction must be based not only on a students academic level, but

also on the students language proficiency level. ELL students need the opportunity for oral

conversation and discussion in order to process and thrive in an academic and social setting. For

example, when a student receives input during a mini lesson, they need the opportunity to

process and internalize the information through discussion. Oral conversation also provides

students the chance to become familiar with the academic language that was introduced. These

practices are important for student engagement and language immersion (Weist, 2008).

Instructional influences based on academic and language proficiency levels set forth a language

rich classroom environment for students to flourish and work towards English acquisition and

reach a level of academic mastery. Moreover, establishment of great instructional practices for

ELL students becomes essential for student achievement of formal high stakes assessments.

Formal assessments measure mastery of a concepts of a particular grade level, without

consideration to student language proficiency levels, or the amount of time a student has been in

the country (Solarzano, 2008). "Classrooms must be organized to enable learners to obtain the

kind of linguistic input that will stimulate second language acquisition." (Milk, 1985). Since not
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ELL students learn in the same manner nor at the same rate, it is important to customize

instructional approaches for each individual ELL student.

Instructional Strategies

According to the literature review, there is no question that differentiation of instructional

strategies is imperative to the achievement of ELL students. The articles revealed several

instructional strategies that had a great impact on English language learners ability to acquire

the English language as well as academic content. The purpose of instructional strategies is to

provide support for students that have not mastered a particular skill or are acquiring a second

language. Small group instruction is a very critical instructional strategy used. Presenting

information for students in a small group makes a big difference as the information is given at

their level. Another example of an impactful instructional strategy is the selection of engaging

high interest topics and text, thereupon creating a connection with topics that are familiar to

students. This makes the transition of more complex text and concepts less complicated for ELL

students to understand. Teachers will see positive results when they discover patterns and places

in lessons where engaging text can be embedded, making the learning more accessible for

students (Gersten, 1999). Activating students schema or background knowledge is another

powerful instructional strategy for second language learners. This can be done by providing

visuals or explicit instruction of characters, story plot, or by showing students an introductory

video which provides background information. Chunking text or presenting smaller portions of

text or information at a time is another instructional practices found to have a positive impact

with ELL student learning. For example, one of the articles mentioned exposing ELL students to

Shakespeare by chunking or beating the piece of dramatic literature into smaller parts which

students could understand (Porter, 2009). Introducing academic content in small chunks allows
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ELL students to obtain grade level information with a higher complexity. Thus, coupling grade

level academic content or text with additional scaffolds such as visuals, movement, acting out,

group discussion, or a summary of information yields a higher understanding for language

learners that might otherwise be challenging or too complex. In addition, teachers can use the

same piece of text with students to teach multiple skills in reading. This strategy is known as

close reading. Since students are familiar with the text, they can focus on various skills and not

dwell on comprehension of the text. Students who develop strong skills can transfer the

knowledge they have learned with less complications (Linan-Thompson, Vaughn, Hickman-

Davis, and Kouzekanani, 2003). As can be seen, there is a great need to have knowledge of a

plethora of instructional strategies in order to embed them in ELL classrooms, as not all students

require the same strategies (Klingner, Hoover, and Baca, 2008).

Vocabulary strategies for ELLs

How can we communicate with each other if we do not have the understanding of

language? Vocabulary development is such an important part of second language acquisition.

Research shows students who lack vocabulary development can become stagnant with language

acquisition. As a result, instructional strategies for vocabulary development are critical for

student achievement. One instructional strategy is to provide students with definition of

vocabulary word while others include providing students with a synonym or a simple for a

technical word or using cognates. Teachers can also provide opportunities for students to make

connections with words, and using words across various content areas. Other vocabulary

strategies include developing a vocabulary list, using word walls, repetition of word, using words

in context, providing examples of vocabulary words, visuals, and movement (Roberts and

Truxaw, 2013). One important factor to consider is knowing when to teach specific words
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explicitly and when students should utilize a strategy to help them figure out the meaning of

unfamiliar words. If a word is used once or is critical to the understanding of the text they are

reading, then the meaning of the word should be given to the student. If the student will see the

world multiple times and the text provides clues to identify the meaning of the unfamiliar word,

then the student should be taught to use a strategy to figure out the meaning of the word.

Furthermore, teachers can provide students with a visual that helps them understand what the

word means or remember the meaning of the word (Porter, 2009). Instructional approaches to

vocabulary development can also include acting out words or phrases to help students understand

the meaning. In addition, the recognition of word patterns and word parts is essential for ELL

students to build their vocabulary repertoire. If a student understand the prefix pre means before,

they can use the familiar knowledge to identify preheat. Pinpointing small familiar words in

larger and longer vocabulary words is another strategy students can learn in order to gain more

knowledge in English. Similarly hands on activities such as making words, can have a positive

impact on ELL students.

Instructional strategies tailored to each ELL student is extremely crucial in the acquisition

of the English language.

Research Questions
1. How can differentiation of instruction impact student learning?

2. Why are proficiency levels important to classroom differentiation?

3. Which instructional strategies would have the greatest impact in literacy

classroom on student learning?

4. How can vocabulary be modified across various proficiency levels?

Hypotheses Statements
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The purpose of this study is to identify and understand factors that affect English

Language Learners educational progress. Instructional practices such as selection of text, shared

writing, vocabulary development, and the gradual release model can have positive impact second

language acquisition. The following questions and hypothesis will guide this research proposal:

Ha: One of the biggest factor that can impede English language acquisition is welcoming

ELL students into a mainstream classroom without addressing differences among students.

(Clinger, Hoover, Baca, 2008).

Ha: Best practices for teaching ELL students include differentiation of instruction based

on the students linguistic proficiency levels based on Telpas and implementation of ELPS

strategies.

Ha: Selecting engaging text for students keeping in mind their reading and proficiency

levels, bundling text, recycling text, shared writing, providing visuals, realia, and implementing a

gradual release model can have great outcomes for ELL students.

Ha: Vocabulary differentiation is critical to ELL student progress as students linguistic

proficiency levels in a classroom vary. Thus, front load vocabulary for ELL students at their

proficiency level in order for students to progress.

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