English language learners, especially those with a disability have often encountered a wide range of difficulties while trying to cope with the standards of learning in classrooms that are also occupied by a regular student without disabilities. English language learners, including the ones those without disabilities in learning often benefit from programs and strategies introduced in their learning system with the aim of focus on making the environment favorable for those with disabilities (Hussain, 2017). This research attempts to understand the inclusion of English language learners with a disability in the Classroom by exploiting some of the programs and strategies that are necessary for the process of teaching. Other areas of consideration include linguistic and cultural responsiveness aspects as well as legal and policy measures that are relevant in facilitating the creation of a favorable environment for this group of learners. The inclusion of English language learners with a disability in the classroom requires appropriate programs and effective strategies for it to be successful.
Strategic Teaching of English Language Learners with Learning Disability
There is an increasing trend associated with a high rate of diversification of schools and classrooms in the United States and around the world. One of the challenges that often face some of these schools is the establishment, adoption, implementation of appropriate strategies in the teaching of English language learners with learning disabilities once they are included in the classroom. Most learning institutions in the United States and other parts of the world are struggling with the need to have a strategic and efficient form of teaching, instruction, learning, and assessment for a diverse population of learners. Second language students who tend to experiences learning disabilities and difficulties constitute a significant population that requires appropriate strategies and programs as observed as Doll, Osborn, and Jones (2014). English language learners experiencing specific learning disabilities have a higher probability of facing severe challenges in understanding and mastering different levels of expectation in the general setting of education.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Studies have shown that most of English language learners with specific learning disabilities have a higher tendency of struggling with the understanding of other subjects academically. Besides, learning of English among learners with a disability as a second language puts them at risk of having to struggle with performance in various other academic fields. Analysis by Takeuchi (2015) established the adoption of flexible groupings as one of the most appropriate strategies that can be applied in teaching to support the inclusion of English language learners with a disability in the classroom. In this respect, testing of small groups' mode of learning was conducted in several classes across the United States, and the outcomes indicated that such students made significant advances in understanding English language (Kuder, 2008). These outcomes were realized owing to the creation of a flexible learning environment where instructors are allowed to use differentiated instructions. The creation of small groups of learners in a classroom required teachers to learn several things about their learners to give the necessary specific and personal attention.
Linguistic and Cultural Responsiveness Aspects
The observation by Kamal (2019) clarifies that the inclusion of English language learners with a disability in the classroom requires the consideration of different responsive aspects of language and culture. Scholars and experts in the of education have been able to argue that educators and instructors need to exercise a considerable level of caution when trying to offer special education to English language learners with specific disabilities. The evaluation of various cultural and linguistic responsive aspects plays a crucial role in assisting instructors to identify effective strategies and interventions meant to address the challenges experienced by English language learners with disability (Doll, Osborn & Jones, 2014). When a strategic special education team is involved in the development of a plan and pragmas that are relevant in facilitating the inclusion of English language learners with a disability in the classroom, several other considerations are crucial.
In this regard, such considerations include the cultural significance of such a plan and strategies, means of ensuring that instructors acquire a shared knowledge and understanding concerning intervention measures and activities, and ways of incorporating student from diverse cultural and social backgrounds into discourse and activities that form part of their process of learning. The other consideration involves ways of avoiding unnecessary ideologies that are likely to affect English language learners with a disability from the perspective of linguistic and cultural diversity. Hussain (2017) maintains that the multidisciplinary team of educators and trainers charged with the responsibility of developing programs and strategies required for inclusion of this group of learners in a classroom should comprise of individuals from the relevant linguistic and cultural differences.
Preparation of Teachers and Issues of Professional Development
Apart from the identification of the need for English language learners with specific learning disabilities in a classroom, professional development and adequate preparation of teachers and instructors of this group of learners is desirable. In various jurisdictions such as the United States, it is a requirement for a teacher in charge of teaching and assessing English language learners with disabilities together with other regular students, to acquire knowledge and skills on disability-related, cultural and linguistic needs. Such skills are necessary and vital to instructors as part of their preparation for handling students with learning challenges and well as for their professional development in the course of advancing their careers (Kuder, 2008). Challenges are often experienced in situations that are characterized by difficulties encountered by teachers in instructing their learners according to the required and acceptable standards of teaching for students with disabilities and special needs. According to Kuder (2008), English language learners with a disability may fail to compete effectively with their colleagues who are not living with any disability since they often lack efficient accessibility to an appropriate bilingual to acts as a language of instruction.
