Educators Share Strategies and Tools to Support Multilingual Newcomers

By Kathryn Kulie

Are the multilingual newcomers in your classroom engaged in their education? There are many reasons why a newcomer may not feel comfortable enough to participate in a learning environment, and it’s not always easy to know what barriers may be in the way.

So, we asked educators: “What strategies or tools have made the biggest difference in your work with multilingual newcomers?” They shared the following three actionable tips to support these students in the classroom.

Be a Model for Multilingual Newcomers

Give students a simple, concrete example of how to participate in the classroom to set your expectations in a clear manner. This way, students will know what comes next, which can make them feel more comfortable completing an activity or sharing their thoughts with others. As one educator said, “If I want them to demonstrate something, I have to provide it for them first."

Co-teaching is a great way to model how the thinking process happens, whether it’s a one-time activity or an everyday classroom routine.

Engage Students With Visual Aids

Integrate exciting visual aids into activities to naturally draw students’ attention and spark their interest. Some educators integrate visuals into pre-reading activities to help front-build vocabulary development. Others use visuals in reading activities; when students see visuals alongside stories they already know in their home language, it helps engage their full linguistic repertoire in a more mindful way.

One unique way to embrace visuals is to take students on a short walk, either in or around school grounds. As you walk, point out situations or objects that students haven’t encountered in the classroom — it’s an easy way to introduce new, useful vocabulary terms.

Embrace What Multilingual Newcomers Can Do

The Can Do Philosophy is paramount. Every student brings something to the table, and multilingual newcomers have many assets and perspectives that enrich the classroom. What language(s) do they speak, and what prior knowledge do they have? Everything you learn about a student can help you embrace this mindset, whether it’s their personality, fashion sense or familial relationships.

The more you know, the easier it will be to bridge the language gap in a meaningful, engaging way. Remember: no child shows up empty-handed.

Learn More!

To hear all of what the educators had to say about supporting multilingual newcomers, watch the full video.

Other ways to learn:

• Check out the article Five Strategies to Welcome Newcomers Into Your
• Classroom. Watch this free WIDA Webinar: Strategies for Supporting Multilingual
• Newcomers. Register for the 2026 WIDA Annual Conference.