The Sandspur

Issue date: 4/21/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Courtesy of Rollins PR STORY TIME: Sophomore Savannah Stephen reads to ESOL students at a local elementary school.

Rollins College is now working with the Junior Achievement to help teach English to those students who speak other languages. Eighteen of Rollins advanced Spanish course students worked in classrooms to provide more hands on learning.

When teaching ESOL students, it is important to familiarize them with basic English concepts, background knowledge, and language that will be needed to participate in general education programs.

Knowing the certain names and concepts in their own language helps when switching over to language.

Often times ESOL students fall behind if they do not receive intensive English training when they enter a dominant English speaking classroom.

Students can often become distracted by peers, have difficulty working independently, many times end up copying others assignments, and fail to turn in homework.

Working with each student one-on-one and getting to know them is one of the best ways to teach students with English as their second language. The best way to teach students is by teaching small bits of information through short sessions.

Rollins students provide examples to support what they are saying. By reading to the student helps them visualize and understand the information.

Hands on activities, singing, choral reading, nursery rhymes, and drawing, are all staples of a rich language learning environment.

It is also important, when teaching students English, to remember that learning a new language is difficult. It is often difficult to remember what was said previously and its relationship to what the teacher is talking about at the moment.

It is important to move slowly, and take time to make sure everyone understands what is going on in the classroom.

The new learner will find it difficult to distinguish between key words and unimportant words, so avoid giving non-essential information.

The Assistant Professor of Modern Languages Gabriel Barreneche commented on how "This is the first community outreach effort I have incorporated with the curriculum."

Among other firsts, this is a first for Junior Achievement, teaming up with college students in Central Florida who use Spanish instead of English to teach students.

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