Promoting Discussions in ESL Students
Author: Navarro, Ann
Date: 2010-03-11
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Group Discussion,Intervention,Reading Strategies,Second Language Learning,Teacher Surveys,Discussion (Teaching Technique),Interviews,Cultural Differences,Reading Comprehension,English (Second Language),Classroom Observation Techniques,Student Attitudes,Teacher Attitudes

Background: Teachers who work with English as a Second Language (ESL) students, struggle with promoting discussion during guided reading. When ESL students are asked comprehension questions during group discussions and throughout the reading of a book, often teachers receive minimal feedback. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify effective discussion strategies that may help ESL students contribute to meaningful class discussions about their reading. Setting: The students in the research attended a public elementary school in a suburban neighborhood in northeastern United States. The research took place in a third grade classroom for approximately one month. Study Sample: The students in the research were two boys and two girls in third grade. They participated in the school's ESL program. Intervention: Anticipation guides were implemented during guided reading twice. Four statements were created on sheets of paper that related to the story with columns for students to decide whether they agreed or disagreed. Strategies were modeled to illustrate how students could respond to the first statement and how they could make connections to previous experiences. Students recorded their reactions to the statements, read the book, and had opportunities to discuss their responses. Research Design: Experimental. Data Collection and Analysis: The data collection includes a teacher survey and interview, guided reading pre &amp; post observation notes, pre &amp; post group discussion checklists, and student interviews.Findings: Anticipation guides brought forth high levels of discussion and were appreciated by the students, based on the student interviews and post strategy observation. It was easy for students to state their opinions on the statements included in the guides and refer back to them to discuss their reasons for agreeing or disagreeing. Conclusion: To narrow students' learning gaps, strategies that will allow for building background knowledge in students who bring diverse cultural differences should be implemented. Anticipation guides certainly build knowledge, motivation, comprehension, and discussion. Citation: Echevarria, J., &amp; Short, D. (2004/2005). Teacher skills to support English Language Learners. Educational Leadership, 62(4), 8-13. Fountas, I. C. &amp; Pinnell, G. S. (1996). Guided reading: A good first teaching for all children. Portsmouth: Heinemann. Kozen, A. A., Murray, R. K. &amp; Windel, I. (2006). Increasing all students' chance to achieve: Using and adapting anticipation guides with middle school learners. Intervention in School and Clinic, 41(4), 195-200. Mitchell, K.E. (2006). Getting to the heart of a story. Teaching K-8, 73(1), 66-67. Rasinski, T. &amp; Padak, N. (2004). Effective reading strategies: Teaching children who find reading difficult (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education. Rogoff, B. (2003). The cultural nature of human development. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Woelders, A. (2007). &quot;It makes you think more when you watch things&quot;: Scaffolding for historical inquiry using film in the middle school classroom. The Social Studies, 98(4), 145-152. The following are appended: (1) Teacher Survey on Reading and Comprehension; (2) Teacher Interview; (3) Observation Notes; (4) Group Discussion Checklist; (5) Anticipation Guide; (6) Anticipation Guide Ranking Survey; (7) Student Interview. (Contains 4 tables and 2 footnotes.)