1

EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING ELLS AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

Literature Review
Lidia Karavaeva
University of Arkansas
Department of Curriculum and Instruction

Author Note
This paper was prepared for CIED CIED 5953, taught by Haraa Al-Zoin

EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING ELLS AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

2

Effective Techniques for Teaching ELLs at High-School Level

It is a fact that there are more and more students in American schools whose native language is
different from English. The research shows that more than one if five children in the United States has
at least one immigrant parent (Grantmakers for Education, 2010 as cited by Herrera, 2013 p.9). Unlike
a lot of students in elementary schools, who are born in the United States from immigrant parents, a lot
of students in secondary schools are foreign-born, which means that they are less likely to
demonstrate high levels of English language proficiency (Herrera, 2007, p.11). Herrera (2007) also
pointed out that usually secondary schools offer limited services for English language learners (p.11).
Moreover, the content in high school becomes much more complex and requires more academic skills.
Thus, instruction for ELL in secondary schools needs special attention from educators.
Some of the methods that are considered to be effective with ELLs do not work as well with
older students. My teaching experience includes teaching EFL to students of different ages, including
elementary, middle school, junior high, and high school students. For example, if we look at different
ways to teach pronunciation, we can notice that identifying sound using pictures is an effective and
enjoyable activity for young learners, while it is not with high school students (Newton, 2008, p.85).
Another example could be using total physical response in teaching vocabulary to elementary school
students as physical action helps reinforce language learning because the body associates the command
it hears with the action it is carrying out(Horwitz, 2013, p.66). My teaching experience shows that it
really helps younger students learn new vocabulary, but it does not work with high school students at all,
because they are too self-conscious to do this in front of their peers. These are the reasons why
secondary school teachers should be selective in choosing the strategies that work best with their ELLs.

EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING ELLS AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

3

Some researchers believe that there are not too many differences between effective instructional
methods for mainstream classroom and a classroom with CLD students. Harper and De Jong (2004)
claimed that teachers have four major misconceptions about teaching English language learners, one
of them is the idea that teaching ELLs appears to be a matter of just good teaching (p. 153). Unlike
them, Gray and Fleishman (2004) argued that a review of effective instructional strategies for
linguistically and culturally diverse students reveals that many of these strategies are simply extensions
of approaches that work well with all students (p.84). These researchers mentioned small group
discussion, seeing CLD students as a resource in the classroom, and scaffolding as strategies that are
effective with ELLs and native speakers. Nevertheless, the teachers should be aware that there are
differences in the way they can do all these activities. Harper and De Jong (2004) claimed that small
groups were helpful, as they provided ELLs with the opportunity for communication with native
speakers in academic context (p.154). CLD student should have a chance to practice using the new
language to negotiate meaning in interactive settings (Harper & De Jong, 2004, p.154). Hakuta, Santos,
and Fang (2013) admitted that students must be active in classroom activities and discourses that reflect
the practices of each content discipline as it helps them become full members of their class (p.451).
Moreover, Horwitz (2013) reasoned that teachers should allow a silent period where students
are not required to talk (p.66). One of the classes that I observed was a Science class in 6th grade with
one ELL student, who did not speak English at all. The students worked in small groups on the activity,
where they had to group pictures into categories and name each category. The ELL student did not say a
single word during this activity, though he was fully engaged in organizing the pictures. That is also a
good example of another effective strategy for CLD students that will be discussed next.
In addition to the techniques mentioned above, there are other techniques that both teachers and
researchers find effective in teaching ELLs. For instance, a lot of researchers find visual aids and

EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING ELLS AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

