Using Visuals with ELLs

Welcome all-star teachers! As we jump into today’s topic, I would like you to reflect on your wins for the week. Think about your high points and your areas of growth. 

We have all heard these words “just use visuals”. Visuals are a great scaffold but finding visuals and determining when to use them can be a struggle. 

As I was strolling through the internet, I kept seeing how visuals are a great scaffold for ELLs. Even when I was planning with my team, co-workers would simply say use pictures. That was an effective and simple solution but I was still stuck on how and when to use them with my ELLs. I would be teaching and scrambling to find a photo during the middle of the lesson. The quality of the photos were not the best and they were depicting what I needed in my lessons. This was leading to me being frustrated and it was eating into my lessons. As I was planning my lesson one day, I started to reflect on how I can effectively use visuals. 

I also thought can visuals be photos, movies, art, etc? Not just the typical internet images. That’s when I started to use visuals more thoughtfully with my lessons. The first question I would ask myself when planning was “Can a visual such as a video, photo help my ELLs learn this content?” That is when I started to use gallery walks in my classroom. I would carefully curate photos and videos that help my ELLs build background knowledge. If I was teaching vocabulary, I would incorporate photos that would help the students understand the words. Being thoughtful in this manner helped me use visuals with a purpose in my classroom. 

During your next lesson planning session ask yourself how visuals can  help your ELLs better understand the concept or topic. Then search for videos and photos that support your topic. Brainpop and CSPAN video is a great resource.  After vetting the videos and photos, incorporate them into your lesson. Explain to your students why you chose this visual and how it relates to the topic. Free stock photo websites such as Unsplash and Pixabay offer great free high quality stock photos.

Fellow ESL teachers here are your next steps. 

1. Review your lessons for the upcoming week.
2. Reflect on how you can intentionally add visuals to support your ELLs.

Share how  you are currently using visuals with your ELLs? Share your strategies and ideas below in the comments.