














































 

ISSN #2331-6845 

 

Shedding light on misconceptions:  An  
act of advocacy 

 

By Dr. Jamie Harrison 
Department of Curriculum and Teaching 

ESOL Education Program 
Auburn University 

jlh0069@auburn.edu    
 

As the English learner population in U.S. schools continues to grow and accountability 
measures add further pressure to teachers in schools, the role of the ESOL teacher is 
increasingly becoming one of advocate.  Misconceptions about immigration and 
documentation, learning and speaking English, and teachers and teaching have been 
documented and countered, and taking action as ESOL teachers about these 
misconceptions is an initial step of advocacy for ESOL teachers.  Working in 
collaboration with mainstream teachers means ESOL teachers need to be aware of 
common misperceptions about English learners. Knowing the misconceptions and reality 
of many of these issues allows the ESOL teacher to take a proactive stance in 
collaborative relationships with teachers and professional development opportunities.   

Keywords: English learner, misconceptions, advocacy 

 

Introduction 

English learners (EL) in American schools make up 9.3 percent of the total student 

population, with seven states identified as having 10 percent or higher ELs enrolled in 

public schools (U.S Department of Education, 2017). ELs attend public schools in both 

 
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mailto:jlh0069@auburn.edu


urban and rural areas (U.S Department of Education, 2017), and ELs’ academic 

progress lags behind their native-English speaking counterparts with over 75% of eighth 

grade ELs across the country scoring below basic on state mandated tests (Samson & 

Collins, 2012). Statistics suggest the EL population in the state of Georgia to be seven 

percent of total school enrollment, which is up from four percent in 2004 (Beaudette, 

2014). However, the education of teachers about English learners has not kept pace 

with the continued growth of this student population (Samson & Collins, 2012).  In 

addition to this paucity of training, continued perpetuation of misconceptions about 

English learners and language learning has the potential to affect teachers and students 

at the classroom level. 

Eisenhart, Shrum, Harding and Cuthbert (1988) summarize definitions of belief 

as found in the literature to be a “proposition, or statement of relation among things 

accepted as true,” (p. 53), and while beliefs about English learners may not always be 

congruent, they are the foundation for action in the classroom.  Individual beliefs and 

values of teachers are essential in the shaping of objectives, goals, curriculum, and 

instructional methods (Yero, 2002). Conceptualizations, and in contrast, 

misconceptualizations are among the wide range of terms used in education belief 

research (Smith, Skarbeck, & Hurst, 2005) to explore the beliefs of teachers on topics 

ranging from curriculum, standards, and accountability to beliefs about teachers, 

students and learning (Borg, 2003).  

Misconceptions about English learners continue to inform local, state, and even 

national policy discussions. Dispelling these misconceptions is now an act of advocacy 

by ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) teachers for ELs and the National 
 
2                                                                  GATESOL in Action, Fall 2016/Spring 2017 
 



Association of Educators includes organizing and educating others as one step in EL 

advocacy (National Association of Education, 2015).  Educational reform embodied in 

the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 and current political rhetoric (Valverde, 

2016) continue to push English learners and immigrants into the spotlight of public 

debate. Identifying myths and misconceptions and uncovering the truth is only one step 

in this advocacy process, and there are lists already generated that inform us about 

common myths (Rusul Arubail, 2015; Fact Sheet No. 15 - 16, 2015). Additionally, 

research by Harper and de Jong (2004) outline common misconceptions held by 

teachers, and Reeves’ (2006) research highlights key inaccurate beliefs held by 

teachers about ELs. The following list of misconceptions is derived from a variety of 

sources (Rusul Arubail, 2015; Fact Sheet No. 15 - 16, 2015; Harper & de Jong, 2004; 

Reeves, 2006) as well as personal experience talking and working with a variety of 

teachers over the years. The act of dispelling misconceptions is a crucial step of ESOL 

teacher advocacy for ELs.  This article will outline common misconceptions, 

contextualize them within the current education and immigration climate, and offer 

practical guidance for taking action on behalf of ELs.  

Misconceptions about Immigration and Documentation  

Immigrants are All English Learners.  Immigration permeates political 

discussions today with over 700,000 hits in a basic Google search for ‘undocumented 

immigration news 2017,’ and many of these discussions include issues related to 

immigrants in public schools.  Yarborough (2017) reports on a ballot initiative in San 

Bernardino, California to ban undocumented immigrants from public schools.  While this 

initiative was struck down, The Heritage Foundation, a leading conservative political 
 
3                                                                  GATESOL in Action, Fall 2016/Spring 2017 
 



action group, publishes anti-immigration commentary (Wood, 2014) meant to exploit 

fear and misunderstanding about this marginalized group.  Misconceptions about what 

qualifies a designated status of ‘English learner’ in public schools is one of a variety of 

complex misunderstandings about immigrants. 

