Teaching Emergent Bilingual Students

Teaching children who speak more than one language means seeing their different languages as a strength, not a problem. According to Virginia Collier, kids learn a second language in the same natural way they learned their first one, by listening, noticing patterns, trying things out, and learning from what’s around them. Teachers should focus on helping students understand and use language, not just correct their grammar. Like when parents talk to young children, teachers can use short, clear sentences and repeat ideas in different ways to help students understand.

It’s also very important to make students feel safe, welcome, and confident. When students feel good about themselves, they’re more likely to try using English, even if they make mistakes. Teachers should encourage effort and focus on what students are trying to say, instead of pointing out every error. I always encourage my students to participate and read out loud. I find working with vocabulary is the easiest way to get students to speak out in class. My students are asked to put words in “Big, beefy sentences.” The sillier the better. They love reading them out loud to make everyone laugh. While students may learn how to have conversations in English in two or three years, learning the kind of English used in school for reading, writing, and thinking takes much longer, about five to seven years (129). Teachers should help by giving students tools like sentence starters, pictures, and word walls, and by teaching school words step by step.

Teachers should respect and include students’ home languages and ways of speaking. These are not wrong or bad, they’re important parts of who the students are. Students should be allowed to speak their first language in the classroom and use both languages to help them learn. Teachers can show how different ways of speaking are used in different places, like home and school, and help students feel proud of their language and culture.

Students may switch between languages or mix them sometimes. It’s called code-switching, and it shows they know how to use both languages. Teachers can talk about this with students and show that it’s normal and smart to use language in flexible ways. When I started teaching, the district had a strict  “English only policy,” and I didn’t agree with it. I would hate to stop a student from expressing themselves or participating in class, just because of a language barrier. 

Good teachers also understand and talk about different kinds of English. They know that not everyone speaks the same way and that this is something to respect, not fix. Students can learn the formal English used in school while still keeping their home language and dialect. Teachers should be role models who show respect for all kinds of language and help students see their own speech as valuable.

In the end, teaching multilingual children is about more than just teaching English. It’s about helping them feel proud of who they are, learn in both languages, and succeed in school without giving up their home language or culture. When teachers make room for students’ languages, they help them grow not just as learners, but as confident, curious people.

Richard Rodriguez’s story “Aria” helps teachers understand what it feels like to grow up speaking one language at home and learning another at school. For Richard, Spanish was the language of home. It made him feel close to his family. English, on the other hand, was the language he had to learn to do well in school and fit into American society. When he learned English, he began to perform better in class, but he also felt increasingly distant from his family. He didn’t speak Spanish as much, and his house became quieter. This shows that learning English can be emotional for students; it can make them feel like they’re losing part of who they are. I recall stories that my grandmother would tell me about the nuns forcing her to speak English instead of French. She had a hard time because she always said it felt like she was losing her “way” when she spoke English. I believe that a person’s sense of identity is wrapped up in their culture and language. 

Teachers can learn from Richard’s experience. It reminds us that students should not have to give up their first language to learn English. Instead, schools should help students become strong in both languages. Speaking more than one language is a strength, not a problem. Teachers should also remember that how we teach language affects students' feelings. We should teach English in a way that respects students’ home language and culture.

“Aria” shows that learning a new language is not just about school; it’s also about identity, family, and belonging. Teachers need to support students not just academically, but also emotionally. Helping students keep their first language while learning English lets them stay connected to their families and communities while also becoming successful in school.

Elyn Ballantyne-Berry, an English as a New Language teacher in Manhattan, shares how her bilingual students used translanguaging—mixing their home languages and English, to create autobiographical graphic novels. This approach helps students use all their language skills to express themselves and learn better. CUNY-NYSIEB supports using students’ home language practices in teaching, even if teachers don’t share those languages themselves. In one example, Ms. Gladys Aponte, a teacher in Queens, encourages her fourth graders to think about what it means to be bilingual. She explains how programs that support both bilingualism and biliteracy benefit students by strengthening their identity and learning in multiple languages.