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Description: Offers strategies for teaching ELLs, building vocabulary, early literacy, and listening comprehension. Supports integrating home languages and culturally relevant materials.

Teacher Strategies: Use during read-alouds or storytelling; provide bilingual or visual supports; select culturally relevant books to validate student identities.

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Description: Lessons on diversity, empathy, and inclusion with picture-based stories and videos.

Teacher Strategies: Guide classroom discussions on fairness and respect; reinforce vocabulary through stories that represent students’ backgrounds.

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Description: Digital library of audio-supported picture books; includes multicultural texts and home language support.

Teacher Strategies: Students follow along with visuals and audio; allow responses through pointing, gestures, or discussion; assign stories in students’ home languages when possible.

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Description: Adaptive literacy platform with individualized scaffolding, visuals, and audio support.

Teacher Strategies: Assign lessons based on proficiency; use visuals for comprehension; encourage students to interact by pointing, selecting images, or following cues.

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Description: Allows students to respond nonverbally (gestures, pointing, images) to prompts; tracks comprehension over time.

Teacher Strategies: Encourage participation from non-speaking or beginner ELLs; use to record oral responses or gestures for formative assessment.

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Description: Digital portfolio for drawing, labeling, selecting images; supports storytelling and home language integration.

Teacher Strategies: Students can share cultural stories, label pictures in English and home language, or create digital drawings that reinforce vocabulary.

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Description: Interactive literacy games with letters, sounds, visuals, and culturally relevant examples.

Teacher Strategies: Use as a hands-on practice tool; have students listen and point to images rather than read independently; incorporate games into centers or small groups.

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Description: Standards-aligned activities and family engagement tools for young ELLs; guidance for language assessment.

Teacher Strategies: Use to plan lessons that integrate home languages; apply WIDA strategies for scaffolding language development and assessment.

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Description: Short animated videos with simple vocabulary and visuals; multicultural topics.

Teacher Strategies: Pause videos for discussion; allow students to point, gesture, or answer yes/no questions; connect content to students’ cultural experiences.

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Key Idea: Beginners acquire language best when exposed to comprehensible input, simplified language, visuals, gestures, and context they can understand.

Application to Teaching Philosophy: Emphasizes providing meaningful, understandable content that meets students where they are. Teachers can commit to creating lessons that make input clear and accessible for all learners.

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Key Idea: Language develops through social interaction and guided support; peer collaboration and scaffolding are essential.

Application to Teaching Philosophy: Encourages valuing collaboration, cooperative learning, and guided support in classrooms. Teachers can focus on building community and peer learning opportunities.

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Key Idea: Social language (BICS) develops faster than academic language (CALP), which requires longer support.

Application to Teaching Philosophy: Guides teachers in setting realistic expectations for ELLs. Philosophy can include supporting both social and academic language growth, recognizing different timelines.

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Key Idea: Students need structured opportunities to produce language, speaking or writing, to internalize and improve skills.

Application to Teaching Philosophy: Highlights creating activities where students actively use language. Philosophy can emphasize the importance of meaningful practice and student expression.

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Steps to Write a Personal Teaching Philosophy

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Steps to Write a Personal Teaching Philosophy

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Reflect on your beliefs about how students learn, including language development.

Connect those beliefs to observed theories, such as Krashen, Vygotsky, Cummins, and Swain.

Include strategies that guide your instruction and classroom practices.

Describe how you will support diverse learners, including ELLs.

Keep it concise, personal, and actionable, your philosophy should guide everyday decisions in the classroom.

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Keep a journal to document what worked, what didn’t, and your observations about student engagement and understanding.

Focus on how your teaching choices impacted ELL students and consider adjustments for future lessons.

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Invite colleagues or mentors to observe your teaching and provide constructive feedback.

Discuss strategies used for ELLs, including bilingual supports, visuals, and culturally responsive practices.

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Record your lessons and review them to notice student responses, classroom interactions, and engagement levels.

Pay attention to how ELL students participate and respond to supports like gestures, visuals, and sentence frames.

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Ask students for feedback about lessons in age-appropriate ways, such as pointing, thumbs-up, or simple surveys.

Helps identify which strategies support their language development and cultural identity.

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Visual Supports: Picture cards and labeled objects to help students respond without relying solely on spoken English.

Modeling & Sentence Starters: Teachers provide examples or start phrases for students to repeat, encouraging more complete responses.

Gestures & Actions: Students act out words or routines to demonstrate understanding.

One-on-One Assessment: Ensures students can respond without distractions or pressure.

Peer Support: Pairing students with supportive peers for low-pressure language practice.

Home-Language Support: Cards or cues in students’ home language to reinforce understanding.

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How these accommodations support ELL students:

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How these accommodations support ELL students:

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Allow students to demonstrate knowledge despite limited English proficiency.

Build confidence by validating attempts and providing positive, immediate feedback.

Encourage gradual language production, from single words to short phrases.

Reinforce classroom routines and vocabulary through visual and interactive cues.

Provide scaffolds that connect English learning to students’ prior knowledge and cultural background

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TESOL International Association Membership & Webinars

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TESOL International Association Membership & Webinars

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TESOL International Association offers memberships that provide access to webinars, conferences, and workshops focused on ELL instruction, language acquisition, and culturally responsive teaching.

Educators can attend live or recorded sessions to learn new strategies and connect with a global network of ELL professionals.

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Ohio TESOL provides professional development opportunities, workshops, and conferences specifically for educators supporting ELL students in Ohio.

They offer sessions on assessment accommodations, culturally responsive teaching, language acquisition strategies, and integrating digital resources into instruction.

Membership also gives access to a community of Ohio educators, newsletters, and teaching resources tailored to local standards and student needs.

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Online Graduate or Certificate Courses in Bilingual/ESL Education

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Online Graduate or Certificate Courses in Bilingual/ESL Education

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Many universities and educational platforms offer online courses focusing on ESL methods, second language acquisition, and culturally responsive practices.

Examples include courses on platforms like Coursera, EdX, or through local universities’ continuing education programs.

These courses often provide practical strategies that can be applied directly in the classroom.