Cognitive development is sometimes neglected in the classroom due to its complexity. CLD Students often face challenges in instruction. These challenges include interrupted cognitive development in L1, instruction that fails to target a variety of learning styles, In English vocabulary knowledge and comprehension are primary determinants of reading comprehension ability, core structures of some subject areas are extremely difficult for ELL students, and some content areas require a high level of declarative and precedural knowledge of integration.
As teachers, what can we do??
Teachers need to keep the following in mind:
- Self- Concept/ Self- Esteem: Create a safe environment by being friendly- make the student feel appreciated!!
- Peer Acceptance and Socialization: Adolescents often have a strong desire to belong to a group for feelings of self- worth.
- Physical Development: Teachers need to be aware that ELL students are experiencing not only the expected physical changes, but also the additional stresses related to cultural and linguistic differences.
- Development of Abstract Reasoning:Teachers have an even greate responsibility to influence intellectual development by being caring, and nuturing role models.
Being aware of these, also facilitates in teaching modifications that are "cross- culturally sensitive, effective in reducing the need for reteaching, and designed to reduce the slope of the learning curve for all students" (36). We need to make sure students not only understand the concept, but are also able to transfer and apply the content to other situations. Our ELL students would be much more successful if we connected concepts so they are able to transfer the information. If we do this for other students, why shouldn't we be doing this for ELL's as well?
Herrera, Socorro G., &
Murry, Kevin G. (2011). Mastering ESL and bilingual methods: differentiated
instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Boston, MA: Pearson Education,
Inc.
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