In an international school environment, ESOL is a constant challenge that every teacher faces and is something that is always difficult to address in a classroom. I am a little lucky that mathematics is a universal language so I am able to fairly accurately communicate with students of limited English ability through equations, symbols, and gestures despite the language gap. Even so, when discussions are happening in English and my explanations to the class are in English it is vital that ESOL students do not get left behind.
As I have seen a couple times in my student feedback, there are always students that continue to struggle with vocabulary and the pace of the class considering how much English we use on a daily basis. Every year I struggle to find ways to help students when they say things like:
"My English ability is not so good so I think I need some help for English words"
or
"I sometimes don't get what he is saying because he is using to hard words"
This is an area that I do decent enough in, but it is a key area that I could definitely be doing much much more. Some things that I am doing include:
Providing vocabulary lists for students
Being intentional about highlighting key words in a discussion/lesson and providing definitions and examples
Allowing the use of digital translators in class and on assignments/assessments
Pairing students of similar language to support each other in times I am unable
Providing differentiated problems on assessments that focus more on the mathematics and less on long word problems and random non-mathematical English vocabulary.
Flexible grading when I can tell students understand the math concepts, but miss a question due to English
Providing activities that allow them to say/write answers outside of class where there is no time pressure to respond in front of peers
One example of such an assessment/project is when I have students explain a concept through a video tutorial where they write and record themselves explaining a topic. I have found this to be great for ESOL students for a few reasons:
They have the ability to plan and write an English script so they don't have to speak "on the spot" like they would in a class situation
It allows them the chance to hear their own speaking voice and evaluate their own speaking abilities
It eliminates the pressure of speaking a foreign language in front of peers and the fear of making public mistakes
It allows me to hear a much different side of their speaking ability than what comes out in class
Below is an example of such a video done by a Korean ESOL student. She planned out the math part then wrote a script that she read which allowed her a chance to speak and sound very fluent without the pressure of doing it in front of her peers. The end product is clear enough that it is hard to believe this comes from a student who wouldn't say a single word in class.