Strategies of ESOL Educators to Meet English Language Learners' Needs in a Digital Setting

• In Event: Equity for Urban Students: Novice Teachers' Efforts to Virtually Impact Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Strategies of ESOL Educators to Meet English Language Learners' Needs in a Digital Setting
Objective
● To examine the experiences of ESOL educators as they endeavored to meet the cultural, language, and literacy needs of their students in the virtual setting.
Perspective
As the largest growing population of students (Office of English Language Acquisition, 2011), English language learners (ELLs) face the academic tasks of mastering content as well as gaining English proficiency. Spring of 2020 brought additional challenges as ELL’s shifted their educational setting to a virtual learning environment. Previous research examining technology use in ELL education has indicated promising effects of using mobile devices for teaching K-12 students (Ok & Ratliffe, 2018). Their research synthesis indicated using mobile devices led to improved learning, engagement, and self-efficacy. Little research exists, however, of the effectiveness of online learning for k-12 diverse learners in virtual environments (Cavanaugh, Barbour, & Clark, 2009), with Glick (2011) noting a severe lack of participation of K-12 ELLs in online programs. Nash (2015) stresses the need for online educators to recognize young ELLs are developing their identifies as people and learners. Educators must also stay aware of cultural differences and provide opportunities for communication that honor student learning preferences, incorporate collaborative work opportunities, and promote cultural awareness. This paper explores the approaches of novice ESOL teachers in urban schools who worked to continue effective practices implemented before the pandemic to meet the needs of their students when they converted to online instruction.
Methods and Data Sources
Five participants in this case study research were chosen based on the following criteria: (a) graduates of an urban English as a Second Language certification and masters’ degree program, (b) teacher of ELL students in a high-needs school, and (c) in their first or second year of teaching after completion of their teacher education program. Interview data focused on their experiences in online teaching, on online instructional events that impacted their students’ learning and development, and (c) on comparisons of their instructional approaches and effectiveness in face to face instruction during the year and online instruction during the pandemic. Data were analyzed using constant-comparative analysis (Corbin & Strauss, 2008).
Results
Participants outlined the instructional practices that allowed for success in learning and development among their ELL population in a virtual setting. Results show that educators focused on utilizing digital tools to develop language skills and content knowledge and prioritizing cultural narrative assignments to build and develop relationships and community. Use of flipped classroom approaches, video chats with modeling, and focusing on self-regulated learning were pre-pandemic practices educators adapted in a virtual setting to meet the needs of their ESOL students. Teachers also noted the challenge of synchronous class instruction because of students being caretakers for younger siblings. Crowded conditions in correlation with linguistic isolation has been identified as factors making students vulnerable to inequity in virtual learning environments (Blagg, et al. 2020).
Significance
This inquiry examines how ELL teachers can provide culturally responsive instructional practices in virtual settings and the challenges they face in providing equitable education for these learners.

Authors

• Joyce E. Many, Georgia State University

• Taylor Wall, Georgia State University