Top 10 Principles for Effective Language Instruction

Over the last month of reading and completing the work for my M.Ed. on teaching multilingual learners, I have been able to compile a number of important principles and practices for successfully teaching multilingual English Language learners. This blog post presents what I currently think of as the 10 most important principles of language instruction from my point of view as a high school science teacher. 

I work at a bilingual (English-German) international school in Berlin, Germany, where as of February 2023, nearly 1 in 4 residents (24.3%) have a migration background (The Local, 2023). Most of the students who I teach have a native language that is not English, and a large minority of my students speak three or more languages, including English, at varying levels of proficiency. The recommendations below provide insights on not only how to effectively teach these language learners subject content, but how to help them feel included, integrated and well supported in the learning process regardless of their proficiency level. 



  1. Set high expectations and hold language learners to the same academic standards as native speakers.


One of the primary ways in which educators must ensure that language learners have equal opportunities for success in schools is to ensure the content they are expected to learn is the same as other learners, but the processes they use to acquire it might be different from students with higher English language proficiency. “When done correctly, differentiation doesn’t dumb the content down, it makes it more accessible” (Huynh, 2018). Therefore teachers should differentiate the inputs and the products of learning to meet the needs of language learners, but not the learning objectives themselves.


Teachers should also support higher level thinking by providing opportunities for students to operate in their home language and build connections between their L1 and L2. This aligns with the 2-tipped iceberg analogy of bilingual learners, and the need to deepen their underlying understanding and proficiency by creating strong connections between the two languages, rather than just focusing on a shallow demonstration of proficiency through the correct use of one language (Zoeller, 2015)



  1. Don’t interpret lack of verbal participation with lack of academic motivation.


Teachers must recognize that early in the language acquisition process, learners will be in the pre-production, early production or speech emergent stages wherein the student may be able to interpret spoken or written language, but will produce very little speech, speak in short, simple sentences, or rely heavily on context cues when speaking (Robertson & Ford, 2020). This should not be interpreted as a lack of interest in participating in class or in a lack of academic motivation. Teachers should make every effort to get to know their students well, and the creation of a language learner profile is one tool that teachers can use to do this. 



  1. Differentiate between the different language domains when assessing a student’s proficiency. 


As early as possible, use a language assessment to understand a student’s proficiency level at each different language domain. Courtney (2021) writes that “Each language domain (listening, reading, speaking, writing) is unique and distinct” and each domain deserves its own assessment and consideration in lesson planning” (Courtney, 2021). For example, knowing that a student is more proficient in reading than in listening provides insights into how I can make the content of the lesson more accessible to that student, and knowing that some students are at a low stage of proficiency in writing for the key use of argumentation allows me to design learning engagements that give opportunities for them to practice and advance these skills.



  1. Cultivate and model an appreciation for and a culture of bi- and multilingualism 


Arias and Medina (2020) point out that, in many school systems, students who are linguistically and culturally diverse have been historically marginalized in terms of their access to equal opportunities for academic success, and some of this is due to the monolingual lens through which traditional educational models operate. Seeing a student’s bi- or multilingual status as a strength rather than a deficit is crucial for cultivating an atmosphere of inclusion. The C6 Biliteracy framework offers a number of concrete teaching practices that should guide teachers in this work. One of the principles that Li (2012) recommends for effective language learner pedagogy is to “view the first languages of the ELLs as a resource and use them strategically.”



  1. Develop student relationships and cultivate a classroom climate of safety and comfort. 


Teachers should keep in mind that learning a new language and operating in a classroom language that is not their home language inherently involves emotional risk taking. Students will likely be reluctant or unable to take the kind of risks involved in speaking or writing in a new language when they do not feel comfortable, safe or supported in the classroom. 


One way in which teachers can do this is by using plenty of low-stakes and engaging activities where students interact. Games are good for this purpose, as are activities that incorporate movement to increase student interaction and build community, as in this video from Organic World Language (OWLanguage, 2014). 



  1. Opportunities to practice productive language


As much as possible, give students the chance to speak and write as a part of the learning sequence in a lesson, and provide scaffolding as necessary with graphic organizers and sentence frames. Huynh (2017) differentiates between interactive and graphic scaffolding for language learners. Interactive scaffolds include group work, discussion, and collaboration, and these allow students to synthesize content knowledge while practicing their use of the language. Graphic scaffolding includes charts, tables, graphic organizers, timelines, flowcharts, etc. These are good for highly abstract concepts and showing the relationship between the various components of a phenomenon (Huynh, 2017).



