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English Language Proficiency Standards - these are important to include in the language objectives when lesson planning and for determining which language domains are begin addressed with the lesson.

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This link provides resources to support bilingual and English learners specifically through the COVID-19 Pandemic. However, I think these sources could still be useful by providing special population support for different circumstances.

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COVID-19 Support: Special Populations | Texas Education Agency

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This is a vide demonstration on sheltered instruction and how it can be used. I can refer back to this for support in including sheltered instruction in my classroom.

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This article includes a list of ways to transform a classroom into a multicultural classroom. This is a great article to have when trying to adapt classroom management for students.

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In Part 1 of this article, we discussed the numerous issues that impact classroom management skills, in general terms, but also when working with students who are English learners or who come from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Classroom management is a phrase and concept all teachers are familiar with and know intimately.

There are numerous classroom management strategies that benefit all students, but that may be especially beneficial for culturally and linguistically diverse students. This population in particular requires additional considerations as we work to develop a classroom culture of learning and mutual respect.

Consider the following concepts and strategies as you reflect on your own classroom management style and classroom culture.

Interest in students

Carl Rogers, a humanistic psychologist is thought to be the first to discuss the unconditional positive regard for patients. In teaching, we can apply the concept as having an unconditional positive regard for children. This includes taking interest in our students, including their interests, hobbies and cultural norms and backgrounds.

Just as parents love their children unconditionally, when we view students with a positive regard, we do everything we can for them to improve their social and emotional health, including using discipline and classroom management strategies that help them to see what appropriate behavior looks, sounds and feels like.

Celebrating students' languages and cultures

Celebrating that students speak other languages and have culturally diverse backgrounds is as easy as encouraging students to speak their native language at home with their families, or in class as appropriate.

Students may be encouraged to speak in their native language when discussion a topic with a partner or clarifying instructions or concepts, for example. Ask students if they are familiar with vocabulary words or concepts in their native languages, and if they are comfortable, ask them to share those words.

Examining our cultural lens

As we celebrate students' cultures and linguistic backgrounds, it is important that we also begin to think about our own cultural norms and biases. How we understand the world and students can lead to misunderstandings of behavior displayed by students.

One way to consider this is to question if what we expect a classroom to look like is the same or different from what our students believe and expect. Do our practices align with what students are used to and believe school should be? While we do not necessarily need to completely change our system, it is important that we begin to recognize how our own cultural lens can cause misunderstandings.

Creating a culture of learning

Keep the affective filter low by encouraging risk-taking in the classroom. Celebrate when students make attempts at applying concepts or language skills, even if these attempts come at inopportune times.

Keep it positive

Perhaps the most important strategy teachers can use to effectively manage classrooms is the notion of public praise and private conversations. This refers to publicly recognizing students who are behaving appropriately, rather than students who are behaving in undesirable or disruptive ways.

The adage "what you permit, you promote" holds true in that teachers can and should make explicit the kids of behaviors they expect to see in class, and publicly acknowledge those behaviors. Phrases such as "thank you for staying quiet while others are speaking" and the like show students what you expect from them.

This does not mean that unacceptable behavior is ignored. But rather when the redirection of students by pointing out positive behavior does not work, a private conversation with the student is necessary.

Some students only know how to gain attention from the teacher by acting in disruptive ways. When we shift the paradigm and publicly acknowledge students when they are doing something correctly - especially recognizing positive behavior in students who have behavior challenges - we can begin to shift the paradigm of negative attention seeking behaviors.

Developing norms or agreements

In a positive classroom community, students and teachers can work together to collaboratively develop norms for behavior. Students at all levels know the types of behaviors that are helpful or harmful in learning and working with others. Students from diverse cultural backgrounds may have differing perspectives that will enrich the discussions.

If students are a part of developing the norms of behavior and agreements in the classroom, they are more likely to follow the norms as they had a hand in creating them.

Explicit teaching of social skills

Students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds may have differing expectations on how to behave in the classroom, as we have previously mentioned. Behavioral expectations should be explicitly taught to students so that they understand what the behaviors are, what the behaviors look like and sound like.

One way to explicitly teach this is by using a three-column chart. The behavioral norm or social skill is listed at the top of the chart. In each column, list - with the input of the students - what the skill looks like, sounds like and feels like.

While this may seem tedious, students may not be able to immediately articulate what empathy, listening, respect, collaboration, perseverance or other skills actually look like. Specific examples of what a particular skill looks like, sounds like, or feels like can be added over time.

The second column, "sounds like," is especially important for English learners. These students may need explicit instruction in the words and phrases that help demonstrate the social skill or behavior being taught.

Social objectives

Many teachers are familiar with writing instructional objectives and sharing those objectives with students. When working with English learners, the addition of language objectives is a widely accepted practice to help students develop academic language skills.

