by Matt Lipford

Created on: March 16, 2010

Fun: The Most Essential Element for the ESL Student

 Entering a classroom as a non-English speaking student is a daunting and often terrifying experience.  Imagine the vast obstacles one must face in order to even begin to grasp the many complexities of our native tongue.  In order to achieve success as a teacher of a non-English speaking student, one must follow several specific guidelines and procedures – and typically, that is just to get the student a basic orientation of the classroom procedures.  Luckily, many guidelines and procedures are now in place for newer teachers to gain a better understanding of the EL student’s plight.  In fact, in California (where I got my teaching credential), a major emphasis has been put on cross-cultural education.  Also, the No Child Left Behind policies put in place have upped the ante for teachers who must take on this selfless task.  Having said that, there is often no room for fun in our educational arena – and to me, a fun classroom is a classroom that is learning effective life lessons that are typically more apt to be remembered.  So how does one go about making classroom instruction for the EL student fun?  It just takes some basic planning, patience, an understanding of different cultures, and a sense of humor.

Word games are often a fun ice-breaker for the EL student.  One game in particular is one in which the student and a teacher (usually a resource teacher) find similarities between languages.  This exercise simultaneously builds two bridges between the student and teacher – one of understanding, and one of trust and respect.  For example, when studying vocabulary words, you could find out how to say the words in their native tongue.  Find a common bridge to close the language gap.  Take the word tongue for an example.  In Spanish, you say lengua.  The student can be told that lengua sounds much like language, which is what we speak.  Make the final connection by stating that we use our tongue to speak, and have them repeat the word back.  Make word lists with charts and colorful pictures, and play a game in which you both repeat back words in each other’s native language.  This activity is sure to get smiles.

Another enjoyable activity is to identify common idioms in our language and “poke fun” at them.  While teaching history, I had one EL student who became very

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