MODULE 1

ESL TERMS AND NUMBERS

Purpose

To acquaint participants with selected terminology related to education of language minority learners and to demonstrate that increasing numbers of such learners present urgent challenges to educators across the nation.

Materials

The following transparencies:

  1. “Terms”
  1. “Numbers of School-Age ELL Learners”
  1. “Numbers of LEP Students, by Grade, 2000-2001”
  1. “Percentage of LEP Students Receiving Instruction Incorporating the Native Language, by Grade, 2000-2001”

5. “Growth in Elementary and Secondary LEP Student Population and Total Student

Population, School Years 1990-1991 through 2000-2001”

Procedures

  1. Show Transparency 1 with only acronyms visible. Ask participants to speculate what acronyms stand for. Then show full transparency and note terms.
  1. Note that some educators are concerned that the term “Limited English Proficient” highlights the negative “limited”, whereas “English Language Learner” emphasizes that English is an additional language. Point out that “Second” in “English as a Second Language” denotes that English is second in chronology for these learners, not second in importance! TESOL is the name for both the New YorkState certifiable teaching field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages as well as the international professional organization of English teachers.
  1. Ask participants to speculate about: total number of K-12 public school students in the nation? (It’s 47 million). Total number of K-12 LEP/ELL students in those grades nationwide? (4.6 million). Show Transparency 2. Note that LEP/ELL learners make up close to 10% of the total national and New YorkState public school K-12 enrollments. The local LEP/ELL population of 1,738 is for the 17 county area around the Capital District and northward to the Canadian border. Given these figures, it is likely that participants will encounter such learners at some point in their work in the schools.

Transparency 1

Terms

ELL =English Language Learners

(Gradually replacing LEP)

LEP =Limited English Proficient

ESL =English as a Second Language

TESOL =Teaching English to Speakers

of Other Languages

Bilingual Education = a program utilizing two

languages as mediums of instruction

Dual Language Program = a bilingual program for both language majority and language minority learners

Transparency 2

Numbers of School-age ELL Learners

NATIONAL: 4.6 million (of 47 million) K-12

public school students are LEP/ELL

NEW YORKSTATE: 239,000 (of 2.8 million)

public school students are LEP/ELL

LOCALLY: 1,738 students are LEP/ELL

(17 county area)

Source for national and New YorkState numbers:

Kindler, Anneka. 2002. "Survey of States' Limited English Proficient Students and Available Educational Programs and Services. 2000-2001 Summary Report." Washington, O.C.: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs. Retrieved from 8,2003.

Source for local number:

Adam, William. Specialist, NortheastRegionalInformationCenter, Capital Region BOCES, Albany,

NY. (Personal Communication, June 2003)

  1. Show only the title of Transparency 3. Have participants speculate on which grades have the largest LEP/ELL populations. Show the full transparency, noting that LEP populations are concentrated in the lower grades. What might be some explanations for this? Note also the increase in LEP/ELL numbers from grade 8 to grade 9. What factors might account for this?

5. As background for Transparency 4, note some pros and cons of instruction incorporating the native language of LEP learners. (Examples: pro = learners more likely to understand instruction; facilitates closer home-school connections; literacy in a first language facilitates literacy in English, etc; con = greater costs in short term).

6. Show Transparency 4. Have participants describe some of the facts illustrated on this chart. Have them discuss some implications of these facts. What are the implications, for example, of these instructional patterns for developing and maintaining bilingualism in learners? For maintaining literacy in a language like Spanish which will enable Hispanic background students to read classics such as Cervantes in their heritage language? Elicit participants’ views of these issues.

7. Show the title only of Transparency 5. Have participants speculate about the growth

rates of LEP K-12 student populations contrasted with total K-12 student populations over

the past decade. By what percentage did each population grow during those 10

years according to participants’ guesses? Show all of Transparency 5. How close

were they? What are some factors that might help explain the disparity in growth

rates? Ask participants if they expect these growth rates to be sustained. Why or

why not? Note again that, given these numbers and rates of population growth,

most participants are likely to experience first hand the challenges of working with

LEP learners. The readings noted below and in other modules will assist in

meeting these challenges.

Further reading

Baker, Colin. 1996. Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism. Philadelphia, PA.: Multilingual Matters Ltd.

Center for Applied Linguistics and Delta Systems Company. 1999. Enriching content classes forsecondary school students: Study guide and Trainer’s manual. Washington, D.C.: Author.

Meskill, Carla. 2002. Teaching and learning in real time: Media, technologies, and languageacquisition. Houston, TX: Athelstan.

New York State Education Department. 2000. The teaching of language arts to limited English proficient/English language learners: A resource guide for all teachers. Albany, NY: Author.

UAlbany TAT- 1