Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL)

Question: What is a pressing need for the majority of teachers in the English-speaking world and who has the answers?

Answer/Quotes: “This volume begins to address the pressing need facing the majority of teachers in the United States and in other countries in the English-speaking world—how to teach children whose primary language is not English. Teachers—faced with exploding demographics, lack of knowledge about children’s cultures, and how languages (first or second or third, oral or written) are learned across different social contexts, lack of pedagogy to restructure the teaching of English language arts for children new to English, and fear of change—need concrete ways of teaching.”

“Kids Come in All Languages fills a void with instructional practices that teachers need. It also addresses issues of cultural diversity, challenges commonly held assumptions, and marks a shift to viewing children whose primary language  is not English with more respect and dignity. Supporting teachers’ pedagogical change is one of the most formidable tasks facing our profession. We need more books such as this.” Barbara Flores.

Comment: I wonder if my reviews of the articles in this book will answer the questions about English as a Second Language (ESL) that “the majority of teachers” are asking? We’ll soon find out. In the next several blogs, I will review the best of the articles included in this book. RayS.

Title: “Foreword.” Barbara Flores. Pp. v-vii. Kids Come in All Languages: Reading Instruction for ESL Students. Eds. K Spangensberg-Urgschat and R Pritchard. Newark, DE: IRA. 1994.