"What's up?" -"The Ceiling": Making Sense of English

A colleague of mine told me an anecdote the other day. He once saw a student in the corridor, looking upset, and he asked: “What’s up?”The student responded: “The ceiling.”

Similarly, during a parent teacher conference, I asked a new ELA student: “How did you find our classes so far?”She smiled and said, “I find tech deck area first and then I turn right.” 

TINK! At that moment, the penny dropped for me. Even as an experienced language teacher and a language learner myself, I did not adjust my language.

These moments might seem funny on the surface, but they carry an important message. They remind us how language, especially spoken language, can be so incredibly complex for multilingual learners, especially those working at CEFR A2 or B1 levels. Even a simple question for many who are either native or proficient speakers of English can become a complicated puzzle for these multilingual learners.

For learners still building confidence in English, literal meaning is often the first place they land. If we ask, “Can you break this down for me?” they might pause, unsure whether we’re asking them to actually break something. At this stage, learners are decoding word by word, doing their best to hold onto meaning while the conversation moves on.

And in subject classrooms where content is layered with abstract ideas, idioms, and fast-paced instruction, this makes it even harder to keep up. A student might understand every word in a sentence and still not make sense of what’s actually being asked.

When students don’t respond or give unexpected answers, it’s easy to assume they’re off-task or not listening, but what I’ve seen time and time again as a language teacher is that they’re just still processing.

Cognitive Load

Multilingual learners are carrying a lot of cognitive weight:

• They’re listening for familiar vocabulary.

• Trying to make sense of sentence structures.

• Figuring out what the question actually means or what the instructions/directions are.

• And doing all this in a language that isn’t their strongest yet.

It’s not a lack of intelligence or effort. It’s a matter of time, exposure, and safety.

What Can Content Teachers Do?

You don’t need to be a language teacher to help. A few small shifts in your classroom talk can make a big difference in how supported and included MLs feel:

• Rephrase when needed: “Did you enjoy the class today?” instead of “How did you find it?” (Don’t be like me :) )

• Pause a little longer after asking questions - just a few seconds gives students time to catch up.

• Use gestures, visuals, or written versions of questions to reinforce meaning.

• Repeat and paraphrase key instructions or terms.

• Write questions on the board if you can. (A colleague of mine once asked me what she can do to get her MLs involved in the BINGO game - during which she was reading out the questions. We agreed that showing the questions on slides might be a good idea - she then wrote to me and said “I put the Bingo clues on slides. The kids loved it.  ALL the kids.”)

• Explain idioms or metaphors.

• Encourage peer sharing—hearing another student respond often helps MLs find their feet.

These moves aren’t about lowering expectations. They’re about increasing access.

Affirming, Not Assimilating

When we adjust our communication, we’re not “making it easier” - we’re making it accessible. We’re creating an environment where students can engage fully without giving up who they are or how they think. That’s the heart of the LEAVES approach - affirming, not assimilating.

Because every time a multilingual learner chooses to speak, ask, or try - even when the words come out literally or unexpectedly - that’s courage and should be recognised. And when we meet that courage with clarity, care, and patience, we give our students the message they need most: 

“You belong here!”