Multilingual Classroom Resources for English Language Learners

• In Event: Roundtable Session 66
  In Roundtable Session: Research on Second Language Pedagogy

Abstract

A potentially useful resource to help teachers meet the educational needs of their English language learners (ELLs) is the first language knowledge that students bring from home. Premised on the body of research supporting this claim, I developed a set of support materials for teachers to use with ELLs in mainstream elementary classrooms. I then carried out a qualitative case study of three teachers who implemented the materials and collaborated on finding additional transformative solutions for ELLs. My analysis and findings relate to how the inclusion of students’ home languages may impact class participation, English development, and identity formation, as well as how multilingual approaches may influence a teacher’s instructional strategies, curriculum choices, and beliefs about ELL students.

Author

• Anne Jund, University of Hawaii - Manoa