LEP

Limited English Proficiency

In this page you will find a complete project done to define, characterize and deal with students who are said to be limited Engish proficient students. It is a very essential topic to look at, since we as teachers might certainly face a lot of problems present within students, and this might be one of them.

1. Introduction:

  Individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, write, speak, or understand English can be limited English proficient (LEP)  and therefore entitled to language assistance with respect to a particular type of service, benefit, or encounter.

  To be more specific, many students struggle with math and science, as well as the rest of their academic subjects because of their LEP. Their mathematical and science abilities are negatively impacted by their struggles with language and literacy. 

2. Labeling LEP students:

   It is of great importance to detect or label the students who are facing problems in understanding the English language spoken by the teacher, in order to use the appropriate strategies with them.   

  LEP students have difficulties may deny the individual’s opportunity to learn and participate successfully in classrooms due to one of the following characteristics:

·         General language difficulties (vocabs, difficulty in speaking…)

·         Low self-esteem.

·         Difficulty establishing intrapersonal skills. (Communication with others in class).

·         Low skills.

·         Difficulty in comprehension (written and verbal).

·         Speaking at a slow pace.

·         Hesitant to acknowledge that they don’t understand.

·         Be apprehensive about speaking out in a group.

·         Refrain from asking for help.

•        Reluctant to answer voluntarily.

•        Avoiding eye contact.

•        Working by themselves.

•        Misunderstanding messages/communication.

     3. Effects of LEP on the class/students:

      (Effect of poor language on math/science learning)

1)      Math learning disabilities can be mild, mediocre (average), or very severe. Difficulty in memorizing number fact, arithmetic (sums) weakness or severe lack of math talent, not understanding the math language, lack of spatial ability to understand math, problems in understanding content from reference books and study material are some of the math based learning disabilities.

2)      Lack of discipline.

3)      Lack of respect (laughing).

4)      Comparing weak language students with other good language children.

5)      Understanding scientific concepts will be weak and hard.

6)      Weak fundamentals which make it difficult to read and learn from reference books and text.

7)      Participation in the classrooms will not be attained by weak language students, because of that frightful feeling of being laughed at or punished for giving wrong answers.

8)      Focusing on language will be the main aim for LEP students. This will cause them to be far away from the major information being given or discussed during the sessions.

   4. Dealing with LEP students:

    Finally, after detecting students having limited English proficiency, it is important to pass through the ways that will help these students improve their language and attain appropriate learning in scientific materials (courses) in order to remove or even reduce the effects of such proficiency on the students themselves and the class as a whole.

   As teachers we will be responsible for training and helping such students through certain ways that could be applied while you are teaching a lesson:

1)      Explain expectations: Give your students a detailed list of your expectations. This list might include the amount of time you estimate it will take to cover the material, the types of quizzes or tests they can expect, and the labs or activities they may be doing. In addition to the classroom routines (collecting homework, group work…). By that students will understand the classroom behavior and they will be focusing there energy on learning the content.   

2)      Give an overview: Provide your students with an overview of the chapter or unit. It is important to identify the main concepts and the vocabulary words with your students. This builds the students’ familiarity with the concepts to be learned, gives them a head start with the vocabulary to be covered, and increases their confidence that they will be able to follow the lessons.

3)      Modify the speech:

-          Speak slowly and distinctly: Many students think that they have to talk in a fast way while using the English language, for that a teacher in turn should reduce the pace at which new information is conveyed; speak in a slow and clear manner and pause between sentences for students first to understand what the teacher is saying and second to know that speaking fluently is the not the main target. Gestures might be used to clarify ideas said.  

-          Word choice: Be mindful of your word choice when explaining the lesson or its concepts so that you will not be presenting students with new vocabulary that is unnecessary for the lesson and for your goals.

-          Repeat, rephrase, and paraphrase.

-          Use key words frequently for students will acquire them with repetition.

-          Simplify the language used; use known vocabulary and simple sentence constructions.

-          When LEP students speak, focus on their message rather than their grammatical skills and accuracy, if you don't, they would not dare to participate again.

4)      Follow appropriate managerial and instructional strategies:

-          Seating: during instruction, seat LEP students purposefully; near the teacher or next to a good speaking English classmate.

-          Avoid comparing weak English students with high or better English students. Such children require a lot of motivation and attention along with classroom training.

