L2 Learners' Constraints

Zamel – The Experiences of Faculty and ESL Students Across the Curriculum

I was reading Zamel’s article about the experiences of faculty and ESL students, and to my astonishment I found that there might be a sort of intolerance toward ESL students from the part of professors.  But, before proceeding, I want to be very clear about the feedback I have received from my professors.  I’ve always been encouraged and received positive feedback from them.  On the other hand, to support some of the students’ comments on the article, I didn’t take ESL courses at the college level.  This might imply that my writing composition skills would suffer, and this is one reason why some ESL students are not strong enough to compete with native speakers of English, according to the article.  Should ESL students held accountable for such insufficient preparation?  When I was accepted at Harbor College, I’ve never write a paper.  I just have completed three levels of ESL, beginning, intermediate, and advanced.  Since then, I’ve been building my writing skill slowly, throughout my academic experience.  It is so painful reading what English instructors have to say, “ESL students are vocal but incomprehensible.”  The quote below comes directly from the data Zamel collected from faculty and ESL students:

“Teachers need to be more sensitive to ESL students needs for education…face with the demands of cultural adjustment…teachers must give flexible considerations…”

 I am currently taking pragmatics, which is about how people use language and how we understand and make meaning of it.  I see sensitivity when it comes to explain unfamiliar terms, also, information and instruction are presented in simple ways that all of us, ESL students, can understand.  One of the students’ comments is about how easier is for ESL students to understand written instruction.  They rather want instructors to write it on the board, instead of just verbally delivered it.

As a way to conclude my blogging contribution, the author points out that students understood their efforts as serious attempts to overcome language difficulties.  Additionally, they expect instructors to assist them in their language needs and classrooms that encourage involvement and inclusion for ESL students.  Giroux suggests that there is the need for instructors to look into their own value system, and by doing so, students and instructors will have new opportunities for learning.

Kudos for my English professors and my fellow native speakers who enthusiastically find ways to negotiate meaning with us, ESL students.