Supporting Multilingual Students : UMass Amherst Writing Program : UMass Amherst

UMass hosts a diverse community of multilingual students, including U.S. resident students as well as more than 5,000 international students, who come from 120 countries and speak multiple languages. These students have experienced diverse schooling systems, and most have English as a language that they have learned in addition to their mother tongue.

It is important for instructors to familiarize ourselves with any resources that could help us in supporting multilingual students. While some instructors might think multilingual student challenges are limited to grammar and feedback, it is important to consider more big picture points as well. Here are a few ways to make a more inclusive and supportive environment in your writing classroom:

Be mindful of the difference between language error and systematic language difference when giving feedback.

One reason students deviate from the rules of standard English in their writings is that they are shifting between languages and might be relying on the rules of their mother tongue while performing in English.

On the other hand, there are different dialects and varieties of English spoken around the world, sometimes referred to as World Englishes. These include, for example, African American English and Hawaii Pidgin in the US as well as English varieties in Singapore, India, etc. English varieties, at times, are mistakenly seen as slang or may be devalued or stigmatized. However, English dialects and varieties each have their own valued usages and grammatical systems.

So if students deviate from the rules of standard English, it doesn’t always mean they are making an error. As teachers, we want to emphasize good communication, not standardization for its own sake. Being mindful of this difference is especially important when giving feedback on students' papers.
- Hold frequent conferences with students to foster language awareness and strategic usage. Be curious about differences in language patterns, why they made those choices, and build on their cultural influences.
- For more tips on how to give feedback, please visit the JYW webpage on teacher feedback.
Foster a sense of belonging.

Many instructors report that a significant number of their multilingual students may hesitate to participate in group activities, perhaps due to fear of being judged based on their English proficiency or their different cultural backgrounds. To support these students and provide a safe space for them to contribute:
- Acknowledge the significance of their studying in a language other than their own.
- Create a welcoming space for them to participate by explicitly valuing their ideas over their correct use of standard English.
- To foster in-class contribution, assign roles. People’s contribution is shaped by their background, and they might not have been required to participate before.
- Provide a chance for students to socialize and get to know each other. It is easier to talk in front of the people that you know.
Diversify your references and explain cultural ones.

Teachers might reflect on how cultures are brought into the curricula and class activities. To place multilingual students and English-dominant students on equal footing and create an inclusive class environment,
- Explain any U.S.-based cultural references (e.g., pop culture, sports, U.S. historical events, etc.) that are central to your teaching to avoid confusion.
- Actively bring references from multiple U.S. and global cultures into your teaching and discuss them in class.
Encourage students to bring their own language and culture to their writing.

While making multilingual students feel confident in their use of English and understanding of dominant cultural references in class is important in fostering a sense of belonging, you can also encourage them to bring their own language and culture to their writing.
- Based on the needs of your class, you can put students in small groups and have them present one aspect of their culture to their peers, who are from another background, in a genre that best suits it. Such activities will enhance audience and genre awareness while helping build community.
Communicate course content and feedback in multiple modes.

Acquisition of language can happen orally/aurally as well as through written texts. Ear learners have acquired language more in daily conversation, while eye learners have often learned English more through written texts (Reid). Past learning experiences might impact relative ease or difficulties with oral or written English. One way to make sure that everyone has a good chance of learning in your class is to communicate course content in multiple modes so that it works for everyone.
- Provide assignment instructions in writing on your course’s Canvas page and invite students to read a part of it out loud while everyone listens.
- Use visuals; they are not language-specific.
- Have interactive activities where students can engage with course material.
- Discuss course material and assignment requirements in class to clarify confusions.
- Intentional repetitions help everyone.
- Familiarize yourself with Canvas’ options for providing feedback.
Be explicit.

Being explicit about the structure of your class and your expectations will save your students a lot of confusion and limit questions that they might keep unasked in fear of being judged. Never assume that they know something, give explicit instructions, and encourage questions:
- Often, criteria for good writing are left unexplained: What makes one research question stronger than the other one? How should students integrate sources at the sentence and paragraph level? How much summary and paraphrase is expected?
- More generally, it’s a good idea to give explicit instructions for assignments, review examples that satisfy the requirements, and discuss what makes this example a successful one.
- Provide regular feedback so that the students can shift strategies if needed.
- Instead of asking “are there any questions?”, ask “what questions do you have?” to suggest that having questions are the norm.
Keep reading and writing assignments at a reasonable length so that all students have adequate time to deeply engage.

Instructors should take into account the fact people have different learning and working speeds, especially as it takes more time to process and work in your second language. So it is important that the amount of assigned work is feasible for all students to engage deeply and make steady progress. Assigning an unreasonable amount of work might result in disappointment and decreased engagement.
- Make sure the expected reading is reasonable in relation to the available time.
- Provide pre-reading questions and focus on a select portion of the text.
- Balance reading in relation to writing to give students enough time to write.
- If working in class, give students enough processing time. To make sure everyone stays engaged, provide a series of questions, including one or two core questions and an additional challenging one for those who finish early.
- Include low-stakes in-class writing activities that prepare students for higher-stakes ones.
Affirm students’ steady progress in their acquisition of academic writing in English.

Acknowledge the fact that the rules of academic English that are required here might be different from other parts of the world and it does not mean that the knowledge students carry with them is not valuable.
- Encourage multilingual students to use the available resources on campus, such as the writing center and ESL program.
- Affirm their progress in informal and formal feedback.

Works Cited

Reid, Joy. ““Eye” learners and “ear” learners: Identifying the language needs of international students and U.S. resident writers” Second-Language Writing in the Composition Classroom: A Critical Sourcebook, edited by Paul Kei Matsuda, et al., Bedford St. Martins, 2006, pp. 76-88.

Supporting Multilingual Students

Works Cited

Further Reading