Teacher beliefs and practices in English as second language instruction

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.

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

It is the responsibility of the teacher and school to provide the best possible learning environment and instructional opportunities for each student in the school and this is the same in view of the ESL students so that they are able to successfully advance through grades, graduate, go on to higher education or successfully gain employment and secure a future in the work world and community. These students fall under the inclusion standards and are educated in the same classroom with students who are speakers and readers of the English Language. As described in the previous section of this work, while this is a difficult task for the teacher at times, the teacher can use inclusion to the advantage of the learning of the ESL student.