The Tutoring Book - California State University, Sacramento

As previously mentioned, there are two terms that describe how multilingual students learn.
Based on the status of the learner (International, Generation 1.5, or Immigrant) they will usually fit into
one of the two categories. Ear learners most likely are students who have had little formal training in their
first language. These learners have learned English by being immersed in the second language by
television, native speaking friends, and places like the grocery store. They have learned English by
hearing it spoken around them, and not necessarily by formal classroom instruction. Most immigrant
students are ear learners. Some characteristics of their writing include conversational style language and
often misspelled words that sound different than they are spelled. For example, when a native speaker
says the words ‘first of all’ an immigrant student might write ‘firstable’ in his or her paper because that is
how some immigrant students hear native speakers say that phrase. Since they have no formal classroom
training, they write words how they hear them.
On the other hand, eye learners have often had extensive formal grammar instruction, but they
may not have the oral fluency that generation 1.5 or even that immigrant students have. The reason for
this is that they often visually see language with their eyes, but rarely have the opportunity to speak or
listen to authentic English language. International students often fit this description. They know grammar
rules, but often lack skills in listening and oral proficiency. These students often have problems with
understanding English idioms and American culture. In addition, these students might have problems
forming paragraphs because their prior language training most likely consisted of single sentence
exercises versus writing and drafting essays.
Still, there are generation 1.5 students who fall somewhere in between ear learners and eye
learners. As previously mentioned, generation 1.5 students usually began learning English in elementary
school, but depending on their parents’ first and second language fluency, these students might or might
not have had formal training in either their first language or in English. Most likely generation 1.5
students are ear learners.
Suggestions for Tutoring Eye Learners and Ear Learners
(by Jamie Ferrando)
It might seem rude to ask a tutee their background information, but the information above should
help you distinguish at least the international students from the immigrant students so you can decide
which of the following suggestions to help them become more fluent writers. Since an ear learner has
learned English by hearing it spoken around them, an ear learner would benefit from reading his or her
paper out loud, or by having someone read it out loud for them. Often times, they will be able to correct
their own mistakes simply by hearing what they wrote. They will not be able to explicitly tell you why the
sentence is wrong grammatically, but they might just say “it doesn’t sound right.”
International students might have “perfect” grammar; however, they might lack transition
phrases. Also, their papers will often be shorter than the amount required by the teacher. For international
students, going over the prompt with them and helping them expand their ideas will help them become
proficient English writers. They might misunderstand the teachers’ expectations because of their lack of
listening skills. In addition, you might have a problem understanding their ideas when speaking to them,
but having them free write or brainstorm might help them “verbalize” their ideas through writing. A
majority of these students also rely heavily on their first language, and sometimes they transfer this prior
knowledge to English. An example of this could be that the word form is wrong, or the sentence structure
is backwards. If you suspect transfer, a dictionary, preferably one from their first language to English will
help them be more concise in their words choice.
Immigrant students, again, vary within the two categories, but some of the mentioned suggestions
will help you find a way to aid these students in becoming better writers.
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