Teaching English to multilingual learners is a rewarding profession, but it’s not without its challenges. Many teachers face obstacles that can feel overwhelming, yet with the right strategies, these challenges can become opportunities for growth. Here are three of the biggest hurdles faced by English language teachers and practical tips to overcome them.
1. Lack of Motivation Among Students
Motivating students to engage in language learning is a universal struggle. To effectively address this, we must first understand why motivation is lacking.
Possible Reasons for Lack of Motivation
Homesickness: During the holidays, students often feel isolated or long for home, making it difficult to focus on learning.
Perception of Ineffectiveness: Students may believe they’re not improving their English, leading to discouragement.
Lack of Connection: In-person connections with teachers and peers can significantly boost engagement, but some students feel a gap.
Solutions
Build Connections: Host cultural exchange days or casual chats about students’ home countries. Create a welcoming atmosphere where they feel understood. It's also advisable that you build one on one meetings with your students into the curriculum. When students need to report their progress to you, they feel a sense of ownership.
Set Measurable Goals: Use tools like AIR Language to track students’ progress and celebrate their achievements. Seeing clear growth can reignite motivation. When you are able to collaborate with students to write those goals, they are much more able to meet them.
Integrate Real-World Relevance: Design lessons that connect to students’ interests, such as exploring music, sports, or career-focused English. When they can see a direct connection between class and life, and are able to use their learning immediatly, school becomes more important to them.
2. Work Overload for Teachers
The workload for English language teachers can feel insurmountable, especially when balancing lesson planning, grading, and progress monitoring.
Why This Happens
Large class sizes with diverse needs.
Lack of resources tailored for ELLs.
High expectations for both language development and subject content.
Solutions
Streamline with Technology: Tools like AIR Language can give you time back--instead of planning for 20 of class time every day, you can use that time to do those tasks you have been putting off for weeks.
Build Systems: Effective systems will always yeild time and make classtime that much smoother. Systems that you can put in your classes include reading systems, such as AIR Language, interactive notebook time, goal and vocabulary times.
Collaborate: Partner with other teachers to share lesson plans and resources. Collaboration not only reduces workload but also generates fresh ideas.
3. Pressure to Help Students Pass Classes
Let's be real: students need to pass classes. And if they don't, they don't graduate. And that is why the job of the English language teachers often becomes less about language and more about content.
Why This Feels Overwhelming
Students must learn English while keeping up with the curriculum in other subjects.
Teachers may feel unequipped to align language learning with content learning.
Solutions
Goal and Vocabulary Sheets: When students are given a job to do: capture vocabulary and write goals of what they are doing in class, they learn language AND pass classes.
Set up a Student Referral Sheet: Send an email to teachers and have them write in students who need extra help. You can then take these students and push them in the right direction. This way you can become the liaison between teachers and students, rather than a glorified tutor.
Leverage Progress Monitoring: Use data-driven insights to identify specific areas where students need support. Tools like AIR Language’s analytics make this process more manageable.
Ready to overcome these challenges in your classroom?
Learn more about AIR Language today!
Teaching English learners comes with its challenges, but with the right strategies, these hurdles can be overcome. By addressing motivation, managing workloads, and aligning language learning with content, teachers can create an environment where both students and educators thrive.
Remember, tools like AIR Language are designed to support teachers in these efforts, providing resources to streamline teaching and track progress effectively.
Also, be on the lookout for our new community we are launching in December. It will include many free resources, as well as a community for people to meet in and to solve problems.
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