Schools use diverse educational approaches in classrooms with English language learners (ELLs).  A variety of ELL programs are employed in schools, all with the same basic goal—to help beginning English language learners achieve rapid English proficiency. These programs differ widely in their approaches, varying in terms of instructional strategies, program structure, and amount of time students spend in classrooms with their native English-speaking peers.

In ELL classes, students receive instruction in English. The level of English used in class is tailored to students’ proficiency (students are often grouped by proficiency level), and students in the classroom may or may not share the same native language. Teachers of English language learners must present content according to students’ individual needs and learning styles. While it is not necessary for an ELL teacher to speak his/her students’ native language, it is important for schools to maintain a culturally diverse staff—all students need social, emotional, and academic support, and ELLs need to feel that they have someone to identify with culturally as well.

ELL Instruction in the Saint Paul Public Schools

The ELL department at Saint Paul Public Schools offers content-based ELL programs, which strive to promote students’ English language proficiency and mastery of academic content at the same time by integrating subject areas with language objectives.  Content-based ELL programs differ from pull-out programs, in which a special curriculum is often used and the sole focus is on development of English proficiency. As David and Yvonne Freeman, both leading scholars in the areas of biliteracy and bilingual education, argue, “because people learn language as they use it, it is logical to have them learn English as they study meaningful content, rather than to have them study English language as a separate subject apart from meaningful content” (ESL/EFL Teaching: Principles for Success, p. 32).

It is difficult to generalize when speaking about English language learners—these students have had many different experiences with education, culture, and family. Many ELLs are new to the United States, but many others are not; some can read and write in their first language, but others have had little or no formal education at all. Some children have spent the majority of their lives in refugee camps; others were born in the U.S., but may live in a close-knit community where everyone speaks Spanish or Russian or Vietnamese and have therefore had very little experience with English.

Because English language learners come from countless different backgrounds, it is not feasible to predict how long it will take ELL students to achieve proficiency in English. Depending on a student’s previous education background, the effectiveness of the ELL program, and many other factors, it can take between 5–10 years, if not longer. Most experts on the subject agree that ELL students should remain in ELL programs as long as is necessary, rather than for a predetermined amount of time.

Learning Language Through Content

The ELL department of Saint Paul Public Schools believes that all students learn best in inclusive, diverse environments. The field of second language acquisition now advocates the teaching of second language through, not prior to, academic content. Consequently, the ELL department strives to build instruction in which learners acquire English through participation in age-appropriate, academic content that is driven by national, state, and district standards.

More specifically, the teaching of English through academic content involves ELL instruction that is aligned with and integrated into the grade-level curriculum based on state and national standards. Academic content is taught and is made comprehensible using scaffolding and a sheltered English approach to teaching.  The primary objective of teaching language through content is making mainstream standards and curriculum accessible to ELL students at all levels.