An English learner is defined by the U.S. Department of Education as someone 

who was not born in the United States or speaks a native language other than English, 

or whose home environment predominantly uses a language other than English 

(Migration Policy Institute, n.d.). Roughly one in four students (12.5 million) enrolled in 

U.S. public schools are children of immigrants (Batlova & McHugh, 2010), yet only an 

estimated 9.3 percent of the U.S. public school population are classified as EL (U.S. 

Department of Education, 2017). These numbers suggest that many children who come 

from immigrant families either spoke English when they arrived, have learned English 

well enough to completely exit the ESOL program, or are unidentified.  Whichever is the 

case, reminding administrators and teachers about the requirement and value of the 

Home Language Survey is an act of advocacy for ELs.  The Home Language Survey is 

a tool for initial identification of ELs enrolling in school systems.  Without this as a 

baseline, damaging assumptions about language ability based on skin color or ethnic 

background made by untrained school personnel may impede student academic 

success.   

All English Learners are Immigrants.  On the other hand, in spite of the U.S. 

Department of Education definition, many students classified as English learners were 

born in the United States, making them U.S. citizens.  Zong and Batlova (2015) report 

that more than half of those designated English learner of ages 5 to 17 are U.S. born.  
 
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Nevertheless, being born in the United States does not ensure English is spoken in the 

home and one in five U. S. residents speak a language other than English at home 

(Ziegler & Camarota, 2014).  Furthermore, of the nearly 62 million foreign-language 

speakers in the United States, 44 percent are U.S. born (Ziegler & Camarota, 2014).  

Learning a language is complicated and many factors influence English 

acquisition even when the language of instruction and the surrounding society is 

English.  Schumann’s theory of social distance suggests that many factors contribute to 

acculturation and likewise, second language acquisition (Schumann, 1978). Teachers 

who make assumptions about a students’ immigration status are violating that student’s 

privacy and potentially creating obstacles for that student’s successful navigation of the 

educational system.  A strong ‘English-only’ movement in the United States is evident 

with H.R. 997 and S. 678, known as The English Language Unity Act of 2017, recently 

introduced in Congress (Chairman Mauro Mujica, 2017), and there is a history in the 

United States of conflating knowing English with citizenship (Schiffman, n.d.). 

Reminding teachers that citizens of the United States are not required to speak English 

can be an act of advocacy for ELs.  Knowing English can make life easier and provide 

more economic opportunities for those living in the United States (Zong & Batalova, 

2015), but assuming that all speakers of English as a second language are immigrants 

and not citizens does not assist in this process.   

 English Learner Immigrants are Undocumented.  Legal status is included in 

most immigration debates with Attorney General Jeff Sessions insinuating a broad 

connection between undocumented immigrants and criminal activity (Galvan, 2017); yet 

many researchers have demonstrated that there is no connection (Ewing, Martinez, 
 
5                                                                  GATESOL in Action, Fall 2016/Spring 2017 
 



Rumbaut (2015). There are an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the 

United States (Zhong & Batlova, 2017), and approximately 5.1 million children under the 

age of 18 lived with at least one undocumented parent during 2009 – 2013 (Zhong & 

Batlova, 2017). Of these children, 4.1 million were U.S. citizens (Zhong & Batlova, 

2017).   

Plyler v. Doe (1982) asserted that immigrant children have a right to a public 

education regardless of documentation status.  This decision has held over thirty years 

that schools not only must provide an education to undocumented students, but are not 

permitted to request any proof of citizenship, thus in a sense providing a safe haven 

from deportation. Several states since then have taken action to circumvent this ruling 

by passing local and state policies regarding enrollment documentation requirements 

(American Immigration Council, 2012).   Ultimately, these measures were struck down 

at various levels with legal action.   

