TEACHING ESL - FAQ'S & SCENARIOS

Scenarios

GENERAL:

CHALLENGE
One of the challenges I am faced with when working with my student is that he often talks off subject, especially when he doesn't know the answer to the question I asked him. Instead of answering the question, he begins to speak about something that he knows. I usually try to rephrase the question, help him with the answer, or move on to the next question.
USD Student

OPTION
If the student is having trouble with reading comprehension, make sure you clarify any necessary vocabulary and then ask the question again. The student will then probably know the answers.

CHALLENGE
My student always complains that he is tired. It is hard to sustain the attention of a child in kindergarten for an entire hour. I usually try to play games with him to keep things more interesting.
USD Student

OPTION
Playing games with the student is a good idea. Having a variety of activities planned for the lesson will also help keep their attention.

CHALLENGE
My student doesn't know how to sound out words. This has directly affected both his reading and writing skills. My biggest challenge is trying to get my student engaged and involved in the learning process. My tutee never pays attention when I read to him. I don't know what else to do to get him to try to read. The one thing that truly excites my tutee is playing games. I chose a board game with sentences on each space. I thought the game would be a good way to get him to read the sentences.

OPTION
Great idea! You can also try having him dictate a story to you and you can write a book together, and then read it. Make sure you find books with his interests and books that are funny.

Spanish

CHALLENGE
My student has difficulty speaking in complete sentences and using the correct verb tense. I don't want to keep correcting him, but I do try to help him once in a while.
Claire Currie, USD Student

OPTION
It is better to always correct the student.

CHALLENGE
I feel that the shifting activities too much may lead to an overload for my student.
Claire Currie, USD Student

OPTION
Shifting activities is only beneficial if each different activity is reinforcing the same language. It may become an "overload" if each activity is focused on teaching something different.

CHALLENGE
My student does not take the time to pronounce unfamiliar words. He automatically skips them. I've talked to him about slowing down his reading pace, and concentrating more on the pronunciations.
USD Student

OPTION
You must show your student strategies to figure out the sounds of words. The problem lies in the irregularity of the English language, which makes it is difficult for students to apply rules that they already know. You must guide him to try to decipher the meaning from context (Does it make sense? Does the word follow a pattern?) If the student does not have enough oral vocabulary it will be difficult for him to answer some of these questions. This is why it is important that students read literature that is "just beyond their fence," so they encounter several new words that are not too sophisticated for their level. At times it is best to teach them how to pronounce a word, so that the next time, or maybe after the 3rd time, they will remember.

Somalian / Arabic

CHALLENGE
My student struggles with variety in sentences, grammar and spelling. I have started to introduce him to new vocabulary in order to get him to be more descriptive. I'm not quite sure what to do to get him to use variety in his sentences and to improve his spelling.
USD Student

OPTION
Exposing the student to examples of good writing will show him how others do it and help him develop ideas on how to write effectively. Remember to do this in an explicit way. For example, use a variety of graphic organizers to help him organize his ideas.


Vietnamese

CHALLENGE
My student was asked to describe "sensory images of a butterfly" for creative writing. I had trouble explaining the concept of "looks like" to my student. It seemed too abstract and it took several minutes to ask the right questions to help her. I ended up asking her "what do you see?" "Is it big? Small?" "What colors do you see" etc.
USD Student

OPTION
These are excellent questions to scaffold the student's understanding of what "looks like" means. You could also have the student describe what he / she "looks like," or even use yourself as an example.

CHALLENGE
My student does not read and has absolutely no desire to try to enjoy it. As far as he's concerned, reading is a chore. At times he tries to cheat on his reading assignments by flipping two pages over instead of just one.
USD Student

OPTION
Maybe you can take turns reading funny books, or books centered on his interests.

CHALLENGE
A challenge that I face with my student is one that I brought upon myself. The first day I met her, I asked her how to say "one" in Vietnamese. Because of this, she thought I was eager to learn her language, so now she spends a lot of our time together trying to teach me Vietnamese.
USD Student

OPTION
It is always wonderful to show enthusiasm to learn the students' language, but from the beginning you must set limits. An example would be to have her choose two words she may want to teach you in Vietnamese each time she sees you. This can be your routine.