Teaching English as a Second Language: Challenges and Opportunities

by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.

KGL is introducing an occasional series of explorations into the current issues in K-12 and higher education, where we will spotlight the varying perspectives of teachers, students, education publishers, and other stakeholders in the learning life cycle. We begin with a conversation with an elementary school teacher of English as a Second Language (ESL), in order to gain more insight into the struggles of students, gaps in ESL and ELT resources, and opportunities for content providers.

Over the last two years, teachers have borne the brunt of the pandemic. Teachers who work in specialized areas of learning where students need additional resources are feeling that to an even greater extent. We sat down with an ESL teacher, Ms. T in a school in the Bronx, New York to better understand the current teaching environment.  

What are your biggest challenges as an ESL teacher?

My biggest challenge is lack of resources: both staff and technology. We can always use more teachers who have a TESOL credential. Also, working with students of low-frequency languages is difficult in terms of getting interpretation and translation assistance.

What subjects or skills do your students struggle the most with?

It depends—if they are new to the country, their struggles might be as basic as not knowing how to read the forms their parents need to fill out to get immunization records ready. But mostly, they need helping with reading texts and writing. 

What materials/teaching tactics do you use to engage with your students?

I always try to locate material that is culturally relevant to my students—and that may mean several different sets for each class. If they can connect to what we are learning, it's easier to engage with it, despite their language proficiency. My best strategy is using a very physical approach: I often feel like I am playing Charades, with varying success. But it always helps to really use my face and my hands to communicate something.

What resources do you wish you had access to? Is that lack of access due to your school or is that industry-wide?

I wish that I had access to more professional development for my fellow teachers—since I cannot be in every classroom, with every multi-language learner, I am hopeful that my colleagues are using the same strategies I use. But it would be much easier if we all had more training. Technology always helps, but in many cases, a student may speak a language that is not written (and not available on a tool like Google Translate) or they are not literate in that language. I would say that schools in affluent districts have more access to more resources.

Has technology opened other opportunities or possibilities for your students?

Last year during remote learning, we were able to utilize technology in ways that really helped our students. For instance, while I would be speaking in English to a class on Google Meet, different students could enable a tool to turn on captions on their screen only in the language of their preference, which would interpret what I was saying. Additionally, I know a lot of multi-language learners took advantage of using translation tools during remote learning. This is easier for them in private, as it doesn't allow any others to see that they might need translation help.

For teachers like Ms. T who are striving to help their students achieve, they need all of the resources they can get their hands on. KGL seeks to hear more stories like this to help guide solutions for the challenges teachers and students face.

KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd. is your source for PreK-12 content development. To find out more about editorial support for English language learning materials and how we can help you build your ESL and ELT portfolio, email us at info@kwglobal.com.