Most of our students are non-native speakers of English or do not speak English at home. They struggle with vocabulary, grammar and background knowledge in English. They may also find it challenging to read and work in a culture different from their own.
Consider how hard it must be to read an article about life in Colonial America if you are from Poland! If you’ve grown up in the United States, or been through the U.S. education system, you take for granted some knowledge about Native Americans, pilgrims, colonies and Thanksgiving. Students new to the U.S. do not have that background knowledge, although they do have many interesting stories about their own culture to share!
Here is an Edutopia resource that offers some tips specifically for working with students who are learning English. Remember, you can always ask your Site Coordinator for suggestions on how to handle specific issues.
https://www.edutopia.org/article/resources-for-teaching-english-language-learners-ashley-cronin