Midway through the term, a boy from Viet Nam who spoke no English at all entered the class. Neither the principal nor the district office offered any sort of support, not even purchasing a translating dictionary. Deb and I shared some basic beliefs about teaching and about language learning. We agreed that the two most important guidelines for teaching are to discover the students' strengths and to integrate the students into the class. Language develops when the learner focuses on doing something in the new language with others, rather than focusing on the language itself.
Literacy is part of language development in literate countries.
We don't wait for speaking and listening to be developed before we ask a student to write and read. Mistakes are natural and necessary in language learning. I watched with admiration as Deb set about integrating Vinh into the class, which she already had established as informal, friendly small groups working on a variety of tasks. The other students welcomed Vinh into their groups and began to teach him both English and the ways in which this class operated. When it was time for everyone to write in journals, one or two students gave Vinh paper and pen and pantomimed writing.