  1. Model correct language usage


Along the lines of speaking and writing, teachers should make explicit their expectations for student performance through modeling good examples of language usage. Witt and Soet (2020) recommend 5 modeling strategies teachers can use for this purpose. These include providing visual models for how to complete a task, completing the first example in a set for students to emulate in their work, and using language frames to give students a language template for their productive language. 



  1. Incorporate multiple modalities. 


Teachers can engage students, particularly those who are language learners in the early stages of language acquisition, through the use of images, movement, manipulatives, sounds, and Total Physical Response or Whole Brain Teaching methods. Huynh (2017) encourages teachers to use what he calls sensory scaffolds – images, manipulatives, gestures, models, videos – as they help create meaning for students without relying on language.



  1. Make students active participants in the learning process.


Using the C6 Biliteracy framework for teaching language learners, two of the “Cs” around which the framework is built are Connecting the learning experiences to students' lives and linguistic repertoires and Collaborating with students as facilitators of instruction rather than simply receivers of it (Medina 2021). It is imperative that teachers acknowledge that students come to our classrooms with a full linguistic and cultural identity, and place students rather than teachers more often at the center of the learning process. 



  1. Teach language skills in context. 


Teaching language skills only in a discrete “one skill at a time” fashion may ultimately fail to equip students with the integrated skills to use the language in the workplace or for everyday communication purposes. Plan lessons that utilize opportunities for all 4 language modalities in concert with one another, and when possible, in such a way that emphasizes the interdependencies between them. Follow the “input-interaction-output” model using the content “inputs” of reading and writing, “Interaction” in the form of discussion among students or between students and teacher, and “output” in the form of spoken or written communication that performs a function or meets an objective (Pardede, 2017). 



References


Arias, M. B., & Medina, J. L. (2020, October 15). Sociocultural competence in action. Language Magazine. https://www.languagemagazine.com/2020/10/15/sociocultural-competence-in-action/


Courtney. (2021, April 19). How to use WIDA can do descriptors to plan effective lessons for multilingual learners. The All-Access Classroom. https://www.theallaccessclassroom.com/how-to-use-wida-can-do-descriptors-to-plan-effective-lessons-for-multilingual-learners/


Echevarria, J. (2021). Writing Effective Language Objectives. YouTube. YouTube. Retrieved July 1, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOs-5pGcvLA


Huynh, T. K. (2017, April 14). #34. Three types of scaffolding: There’s a scaffold for that. TanKHuynh. https://tankhuynh.com/scaffolding-instruction/ 


Huynh, T. K. (2018, March 30). #82. SIOP lesson planning: Ingredients of sheltered instruction. 

TanKHuynh. https://tankhuynh.com/siop-lesson-plan/


Li, J. (2012). Principles of effective English language learner pedagogy. The College Board (2012-3). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED562799.pdf


Medina, J. L. (2021, May 19). C6 Biliteracy FrameworkTM. Resources for Dual Language Schools, Parents, and Teachers. Dual Language Schools. https://duallanguageschools.org/column/c6-biliteracy-framework/


OWLangauge. (2014, January 30). Organic World Language! [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bblK58zkDvs


Pardede, P. (2017, February 17). Integrated skills approach in EFL classrooms: A literature review. English Education Department (EED) Collegiate Forum 2015-2018. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336460072_EFL_Theory_and_Practice_Voice_of_EED_UKI


Robertson, K., & Ford, K. (2020, February 18). Language acquisition: An overview. Colorín Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview


The Local. (2023, February 15). In numbers: Who is coming to – and leaving – Berlin?. The Local Germany. https://www.thelocal.de/20230215/in-numbers-who-is-coming-to-and-leaving-berlin


Witt, D., & Soet, M. (2020, July 13). 5 effective modeling strategies for English learners. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-effective-modeling-strategies-english-learners


Zoeller, E. (2015, September 2). Below the tip of the iceberg. Center for Teaching Biliteracy. https://www.teachingforbiliteracy.com/below-the-tip-of-the-iceberg/

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