Working with students with English as a second language in physical education.

Lucas, Matthew D.

Introduction

ESL is an acronym that is used primarily in educational settings and stands for English as a Second Language. ESL programs are designed to assist students in communicating effectively in English, both in and out of school. ESL programs can also be described as an educational approach in which English language learners are instructed in the use of the English language (LD Online, 2010). Education laws in the United States require schools to provide ESL instruction to any and all enrolled students whose primary language is not English (US Department of Education, 2010). As with all students, the participation of a student who is learning ESL in physical education can often be challenging and rewarding for the student and physical education teacher. This paper will address common characteristics of ESL students and present basic solutions to improve the education of these students in the physical education setting. Initially a discussion of the prevalence of ESL, and general characteristics and educational implications of ESL in the classroom will be pursued. This will be followed by a discussion of examples of possible challenges and solutions to working with children with ESL in the physical education setting and lastly modifications for a specific physical education activity for a student whose primary language is not English.

Prevalence of ESL

The number of students in the United States who are studying ESL is approximately four million. This number is roughly one out of every ten students in public schools (Numberof.net, 2010). Virginia has about 90,000 ESL students (Virginia Department of Education, 2009). Since Virginia Public Schools have roughly 1,200,000 students (LocalScoolsDirectory.com, 2010), statistically one in every thirteen public school students receives ESL services. Taking this one step further, if an elementary class has 26 students, statistically two of the students receive ESL services. It should be noted that these numbers do very greatly according to the county/region of Virginia.

General Characteristics/General Educational Implications of ESL in the Classroom

Although instruction in physical education does differ from that in the classroom, it is important to first discuss the characteristics and educational implications of ESL in the classroom before discussing the more specific area of physical education. The effects of ESL in physical education can then be better understood. One should note the fact that ESL students may exhibit few or many of these items that are often present in the classroom. According to ESL Advisory Services (2002), these items are broken into the following categories: 1) Language Skills, 2) Academic Functions, 3) Social Abilities/Affective Factors, 4) Cognitive Abilities, 5) Sensory Functioning, and 6) Motor Skills.

Language Skills

* Student's first language is appropriate for age level.

* Student's nonverbal communications skills (such as eye contact, response to speaker, clarification or response, turn taking, etc.) are appropriate for age level.

* Student may not know specific vocabulary for the second language, but be familiar with item or concept.

* Student may demonstrate a loss of receptive and expressive language skills in first language when exposed to second language.

Academic Functions

* Student often exhibits normal language potential in terms of academics.

* Student's apparent academic problems are due to culturally determined life style or lack of schooling in home country.

Social Abilities/ Affective Factors

* Student often demonstrates appropriate social skills for home country. Student may have some social problems due to lack of familiarity with American customs, language, and expected behaviors.

* Student may experience social isolation. Student may tend to interact more with pupils from own cultural group.

Cognitive Abilities

* Student's cognitive abilities are usually similar to peers.

* Student usually scores better on nonverbal sections of cognitive tests and scores on the verbal portion of the tests increase over the years.

Sensory Functioning

* Student may exhibit periodic "overload" response such as "gazing off' what is heard for short periods of time during an initial adjustment to a new setting.

Motor skills

* Student usually displays age-appropriate motor skills (ESL Advisory Services, 2002).

Possible Challenges/Solutions to Working with ESL Students In Physical Education

The environment of a physical education class is different than that of a classroom, and although all challenges to working with ESL students may exist, a variety of special challenges may be prevalent to the physical education teacher.

The following chart notes possible characteristics or challenges associated with ESL children and possible solutions to these items for physical education teachers. It is important to remember that not all of these characteristics are present in all ESL children and not all of these solutions will be successful when working with all children with ESL in the physical education setting. They do, however, represent a solid foundation. It should be noted that the previously-mentioned "cognitive abilities" section of characteristics is not addressed as they are typically similar to peers whose first language is English. Before noting these possible solutions it should be stressed that the desired physical education environment is typically cooperative, as opposed to competitive, and some solutions may work with more than one characteristic.

ESL Characteristics Possible Solutions in the Physical
 Education Setting

Language Skills ** Instruct the student in small
 groups, within his/her class, when
* Student's first language is possible, to lessen distractions
appropriate for age level (ESL (LaVergne Middle School, 2010).
Advisory Services, 2002).
 ** Instruct the student in a position
 that naturally has fewer
* Student's nonverbal distractions. This simply means in
communications skills (such as ideal locations within the gym such
eye contact, response to as in an area facing fewer
speaker, clarification or distractions such as other students.
response, turn taking, etc.)
are appropriate for age level ** Utilize physical demonstrations to
(ESL Advisory Services, 2002). "overcome" the language barrier such
 as demonstrating desired activities
* Student may not know during explanation (LaVergne Middle
specific vocabulary for the School, 2010). distractions such as
second language, but be other students.
familiar with item or concept
(ESL Advisory Services, 2002). ** Allow the student to express key
 concepts in his/her own words as well
* Student may demonstrate a as repeat instructions in English.
loss of receptive and
expressive language skills in
first language when exposed to
second language (ESL Advisory
Services, 2002).

