Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners in Your Classroom

As the school population of English Language Learners continues increasing rapidly across the United States, classroom teachers from K-12 are confronted with the great challenge of helping them acquire skills in English in addition to teaching them in the content areas. Many teachers do not have the training or knowledge to confront the task, and schools may not have the resources to assist them. This course provides teachers with the background necessary to meet the needs of students from different countries and cultures including encouraging intercultural exchanges, information about assessment and the language learning process, cultural awareness, and a wide range of techniques and suggestions for offering a high-quality learning experience for ELLs.

Understanding ELLs and their diversity is of paramount importance. This course will give you the tools you need to better serve the English Language Learners who enter your classroom. We will explore the historical, social, and political background of non-native English speakers in the U.S. and work on improving our cultural awareness and sensitivity. We will then learn about second language acquisition and the best ways to provide feedback to learners, followed by an exploration of the language skills learners need to be successful. We will move on to examining how teachers can implement accommodations for ELLs in the content areas and finally, discussing how to monitor language development, build community, and seek support for yourself and your students. By the end of the course, you should have the tools you need to confidently welcome new language learners into your classroom and provide them with the support they need to succeed.