Homework and Independent Practice for English Language Learners

Blog #10

Why is Homework and Independent Practice Important for English Language Learners (ELL’s)?

How can Instructors Help Make Homework and Independent Practice Successful Experiences for their Language Learners?

Many educators exclude ELL’s from certain assignments, including homework because they don’t believe that they can accomplish these tasks without assistance and the students probably don’t have the support they need at home in English. This assumption, along with the obstacles of differentiating assignments, may inhibit ELL’s from receiving important reinforcements of classroom learning and language acquisition practice that they need to advance in acquiring English literacy skills. Children are in school 6-7 hours of their day which are half (or less) of their waking hours and 25% of a day. Therefore, “homework is an effective means of extending student learning beyond the school day” (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Oftentimes, guided practice is overemphasized with ELL’s in the classroom and authentic production of written language might be limited to filling in the blanks or copying off the board. This achieves what looks like proper English, but may not reflect the abilities of a student or tap in on higher level thinking skills. As educators, we must focus on what the learners can do and focus on what we can do (instead of being bogged down by obstacles) in order to facilitate more independent practice. In the Classroom: A Toolkit for Effective Instruction of English Language Learners ( by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, NCELA) suggests several guiding principals for homework and independent practice for ELL’s (Hill & Flynn, 2006).. In this blog, I will explore the recommendations of this article.

First, ELL’s should be provided with “concrete, non-linguistic examples” (Hill & Flynn, 2006). This might include graphic organizers, photos, pictures or icons to trigger understanding. These pictorial and graphic representations scaffold the use of written language. The use of graphic organizers can be modeled in class and when they are familiar to a student, they will be easier to complete independently. Drawings and graphic representations may allow a student who finds written work challenging to reflect greater understanding with limited words. One example is a Venn Diagram. Students might compare and contrast characters in a book or two science or social studies concepts. Students in the pre-production or speech emergence stages might use drawings primarily to represent their understanding. Early production students might use labels and simple phrases. Intermediate and advanced students will be able to produce sentences. Yet all students would be able to complete the task and show some understanding.

A second important factor according to the NCELA is to provide students with opportunities to “ask questions and discuss assignments orally” (Hill & Flynn, 2006). This includes modeling the assignment for the student and providing examples of outcomes. This might mean showing the different levels of response expected from different students. This also might mean pairing up students to discuss the assignment before they attempt to accomplish it independently. They may converse in their native language to check for understanding and negotiate meaning if the instructor is unable to provide second language support. Time is allotted for clarification and question asking during class. The instructor may want to check in mid-way through the allotted time period to complete the assignment to see if anyone has further questions or concerns before the due date.

Native language support can be crucial for some students to complete independent assignments (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Oral instructions in English may be too complex to be comprehended and even after modeling, the ELL’s may still need some clarification in order to complete the task. Peer tutors in class, cross-grade tutors, native language support through teacher’s aides or classroom volunteers may help in translating and communicating the steps and outcomes desired in completing an independent assignment.
.Some schools may have after-school programs with native language support. Often a teacher needs to create the opportunities for native language support. Written instructions in a child’s native language are also helpful (if a child or his/her parents are literate).
In addition to native language support, peer support can also be helpful in other ways. Peers may help with note-taking. Students may understand more English than they can produce and a peer could model proper written English. Study buddies who exchange phone numbers or get together mid-week to complete assignments together may be established as well. Group work is a powerful tool for language acquisition (Gibbons, 2002). The key is to insure that each member has a role so that there is no free riding. A student with less ability to produce written language might be in charge of layout, pictures, illustrations or graphs to accompany a group assignment.

Modified or additional instructions can make independent work more comprehensible for ELL’s (Hill & Flynn, 2006). As communicated earlier, this may mean modeling the steps to complete an assignment and the expected outcome. Breaking tasks down into concrete steps is helpful. Another way of making instructions clear is “message redundance” (Gibbons, 2002). This means saying the same thing in a different way. By varying the vocabulary and restating it, it is more likely for more students to comprehend the instructions. Introducing formal terms (like rotate and dilute) along side more informal ones (like move around and water down) while modeling physically the task is “message redundance” (Gibbons, 2002).
Two other recommendations by the NCELA are to give tips & strategies and to post assignments clearly in the classroom (Hill & Flynn, 2006). Tips and strategies might include answering questions like: “What do I do when I don’t understand?” and, “What if I read a word that I don’t know?” Suggestions might include: reread, ask for help (from your teacher, your study buddy or a parent), look at the word in context, look for picture cues, use an on-line translator, etc. The teacher could also debrief with students and allow them to share their strategies with each other. Assignments should also be accessible on the board or in a certain place in the classroom to avoid confusion. Planners, homework logs or homework packets should be used to record the assignments. Establishing routines can make homework and deadlines more predictable. This results in less instructions to be explained and understood over time.

In conclusion, homework and independent practice are opportunities for ELL’s to reflect their understanding and practice skills. With certain modifications, assignments can be created for language learners that will be comprehensible and manageable. By following these recommendations of the NCELA, ELL’s will not be robbed of the opportunity to further develop their abilities as independent learners and teachers will create the structures, routines and design tasks that are cognitively challenging without being linguistically prohibitive.

References:

Gibbons, Pauline (2002). Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Hill, Jane D and Flynn, Kathleen M. (2006). Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners. Alexandra, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).