Achdemic Functions

* Student often exhibits * Incorporate activities that may be
normal language potential (ESL from student's background--allow
Advisory Services, 2002). them to feel comfortable with
 activity--allow them to model/
* Student's apparent problems demonstrate activities (LaVergne
are often due to culturally Middle School, 2010)..
determined life style or lack
of schooling in home country * Provide manipulatives to the
(ESL Advisory Services, 2002). student that help express the
 concepts (LaVergne Middle School,
 2010). Middle School, 2010)..

 * Allow the student to physically
 demonstrate key concepts (LaVergne
 Middle School, 2010).

Methods of Teaching a Student Whose Primary Language is Not English in a Basketball-Related Activity

For the purpose of discussion of including an ESL student in a physical education activity, the class is participating in a simple basketball activity in which students are divided into groups of approximately five, each group at its own basket. The students in the groups will be shooting, one student at a time, from marked spots on the floor. The other four group members are to obtain the rebound, pass to each other, and back to the shooter. Each shooter will shoot for one minute before rotating to another student. The skills that will be practiced are shooting, catching, rebounding, and passing.

To appropriately include an ESL student in the activity the following modifications should be made. Before beginning the activity, the teacher should choose the groups so no one is "left-out" or "picked last", including the ESL student. The groups should also be evenly divided with groups kept to a small size--as noted before the more active learning time, the better. Next, the teacher should model the correct procedure, including behavior, during a demonstration of the class activity. The teacher should also make it a point to provide constant encouragement to all students and praise effort, not simply success. This is especially true for the ESL student.

It is important to remember the student activity to be performed should be one in which the ESL student--like all other students will be able to gain an appropriate level of success, and subsequently comfort. This should influence the positioning of the marked spots from which the students will shoot the ball. Before the ESL student begins the activity, the teacher should have the student demonstrate the activity, to ensure he/ she has understood the directions and exhibits some success. The teacher should also have the student articulate the activity in his/ her natural language, even if this is not understood by the teacher or other students, to ensure comfort. This should be done with the student in a small group, facing away from the majority of students, so as to avoid possible distractions.

Next, the teacher should encourage the student to also express the key concepts of the main portion of the activity in English. Again, this should be done with the student in a small group, as opposed to alone, to avoid singling-out of the student. Utilizing a small group for these activities should also help to limit an "overload" response such as gazing off. It may also be appropriate to have a few other students also demonstrate the activity and express the key concepts so as to not single-out one student. In addition, the possibility of social isolation can be addressed through other steps. One can be by placing the student in a group with a student who can speak both the first language of the student and English. Another method to address the possibility of social isolationism can be to guarantee all students cheer or give "high fives" to all shooters, including the student in question. It should also be remembered to place the student in a group with individuals who demonstrate the appropriate behavior as actions will speak louder than words. Lastly, one should note these instructional methods are indicative of quality teaching for all students.

Conclusion

The participation of an ESL student in physical education can often be challenging and rewarding for both the student and physical education teacher. The rewards for the student can include having him/her safely and successfully participate in an instructionally-sound physical education program that is appropriately modified. This paper has hopefully addressed some basic concerns and solutions to improve the education of ESL students in the physical education setting.

References

ESL Advisory Services. (2002). Characteristics of ESL Students With and Without a Disability. Retrieved July 14. 2010, from http://eslas.net/K-12/WorkshopHandouts/ CharacteristicsESL%2BDisabil.pdf

LaVergne Middle School. (2010). Suggested ESL Modifications. Retrieved July 19, 2010 from http://www.lms.rcs.k12.tn.us/ teachers/torokj/Suggested%20ESL% 20 Modifications.htm

LocalSchoolsDirectory.com (2010). Virginia Schools. Retrieved July 16, 2010 from http://www.localschooldirectory.com/ state-schools/VA

LD Online. (2010). Glossary Retrieved July 16, 2010 from http://www.ldonline.org/glossary.net. (2010). Number of ESL Students in US. Retrieved July 12, 2010, from http://www. numberof.net/number-of-esl-students-in-us/

United States Department of Education. The Provision of an Equal Education Opportunity to Limited-English Proficient Students. Retrieved July 12, 2010, from http://www.numberof. net/number-of-esl-students-in-us/

Virginia Department of Education (2009). Report of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students Receiving Services as of September 30, 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2010, from http://www.doe. virginia.gov/instruction/esl/data_reports/enrollment_lep.pdf

Matthew D. Lucas, Ed.D., C.A.P.E., Longwood University

Matthew D. Lucas, Ed.D., C.A.P.E., Assistant Professor, Department of Health, Recreation, and Kinesiology, Longwood University, 201 High Street, Willet 150, Longwood University, Farmville, VA 23909 Tel: 434-395-2538 Email: [email protected]