Instructional Strategies and ESL Audiences

Instructional Strategies

Non-native English language learners

• Keep lecture videos short Students are processing the content and trying to make sense of the language at the same time. This requires a lot of cognitive effort, so chunking video content can help them quickly find topics for review.

• Caption all videos Along with ensuring ADA compliance, captions (and transcripts when available) help non-native English speakers understand audio content in your course. The rules of English aren't always predictable, so allowing students to see and hear your lecture material helps them learn.

• Simplify your language Ensure the language you use doesn't pose extra challenges for non-native English speakers' comprehension. Avoid idiomatic expressions and overly complex sentence structures or obscure references.

• Incorporate multiple modalities As you develop your lessons, think about different ways to present information. Incorporate images, infographics, videos, and other media to help students draw on background knowledge and make sense of new concepts or vocabulary.

• Introduce academic language early Conversational English develops when students are immersed in the language. However, academic language takes much longer and requires deliberate practice to master. To help non-native English speakers master content more quickly and improve their academic language skills, provide lists or glossaries of words and concepts in lesson overviews. This additional scaffolding will also benefit native English speakers.

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