Social objectives that focus on the behavior students will engage in during the lesson are another way to make explicit the types of behavior students should engage in. For example, a social objective may focus on nonverbal cues speakers give when listening to a partner, such as nodding, asking clarifying questions or appropriate eye contact.

Active student participation

Effective instructional techniques will assist in keeping students engaged, thereby minimizing behavior issues. When scaffolding is used appropriately, students are met at their instructional level and supported to meet the objectives for the lesson.

Using techniques such as choral calling, frequent student conversations on academic topics, hands-on activities, and getting students up and moving around, students will be more highly engaged and less likely to behave in disruptive ways.

Implementing these strategies and concepts will likely not eliminate all behavioral issues in the classroom. However, as we strive to meet the needs of all students in the classroom, careful consideration of how we manage student behavior and carefully considering our students' experiences and cultural backgrounds will help us to ever move in the direction of helping each child to excel.

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MultiBrief: Transforming classroom management for ELLs: Strategies for success

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Classroom management is a phrase and concept all teachers are familiar with and know intimately. ​There are numerous classroom management strategies that benefit all students, but that may be especially beneficial for culturally and linguistically diverse students.

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The third page of this article includes an observational chart that provides teachers with a way to assess students in their oral development. This article also provides a lot of information on the importance and key factors of oral development.

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This chart provides teachers with a tool to assess a students language proficiency level. I will use this in the future to differentiate the proficiency level of my students when assessing them.

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This is a YouTube video that provides strategies for students to improve their reading comprehension. This video demonstrates how a teacher can incorporate these strategies in her learning lessons.

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WWC Recommendation: Teach students how to use reading comprehension strategies

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This is a Spanish and English translation website. This tool can be used to help me learn Spanish and engage with parents who speak another language.

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This is an article/ "toolkit" that provides resources to develop language skills for all students in all content areas.

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This document provides guidance on words with multiple meanings that are frequently used in math. This is a great tool for students to use when defining new vocabulary terms in mathematics.

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This is a short video of a math teacher describing important strategies that he uses in his classroom. I can look back at this resource to find new strategies for my students.

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Expert Math Teacher explains his Math Classroom teaching strategies using Get More Math!

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This is a Ted talk that I thought was very beneficial for upcoming science teachers. It provides insight on the importance of the 5E Model and how to integrate science efficiently.

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Teaching science: we're doing it wrong | Danny Doucette | TEDxRiga

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This website provides literary support for grades k-12 that can be used to support a student's vocabulary development in a science class.

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Teaching English Courses,Teach Your Child to Read,I Study English,Learning to Teach,How to Teach Kids,Tutoring Learning Center,How Can I Learn Spanish,I Learn,Teach Me How to Dance,Teach Me to Speak Spanish

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This video provides strategies and techniques for scaffolding on literacy elements. This video also focuses on the different ways to scaffold for English Language Learners.

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Scaffolding Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners

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Caitlin LeClair, seventh-grade social studies teacher at King Middle School in Portland, Maine, supports her students to read complex texts—fiction and nonfiction—about South Sudan. LeClair supports her diverse group of learners by choosing compelling topics; working through a progression of increasingly complex texts; and providing scaffolding and support to build their skills as close readers.

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This link will provide different events that are currently happening around the world. Teachers could use this link to incorporate current events in different cultures to events they are learning about in class.

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UNICEF's work

UNICEF works in over 190 countries and territories to save children's lives, to defend their rights, and to help them fulfil their potential, from early childhood through adolescence. And we never give up.

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UNICEF works in more than 190 countries and territories to reach the most disadvantaged children and adolescents - and to protect the rights of every child, everywhere.

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This article incorporates resources to help teachers talk about sensitive topics with their students. This is a great tool when learning about tragic events in History.

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Resources | Communities In Schools Of Central Texas

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Below are resources for parents and educators to use when speaking to students about what happened.

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This is a link to a list of all the accommodations that can be used during summative assessments for students at different proficiency levels.

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Accommodation Resources | Texas Education Agency

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This link provides information on alternate testing, who qualifies, and how to administer this test. This is a great tool to guide teachers in alternate testing when conducting summative assessments.

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TELPAS Alternate | Texas Education Agency

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This video demonstrates adjustments and strategies that can used for students at different proficiency levels when assigning a formative assessment.

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This is a video recording of a module that focuses on the four alternative assessments. This can be used to differentiate the ways of assessing students throughout the year.

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This website has resources for multiple biliteracy instructions, strategies, and cultural connections. This is a great resource to help a teacher connect with their student and involve them in the classroom.

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Landing Page - Center for Applied Linguistics

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Latest Videos/Webinars Upcoming Events Latest News

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This link provides insight on special education and English learners, and the best ways to support them in the classroom. This is a great resource to better understand and accommodate diverse learning styles.

