Should ESL students use English only in class and around campus?

Question

Do you think ESL students should use English only in class and around campus?

ESL mean is English as Second Language

Answer 1

Hi,

As a former ESL teacher, my experience is that the more English an ESL learner uses, the better off they are. If you are on an English-speaking campus, then you have a great opportunity to use it often. It is easier to use your own language (I have also lived in another country and I was guilty of this), especially if you know other people who speak your language as well, but you won't get the full experience.

You should definitely use it in class, especially if there are students who are from different cultures, because English would be your common language (the language that everybody uses). I once had a class with many students from Mexico, and one student from Syria. The Mexican students kept speaking Spanish, which frustrated my student from Syria because he couldn't understand. So, speaking English in class and around campus is very important too.

In conclusion, try to use English as much as possible, both in and out of class. It doesn't feel very comfortable at first, but it will help you to learn the language and to speak it with more confidence.

Answer 2

ESL is really a misnomer. ESL students are really English speaking students, who have a "tradition," language possibly spoken at home or at a grandparents house. I would have been considered an ESL student (if we had it in those days), because my mother and family spoke Spanish to their parents. But they never spoke Spanish to us, so we never learned it. So most ESL students already use English as their dominant language (even though the acronym stands for English as a Second Language). ELL are your real English Language Learners. They predominantely speak a language other than English, and may come to school speaking absolutely no English. So the answer to your question is - ESL students already use English in class, around campus, and just about every place else. They may be exposed to another language at home - and trying to learn and / or maintain their tradition language - such as Spanish, Navajo, Keres, etc. Education is a much more confusing business than most people realize. Although it doesn't really have to be that way - that is how it is currently set up.

Answer 3

I feel that it is a real touchy subject. I think that of course anyone should have the right to speak their language in their own homes of course and during their personal time. I also feel that they should work on adapting to their surroundings. Their are those that can't bare to hear someone speaking anything other than English. I understand that but I also understand the immigrants. As far as ESL students, I think the constant practice of speaking English would increase their level of understanding and speaking of the language. This is a long winded answer but i am speaking from a sort of experience. My two step kids, ages 16 1/2 and 14 are from Haiti. I am American and so is the rest of my family. I have seen these kids go from absolutely no English to knowing some stuff that they shouldn't. they came in Sept 2001. My daughter has actually "lost" most of her language. She understands it but she has a hard time expressing certain things in Creole, where as my 16 year old son speaks both and still has a very hard accent. He also hangs with alot of Haitians in school.
O.K. that is all that I am going to say, even though I have much more to say (-:

Answer 4

In my state, we do immersion, where the ELL (English Language Learners) students do everything academically in English. While it is ideal that they practice their English use around campus, this is not a requirement, as it is impractical to monitor and I think is just plain rude. Students are not required to completely forget their first language and should never be encouraged to do so. That being said, studies have shown that English does improve if it is used in the home and in social situations.

There is debate over the best method to learn English and a lot depends on the student's abilities in their native language. For example, it is believed by some that if a child has a large, diverse vocabulary in both social and academic settings in their first language, it is generally easier to learn a second language. If a child has very little vocabulary in either area (or both), a second language will develop in a similar fashion and it may be difficult for them to learn.

This is a topic that many states, school districts, teachers and familes debate. I think opinions on this vary according to personal experience.

Answer 5

Not being ESL, I can't speak from firsthand experience, but having learned a second language, I can say that immersion is probably the best way to pick up a language. That way, you get used to how things are pronounced (instead of only reading them), you can hear different ways of saying things, pick up vernacular and slang so it's less confusing. You can iron out grammar and spelling later, but it's really the speaking of the language that helps you get around in society. (Try asking where the bathroom is if you can't speak the language!)

Answer 6

I'm assuming by ESL you are meaning English Sign Language?
If I'm correct, I think that ASL or ESL should be used as much as possible for those students. There is going to be a big test coming up in order to get certified so the more practice the better.

Answer 7

yes yes yes yes yes!!!! if you look around, we see vietnamese students, mongolian students, etc.. successfully learning english quickly and moving on. this is because they have no other way to communicate except to learn english. our spanish speakers have a lot more opportunity to revert back to spanish and as a result, they learn much slower. it's not that they are not capable, it's just very difficult to turn down the temptation to use the language that is easiest for you.

at home, the student can use their native language...they would never want to forget it, and the brain does need a break. but at school...there is no reason why they shouldn't be using english all the time. (of course lunch time is their own. motivated students will stick to english..others might want a "brain break" for 30 minutes.)

Answer 8

When learning a language, the best thing is LOTS of practice in real life situations. That means anywhere, not just in class and around campus.
If the family doesn't like to hear English spoken at home, they can revert to their own language there.
Anywhere else, in shops, in public, etc, the more practice the better.
There are two interpretations of your question. I read it literally "English only in class and around campus", that is, use English there but not anywhere else.
If you mean, should they be forbidden from speaking their own language in class and around camps, no, I disagree. No one should be forbidden from speaking their own language. That's theft of their culture and heritage.

Answer 9

The more "hip" term to use now is "ELL" (English Language Learners). Dunno if you know that (or care, lol), but I thought I'd pass it along.

Students should use the English language as often as possible. This isn't to say that students shouldn't use their native language at home, but it IS to say that students shouldn't only be exposed to English at school. It's hard enough trying to learn a new language along with new content at school. If students aren't given the opportunity to try out the English language in the real world, it's going to be harder for them to learn it (and their content) at school.

Answer 10

Depending on what grade they are in. For example in elementary they should be speaking English because they are there to be learning English. However, when they are playing at school it should be okay for them to speak their native language. But in class while learning they should speak English.