The 2016 presidential election heralded a renewed zest among anti-immigration 

supporters regarding the notion of deporting undocumented immigrants, and President 

Donald Trump included immigration reform as part of his campaign platform (On the 

Issues, 2016). Teachers interested or in need of advocating for ELs on this topic can 

remind officials that schools are protected by Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act 

(FERPA) laws from divulging any information contained in school files that might 

provide evidence of documentation status (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). This 

allows the school personnel to continue with their charge of educating all children and 

keeps them from distractions that might waste academic time for students.  Many other 

actions in support of undocumented students are outlined in Immigrant and Refugee 
 
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Children: A Guide for Educators and Support Staff published by the American 

Federation for Teachers (2016) which can be downloaded for free from 

https://www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ICE-Raids-Educators-Guide-2016-

06.pdf.  

Misconceptions about Speaking and Learning English 

Classroom Academic Success Requires Fluent English. English learners 

come to U.S. classrooms with a wide range of knowledge and abilities in their own 

native language, English, and other academic subjects.  The range is a result of many 

factors including schooling experiences in home country, language(s) spoken at home, 

aptitude, and motivation. Many mainstream teachers insist that they will not be able to 

teach students who are not fluent in English; however, research suggests that ELs can 

be academically successful when content teachers apply seven basic principles of 

effective teaching (Center for Applied Linguistics, 2014).  The Every Student Succeeds 

Act (2015) includes English learners as a priority in system wide assessments, and 

states are given the freedom to enact local policy regarding assessment of school and 

student progress.  It is not acceptable to relegate ELs, regardless of their language 

proficiency level, to English language instruction that is not adequately infused with rich, 

academic language and grade level content area exposure (Chamot & O’Malley, 1994).  

Furthermore, content area teachers must be equipped with appropriate knowledge, 

skills, and understandings about language acquisition, the demands of academic 

language, and effective practices of scaffolding for EL success (Echevarria, Vogt, & 

Short, 2012; Samson & Collins, 2012). 

 
7                                                                  GATESOL in Action, Fall 2016/Spring 2017 
 

https://www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ICE-Raids-Educators-Guide-2016-06.pdf
https://www.nilc.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/ICE-Raids-Educators-Guide-2016-06.pdf


Requiring ELs to speak English before learning academic content is a legal issue 

that has already been overturned in court. Lau v. Nichols (1974) found that schools 

must provide English instruction without compromising academic progress.  In other 

words, it is unconstitutional to not provide grade level academic content and material to 

students in a comprehensible way.  With proper sheltered and scaffolded learning 

opportunities, all levels of ELs can be successful in academic settings (Diaz-Rico & 

Weed, 2002; Ovando Collier, & Combs, 2003). Furthermore, the high-stakes testing and 

accountability environments require this academic rigor to be infused with English 

learning. That is, academic learning requires acknowledgment of the language 

embedded in the content (O’Hara, Pritchard, & Zwiers, 2012). ESOL teachers wishing to 

advocate for ELs around this topic can suggest professional development training 

opportunities that include relevant second language acquisition information, processes 

of identifying the language of the standards and objectives, and opportunities to develop 

scaffolded assignments.  The Center for Applied Linguistics offers a video and 

downloadable list of its seven principles of effective instruction for ELs at 

http://www.cal.org/solutions/resources/video/seven-principles-video.html.   

It Only Takes One to Two Years to Achieve Fluency.  Reeves (2006) reported 

that mainstream teachers believed it took only one to two years to achieve fluency in 

English when immersed in an English-only setting.  This misconception stems from an 

assumption that because a student can converse easily with adults and peers, they are 

capable of doing academic coursework at the same level as native speaking peers.  

Samson and Collins (2012) consider second language acquisition processes a key 

understanding that teachers of ELs must have.  Advocacy actions ESOL teachers can 

 
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http://www.cal.org/solutions/resources/video/seven-principles-video.html


take in this arena include posting information about important aspects of second 

language growth and development in teacher work rooms or faculty listservs.   

One key piece of information includes the difference between Basic Interpersonal 

Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) 

(Cummins, 2008).  BICS refers to the language needed for social interaction, and CALP 

refers to the academic, content-specific, metacognitive language needed to perform 

successfully academically.  Cummins (1981) suggests an iceberg model of language 

acquisition, CALP is what lies below the surface of the water; it is the hidden language 

needs of the EL.  While a student may appear to be proficient in English, many teachers 

are actually only observing BICS (which would be the tip of the iceberg that appears 

above the surface of the water).  

Another essential understanding about second language acquisition is the 

progression most learners follow in acquiring a second language from the early silent 

stage to advanced (Freeman & Freeman, 2001). WIDA (2014) highlights these stages 

within their Can Do Descriptors document, and Levine, Lukins, and Smallwood (2013) 

have developed a set of ‘go-to’ strategies that map directly to the Can Do Descriptors – 

an easy way to introduce teachers to the value of knowing EL language levels.   

