Unit 11: ESL: Learner and Tutor

Learning a new language is a huge task and working with someone who has taken on this challenge is an exciting experience. Not only do you have the chance to help someone who really wants to communicate, but you also learn a lot about the intricacies and expressive nature of the English language and about a different country and its culture.

Some tutors find it scary to think of tutoring someone with whom they cannot easily communicate. The coordinator’s job is to help tutors feel comfortable working with ESL (English as a Second Language) learners and to make sure they have the resources to do it. Some of the activities in this unit will help you do this.

This unit focuses on the characteristics of ESL learners and their needs and preferences. It can be used with new tutors who are not matched. It might be redundant for tutors who have experience in tutoring ESL learners.

Helping someone learn English as a Second Language may be new to your tutors, but it is a well-established field of instruction with a body of research, knowledge and resources available as well as proven techniques that facilitate second language acquisition. Tutors might benefit from learning about the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) standard which lays out language learning along a continuum of 12 benchmarks. The benchmarks talk about what the learner can do in four strands of language – speaking, listening, reading and writing. They describe competencies that learners need to perform real life tasks. Tutors can refer to the benchmarks to see what competencies their learners need for participation in community, study and work. As coordinator, you can encourage tutors to check out the support materials and information available on the CLB website – www.language.ca.

The following inventory of beliefs may give you an idea of the different perspectives that your tutors may have towards ESL tutoring. It isn’t intended as an exercise to do with your tutors, but you may be interested in doing it yourself. It comes from Jack Richards’ and Charles Lockhart’s book, Reflective Teaching in Second Language Classrooms (copyright Cambridge University Press, 1994, reprinted with permission of Cambridge University Press).