Learning English During a Pandemic

Submitted by:
Theresa A. Sterling, M.A.
ESOL Coordinator
Jefferson - Somerset Charter School

The pandemic has presented significant challenges for educators and students around the globe, and Jefferson County is no different. Every day, teachers and administration at Jefferson Somerset Academy in Monticello examine ways to provide the best possible education for all students: those attending school in traditional on-site classrooms, and students who participate by Remote Live Instruction (RLI), Zooming into classes in real time.

For students with unique needs RLI is not ideal, but it is the only format of instruction in many school districts across the nation and the norm in Jefferson County for families who do not want their students on campus because of COVID-19. Because instruction is live and students can interact with peers and teachers, RLI is often a better option than virtual self-paced programs where students work through modules individually at any time of day or night, isolated from peers and from real-time instructional support.

Somerset teachers know remote learning is less than optimal for English Language Learners (ELLs), who make up about 10% of total enrollment at the K-12 school. The majority speak Spanish as their first, or heritage, language and though the school understands family concerns for health and safety, staff also knows what students who are developing English language skills are missing by not being on campus with peers all day.

Twynetta Howard, a first-grade teacher, wishes all her ELLs could be in class with her and their peers.

“I understand why they are at home, but they learn so much from interaction with the group, with their friends. They develop social skills, and they get to support each other and join in the excitement when one of them achieves something,” says Howard. “They are a really good group.”

Almost on cue, the group erupts in applause and rounds of woo-hoo! when a classmate “splatts” the correct sight word in a column projected on the Clear Touch interactive board at the front of the room. Howard provided small flexible fly swatters for students to use in the interactive exercise where she calls a word and students must identify then smack it—that’s the splatt part—with the brightly-colored swatter. She sent splatters home to RLI students as well. “I want my remote babies to have the same fun with learning that I plan for all my students,” she says.

Howard purchases most of her educational props with her own money, and might one day get around to submitting receipts for reimbursement, but probably not. “It’s not a priority for me. I create the lessons, and when I’m ready to do the activities I want to have the hands-on things my babies need so they can learn. I don’t want to wait a couple of weeks to process an order and get supplies in,” Howard says. “And my family knows better than to comment on this to me.”

Moving among desks Howard encourages them all, but there is no need to lure them into engagement; they squirm, clap and lean out of their seats with excitement. Howard encourages them consistently, instilling ways to be good little scholars. “Good reading! Now, who’s next to show how they have practiced their sight words?”

This time Howard draws Brisia’s name, an RLI English learner, whose parents have set up a word wall by affixing post-it notes in columns on the wall so she can splatt at home. “This is what RLI should look like. We want all our babies to have the support at home that lets them participate the same they would here in the actual classroom,” she says. When Brisia splatts the right word her classmates shout their support. A joyful sense of community is palpable, and contagious, in this microcosm.

The ability to participate in the same way at home is dependent upon family support, something Somerset has stressed since before RLI was rolled out. Though teachers send materials home, parents need to help organize learning spaces and replicate, as much as possible, the classroom setting.

Learning a second (or third, or fourth) language follows the natural progression of first language acquisition, and there is other input at play besides linguistic. Language learners rely on social cues, visible and exaggerated articulation, paralanguage such as facial expressions, gestures, body language, and sounds that carry meaning and are understood within the culture or community.
Since the pandemic began, educators across the country have expressed concern for the most vulnerable students learning remotely, noting that not being on campus all day, every day, will prove to be a detriment to language development among ELL students. They miss several hours each week of listening, practicing, creating meaning and honing comprehension and speaking skills through informal interactions with friends. Although those casual language practice opportunities have been lost, RLI is the next best thing to being in the physical class with peers.

To bridge gaps, Howard and her bilingual classroom aid, Brenda Guerrero, devise activities to help parents support their ELL children at home. After 32 years of teaching—all of them in Jefferson County—Howard’s creativity in planning lessons has not waned, and this duo is unstoppable. They make inroads into the community of ELL families to help the students who struggle most.

“I just think outside the box. I have to think of ways, especially during this pandemic, to reach everybody and keep them excited about learning,” says Howard. She and Guerrero recently recorded vowel sounds and stories and sent home mini cassette players for families to use with students at home, and Guerrero, who attended Jefferson County schools and speaks fluent Spanish, knows many of the ELL families personally and works with students on her own time. Now in her second year working with Howard, she connects with families through phone calls and translates documents to send home.

Why does Howard have all the first grade ELLs in her class? “I am ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) certified, but I suppose the principal knows I’ll be a mother hen to these babies. They will grow and learn, and they’ll have fun doing it,” she says. “We operate as a family, and I remind my students of this every day. We don’t laugh at each other’s mistakes, we help and encourage each other.”

Howard infuses interactive learning activities into each day. She has always used hands-on items, called manipulatives, and real-life items (called realia in the ELL field field) to incorporate environmental print and expand vocabulary, but she is doing so even more during these COVID times to keep her RLI students connected to the class and excited about learning. What she misses most right now is the intimacy of reading aloud, in person, with all of her students gathered together in class every day.

“These babies learning English as a new language need lots of support. They need lots of practice and repetition, and we need to celebrate their successes here and at home, especially now,” Howard says. “They all need a chance to learn, no matter where they came from.”