English as a second language: acquisition and learning

English as a Second Language

English as Second Language: Language Beliefs

The objective of this work is to state the beliefs held about primary language and second-language acquisition in terms of the public school's mission and responsibility for the development of language skills for students who are from multilingual/multicultural homes and families and the role of the classroom teacher in developing literature bilingual students.

The classroom teacher's beliefs concerning the quality of the provision of education to the DSL learner is critically important and greatly affects the learning opportunity for the ESL learner. There are several areas that are of primary consideration in the ESL teaching practice including the professional development of the teacher in preparation for instructing ESL students as well as the application of theory and technique of instruction in the classroom. Vance Stevens (2006) writes in an article entitled: "Multiliteracies for Collaborative Learning Environments" that the term multiliteracies: "...was coined by the New London Group (1996) to address the:

multiplicity of communications channels and increasing cultural and linguistic diversity in the world today' for students and users of technology through 'creating access to the evolving language of work, power, and community, and fostering the critical engagement necessary for them to design their social futures and achieve success through fulfilling employment.'" (Stevens, 2006)

This writer agrees that the considerations are of a multidimensional nature in the ESL instructional initiative.

I. Teacher Professional Development

The first primary consideration of the classroom teacher of ESL students must be assuring that they have prepared themselves for the different factors in instructing the ESL student. Naturally the teacher must be prepared through education however, there are other factors that the teacher must be professionally equipped to handle including cultural factors that might otherwise be a detriment to effective classroom instruction.

II. ESL Optimal Learning Environment

It is the belief oft his writer that all the grammar and phonics instruction and all the reading instruction in the world cannot replace the learning environment that puts the learners at ease to make mistakes, and specifically this is believed to be true in the ESL classroom. The 'use' of language while the student learns is just as important as the quality of learning provided because without functional real-life use of the English Language there is no real grasp of the language and therefore the student might learn and yet not retain that learning. There are many activities that the teacher is able to use in the learning environment that not only assist the ESL learner but serve to educate students already in full grasp of English about other languages and cultures effectively pulling the ESL student into the activities and putting all students at ease in the learning environment. Social learning of the English language, or in fact in learning any language is very important as social learning provides an excellent platform for common everyday functional use of the language.

III. Responsibilities of the Teacher and School for the ESL Student