Is your classroom equipped for ELL or bilingual students?

Microsoft Translator allows for fast and effective translation for students, parents, teachers and more.  One effective way is to place the device between the two people and hit the microphone. 

When classrooms have differing levels of English speaking students, communication tools such as the Microsoft Translator allows for learning to still take place.  When there is no translation tools in place, students may begin to feel lost and not included in the class. Some real life experiences are mentioned in the video below.

From the video we find that one in five students in the United States speaks a language other than English at home or speaks English with difficulty.  This is a high percentage and must be taken into account when finding tools that will help in the classroom.

The high number of students who struggle to grasp English frequently fail to follow directions.

Look up a lesson in another language, can you follow along? Odds are, you cannot. Yet, these students are expected to follow along with the lesson, complete their assignments, and learn English.  Apps like Microsoft Translator allows real-time conversations between teachers, students, coaches, families, principals and more.  

Another benefit

Another benefit would be for parents who have limited English.  This may prevent them from asking questions or speaking their concerns.  A translation app like this can make them feel comfortable, since it is important to never make the child have the responsibility as the interpreter.  

Takeaway

Linguistic diversity directly influences classroom performance since the child may or may not understand English.  ELL students are expected to do the same as every other student, while not fully understanding the lesson and what is being asked of them.  I see this first hand in my clinical experience kindergarten class.  There are two boys that only speak Ukrainian and when the directions get too difficult to understand, they will start to cry.  The teacher has a translation device to help them when they start to cry, but sometimes they still sit there, not understanding what to do. Understanding how difficult it is for these students is the first step. Then, take strides into finding tools like Microsoft Translator to help them.