The teacher's use of the children's first language is limited primarily to clarification of English instruction, and most students are mainstreamed after 2 or 3 years (Rennie, 2004). Some experts disagree with ESL pull-out and believe that total immersion into the English language helps children learn the language better (Hawkins, 2001)
The effectiveness of various program models for language minority students remains the subject of controversy. Although there may be reasons to claim the superiority of one program model over another in certain situations, a variety of programs can be effective (Rennie, 2004)
If done right, the intervention needed by parents or teachers is negligible to none since the platform can track results and patterns over time. Once a student has mastered a topic, they can move on to something else (Diallo, 2014)
Johnson and was published in 2013. The specific focus of the study was a rural area but many of the facts and data underpinning the research as it started was for the entire state (Johnson, 2013)
A total of more than two hundred students were involved in the study and undertook the vocabulary tasks that were meted out to them. The findings of the study revealed that "collaboration using a web-based tool affects knowledge development, and provides insights into the integrated spectrum of self-regulation, L2/FL learning and web-based technology that will be useful for pedagogy (Liu, Lan & Ho, 2014)
Other factors besides web-based options being present are important as well. Per Montgomery, these would include the identification of reluctant larners, a focused examination of the importance of listeningand speaking when it comes to acquiring English proficiency, properly reviewing Glasser's conditions for quality school work and a summary of interventions that were used for ELL students in the past (Montgomery, 2009)
To state the obvious, there are obviously more systemic and widespread problems in school districts that are more widely impoverished than school districts where the children are generally of higher socioeconomic status. Also obvious is that money-deprived and poverty-stricken schools are going to be less able to afford modern technology options for learning purposes and this by itself puts children in those districts behind the curve (Solari, Petscher & Folsom, 2014)
While technology was not nearly as ubiquitous in the time when Krashen and Terrell crafted their theories, the lessons they extended still hold true. Indeed, Terrell was quoted as saying that the natural approach to learning language involves the "incorporation of two sources of knowledge in the target language into the teaching context" (Terrell, 1977)
The research to date indicates that ELLs learn better when the curricular offerings are relevant and in context. Learning in context is just one of the methods learners may use to increase their vocabularies, but ELL must use meta-cognitive thinking and learn terms within whichever context they appear (Alharbi, 2015; Jeff, 2010)
Moreover, Hung (2015) emphasizes that these types of intentional vocabulary teaching strategies greatly facilitate the vocabulary acquisition process through rote memory achieved through repetitive presentations of vocabulary words. This teaching strategy is among the most commonly used by ELL teachers due in large part to its ease of use, cost effectiveness, and proven ability to help ELL students acquire and retain English vocabulary words (Chien, 2015)
For example, Cook (2015) reports that despite the sometimes vastly disparate learning levels of his ELL students, data-driven instruction strategies that draw on online resources that promote vocabulary fluency can improve acquisition and retention levels for all of these learners. This ELL educator also reports that he has achieved optimal outcomes by rotating the types of Web-based technologies that are used and then pairing ELL students who are struggling with those who have mastered the material to provide peer-mentoring opportunities that further reinforce the vocabulary learning process (Cook, 2015)
Indeed, without a comprehensive knowledge of relevant vocabulary words, ELL students will be unable to communicate at all, making the need for effective teaching strategies of paramount importance (Min, 2013). In addition, vocabulary acquisition and retention are key to successfully completing the battery of standardized tests that are used throughout the United States today (Dong, 2013)
Table 1 Vocabulary learning strategies Strategy Description/Applications Read-Alouds This strategy uses regularly scheduled oral readings of books and stories in which teachers draw on textual resources to provide ELL students with the background knowledge they need for effective vocabulary acquisition. This strategy also uses a progressively challenging approach that presents increasingly difficult material to challenge ELL students' vocabulary retention abilities (Fien & Santoro, 2011)
This strategy has been shown to be highly effective in improving acquisition and retention rates among ELL students (Spiro, 2013). Other strategies that have been shown to be effective in promoting vocabulary acquisition among ELL students include the use of digital storytelling (Green, 2013)
As Harrasi and Talib (2014) conclude, this teaching strategy makes vocabulary acquisition more enjoyable and provides a more relaxed environment that is conducive to learning. Flash/Word Cards This intentional teaching strategy (versus incidental learning) includes vocabulary notebooks, word lists, as well as word cards which have been shown to be effective and efficient for vocabulary acquisition in second languages (Hung, 2015)
Moreover, the results that are obtained by using the foregoing survey strategy can also provide ELL teachers with the feedback they need to identify strengths to build on and weaknesses that must be addressed (Nicholson & Murphy, 2011). Identifying ELL students' specific learning levels can help ELL teachers better align their curricular offerings with these dynamic learning needs (Nicholson & Murphy, 2011), but many ELL teachers concentrate on language acquisition to the exclusion of other academic content (Lee, 2012)
For instance, according to Wei (2014), the acquisition of vocabulary by ELL students is an integral part of the mastery of the language. Indeed, without a comprehensive knowledge of relevant vocabulary words, ELL students will be unable to communicate at all, making the need for effective teaching strategies of paramount importance (Min, 2013)
Even here, though, it is important to note that even extensive reading regimens will not replace a multifaceted approach to helping ELL students improve their English vocabulary (Min, 2013). In addition, it is also essential for ELL teachers to not discount the learning opportunities that incidental learning experiences such as reading for pleasure or simply talking with others provide ELL students (Mixan, 2013)
53). Moreover, the results that are obtained by using the foregoing survey strategy can also provide ELL teachers with the feedback they need to identify strengths to build on and weaknesses that must be addressed (Nicholson & Murphy, 2011)
By sharp contrast, ELL students require approximately twice as long to acquire the same number of new words, particularly after entering college when the vocabulary becomes more complex (Peregoy & Boyle, 2013). One of the more disturbing effects of these disparate learning rates between native speakers and ELL students is the fact that in academic settings, ELL students will already be at a disadvantage (Overturf, 2016)