Reading and learning about ELL students and how to best teach them was helpful to me and something I need to do more of. This issue is of utmost importance because the number of ESL students is rising every year. Lenski writes that this is because "more than a million new U.S. immigrants arrive annually." (p. 24) Lenski goes on to write that these "ELL's bring a wide range of educational experiences and academic backgrounds to school. They represent a variety of socioeconomic, cultural, linguistic, and ethnic backgrounds." (p. 24)
I feel that recognizing this diversity is a critical first step to teaching ELL students. Teachers need to know that there is no one correct way to teach ELL students. This means that a teacher's lessons need to be adaptable in both the material and assessments to be able to effectively reach a diverse student population. Gibbons talks about teachers doing this in their classroom through scaffolding and building on what each individual student already knows. For ELL students, one form of scaffolding that should be provided is language support. These students are not only learning new curriculum knowledge, but are also learning a second language. With adaptable material and a focus on language, ELL's will be given a much better chance at success in the classroom.
I am in special education, and I think that there are similarities between teaching mainstream ELL students and mainstream learning disabled students. In both situations, a teacher needs to be able to adjust their teaching to reach all different levels of learners that are together in the same classroom. Lenski says that "effective teaching comes [from] the teacher's ability to meet the needs of all students at all points in the educational continuum." (p. 33) I feel that teaching with this perspective is actually going to be beneficial to all of the students in a given classroom. The teacher is forced to get to know each student individually and how they learn best. This will probably result in additional preparation time for the teacher, but ultimately it should make for better instruction that reaches more students. All of the students are on the same learning continuum and it is the responsibility of the teacher to adjust their instruction to best meet the needs of a diverse classroom.
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This post hits pretty close to home with me as I am also a Special Education major, and I have about six ELL students in my placement this year. In the education that I have had both in placement and in the classroom the main idea that has been driven home to me is that there is not one right way to help a student. You go over this in both your talk about ELL students as well as when you talk about special education students. It is important to realize that what works with one student may not work for another student, and that is fine. You make mention that "the teacher is forced to get to know each student individually and how they learn best"; this step is important to the success of each student and it needs to be done.
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