ELL stands for English language learners, and this term refers to students who come from non-English speaking homes and are learning English despite it not being their first and primary language. These ELL students often have basic English communication skills but may struggle to bring their speaking, writing, and grammar abilities up to the level required to participate fully in the classroom. As ELL learners are a fast-growing portion of the student population in America, learning how to engage these students is important for today’s teaching professionals.
Teaching English as a second language effectively requires an awareness of the needs of these students and taking steps to accommodate them in lesson planning, assessments, and classroom content such as visual learning with graphic aids. ELL students can also benefit from engagement strategies that involve their families and communities and include creative extracurricular activities. Reaching these students and helping them take their education to a new level with improved English language proficiency can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding work.