The More-Than-Just-Surviving Handbook: ESL for Every Classroom Teacher. 2nd ed.

Ronald Henry is director of the School of Translators and Interpreters
at Laurentian University.

This second edition of a book first published in 1990 presents ESL
teachers with an integrated approach, in which the four language skills
are regarded as parts of a whole. Students are expected to learn to
read, write, speak, and listen by jumping right in. Errors are seen as a
natural part of learning. Respect for the learner as a person is
emphasized.

Classroom integration is another theme. According to the authors,
“Non-native-English speakers do not need to master English by studying
it formally as an isolated activity before they can begin regular
classwork. Language should be learned through content material as long
as the material is understandable.” The traditional distinction
between language teachers and content teachers, always of limited use to
language learning, clearly works against ESL. In this age of
partnerships and stakeholders, content teachers, need to contribute to
language learning, which is everybody’s responsibility.

This strategy requires research and planning, but its advantages are
obvious: in the process of learning subject matter, students learn
language, and vice versa. Law and Eckes also address language
acquisition theory and learning activities, literacy, modifying content
area instruction, and support for the regular classroom teacher who
wishes to develop an ESL strategy. Their informative and highly
practical handbook is recommended for anyone involved in teaching ESL.