Each language has unique phonetic sounds. English as a Second Language (ESL) students bring their understanding of sounds and phonetics to their attempts to learn the English language. This can cause problems as the absence of certain phonetic sounds creates difficulty in students' ability to hear them.
Read what Robin Schwartz said in her article, Teaching ESL Students – Using Phonemic Awareness with ESL Students. Robin talks about her work with at-risk students in the college-level intensive English program.
“Because the foreign language learners who were having difficulties had poor phonemic awareness as well as poor phonological skills, my first priority was clear, direct teaching of the sound system of English.”
“Another lesson learned from the foreign language research was that the sounds should be taught one at a time in a clear sequence. I chose to start by teaching the short vowels in alphabetical order to match some other ESL materials I had, and I selected appropriate drills or activities.”
“The process requires lots and lots of repetition. Students with difficulty in the language area require much more time to process information and much more review and practice than average learners.”
“We continued on to long vowels, and the process became faster because the students had begun to discriminate sounds more accurately and knew what to expect in the activities and practices.”
There’s also a wonderful article about teaching ESL Phonics by Eric K. Dolan. Mr. Dolan warns educators to be careful about who is doing the actual phonics teaching. “Some of the ESL teachers are trying to teach phonics when it's quite clear that they have no practical experience on teaching reading skills to children,” says Dolan.
We agree. For many, learning English is the golden ticket to tapping into the educational and economic opportunities available in America. You can make certain that your students get the best phonics instruction available by taking advantage of professional development courses and by using a proven, explicit, systematic online reading program and teacher’s kit.
How do you teach ESL learners phonics?