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First-language instruction: Friend or foe?

By: Jeff Davis

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The United States has always been a melting pot of cultures and languages, but what is considered an appropriate response to this diversity continually changes. How can we accept and embrace diversity while at the same time help English learners become part of a unified society?
In his article from the summer 2008 American Educator, Claude Goldenberg finds a balance on how to welcome students' linguistic diversity while integrating them into an English-only system.
The Great Debate
Imagine being in a foreign country where everyone is speaking quickly in a language you don't understand. It's comforting to find someone who speaks your language.
When academic concepts are clarified in a student's first language, he or she can more easily understand what's going on in the classroom, even when the bulk of classroom instruction is in English.
However, first-language support can hinder student progress if it's not done well. If English learners (ELs) consistently rely on other students to translate, Goldenberg says, two new problems are introduced. One, peers may not give accurate explanations, thus confusing ELs further. Two, ELs may become so dependent on this translation that they tune out during the English portion of the lesson.
So how can you give a reason for students to learn academic English when you offer first-language support to improve understanding?
The Preview-Review Method
In this method, teachers preview material in the student's first language, teach it in English, and then conduct a brief review in the first language. The preview portion of the lesson prepares students to comprehend the lesson when it is delivered in English. The English lesson challenges students enough that they pay attention, and the review ensures that they understood the material. Of course, using this technique, instructors must be able to communicate in each individual student's first language, which would be quite a feat.
In Imagine Learning English, students learn vocabulary for stories they are about to read by previewing it in their first language. Each word is translated and practiced in the student's first language. Then students listen to or read a story, using the practiced words, in English. Afterward, students are asked comprehension questions in English, and if they answer the questions incorrectly, they receive a specific first-language explanation to help them answer correctly.
Something Old, Something New
Goldenberg also recommends teaching the differences and similarities between the students' primary language and English. Students may already have knowledge of letter-sound correspondences in their first language, and they can use that knowledge to get a head start in English by knowing which letter-sounds are the same. After that, teachers can focus on teaching sounds and letters that are new to students.
Imagine Learning English employs this method in teaching phonemes. One activity, Discover Similar Sounds, points out English phonemes that students already hear and produce in their first language. Students can transfer that part of their phonemic awareness directly to English. Meet New Sounds teaches students about phonemes in English that don't appear in their first language. Students learn how to perceive and produce sounds by watching a video of a mouth pronounce each sound.
English Learners http://imaginelearning.com/EnglishLearners.aspx

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