Abstract
The ability of schools to meet and support students’ needs is important as it helps in preventing consequences related to dissatisfaction of students with the schools. To meet and support the student needs, schools must adopt a learning model that will be friendly to students that will enhance on practical and interactive learning and give room for other activities such as co-curriculum activities like games. This paper gives a summary of the principles of effective instruction for immigrant students.
Summary of the principles of Effective Instruction for Immigrant Students
Exchange of classroom cultures and experiences: Immigrants students have a variety of experiences that if tapped can help in the improvement and innovations in the education that consequently would enrich everyone’s experience. Teachers encourage the students to expose their abilities, interests and skills (Walqui, 2000).
Conceptual learning and academic development: Good learning involves development of skills and themes that are characteristics of effective teachings. Students should be involved in high-quality academic work that gives focus on skills, ideas and processes through interactive tasks such as practical’s, practices and application of concepts (Walqui, 2000).
Experimental and explorative teaching emphasizes: The use of theoretical teaching provides the students with knowledge that can be applicable in creation of more ideas. Students expect teachers more approaches apart from lecture and recitation of some of the aspects they already know.
The use of experimental and explorative approaches makes the students engagement high, which gives room for them to utilize the prior knowledge, have inferences, evidence and conclude on their prior knowledge (Walqui, 2000). Good curriculum planning: Teachers should organize their work effectively depending on the level of students.
Complexity and interrelatedness should increase with the progress from the lower to higher levels (Walqui, 2000). In addition, teachers should have a well knowledge of the scope of the curriculum. They should further ensure that they cover what is in the scope of the students’ level.
Contextualized teaching: Many textbooks contain few illustrations of the knowledge learnt. To enhance that the students have contextualized the knowledge, the textbooks should be complemented at times with pictures, films and other forms of realities that expose the students to the uses of the knowledge and ideas (Walqui, 2000)).
Explicit teaching of academic norms, socio-cultural expectations and academic strategies: effective teachers use strategies that develop students’ sense of autonomy. They involve students in guidance and modeling that helps the students develop and be aware of different social controls and academic norms such as writing, talking and specific culture presentations (Walqui, 2000).
Students’ interactions: Effective teaching gives room for students to interact, share ideas and knowledge among themselves and with teachers. In addition, it gives the students an opportunity to construct their understanding and becoming more engaged in learning (Walqui, 2000).
Collaboration of learners: complex and flexible collaboration among the learners gives them an opportunity to develop proficiency through meaningful, enticing and purposeful interactions. Collaboration gives the students substantial and equitable opportunities to involve and participate in elaborated and open exchange discussions (Walqui, 2000). Effective teachers should therefore provide the students with tasks that require their contribution and give them a chance to accomplish the task.
Creation of opportunities to extend students understanding and application of knowledge: Effective teaching creates multiple opportunities for students for show their understanding and application of knowledge. An example of the opportunities is contests and role-plays (Walqui, 2000). Authentic assessment: Effective learning gives opportunities for learners to assess themselves as the teachers (Walqui, 2000).
Conclusion
For effective learning, the ten principles of effective instructions need to be practiced. This gives the teachers and schools the ability to meet and support the students’ needs. Effective teaching instructions give quality learning and education to students as it provides them with skills, knowledge and prepares them for the challenges after schools.
Reference
Walqui, A. (2000). Strategies for Success: Engaging immigrant students in secondary schools. California: ERC digest: San Francisco. Retrieved from: <http://www.cal.org/>