Hello and Happy Friday from Literacy Connexus everyone. I hope that this blog post finds you all happy, healthy, and *fingers crossed* staying cool.
Today, I wanted to check in to talk about the importance of giving plain language instructions in the classroom. Many of us spend hours meticulously planning out amazing lessons and activities for our students, and we want to make sure that our students aren’t getting before they can even get started.
I often say that for many of our adult students, instructions are half the battle. Enter – the importance of giving plain language instructions – here.
Imagine you are attending a seminar. The facilitator gives instructions,
JIMALEE SOWELL
and you have a vague notion of what you are supposed to do, but you
do not want to ask the facilitator to clarify because you are sure you
are the only one who has not understood. After the facilitator tells you to
start working, you turn to the person next to you and ask, “What are we
supposed to do?” That person says, “I’m not sure. I thought you would
know.” Soon you realize that almost everyone in the room is confused,
while the facilitator is standing behind the lectern wondering why no one
has started engaging in the activity she just explained.
Cote d’Ivoire
We’ve all been in that situation, am I right? However, for many of us, we were able to face that obstacle without the additional obstacle of a language barrier. What about in your classrooms? Have you ever given instructions to your students for an activity, only to have no one begin it because they’re all too busy staring at each other in confusion?
We have to remember that plain language is for everyone. We don’t want to prevent our students from learning due to something simple like instructions.
So what are some things to keep in mind when giving instructions to your ESL students?
- Write for your audience: Keep in mind that your audience consists of English language learners.
- Organize your information: Make your instructions easy for your students to follow.
- Choose your language carefully: use simple language that is simple, clear, and concise.
- Keep it conversational: Keep your language informal, these are your students – you have a relationship with them.
- Design your instructions for reading: Make your instructions easy to read, easy to follow.
For more in depth literature on plain language instructions, check out these two links:
- PlainLanguage.Gov : This site goes over all the steps to using plain language and even has a nice table with words to use instead when preparing plain language instructions.
- Good Instruction-Giving in the Second-Language Classroom: This paper by Jimalee Sowell is really a holy grail for creating the perfect plain language instructions for English language learners. A fantastic read!
More into videos? This one may be helpful!
Now, go forth. Give instructions. Be merry.
Until next time, blessings and happy teaching!