4

gestures very helpful. Gray and Fleishman (2004) emphasized the role of using pictures and actions
when teaching a class with CLD students (p.85). Visuals may include posters, pictures, instructions or
questions written on the board, video, etc. Teachers should keep in mind that using visuals with high
school students is different from the one in elementary school. For example, cartoons tend to be less
exciting for older students than for elementary students. Besides, higher level of cognitive abilities of
high school students allow presenting more complex concepts in visual format. For example, showing a
video of a chemical experiment in Science class with a narrative of the process.
There are some techniques for teaching speaking and listening that seem to be effective in
teaching ELLs. It is crucial both for the teacher and the student to have realistic expectations
(Horwitz, 2013, p.95). The level of listening activities should be appropriate for the language level of the
student, while at the same time it is enough if the student understands only the general idea of the
message (p.95). Harper and De Jong (2004) supported this idea by saying that even though teachers
believe that ELL learn the language in the same way native speakers do it, there are differences (p.154).
ELLs need explicit teaching methods to start developing their listening and speaking skills. For example,
providing listening material with slower speech and more distinct pronunciation, that is easier to
understand. It might be challenging to understand everything from only one listening that is why it is
better to let CLD students listen to the same paragraph twice. Alongside with the above activities, there
are more strategies that will help develop listening skills, such as listening activities with subtitles,
context and meaning support, keeping in mind interests, age, and needs of CLD students.
Assessment of CLD students is one of the challenging aspects for teachers. Herrera (2013)
believed that authentic assessment is useful for gathering information that helps [teachers] plan,
adapt, and individualize instruction (p.23). Some researchers observed that sometimes assessment is
difficult because teachers cannot understand if the errors come from not understanding the concept or

EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING ELLS AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

5

not understanding the language (Horwitz, 2013, p.104). For example, one of the solutions for assessing
CLD students could be observation. Teachers should be conscious about the students behavior while
doing the activity. If the student working on the assignment without interruptions, looking at his
textbook or notebook, writing instead of looking around, most likely he does not experience any
difficulties at the moment (Horwitz, 2013, p.104).
Secondary school students face a lot of challenges connected not only with the academic success,
but also with their age. It is very important for teachers to keep in mind that being a CLD student in his
or her teenage years in a foreign country is more difficult than being a teenager in the environment that
is familiar. Researchers pointed out at the importance of collaboration between the school, teachers, and
parents of ELLs. Gray and Fleishman (2004) noticed the importance of establishing strong relationship
with the family (p.85). Herrera (2013) also supported this argument by claiming that home visits
provide the teacher with observing language use in context and getting information for pre-assessing
the students level of acculturation, content-area capacities, academic background, and more (p.83).
Talking to CLD students parents can also be a way of informal assessment of academic language
(Herrera, 2013, p. 151). Thus making connection with the students family may be very beneficial.
Epstein (1998), Moll, Amanti, Neff &Gonzalez (1992) noted another aspect of collaboration that schools
can organize. They reported that when international families have connections with bilingual families
encourages family involvement in school (as cited in Gray & Fleishman, 2004).
In short, effective secondary school instruction of CLD students has its own characteristics and
strategies. Teachers should be aware of these differences and understand that some techniques work
better with certain age group. The strategies and methods discussed above are just a few examples of a
wide variety of techniques that both teachers and researchers find successful for teaching CLD students
in content area classrooms in high schools.

EFFECTIVE TECHNIQUES FOR TEACHING ELLS AT HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL

6

References
Gray, T., & Fleischman, S. (2004). Successful strategies for English Language Learners. Educational
Leadership, 62(4), 84-85
Hakuta, K., Santos, M., &Fang, Z. (2013). Challenges and Opportunities for Language Learning in the
Context of the CCSS and the NGSS. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 56(6), 451-454.
doi:10.1002/JAAL.164
Harper, C., & De Jong, E. (2004). Misconceptions about teaching English-language learners. Journal of
Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 48(2), 152-162.
Herrera, S.G., Murry, K. & Cabral, R.M. (2007). Assessment accommodations for classroom
teachers of culturally and linguistically diverse students. 2nd Ed. Boston: Pearson.
Horwitz, E. K. (2013). Becoming a language teacher: A practical guide to second language
learning and teaching (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.