Mainstream teachers will also benefit from knowing that English learners 

progress at varying rates in different language domains.  For example, a student’s 

listening or speaking skills may be at a higher level than their written or reading skills.  

Due to these differences between interpersonal communicative language and academic 

 
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language, research suggests it can take five to seven years to learn a language to the 

academic level of same-age peers (Hakuta, Butler, & Witt, 2000).   

Knowing the factors that influence EL academic performance can provide ESOL 

teachers with appropriate responses to teachers who ‘suspect’ their ELs speak more 

English than they are demonstrating. Formal schooling in the native language and 

socioeconomic status are the primary influences on EL language acquisition (Center for 

Public Education, 2007) and often teachers are unaware that many ELs arrive in the 

United States with limited formal schooling.  Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal 

Education (SLIFE) are a subset of ELs who arrive in the United States with very little 

formal education for a variety of reasons including poverty, geography, limited 

transportation, work expectations, natural disasters, and political and civil unrest (WIDA, 

2015). Providing information to teachers about key elements of culturally responsive 

teaching can be a starting point in working with schools seeking to support SLIFE 

(DeCapua, 2016). 

Mainstreaming Should Occur Only After Minimum Level of Fluency 

Achieved.  While seventy-two percent of respondents in a survey conducted by Reeves 

(2006) agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, “I would welcome the inclusion of 

ESL students in my class,” a strong agreement with the statement that ELs should not 

be mainstreamed until minimum attainment levels have been reached was also reported 

(Reeves, 2006). This indicates perhaps a fear of low-proficiency ELs and their impact 

on mainstream classrooms or a lack of understanding of the language acquisition 

process and the benefits of high academic rigor for ELs. In actuality, with proper 

support, ELs can benefit greatly from being mainstreamed with native-English speaking 
 
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peers at the appropriate academic level.  Rich opportunities for interaction in English 

combined with the expertise of content area specialists can support ELs in not only 

language acquisition, but also content mastery.  

One tool that takes an additive stance toward ELs and offers a realistic portrayal 

of linguistic capabilities at various levels, are the Can Do Descriptors (WIDA, 2014). 

These provide teachers of all grade levels a guide to reasonable expectations of student 

ability.  Rather than frame discussions with teachers around what ELs can’t do, offering 

this tool to teachers can change to nature of the conversation while also providing 

valuable information.  

Students Should Speak Only English in School.  Over half of the respondents 

in Reeves’ (2006) study reported the belief that students should avoid using their native 

language while at school. Teachers who believe this are not aware that a focus on 

immersion in English, with little acknowledgement of the student’s native language, can 

have detrimental effects on first and second language development (Johnson, 2008). 

Furthermore, many teachers assume that exposure and interaction in the target 

language will result in acquisition of that language (Harper & de Jong, 2004).  

Unfortunately, as noted by Harper and de Jong (2004) this assumption does not 

consider the complexities of teaching and learning academic language nor, in fact, the 

absence of rich language interaction among students in mainstream classrooms. ESOL 

teachers can and should work to dispel this myth actively due to its detrimental effects. 

Not only is it not supported by language acquisition theories, but it also works to 

undermine a student’s sense of self in the school community.  Encouraging multilingual 

signs in school buildings along with bilingual books is one active step ESOL teachers 
 
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can take to promote a school culture that embraces the linguistic diversity of its 

students. Additionally, recognizing the importance of translanguaging for multilinguals 

can add a level of cultural competence to school climate.  A vast topic and discussion 

that spans multiple theoretical fields, translanguaging can be understood as a learner’s 

use of and reliance on all languages in his or her repertoire for multiple purposes and in 

a variety of contexts (Lindahl, 2017).  Understanding the value of translanguaging for 

English learners who come to classrooms with a wide range of linguistic experience can 

open opportunities for both the language teacher and the mainstream teacher to 

support ELs in a more holistic way.  Speaking up for ELs to teachers who might 

otherwise like to ask ELs to “check their L1 at the classroom door” (Lindahl, 2017) is an 

act of advocacy that ESOL teachers can take in schools to support their students.   

