Classrooms in the 21st Century are increasingly becoming more diverse, both linguistically and culturally.
English continues to be the dominant language of science with the vast majority of teaching and learning resources along with best practices being produced in English.
More than ever before, science teachers and educators in schools and higher education institutions need to be equipped with the necessary skills in both the subject knowledge and the English language to meet the changing demands of the teaching profession in the 21st Century.
Science teachers and educators’ main role is to guide and facilitate students’ learning of science. For this reason, diversity can be addressed through encouraging students to take full advantage of learning opportunities according to the National Science Education Standards.
Science teaching requires an inquiry approach using authentic materials, hands-on and minds-on activities, demonstrations, visual representations, and educational technologies such as computer simulations together with activities on smart phones and tablets. This can only be achieved if it is coupled with advanced language skills that promote 21st Century learning skills where students are constantly encouraged to observe, analyse, evaluate, and question the presented information.
The language choice used by science teachers plays a vital role in helping or hindering students’ grasp of scientific concepts. This applies to a wide spectrum of levels, ages, and abilities. Rightly posed, the question of ‘how to achieve this goal’ is valid. Here, we propose a handful of methods and strategies that could serve as broad guidelines for science teachers.
First, teachers and educators should follow the basic approaches to their regular science teaching routines. For example, if teaching ‘solar system’, start by first unpacking the concept of the ‘solar system’ using the right language and the correct scientific terminology through visuals, physical solar system models, or computer simulations instead of only verbally talking about the solar system.
Activate students’ prior knowledge using open questions with no right/wrong answer. You want students to put their ideas forward before introducing new knowledge.
Alternatively, you can draw the solar system on the smartboard or the whiteboard to illustrate the different components of such a system. These visuals should be directly related to your subsequent discussions, be sequenced in a logical order, and scaled correctly so that students can easily comprehend the concept of the planets and their orbits.
In some cases, your school might make some of these resources available at your disposal. You might need to recycle some of the materials used by your colleagues. In other cases, you might need to access free available resources or even create such materials from scratch.
Other basic approaches that science teachers could turn to include:
1. Frequently draw pictures or use visuals to support a verbal discussion. Write any new words such as ‘orbit’ and ‘planet’ as you introduce them and associate them with the drawings or visuals.
2. Give step-by-step directions, one at a time. In each activity/problem/case, students should be encouraged to complete the first task before being given the next direction.
3. Prepare a list of terms on large paper, if possible, with pictures of the terms or send them as a soft copy to students (this applies to native and non-native students). Clearly post frequently used terms in the room or as a soft copy as you proceed through the unit. Non-native English-speaking students should be encouraged to look at this list whenever they encounter a word they cannot easily recall or understand.
4. Rephrase ambiguous statements with different words and shorter and simpler sentences.
5. Review the concept with the students and check their understanding after each new concept has been taught. Do not wait until the revision for the exam.
6. Pair a non-native English-speaking student with an English-speaking student when you are assigning a pair work. Also, get students actively involved in peer instruction so English-speaking students can explain concepts that are not clear to their non-native English-speaking peers.
7. Try to make connections to students’ experiences that they have outside of school. The latter is an essential 21st Century skills where students are encouraged to apply their knowledge in their lives. For instance, even though non-English speaking students may lack some necessary skills and experiences, they can also enhance the learning environment with bringing a riches of new skills and experiences.
In summary, it can be overwhelming to teach non-native English-speaking students. However, these basic range of approaches can help these children learn science. Many of these strategies are particularly conducive to science learning.
Dr Taha Rajab,
Associate Professor in Pedagogy and Curriculum Development,
English Language Education Department,
Bahrain Teachers College,
University of Bahrain
&
Dr Funda Örnek,
Associate Professor in Science Education,
Math, Science, & ICT Education Department,
Bahrain Teachers College,
University of Bahrain
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