Principles of English Language Learning

English Language Learners face an abundance of challenges related to the complexities of acquiring English language proficiency whilst simultaneously working towards academic content area skills and competencies. A supportive classroom community is vital to the success of learners, especially English Language Learners. In this course, participants will work to create an effective learning environment by exploring the needs of English Language Learners and how they can be effectively aided through a supportive classroom environment.

Grades are often the language we as educators use to describe a student's proficiency in a competency or knowledge. There are many challenges involved in ensuring that the assessments that we use to measure what our students know and understand and how we use this information to provide a grade to learners. These challenges are particularly heightened when we consider how grading and assessment policies effectively describe our ELL’s knowledge or skills. In this course, participants will define how our grading policies and assessments impact how effective they are as tools to measure student success. Considering the challenges of assessing and grading ELL’s we will explore the qualities of effective and equitable grading and assessment practices to create the basis of adapting your current practices.

Reading and writing proficiency is essential to the success of English language learners. In this course, participants will examine the needs and challenges of English Language Learners related to attaining reading and writing proficiency. We will investigate a series of tactics to support ELLs in Reading and Writing instruction and apply these strategies to the creation of a lesson or activity that effectively meets the needs of these learners.

English Language Learners (ELL)s are a part of all of our classrooms. It is an important role of educators to support all learners on their road to success. While we may not all be ELL specialists, there are many ways that we can provide vital support to our ELLs whatever the curriculum. In this eLearning, participants will explore strategies to support ELLs in their content area classes. Participants will then apply the strategies explored to their context in order to create a plan for how best to support their ELL students.