Effective Teaching Strategies 1

Literature Review Effective Teaching Strategies for ESL Learners

A Student
Collaborative Action Research
December 25, 2005
Professor Kay Lehmann

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Teachers find themselves challenged to meet the needs of diverse populations of students
on a daily basis. One of the many needs teachers must address is the needs of English as a
Second Language (ESL) students. Increasingly common in our schools are ESL students who
lack the language skills necessary to make adequate progress. Teachers need to be aware of the
instructional strategies and methods that have been found to have the most educational benefit
and value to the greatest number of ESL students. According to Waxman and Tellez (2002), it
appears the most effective strategies for improving the overall performance of ESL students
include, but are not limited to, collaborative learning communities, providing multiple
representations, instructional conversation, culturally responsive instruction, and technologyenriched instruction.
One strategy which may improve the overall performance of ESL students is the concept
of collaborative learning communities. Inviting students who are learning English to engage in
academic conversations with their peers is the primary tool of learning language (Waxman &
Tellez, 2002). Students need to be able to interact with each other so that learning through
communication can occur (Ybarra, 2003). In addition the use of collaborative learning
communities is a teaching strategy familiar to immigrant families; thus the use of this strategy
has a beneficial impact on ESL students (Waxman & Tellez, 2002).
Another instructional strategy which may improve the overall performance of ESL
students is providing multiple representations. The symbolic nature of written languages makes
linking the meaning of words with some other representation of meaning mandatory for learning.
(Waxman & Tellez, 2002). Linking realia, objects used by a teacher to illustrate everyday living,
and words as well as the use of graphic organizers to represent the relationships among words
and concepts with visual stimuli facilitate the decoding process for children learning English

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(Waxman & Tellez, 2002). Imagery facilitates learning; thus imagery combined with texts make
students more likely to think about the process of language more thoroughly (Canning-Wilson,
1999).
In order to improve the overall performance of ESL students, instruction must be built
upon instructional conversations (Waxman & Tellez, 2002). According to the research of
Waxman and Tellez (2002), through the use of instructional conversation, or the process of
questioning and sharing ideas and knowledge, teachers and students can relate the formal school
content to the students individual, community, and family knowledge. Contextualizing
instruction and focusing on the process of forming, expressing, and sharing ideas and knowledge
builds a community of learners (Waxman & Tellez, 2002).
A fourth instructional strategy which may improve the overall performance of ESL
students is culturally responsive instruction. Teachers must acquire the skills necessary to bridge
the gap between the culture of the school and the home culture of students (Waxman & Tellez,
2002). Culturally responsive instruction emphasizes the everyday concerns of students and tries
to incorporate them into the curriculum. It also focuses on the critical family and community
issues that students encounter daily, helping students prepare themselves for meaningful social
roles by emphasizing social responsibility and academic responsibility (Waxman & Tellez,
2002). Culturally responsive instruction addresses the promotion of racial, ethnic, and linguistic
equality as well as the appreciation of diversity (Waxman & Tellez, 2002). According to Waxman
and Tellez (2002), instructional strategies that address cultural and linguistic needs of students
are effective methods for improving the overall performance of ESL students.
Technology-enriched instruction is another strategy that might improve an ESL students
overall performance. Instructional technology has been found beneficial for these students in the

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following ways: (a) it is motivational; (b) it is nonjudgmental; (c) it can individualize learning
and tailor the instructional sequence to meet students needs and rate of learning; (d) it can give
prompt feedback; (e) it provides the students with a sense of personal responsibility, control, and
autonomy; (f) it can be less intimidating to students than traditional instruction; (g) it gives the
students a rich linguistic environment; and (h) it diminishes the authoritarian role of the teacher
(Waxman & Tellez, 2002). Technology-enriched instruction has the potential for deepening
classroom instruction for ESL students, making it more meaningful, and assisting the learning of
higher order thinking skills.
In acknowledgment of technology as an instructional strategy for maximizing the
potential of ESL learners, AIKahtani (1999) describes a supplemental software program designed
to enhance the reading skills of ESL students who are between the 12th and 30th percentile on the
TOEFL, Test of English Language, and have previously had some type of beginning-level ESL
instruction and some basic computer literacy. Storyboard, published by Wida Software, is a
software program where teachers design exercises to fit the level, culture, and interest of their
students (AIKahtani, 1999). Storyboard may enhance the learning of ESL students through text
completion and vocabulary development; students enter words that are missing from the text by
guessing them from the context. According to AIKahtani (1999) Storyboard improves students
readings strategies, builds up their vocabulary, and helps them practice prediction and guessing.
The simplicity and consistency in design and operation make Storyboard a good program for
ESL classes (AIKahtani & Abalhassan, K., 1999). Another software program which may be
beneficial to an ESL students overall performance is Lexia. Lexia software identifies students
reading strengths and weaknesses; develops phonemic awareness, sound symbol correspondence,
and basic decoding skills; provides assessment reports to teachers and parents; tracks student

