Definitions

Emergent bilinguals students are students that are in the process of not only continuing to grow in their own native language, but also learn and become proficient in English as well. These are students who often are coming from a different country with limited knowledge or exposure to English since most times they speak their own native language around their family members and their only experience with English is in a school setting and socializing with peers.

As previously mentioned, emergent bilingual students are learners who are developing proficiency in English while maintaining their home language. It is really important to note the idea that these students were formally called ESL (English Second Language) students, but language and intention has changed over time and calling and referring to students who are learning English as English as a Second Language students can be a little bit insensitive and non-accepting to the student’s and their own native language and their innate ability to learn English. Additionally, emergent bilinguals were also at one point called ELL (English-Language Learners) students. This name is probably one of the worst names we could call emergent bilinguals for the reasons previously mentioned, but also because it completely erases the acknowledgement of their own native language since the name is solely focused on English. Though the way we refer to these students may seem minuscule, there is actually a major impact on the verbiage we use and how we view these students. If we solely view emergent bilinguals as English as a Second Language or English Language Learners, we begin to put these students into boxes. We let our own implicit bias take over, which isn’t fair to these students because they are far more capable than we think. They can handle difficult material and vocabulary, but if we put them in a category with a name that limits them before they even get to try, we will never get to see what they’re truly capable of.

It’s important to consider emergent bilinguals and their needs when teaching because they often face so many obstacles outside of just a language barrier. They are trying to not only learn a new language, but also acclimate themselves to a brand new culture, make new friends/socialize, learn grade-level material, and keep up with assessments and testing. A lot of times, emergent bilinguals don’t have the proper support and help that they truly need from home since parents often are trying to learn English as well. As a teacher, we are hired to teach with out discrimination