Multilingual Learners: Why Do We Need to Use the Right Terminology? more

Sun, May 1, 09:00-10:00 Asia/Seoul

Over the last two decades, the United States has increased their population of K-12 students for whom English is not their first language. Many educators and administrators have referred to these students as English language learners (ELLs), English as a Second Language Learners (ESL), and/or Limited English proficient students (LEPs). However, based on the terminology, these descriptions are misrepresentations. I argue that students who speak more languages than just English or students who speak their native language but are not yet fluent in English should be referred to by educators as Multilingual Learners (MLs). Using the term ELLs has implied misconceptions of students’ equity and can lead to misrepresentation in the classroom. Through this dialog in this conference, I would like to converse about how other scholars think about K-12 students who speak more than one language and create support for Multilanguage Learners by using the correct terminology globally.