Misconceptions About Language Learner

 An ELL student who speaks English well is a fluent speaker. No. Students acquire social fluency much earlier than academic fluency. They do not represent the same language skill level.

 An ELL student who is orally fluent is also fluent in reading and writing. No. Students typically develop oral skills prior to written skills.

 An ELL student who is silent in class does not understand anything. No. These students are often internalizing and processing.

 An ELL student who decodes (sounds out) words is reading well. No. Sounding out is not reading. Reading, by definition, necessitates students making meaning. If they don’t understand what they are pronouncing, then they are merely calling out words.

Stephen Anderson