English language learners from lower socioeconomic status may find more difficult if a presumption middle-class features and experiences dominate the learning environment presented by their classrooms. Other learners may experiences challenges in their studies emanating from cultural or linguistic differences. For English language learners living with disabilities, such difficulties and challenges may continue becoming more complicated with time especially if no modifications are done to the mode and techniques used in instructing students having specific needs. Unless learners of English language living with disability are subjected to appropriate instructional interventions, there is a higher likelihood that they will continue struggling (Kuder, 2008). Thus, widening the gap between them and their colleagues who are not living with any disability.
Legal and Policy Issues
Various laws, policies, and regulations have been formulated with the objective of ensuring that English language learners with disabilities are procedurally and effective considered and included in classrooms with other regular students living without a disability. In that respect, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of the year 2004 in the United States contains legal provisions that expect enforcement and monitoring roles discharged. The relevant institutions and authorities have always played such roles with the objective of addressing issues of overrepresentation as well as the identification of people living with disability and requiring the attention of special educators (Takeuchi, 2015). Despite having such legal policies and measures in place, studies have established that no significant impact has been made in streamlining the education sector with specific focus on effective ways of including English language learners with a disability in the classroom.
In acknowledging that leaders with various forms of disabilities require specialized attention and instruction, educational and linguistic experts have been able to suggest that the inclusion of English language learners with special needs in a classroom requires effective and strategic planning. Learners of English language are usually disadvantaged owing to inadequate availability of appropriate instruments and resources for linguistic assessment as well as the scarcity of properly trained and adequately qualified educators to conduct the relevant assessments. Besides, English language learners requiring services from specialist and experts in special education are further faced with challenges associated with inadequate training and a shortage of trainers (Kamal, 2019). Enhancing the general classroom performance of English learners with a disability, especially those with from non-English environments and backgrounds, required adequate resources and planning by the relevant educational agencies.
Conclusion
In summing up, it is clear that the success of the inclusion of English language learners with a disability in the classroom requires appropriate programs and effective strategies call for the establishment and application of proper programs and effective strategies. It is noteworthy that adequate preparation of teachers and placing more emphasis on their professional development, the consideration of various linguistic and cultural responsiveness aspects as well as policy and legal measures have a way of improving the learning environment for this group of learners. It is critical to avoid unnecessary ideologies that are likely to affect English language learners with a disability from the perspective of linguistic and cultural diversity as clarified in this research. It has been established that English language learners requiring teaching services from specialist and experts in special education are often faced with problems linked to inadequate training and a shortage of trainers.
References
Doll, B., Osborn, A., & Jones, K. (2014). English language learners' and non-English
language learners' perceptions of the classroom environment. Psychology In The
Schools , 46 (6), 568-577. doi: 10.1002/pits.20398
Hussain, S. (2017). Teaching Writing to Second Language Learners: Bench-marking
Strategies for the Classroom. Arab World English Journal , 8 (2), 208-227. doi:
10.24093/awej/vol8no2.15
Kamal, S. (2019). Developing EFL Learners Vocabulary by Reading English Comprehension
in EFL Classroom. International Journal Of English Language And Literature
Studies , 8 (1), 28-35. doi: 10.18488/journal.23.2019.81.28.35
Kuder, S. (2008). Teaching students with language and communication disabilities . Boston:
Pearson/A & B.
Takeuchi, M. (2015). The Situated Multiliteracies Approach to Classroom Participation:
English Language Learners’ Participation in Classroom Mathematics Practices.
Journal Of Language, Identity & Education , 14 (3), 159-178. doi:
10.1080/15348458.2015.1041341
