Quote tianfengyi

there's an esl strategy that works well for me and the kids if they really aren't getting it. "sandwiching"--say the word or phrase in english then native language then english again.
if you don't know the native language and you have a co-teacher or TA, have them do the sandwiching too.

a TA that translates everything without giving the students a chance to process is doing a great disservice to the kids and to you as the teacher. In my experience, the local staff don't expect the kids to know anything and therefore give them all the answers are the worst! I've sent many of them out of my classroom so the kids could learn and grow because they "had" to do it. It's amazing how the brain can fill in the gaps when it has to be understood.

also, keep the sentences SIMPLE and routine. "bathroom, please." works well for 3-5 yr olds. "may I go peepee?" can be the next step. I never let a student leave my classroom without asking first. and I never let them leave more than 1 at a time. otherwise, bathroom time becomes play time with friends, etc.
"help, please.", "paper, please.", "water, please.", "pencil, please.", "here you are.", "thank you.", "you're welcome." are also very useful phrases.

many people (including teachers) don't expect a lot from kids and therefore, they don't get a lot. the more you baby them and translate, the more they will act like a baby and wait for the translation before responding.
kids are so flexible and absorb everything like a sponge. they can do it! i believe in an ESL classroom that uses english 99% of the time. this is also how students learn in the US. imagine a big city with lots of immigrants. all the kids must go to school together. the teacher doesn't know all those students' native languages. s/he uses TPR and simple language to communicate until the student understands. after awhile, the kids all know the routine and expectations and they all comply because of the need to communicate with the teacher and each other.