In 2004 I stood in front of my class of grade six science students. The majority were excited about starting the school year but apprehensive about their new surroundings. We were in Russia and my class of sixteen consisted of students from all over the world. Many of us had just arrived.
The school had been created for the children of international businessmen, embassy staff and diplomats. The language of instruction was English but my students were from Europe, North America and South America. Curious, I asked them to put up their hands if they spoke four languages. Surprisingly three claimed they had this ability. A few spoke three languages. The majority spoke two, their mother tongue and English or English and a second language they had learned while living abroad. My unilingual status was shared by only a few.
Reading, writing and speaking are three separate skills. The degree of competence in each area is variable and dependent on many factors. At the age of twelve my father was fluent in three spoken languages but he could not read or write English to his grade level. Bilingual or trilingual students have difficulty choosing which language is their first or 'best' language for academic purposes. Regardless of the reason, the ability to read and write English impacts the methods of teaching and learning used by teachers.
The majority of my new class had good verbal understanding of English instructions but weaker reading and writing skills. Worksheets were not going to be a successful teaching tool as many could not understand the vocabulary of the instructions. By necessity, my instructional techniques changed to being more hands-on, student directed and collaborative. Instructions were given verbally as well as visually and repeated frequently. I placed student in pairs or groups of four so they could share their understanding of the task at hand.
The number of immigrant families in Canada is increasing and the trend will continue for the foreseeable future. Canadian teachers and the provincial education systems must prepare for multilingual students. Teachers must be aware of how languages are learned within an 'emersion' setting. Separate language classes are reserved for those with limited verbal skills. The philosophy of sink or swim is the normal strategy and these students can be supported within the regular classroom. Structuring lessons to scaffold on strengths (desire to learn) and not weakness (understanding words) creates an atmosphere of caring and collaboration. Teaching and learning is a symbiotic process where both participants benefit.
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