As Christians using English ministry to love our international neighbors, we know that it’s vital to create a classroom environment that feels welcoming and safe. Our students are entering a classroom that mostly or only uses English, is staffed by native speakers, and possibly is even in a church. All of these factors are understandably intimidating for new learners! However, there are some habits and structures you can put in place to quickly make the classroom feel like a safe, welcoming, and comprehensible environment for your students.
- Learn their names. Many of us have grimaced as we heard stories of teachers who heard names they couldn’t pronounce and said, “Well, I’ll just call you ‘Joe.'” Names are a key factor of our identities, and having someone say your name correctly is a step in building a connection. Practice your students’ names a few times when they tell you. Have another teacher listen in to help you evaluate whether you might be saying it wrong, in case students are hesitant to offer corrections. Make audio recordings of each name and practice them throughout the week. Ask another speaker of the language who is more familiar with English to help you, if needed. Your students will feel seen and loved as you put so much time and effort into saying their names.
- Create a predictable routine. When students have an idea of what comes next, they can pay less attention to following cues of what to do and more attention to the language being used. If your students are literate, consider writing a basic class schedule on the board and going over it at the beginning of class to give students an idea of where you are going. Have certain activities that you do during every class at the same time, such as a quick calendar activity (“yesterday was _____, today is _____, tomorrow will be _____”), a time for pairs of students to have a discussion about the day’s topic, or a break at the same time during each class.
- Think through your directions. Keep in mind that oral directions will need to be given more slowly and are best accompanied by demonstrations. You may want to write out how you plan to give directions for more complex tasks as you write your lesson plan to be sure that you explain them clearly. Also, “show, don’t tell” is a useful principle; when possible, show each step of what you want your students to do, rather than just saying the words.Â
- Give ample wait time. Students need a lot more time to process the language they take in and produce language they are using, so give them plenty of time to think before answering. If you have some students who always want to shout out their answers, consider enforcing a “30-second think time” before accepting any answers, and then having students share answers with partners before talking with the whole class.Â
- Have fun! Language learning research tells us that when we laugh and enjoy what we are learning, we actually are much more successful at learning it than if we feel bored, nervous, or another more negative emotion. Give your students opportunities to play, to move, and to try new things.
This summer, as you reflect on this school year and look ahead to the next one, think about how you can incorporate each of these tips into your class to create a welcoming, safe environment for each learner who walks through the doors. May your students see the love of Christ in you as you care for each of them in this way.
Rachael Tsaneva is an instructor at the Institute for Cross-Cultural Training (ICCT). For more information, or to sign up for a class, visit ICCT’s website.