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Pragmatics: Considering
What the Students Bring to the Classroom
Thoughtful educators are sensitive to the fact that students bring a world of experiences – potentially very different from those of the teacher - to school. Everything from basic classroom procedures to methods of textual analysis (which would include reading a word problem in math or analyzing a poem in English) to social interactions in the cafeteria may be unfamiliar to the students. That’s not to say that students haven’t done these things, it’s just that they may not have done them in the United States and in English. It is incumbent on teachers to model the kinds of behaviors we want to see our students demonstrate. We cannot make the assumption that our ELLs (or even our native English speakers) know when to raise their hands, what to do in a cooperative group, how to phrase a question . . . or even whether it’s appropriate or not to ask a question. Reminding ourselves that our students are being challenged in terms of language AND culture every time they walk through the doors of the school will empower us as teachers, mentors, and guides.
Thoughtful educators are sensitive to the fact that students bring a world of experiences – potentially very different from those of the teacher - to school. Everything from basic classroom procedures to methods of textual analysis (which would include reading a word problem in math or analyzing a poem in English) to social interactions in the cafeteria may be unfamiliar to the students. That’s not to say that students haven’t done these things, it’s just that they may not have done them in the United States and in English. It is incumbent on teachers to model the kinds of behaviors we want to see our students demonstrate. We cannot make the assumption that our ELLs (or even our native English speakers) know when to raise their hands, what to do in a cooperative group, how to phrase a question . . . or even whether it’s appropriate or not to ask a question. Reminding ourselves that our students are being challenged in terms of language AND culture every time they walk through the doors of the school will empower us as teachers, mentors, and guides.