Intensive English Program students are ever-changing in language background and origin. Recently, additional differences have more commonly surfaced, including learning disabilities, academic learning gaps, and increased lower English proficiency-level students. This session will increase awareness of these issues and discuss resources and ways to understand and develop strategies to address them in the ESL classroom.

1. Jenise Rowekamp
Teaching Specialist, Minnesota English
Language Program, University of Minnesota

2. • 2+ years of students below cut-
off for Level 1 (Intro Level)
• Average of 8-10 students/class
• 1-2 students each semester did
not progress at normal rate/pace
• Each semester different issues –
attempt to examine relationship
to learning English

3. • UMN Disability Resource Center
• Literature on ESL students and
learning disabilities
• ‘Separating Difference from
Disability’ TESOL ’14 (Collier)
• Interviews with students

4. • Native language
• Previous education
• Academic concepts/language/
relationships
• Study habits
• Teaching style
(Schwarz and Terrill)

5. • Trauma or stress
• Sociocultural factors (e.g. age,
health, diet, sleep)
• Family/work/relationship issues
• Attendance
• Lack of practice
(Schwarz and Terrill)

6. • Cultural adjustment
• Expectations (family, scholarship,
friends, peers)
• Dependency on electronic
devices
• Purpose (minder role)

7. Problems with
‘difference’
generally affect ALL
areas of learning
but are temporary.

8. A physical or mental impairment
that substantially limits major life
activities (including but not
limited to: caring for oneself…
speaking, reading, learning,
concentrating, thinking, working)
and operation of a major bodily
function. (ADAAA 2008)

9. “… a permanent biological
structure of the central
nervous system … a gap in
neural wiring that is more
substantial than neural
plasticity can correct. (Pirie)

10. “not determined only by
ability to do certain tasks …
but the ease of doing them …
permanent and long-lasting
… NOT a disability if … not
occur[ring] in native
language/culture. (Collier)

11. Problems with
‘disability’
generally affect
one or more areas
of learning and are
permanent.

12. • Deafness/Hearing Loss
• Blindness/Low Vision
• Mobility
• Speech
• Brain Injuries,
• Autism Spectrum (ASD)
• Mental Health

13. • Average or above-average
intelligence.
• Affects the manner in which
individuals acquire, store, organize,
retrieve, manipulate, and express
information.
• Discrepancy between ability and
achievement.
(Disability Resource Center, UMN)

14. • Reading, written expression and math
• Organization, time management,
social skills
•Visual, auditory and organization
(Pirie)
•Over 60 types and 3 levels: mild,
moderate, severe
(

15. “A neurological condition that
affects learning and behavior. A
chronic disturbance in the areas of
the brain that regulate attention,
impulse control, and executive
functioning. ”
(Disability Resource Center – UMN)

16. • Mental Health - 55%
• ADD/HD – 28%
•Medical Condition – 19%
•Learning Disability – 10%
•All Others (Vision, Hearing, etc.
<4% each)

17. • No reliable testing for low-level
English learners
• Many tests are not culture-free
• Expensive
• If mild, may compensate in NL
but not in English

18. • Observation
• Interview
• Referral

19. • Problem persists over time
• Normal instruction not or
minimally effective
• Pattern of strengths and
weaknesses inside and outside
of class

20. Observe when students read:
cock head, eyes water, follow line with
finger, glasses live “at home”, energy
for discussion but tired when
reading/writing, tired during reading
activities but alert when writing is on
board, avoid writing, bathroom excuses

21. Concrete to open-ended questions:
• Differences (culture shock, education gaps)
• Obvious disabilities (vision, hearing, etc.)
• Learner’s awareness of difficulty
• Previous learning success or failure
• Previous intervention and response
• Reading experience in NL and TL
• Trauma (physical, emotional,psychological)

22. • Can’t focus today
• Text moves, letters mixed up
• Can read (decode) but not understand
• Understand the words, not the
questions/statements
•Excuses: too much distraction, glasses
no good, didn’t pay attention/do
homework

23. • Medical expert: vision, hearing,
movement, nutrition, sleep, diseases,
mental health, etc.
• Advisor/counselor: culture shock,
stress, self-esteem, physical/mental
trauma, chemical dependency, etc.
• Disability Office: general strategies
for learning problems BUT no services
without diagnosis

24. Awareness and Understanding:
• Learning disabilities do NOT mean low
intelligence
• Input/information can be received
but access, organization, application,
use and transference of concepts may
not be successful
• Multiple conditions/multiple
approaches and strategies

25. • High level of structure and routine
• Multiple senses and learning styles
• Simplified language, not content
• Pictures, audio/video and other graphics
• Main ideas reinforced repeatedly and in
many ways

26. • Clean, organized, quiet and well-lit
classrooms
• Limited distractions
• Increased time/deadline extension
• Effective uses of technology
• Modification of participation
• Regular feedback
•Frequent monitoring to gauge effect

27. Visual: phonics approach to
reading; increase/maximize use of
other senses; reduce amount of
text; paper that hides text, word-
by-word reading; focus on function
words, pre-reading strategies,
skimming and scanning practice

28. Auditory: sight words approach to
reading; increase use of writing,
flash cards, pictures, charts,
diagrams, spelling lists; focus on
pre-reading questions, pre-teaching
new vocabulary

29. Organizational: use direct, personal,
simple text (bulleted lists), good
headings, logical order;
explicitly direct focus; connect new
to old information; use color aids,
highlighter to structure information;
memory tricks for patterns

30. *Collier, Catherine. Adult EAL/ESL with Learning Problems.
http://www.crosscultured.com (October 2015)
*Disability Resource Center at the University of Minnesota. Office for
Equity and Diversity
https://diversity.umn.edu/disability/home (October 2015)
*Pirie, Pearl. 2002. Assessing Learning Disabilities in ESL.
http://www.crosscultured.com/documents/Adult%20EAL%20at%20risk/E
SLLDStrategies.pdf (October 2015)
*Sandman-Hurley, Kelli. Dyslexia and the English Learner Dilemma.
language magazine. The Journal of Communication and Education.
http://languagemagazine.com/?page_id=43721 (October 2015)
*Schwarz, Robin and Lynda Terrill. 2000. ESL Instruction and Adults
With Learning Disabilities, CAELA (Center for Adult English Language
Instruction. National Center for ESL Literacy Education
http://www.crosscultured.com/documents/Adult%20EAL%20at%20risk/
CAELA.pdf (October 2015)
*Shaywitz, Sally E and Bennet Shaywitz. 2007. The Neurobiology of
Reading and Dyslexia. Focus on Basics: Connecting Research and
Practice. Volume 8, Issue D
http://www.ncsall.net/index.html@id=278.html (October 2015)