Summing it Up: Reflecting on Using Technology to Support Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students

For this blog I read a position paper from the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (http://www.ncrel.org/).  The article was "Using Technology to Support Limited- English-Proficient (LEP) Students' Learning Experiences" by Asta Svedkauskaite et al., posted 24 June 2003, and I accessed it at http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te900.htm on 22 June 2011.

Although this paper focused on the benefits of using technology to help students who are not proficient in English, I thought many of the points that were made apply equally well to other students.  Svedkauskaite points out that "To many students, technology is motivational and nonjudgmental. It gives them prompt feedback, individualizes their learning, and tailors the instructional sequence." The gaps that LEP students have to make up are often wider, but the individualization and motivation that technology offers can help many students.

The paper was also more focused on drill-and-pracice software and integrated learning system software than it was on process tools.  I do agree that the types of practice provided by these kinds of software is valuable, and can increase students' motivation and skills.  However, I think there is also a danger that as we constantly drill basic skills, whether for LEP or special education or other types of students, we may neglect their higher-order thinking skills.  There is a common and (I think) often unexamined assumption that students need to gain proficiency, or even mastery, at their grade level in language and math before we introduce higher-order thinking tasks.  I disagree with this approach, because I think challenging students with inquiry and analysis tasks may actually inspire them to keep improving their basic skills.  Students don't need to have perfect English to benefit from hands-on science activities, for example, or to produce a scene from a play. 

One thing I really appreciated about our textbook was the emphasis it put on using technology to enhance and encourage higher-order thinking.  From think sheets, to using spreadsheet functions to anyalyze information, to many other strategies, Morrison & Lowther demonstrated there is a lot more to technology in the classroom than drill-and-practice.


Morrison, G.R. & Lowther, D.L. (2010).  Integrating Computer Technology into the Classroom:  Skills for the 21st century (4th ed.).