Scaffolding, Technology, and Context: Writing Strategies for MLEs

I still remember the first time I witnessed the struggle of a Chilean student trying to write in English; in my country, it is taught as a foreign language. The frustration on their face was palpable. I can also imagine what happens in U.S. classrooms where recent studies show that one in ten students is a multilingual learner of English (MLE). This statistic serves as a reminder and as evidence that instruction must be inclusive and adaptable.

As teachers, we need to recognize that MLEs are not simply English learners, but they bring their previous knowledge and linguistic diversity into the classroom. By valuing their home language and incorporating it into the learning process, teachers can help learners embrace and respect their culture and language. When we combine this recognition of the assets MLEs bring with writing tasks, it creates opportunities for MLEs to not only write in English but also to embrace themselves and affirm their cultural identities. Here are three powerful practices to create enriching opportunities for MLEs to improve their writing skills in the classroom.

1. Promote Writing in Different Contexts

Writing can be a social and inclusive activity. Create assignments that encourage students to write in different languages and contexts, allowing them to celebrate diversity in the classroom and giving them opportunities to share and reminisce about their lived experiences. Focus on designing culturally responsive writing tasks with prompts that invite learners to connect writing to their own lives. These tasks should be mindful of learners’ diverse linguistic backgrounds, engaging them with writing tasks reflect genres from diverse communities. This approach creates a welcoming classroom environment that celebrates MLEs’ cultural experiences and values their previous knowledge.

Example Tasks

• • • Have learners write an email to a friend about a place they love in their home country or describe a holiday their family observes. Learners can use both English and their heritage language to express themselves.
    • Have learners create personal journals about their own linguistic diversity and cultural assets. MLEs can be paired with a classmate who is more proficient in English to collaborate and promote peer feedback.

2. Provide Scaffolding in Writing

Scaffolding is an essential strategy to build learners’ confidence and competence in writing. By offering structured support—such as sequenced steps, peer collaboration, sentence frames, and visual aids—you allow MLEs to successfully develop their writing projects. Scaffolding provides MLEs with the necessary tools to complete work that they may not yet be able to do independently.

Example Tasks

• • • Have learners write an opinion paragraph about a specific cultural topic. Provide a graphic organizer to help students brainstorm their ideas before writing, and sentence starters to help them develop their ideas, such as:
      • • From my point of view, ______
        • As far as I’m concerned, ______
        • I think that ______
    • Have learners write a traditional recipe from their culture. Offer a list of thematic vocabulary or multilingual resources, such as dictionaries, or online translation tools, that MLEs can refer to while writing, and promote peer review sessions where classmates can revise and give suggestions about their peers’ work.

3. Incorporate Technology in Writing

Technology offers numerous tools for language learners to develop their writing skills It can make writing more engaging as well as offer more room for creativity and collaboration. It’s important to find resources that are appropriate for your students’ ages and levels of technology proficiency. There are many online platforms to help learners with their English while they write, like Grammarly and Google Translate, which offer direct grammar correction and translation services. Platforms like Quill and Write & Improve offer feedback and suggestions during writing. Here are a few ways to incorporate technology in writing:

Example Tasks

• • • Have learners create a digital story using an online storytelling platform. Students can create and/or adapt stories connected to their own personal or cultural backgrounds, and they can add images and audio. Try mystorybook.com or bookcreator.
    • Have learners write an essay comparing their home country’s traditions with those of another country they have learned about in a social studies class. Have students use Google Docs to get feedback from teachers or peers on their writing, or as a place for groups to work on this as a collaborative project.

By incorporating practices like writing in different contexts, scaffolding, and using technology, you can help MLEs develop their confidence and competence in writing. When these practices are implemented in a supportive, interactive, and culturally responsive environment where learners feel they are appreciated and respected, they are more likely to take risks, engage deeply with the writing process, and express their unique perspectives.