Learning English Looks the Same for All ELs.  Teachers in Harper and de 

Jong’s study (2004) believed that all ELs learned English in the same way and at the 

same rate.  This concept of a universal process of language learning rests in the 

assumption that learning a second language follows the same trajectory as learning a 

first language and that all ELs go through similar learning processes and have similar 

learning needs (Leung & Franson, 2001).  Furthermore, teachers assume that all 

students arrive with the same level of formal education and the same levels of fluency in 

their native languages.  However, there is no one size fits all definition of the immigrant 

student and there are numerous factors that influence the rate at which an English 

language learner acquires English (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2012).  For example, 

there is a significant difference between the schooling experiences of ELs who were 

born and raised in the United States and those who have immigrated to the United 

 
12                                                                  GATESOL in Action, Fall 2016/Spring 2017 
 



States during their schooling years. The schooling experiences and challenges of 

immigrant youth in the United States have been widely documented (Suarez-Orozco, 

Suarez-Orozco, & Todorova, 2009; Valdés, 2001; Valenzuela, 1999).  Many factors 

influence the rate of language acquisition, and acquisition across the domains of 

listening, speaking, reading and writing is not uniform.  Knowing students’ literacy 

backgrounds, and keeping in mind age and motivation can help teachers understand 

the unique learning needs of their students.  ESOL teachers can expand the depth of 

information provided to teachers about the ELs they serve through initial conferences, 

formal workshops, and informal discussions at the lunch table.    

Misconceptions about Teachers and Teaching 

The ESOL Teacher Teaches English, the Mainstream Teacher Teaches 

Content.  The growing number of ELs and continued pressure for all students to make 

yearly academic progress means the ESOL teacher can no longer be considered the 

sole teacher of ELs.  The role of the ESOL teacher and the mainstream teacher in the 

education of ELs is expanding to include more opportunities for collaboration (Martin-

Beltrán & Peercy, 2012).  There are many program models that support language 

instruction for ELs, but schools and districts are often constrained by budgets to make 

the best choices for ELs.  The Georgia Department of Education supports pull out, push 

in, cluster centers, resource centers, sheltered instruction, and scheduled class periods 

of ESL instruction, each having advantages and disadvantages (Georgia Department of 

Education, 2015). The pull out program model, common in elementary and middle 

schools, takes ELs away from the mainstream classroom for small group English 

language instruction.  While this program model is still very common in many school 
 
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districts and schools, it does not support best practice for the growing numbers and 

emerging needs of English learners in this high-stakes era of Common Core (TESOL 

International Association, 2016). Strict standards and accountability measures have 

placed new emphasis on the language of academic content.  With this in mind, the role 

of the ESOL teacher is shifting to that of co-teacher and advocate (Staehr Fenner, 

2014), and it is imperative that all teachers consider themselves language teachers.   

Offering sheltered instruction in the content areas is one way to support ELs and 

ensure access to the same academic content as their same age peers while 

simultaneously developing language skills. Other ways include the ESOL teacher push-

in or co-teaching model to support mainstream teachers in effectively scaffolding 

content for EL academic success (TESOL International Association, 2016).  Working as 

a collaborator with mainstream teachers offers academic support for ELs with 

embedded professional development for content area teachers. ESOL teachers who 

find themselves in a school environment that is not promoting collaboration with 

mainstream counterparts can advocate for ELs by working with administration and 

leadership teams to facilitate schedules and collaborative teaming with mainstream 

teachers in support of EL academic success.      

Good Teaching Is the Same for All Learners.  Harper and de Jong (2004) 

reported the teachers in their study to believe that good teaching is the same for both 

native and non-native English speakers.  Furthermore, one popular way of appealing to 

mainstream teachers regarding expanding their range of techniques to include 

strategies that support English learners is to explain that many of the strategies used to 

support ELs will, in fact, support many other types of struggling learners.  Indeed, some 
 
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research indicates this might be the case (Echevarria, Richards-Tutor, Canges, & 

Frances, 2011; Echevarria, Richards-Tutor, Chinn, & Ratleff, 2011).  Nevertheless, 

there are specific attributes of effective instruction targeted directly to ELs in 

mainstream classrooms that must be clearly understood if proper instruction of ELs is to 

take place.  

The Every Student Succeeds Act (2015) mandates that state and national 

standards be used to determine appropriate instruction and assessment for all students.  

However, these standards and guidelines do not take into account the wide variety of 

linguistic needs of ELs in mainstream classrooms (Harper & de Jong, 2004).  Assuming 

that there is one best way of teaching, it cannot be inferred that all students will equally 

benefit from the same strategies.  For example, a well-designed student-centered 

activity, complete with group work and rubric assessments, does not ensure access to 

the language necessary to successfully complete the activity or assignment.  