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progress; and automatically provides the appropriate level of material needed for student growth
(Schindler, 2002). According to Schindler, Lexia software can help English as a Second
Language students use sound-symbol correspondence and word structures to develop their
reading skills in English.
Although technology could be an effective instructional strategy for maximizing the
potential of ESL learners, Kannan (2000) found four inter-related issues influenced the
effectiveness of technology: motivation, feedback, self-directed learning, and computer
technology. In her experience, Kannan (2000) indicates ESL students experience four stages of
motivation in regards to technology. These feelings vary from initial apprehension to curiosity
followed by a peak in interest and ending in a decline in interest (Kannan, 2000). The initial
apprehension was probably due to fear of the unknown, since the majority of the students had
little or no experience using computers. During the curiosity stage, ESL students began to feel
more comfortable with the new learning environment. In the peak state, students had figured out
how to use the computers and were exposed to many beneficial on-line materials. But during the
end stage, student interest waned due to the boring instruction and difficulty of comprehension.
Different perceptions of good feedback were another issue effecting the integration of
technology. While tutors thought that asking leading questions and getting students to think for
themselves was good feedback, sometimes the students were frustrated with the perceived
lack of help. Good feedback for the students meant identification and correction of all
language and content errors. For the tutors, good feedback started with positive and encouraging
comments, pointing out errors but not correcting them, using leading questions to help students
to reflect on their work and make improvements (Kannan, 2000). Self-directed learning also
influenced the effectiveness of technology. Students often had difficulty adjusting to the self-

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directed learning of the on-line environment. Kannan (2000) believes the degree of interaction
between an instructor and a student is dependent on how motivated the student is to be a selfdirected learner. Technical problems affected the use of technology in the ESL classroom.
Students difficulties in the manipulation of the software usually undermine the students interest.
(Kannan, 2000). Despite her several concerns, Kannan agrees it is desirable to incorporate
technology into ESL programs.
Although there are many strategies which may improve the overall performance of ESL
students, it appears one of the most effective strategies is technology-enriched instruction.
Technology allows ESL students to work on collaborative inquiry projects, access online
resources in several languages, and click onto video, audio, and literacy aids in two languages.
Computers provide ESL students the opportunity for hands-on learning and working
collaboratively in pairs or small groups. This work may improve an ESL students cognitive and
psychosocial development (Waxman & Tellez, 2002).

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References
AIKahtani, S. (1999). Teaching ESL reading using computers, The Internet TESTL Journal,
5(11). Retrieved November 18, 2005, from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/AlKahtaniComputerReading/
AIKahtani, S. and Abalhassan, K. (1999). MacReader and Storyboard programs in ESL reading
classrooms. Retrieved November 19, 2005, from
http://www.clec.ritsumei.ac.jp/english/callejonline/3-2/alkahtani.html
Canning-Wilson, C. (1999). Using pictures in EFL and ESL classrooms. Paper presented at the
Current Trends in English Language Testing Conference, Abu Dhabi, United Arab
Emirates.
Kannan, J. (2000). Issues affecting on-line ESL learning: a Singapore case study. The Internet
TESL Journal, 6(11). Retrieved November 18, 2005, from
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Kannan-OnlineESL.html
Schindler, C. (2002). Lexia software review, TECH-NJ, 13. Retrieved on November 19, 2005
from http://www.tcnj.edu/~technj/2002/Lexia.htm
Waxman, H. and Tellez, K. (2002). Research synthesis on effective teaching practices for English
language learners. Philidelphia: Mid-Atlantic Lab for Student
Success.
Ybarra, R. (2003). Using technology to help ESL/EFL students develop language skills. The
Internet TESL Journal, 9(3). Retrieved November 18, 2005, from
http://iteslj.org/Articles/Ybarra-Technology.html