Lesson Plan

ELL Students in our Tutoring

Sessions
Summary
1. Subject(s): Teaching ELL Students in Non-Writing Courses
2. Topic or Unit of Study: Strategies for Identifying ELL Student Needs/Tactics for Approach
3. Grade/Level: College
4. Objective: Acquiring skills to identify, adapt to, and support ELL learning.
5. Time Allotment: 15 minutes

Implementation
Learning Context
We all have or will interact with an ELL student. Many of us have sat in on discussions about how to best
facilitate ELL student tutoring. I do not intend to give those of you that have a presentation covering the
same material you may have already heard. We all know or will learn that working with an ELL student is
going to ask you to muster extra reserves of patience, open-mindedness, and creativity. What I want to do
is describe the different types of ELL students you may encounter, how this affects how they learn, and
what you are already doing that works. I strongly believe that with this information you will all have the
tools you need to help you develop a strong foundation in supporting learning enhancement for these
otherwise challenging students.

Procedure
a. Anticipatory Set

Ignoring culture, how many types of ELL students do you think there are?

(Identify the two main sub groups after a brief time allowing group to offer responses:
International students and Refugees)

International students are those who have come to our universities and colleges to further their
education. They have often received formal education in English before they arrive. Refugees, it

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 goes without saying, are here because of some crisis in their country of origin. They may or may
not have received a formal education in English before they came.

Do any of you have any guesses about how these two groups of ELL students may differ in how
they approach acquiring new vocabulary?

(Allow a brief time for responses)

International students and refugees who have received formal education in English tend to
navigate meaning of new terms in written language. They focus on the written word and how a
new term fits in the context of the sentence structure and word choice around it. This is often
because of how languages are taught in classrooms across the globe, first through exposure to
written terms then through spoken contexts.

Refugees, on the other hand, acquire new terms more effectively through open dialog. Since most
of our students fall into this category I will elaborate on this in more detail. Keep in mind that
many of our students have received English instruction in their countries of origin, often taught
by non-native speakers themselves. This will often blurr the lines and require adaptation.

Refugees navigate the meaning of new terms through listening to native speakers. They depend
less on sentence structure to provide them cues, and more on the tone, body language, and jargon
of the speaker. They do not practice, as an International student would, the proper use of a new
term in writing to deepen understanding. They acquire mastery through conversation. This is
because of how they have been thrust into learning English, on the fly, in real world situations
such as a doctor's visit or trip to the grocery store.
b. Direct Instruction

This brings me to some strategies that we can and do all implement, no matter what subjects we
tutor in that will serve our ELL students best.

Many of us may have heard of the Socratic method of tutoring, where we ask open ended
questions and allow the students to formulate their own responses. This approach supports and
encourages the content mastery of the student, while also keeping the responsibility to the
material or work on the student. It is a necessary tool for building confidence in ownership of
work and reduces things like tutor dependence and cheating.

However, this approach has been found quite ineffective with ELL students who are trying to
navigate meaning of new material.

How many of you have asked an ELL student an open ended question and been meet with
silence?

(Show of hands)

What do you imagine is happening in that moment in the ELL students mind?

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 (Allow a moment or two for reflection)

Many may want to say that they did not understand the question, the content, or are waiting for
the tutor to give them the answer. Well, the answer to this is not so simple, though it does have a
lot to do with navigating meaning. This is where culture begins to have the strongest influence in
a session.
c. Guided Practice

How many of you feel that cultural awareness has a significant influence in our ability to be
effective tutors?

(Show of hands)

Can any of you provide me a brief description of how culture can impact a tutoring session?

(Allow for two or three, depending on length)

Cultural awareness is imperative to a successful tutoring session. I am not saying that we need to
forsake our own cultural identities to accommodate the students, but we do need to be aware of
key cultural points so that we are suited to usher them comfortably into a US academic
environment. For example, it can be a barrier to a male Middle Eastern student’s ability to
concentrate on content to work with a woman who, like me, is very forward and dominant in a
session. Instead, we can be aware of this and be a bit softer in our posturing and approach,
allowing them to feel in charge of their work. In many Middle Eastern cultures it is completely
inappropriate for a man to interact with a woman in a too familiar way, such as things as small as
a ‘good job’ pat on the back. I say this, hoping that none of us are putting ourselves at risk by
touching a student in any way that could in any context be misconstrued. Many Asian cultures
have firm boundaries when it comes to positions of authority. They may view a tutor as no
different than a teacher, and as such they may feel they do not have a right to speak up to, even if
asked a direct question. Many of our ELL students may also be struggling with mental
disabilities, such as PTSD, that makes open sharing of ideas uncomfortable or impossible.

It may be very helpful to us in our own efforts, as we go about our day to day lives, to take the
time to read about the histories and cultures of other parts of the world. I have found this very
helpful in navigating my ELL tutoring sessions. I have also found it helpful to share my own
pitfalls as a student, ones that they can relate to, and personal struggles to break the ice.

Along with navigating meaning, many cultural differences or mental challenges can be the
culprits behind why ELL students do not respond as well to the Socratic method of tutoring. Tied
into the cultural influences, they may also be avoiding embarrassment, thinking deeply to
interpret the question, or, more often, be completely overwhelmed by the vernacular of the
subject. They may not quite know how to express what they are struggling with the most. It is on
us to be sensitive to this and encourage them where they are.

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d. Check for Understanding

So, how do we overcome all of these subtle influences and challenges to best serve these
students? How do we tackle the challenges that are so varied and potentially difficult to identify?
e. Best Practices

Our best strategies are:

To use simple, direct language. It may feel as if you are being blunt or curt at times, but simple
direct language surrounding a new term or concept helps the ELL student develop a context for
the term they can build on.

Relevant and relatable analogies. This provides what I call an ‘anchor’ for the student to use as
mental framework for building understanding. It is very effective to provide varied, culturally
significant examples the students can relate to.Try to avoid culturally US specific examples.

Encourage the use of their native language.

Textbook reading strategies. Many ELL students do not know how to read a textbook. They read
them like a novel and are often ill-equipped to digest the vernacular in many of them.

Hands-on activities that allow them to explore the concepts. This is the most challenging for
Tutoring Services in regard to some courses. But, we can get our students up and working on a
whiteboard.

Etymologies that break terms down into simple language and help them learn to recognize
language patterns that will help with understanding future terms.

Concept maps and visual aids. This helps them see what their textbook is describing and connect
new information to what they already know.

Front loading vocabulary. This prepares them for new terms before they meet them in text.

Working with NES. This is far and above the number one most helpful strategy for ELL students.
Working with a native English speaker allows them to observe, absorb meaning and proper use,
and discuss new topics, enriching their understanding of the new language. A key aspect of this is
to avoid idioms, jokes, parables, or examples that may be too specific to US culture. This fosters
only further confusion. This is what we naturally provide. Paired with explicit focus on the other
tools and enhancing it by creating mixed study groups that allow them to mingle conversationally
with their cohorts we can provide invaluable tools for our ELL students.
f. Closing

How many of you are surprised by the things I've shared?

(Show of hands. I anticipate few to none)

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How many of you feel that these are things you already do?

(Show of hands)

And finally, how many of you feel more informed about what to do to best serve our ELL
student?

(Show of hands)

Any questions?