-            Help LEP students to be accepted by their peers and never laughed at while speaking. Preparing this climate will help them feel safe and thus keep on participating.

-           Give directions step-by-step (orally and in writing) before assigning students to do independent, pair, or group work. Ask a student to repeat the directions aloud for the rest of the class to assess whether all the students understand the assignment.

-          Give LEP students more time to process questions and formulate an answer. They have to think about the question in their own language and then work to find the English words to produce an answer in English.  LEP student’s hesitance to raise his/her hand to answer a question should not be misinterpreted as shyness. Sometimes LEP students have the ability to reason, understand and answer questions but they do not find suitable vocabulary to express. So to reduce the pressure on LEP students, let them discuss a question in pairs for a minute before calling on a student to give an answer. This strategy gives everyone in the class more time to think about the question and form an answer. It also increases comprehension and gives all students more opportunities to participate in class discussions.

-           Allow LEP students to talk to a peer in their native language when necessary to clarify understanding and clear up misunderstandings.

-          Integrate the four language modes (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) into scientific classes:

·         Listening: Explain the lesson using suitable grammatical words while integrating the vocabulary related to the lesson. The teacher can also read short stories for students to activate their prior knowledge.   

·         Speaking: Give students chances to participate as much as possible for them to practice the language. You can have them explain their thinking process aloud while solving a problem or summarize the main ideas of a certain lesson.

·          Reading could be emphasized by integrating scientific stories related to certain topics, when possible, to spark students' interest.  

·         As for writing, tell students to write in their own words the steps of an experiment done or conclusions and results of an experiment. Teachers might also tell students to write biographies about famous scientists or tell students to write about what they did in class, then share it with family members and write about what they talked about, and finally share it in class.

Thus, by integrating and practicing these four modes, students will be acquiring English and improving it.

-          Model the process. Talk aloud while solving problems on the board to show the thinking process and common errors.

-          Give explicit instruction in reading and writing word problems. Teach students to identify key words in word problems that indicate for them what to do in order to solve any question.

-          Teach students all the synonyms related to a certain word; especially in math. (+: plus, the sum of, combine… or =: equal, total, make…)

-          Use graphic organizers to visually represent concepts.  Graphic organizers are a means of introducing and assessing concepts in a manner that encourages meaningful learning. Graphic organizers are diagrams or maps that show the relationship between new and existing concepts, thereby facilitating integration of new and familiar ideas. They require minimal language and are therefore helpful tools when teaching science to English language learners.

-          Use visuals whenever possible to reinforce auditory instruction which in turn increases students' understandings (i.e. charts, graphs, manipulative, diagrams, models, real objects).

5)      Interpersonal strategies:

-           Group projects & cooperative learning: Many of the activities could employ group work and cooperative learning. Such activities provide opportunities for students to exchange, write, and present ideas. Projects use a variety of skills that work together to increase understanding and retention.

-          Think / pair / share (Partner English learners with strong English speakers): Students learn to speak English by speaking English, but it is often counterproductive to ask English language learners to read passages or give descriptions to the entire class. Students are often embarrassed by their minimal science knowledge and English skills, and public exposure may make them more uncomfortable and reserved. By contrast, English language learners are often eager to share their ideas in their new language with their peers. This strategy gives all students the opportunity to practice English.  Provide students with time to write a response to a thought provoking question, then additional time to discuss it with their neighbor before sharing their conclusion with the class. The think/pair/share technique increases student participation and involvement, and is a particularly effective way of encouraging English language learners to express science concepts in English.

   And finally, teachers should participate in workshops aimed at encouraging them to consider how reading, writing and science are linked, and promoting students’ writing in science. Further, workshops will focus on how to guide students to integrate English language and literacy in science instruction and engage students.

    Parents' role should not be forgotten though. They could be helpful for their English limited children by:

1)      Understanding and believing in the importance of English language skills. Children are adept at picking up on parental attitudes. If children realize the adults in their lives don't think learning English is important, they will be less likely to approach the subject with a positive attitude.

2)      Maintaining open channels of communication with the teacher(s) and continually monitoring children's progress in school.

3)      Tutoring the children at home, using specific learning activities designed by the teacher to reinforce work being done in school (giving specific assistance with materials and tutoring techniques that will successfully reinforce the work being done in school).