I recently attended a professional development presentation on poverty, and one slide that struck me was the structure of the average American classroom. In fact, I cannot stop thinking about it. Doris Baboian (our presenter and Director of Student Services in my district) noted a 2007 joint study by the U.S. Department of Education and […]
ESOL
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, ESOL, Languages, Literacy, The International Teacher, Uncategorized
International Mother Language Day-February 21st
By the time you read this article, International Mother Language Day may have or may not have already come and gone, but in case you didn’t even realize it was a day to celebrate, let me enlighten you! Mother languages in a multilingual approach are essential components of quality education, which is itself the foundation for empowering women […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, ESOL, Featured
2015: A Year in Which an ELL Teacher Goes from “Failure” to “Success”
By Guest Writer Jennifer Healey This New Year’s Eve, I deserved an extra glass of champagne. I toasted myself for my success as an educator. After years of “failure,” in 2015 I was deemed a “successful” teacher by the illustrious Oregon Department of Education. It all went by so fast! It seems like only yesterday I […]
Posted inESOL, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, Instructional Strategies
The Four Benefits of Bilingual Education
Language is a subject matter of much controversy in our country. Are you “American” if you speak another language? Well, many of our students come from homes where the parents do not speak English, so regardless of whether or not you think all Americans should speak English, the fact remains that we are a country […]
Posted inESOL, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Professional Development, Uncategorized
Advice For ESOL Teachers: Professional Development with "Speaking In Tongues"
The 2009 documentary Speaking In Tongues is a fascinating look at three bilingual programs in the San Francisco area school system. The film itself depicts the effects of learning and losing language for a variety of families over several generations. Although the film is six years old, the issues it raises are definitely still […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners, ESOL, Professional Development
The Real Benefits of Action Research
This past semester, as part of a graduate course for a new certification, I did an action research project with some of my second graders. Action research is basically the process of a teacher taking on the role of “researcher” in her or his own classroom with a specific goal in mind. The idea is […]
Posted inESOL, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instructional Strategies, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Advice for New ESOL Teachers: Whose Holiday and Why?
The United States is growing ever more diverse in languages, religions and ethnicity and school districts are working (with varying levels of success) to adjust to their changing communities. ESOL teachers are often in the position of go-between for their students and the larger culture, which can be a little awkward when the holidays come […]
Posted inESOL, Featured, How to Fix Education, Instructional Strategies, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Tips for New ESOL Teachers: What To Do When Your Student Is Brand New (to English)
Contrary to what many might expect, most English Language Learner students are born in the USA, and come to school with at least a few useful phrases they can throw around on the playground. ELL students, like any other group, are a diverse bunch and all good teachers know it’s important to get to know […]