The importance of language in the classroom
- syoung679
- 7 hours ago
- 5 min read
By Jessica Rychter (she/her), teacher, Surrey
If reading comprehension is built on language, why isn’t explicit language instruction a focus in every classroom? As a pre-service teacher, I had this idea that teaching students about the English language was only done during one subject—language arts. However, over the last few years of teaching in the classroom, I have come to the realization that this could not be further from the truth. Teaching students a language is woven into every part of our school day. From solving math problems and writing about science, to peers working collaboratively in small groups, students are continuously using language to think, learn, and communicate.
With every year I teach, I notice an increase in English language learners (ELL) in my classroom. While I am excited to teach these students and honoured that I have been given the opportunity to be a role model to them for the upcoming year, I have felt a constant worry that I do not have the proper knowledge and experience to take on such an important task. However, as I’ve connected with other teachers, along with my school team, I have come to the (unfortunate) realization that none of us have ever really been taught the strategies necessary for dealing with situations like this while we were undergoing training as pre-service teachers. Thus, over the last few years I have been trying to figure out an answer to the question, what practical steps can teachers take to make their classrooms more inclusive for English language learners?”
...over the last few years I have been trying to figure out an answer to the question, what practical steps can teachers take to make their classrooms more inclusive for English language learners?
Why is language development important?
First, let’s start off with the importance of understanding language development for teachers. While there are many reasons why we should understand this, I will (for the sake of length and time) only list and explain a few.
Language is the foundation of learning
Language gives children the tools they need to think, communicate, and understand the knowledge they acquire. Without this, children would not have the ability to ask questions (even if it’s the same one 100 times over), share their thoughts in their own words, or even work collaboratively with their peers.
Improves teacher instruction
Understanding how language and reading develop helps teachers with their instruction and assessment; they can adapt their lessons in ways that are targeted toward all learners.
Helps teachers diagnose learning difficulties
Having the ability to understand the linguistic components of language (syntax, morphology, etc.) helps teachers identify the specific areas in which students are experiencing difficulties.
Creates an inclusive classroom environment
Understanding how language develops equips teachers with tools and strategies that are needed to target both monolingual and multilingual learners. This ensures that teachers will not be leaving any student behind in their learning.
One key idea that has reshaped my thinking is the Simple View of Reading model. This model suggests that reading comprehension is made up of two components: decoding and language comprehension. If a student is weak in either of these components, reading comprehension is difficult to reach as both of these skills are needed for it. Later, I came across another model called Scarborough’s Reading Rope, which breaks this idea down even further. This model highlights the components (strands) that make up language comprehension (background knowledge, vocabulary, etc.), as well as word recognition (phonological awareness, sight recognition, etc.). Each of these is a skill that develops individually, yet they are all so closely related in the sense that once they become “intertwined,” reading comprehension strengthens. Both of these models highlight that in order for a student to reach proficiency, it’s not just important that they can sound words out correctly. Instead, reading is about understanding just how complex language really is.
Classroom strategies
Throughout my journey of finding effective strategies to provide a literacy-rich classroom, I have seen how certain strategies transform student confidence and comprehension and how others hold them back. The strategies that haven’t been successful (e.g., constant corrections) are thrown out or readjusted. Here are strategies I have found to be effective.
Visual supports and word walls
Having visuals (pictures and vocabulary) spread out around my classroom helps students visualize what they are thinking. It also provides context clues that support their comprehension of a subject without needing to be given a direct answer.
Academic language
Practising the use of academic language both in student writing and conversation (e.g., think-pair-share) has also allowed students to build their language skills. Encouraging students to shift between their informal talk (everyday language) and formal talk (academic language) has been especially effective in helping them develop an awareness of the way language is used in different ways and across different settings.
Read-alouds
Reading text aloud allows teachers to introduce students to new vocabulary, pause to model their thinking, and show them how to interact with text (e.g., asking meaningful questions) in order to help students better understand what they are reading.
Sentence-starters
Using sentence-starters such as “I believe that ... because ...” helps to prompt student thinking while also giving them the vocabulary needed to explain their thinking and model academic language.
Ultimately, I still have a long way to go when it comes to understanding how language develops and having the necessary strategies to support students’ development of reading and writing. However, even having just a brief understanding of how language develops has made me a much more intentional teacher. When teachers understand language, they don’t just teach children how to read and write for one small portion of their day. Instead, they weave this instruction into every activity and interaction a child experiences throughout the day. In this way, they are setting students up to become lifelong learners and equipping them with strategies that will help them work toward becoming proficient in their language development.
Recommended resources
“High Quality Language Environments Promote Reading Development in Young Children and Older Learners” in Handbook of Reading Research V.5
“Can Scarborough’s Reading Rope Transform the Approach to Literacy Instruction” on www.reallygreatreading.com
“Understanding Second Language Acquisition” Chapter 8 from Adding English: A Guide to Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms by Elizabeth Coelho
What Teachers Need to Know About Language edited by Carolyn Temple Adger, Catherine E. Snow, and Donna Christian
“4 Key Differences Between First and Second Language Learning” by Mango Languages on YouTube
“The Simple View of Reading”on www.readingrockets.org