  Research suggests the components of effective instruction for ELs are focused 

on: a) academic language, literacy, and vocabulary; b) background knowledge and 

culture; c) comprehensible input and language output; d) classroom interaction; e) 

higher order thinking and the use of learning strategies (Levine, Lukens, & Smallwood, 

2013). ESOL teachers can encourage mainstream teachers to purposefully plan for EL 

support and scaffolding at various levels of language proficiency. Incorporating 

academic language support, comprehensible input, and instructional scaffolding at 

appropriate levels moves good teaching to appropriate, equitable teaching.   

  Comprehensible Instruction Is Enough. Comprehensible instruction, such as 

providing non-verbal support, graphic organizers, and hands-on activities, is an 
 
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important aspect of working with ELs, but it is not all teachers must do to provide 

effective instruction for ELs (Harper & de Jong, 2004). Gay (2010) defines culturally 

responsive teaching as, “using the cultural knowledge, prior experiences, frames of 

reference, and performance styles of ethnically diverse students to make learning 

encounters more relevant to and effective for them” (p. 31). Meaningful engagement 

through building and activating prior knowledge, integrating opportunities for rich 

language interactions, and acknowledging and encouraging the influence of students’ 

L1 on their learning are important aspects of effective teaching of ELs.  Eighty-two 

percent of teachers in American classrooms in 2011 – 12 were White (Goldring, Gray & 

Bitterman, 2013) and most teachers are monolingual (Culture in the Classroom, n.d), 

and institutes of higher education continue to train a predominantly White, female cadre 

of teacher candidates (Deruy, 2016).   Thus, as demographic trends show the student 

population is less White (Crouch, 2012) and EL student populations continue to grow 

(U.S. Department of Education, 2016), infusing curriculum and pedagogy with culturally 

responsive teaching principles goes beyond the mere expectation that academic 

classroom input is comprehensible.    

  Furthermore, comprehensible input, while important, does not necessarily mean 

that the EL will be able to use English to perform academic tasks.  Knowing and 

understanding the language of academic performance within a subject area is essential 

to meeting the academic needs of ELs (Harper & de Jong, 2004).  For example, 

teaching students the language of scientific inquiry is essential for students to be able to 

discuss the hypotheses they have formed. Ensuring students have access to the pros 

and cons of a particular theory does not mean they will be able to debate that with 

 
16                                                                  GATESOL in Action, Fall 2016/Spring 2017 
 



peers. Understanding the language involved in various modes of communicating 

academic concepts is paramount.  

Conclusion 

ESOL teachers are the bridge for EL students in most content area classrooms, 

and knowing what mainstream teachers think and believe is an important part of 

advocating for ELs.  It is now more than ever imperative that ESOL teachers ground 

themselves in the facts about the issues that most affect their students: immigration and 

documentation; speaking and learning English; and the role of all teachers and teaching 

ELs. Advocating to mainstream teachers and administrators on behalf of ELs is an 

essential role of an ESOL teacher.  As the role of advocate continues to evolve in our 

profession (Staehr Fenner, 2014) it is imperative that ESOL teachers gather the facts to 

counter misconceptions they will face. Teacher preparation programs can use these 

misconceptions as a starting point for discussion that will lay a foundation for future 

teachers to be better equipped to teach the English learners they are sure to encounter 

in their classrooms.  Professional development providers as well can keep these 

misconceptions and realities at the forefront of their work with teachers.  Taking school-

based steps to increase awareness of the realities of ELs’ experiences, situations, and 

language acquisition processes and how to navigate this with mainstream teachers is a 

way to start the advocacy journey. 

  

 
17                                                                  GATESOL in Action, Fall 2016/Spring 2017 
 



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27                                                                  GATESOL in Action, Fall 2016/Spring 2017 
 

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/limited-english-proficient-population-united-states
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/limited-english-proficient-population-united-states
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states%23Top
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/frequently-requested-statistics-immigrants-and-immigration-united-states%23Top

	Shedding light on misconceptions:  An  act of advocacy
	By Dr. Jamie Harrison Department of Curriculum and Teaching ESOL Education Program Auburn University jlh0069@auburn.edu
	Introduction
	Misconceptions about Immigration and Documentation
	Misconceptions about Speaking and Learning English
	Misconceptions about Teachers and Teaching
	Conclusion