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Special Education and English Language Learners

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Learn more about how schools and families can collaborate to ensure that ELLs, including those with special needs, have the appropriate support and services to meet their unique needs.

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This article provides ways to identify, accommodate, and observe students who are gifted and talented. This can support future students and create a comforting environment.

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A MiddleWeb Blog

Last summer when Tan Huynh and I asked Twitter followers to suggest topics for on our shared MiddleWeb column, several readers (including Emily Golightly, an ESL teacher in North Carolina) voiced interest in reading about under-representation of ELs in gifted programs. I'm so happy you did!

If you're a glass-half-full person like I am, you might consider all of your students as gifts and gifted in some way. I have always taken that approach with my own children and each of my students as well.

All our students come to us with strengths and skills that they are highly capable of applying. And it's also true that some may come with an extra helping.

Many times it's parents that first realize that their child may be "gifted." Think about that for a moment. Imagine a family that notices a child may have unusual gifts. Family members may not speak English well yet. Perhaps they recently arrived.

Maybe in their home country the norm was not to approach the school or teacher about instruction. Or maybe they had their own bad experiences with school. How likely is this family to come to school and let us know that they think their child might qualify for the gifted program?

NPR reports that across the USA only 2% of ELs are in gifted programs, as opposed to 7.3% of non-ELs. The cause of such a gap? While a number of reasons exist for the under-representation of ELs in gifted programs, it has been determined that identification procedures and policies are two of them.

Additionally, a survey by the Education Week Research Center reported that gifted and talented programs are failing to reach many populations, including ELs.
As a whole, we aren't all on the same page when it comes to the term gifted or the criteria and programs. Although there is a federal definition of gifted and talented -
"Students, children, or youth who give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity, or in specific academic fields, and who need services and activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities." [Title IX, Part A, Definition 22. (2002)]
- many states follow their own definition. Furthermore, each state has its own screening criteria and programs for students that qualify. Some states are highly supportive of identifying and serving ELs while others are just not there yet.

I visited a number of other city and state education webpages and found varying levels of support for teachers and families of ELs. NYCDOE nicely placed links to Pre-Registration Checklists in nine different languages on their site for families. Florida Department of Education offers a well detailed, eight-page document that aids teachers in assessing ELs for eligibility for gifted programs.

I encourage you to take a look at what your state has to offer. This link will take you to The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) where you will find a list of all the states and numerous other resources.

In her article on the Seidlitz Education Blog, Macry Voss shares that though it may be difficult to identify ELs as gifted, it's not impossible. She says that as educators we only need to do two things: create conditions and observe! Sounds easy enough. Let's take a closer look.

Creating Conditions

Knowing that students will show their gifts in various ways and that the evidence may not come through in graded classroom work, local or state assessments or other typical means will help with identifying ELs who may qualify for gifted and talented services. If a student is working in isolation, working on watered down curriculum, or working on tasks that require little thought, you are not creating the conditions that will reveal the gifted potential your EL holds.

Here are a few ways teachers can increase engagement and motivation and thereby gain insight into what your EL may be capable of achieving:

▢ Choice in free reading

▢ Choice in writing topics

▢ Product oriented work

▢ Artistic representations

▢ Collaborative learning

▢ Portfolio samples

Observing

Knowing what to look for when trying to determine if an EL may qualify for gifted services is key to possible entry. One of the biggest challenges for educators in this situation is a possible communication barrier. If you are not able to speak the same language as your EL, it can be difficult to know what they are thinking or understanding.

It may be a struggle to assess their comprehension. It's hard to tell if an EL is curious, has a keen sense of humor, or has a heightened sense of justice if we aren't able to speak the same language yet. Here are a few indicators to look for as you try to determine if an EL may benefit from being screened for gifted services (including in their current primary language):

▢ Successful academic history in student's primary language

▢ Advanced developmental history according to family interview/screening

▢ Rapidity of learning new language and/or content

▢ Ability to problem solve

▢ Reading above grade level in primary language

▢ High proficiency in mathematics

▢ Interest in honoring his/her culture

▢ Respect for cultural differences

▢ Code switching

▢ Desire to teach classmates words from his/her primary language

According to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), "access to assessment and, if needed, G/T services must be made available to all populations of the district." But we have to remember that screening only happens when a teacher or parent notices patterns of exceptional performance in an EL and advocates for the child. This calls for educators to be closely attuned to students' abilities. "Formal channels of communication between gifted/talented and ELL teachers and coordinators are vital to gifted/talented ELL success." ( Belin & Blank, 2008, p. 29)

In addition, TEA says that, "Students must be assessed in languages they understand or with nonverbal assessments." It is common in many states to provide a nonverbal assessment to ELs. However many argue that this type of assessment actually works to limit or exclude ELs who excel in other areas ( Belin & Blank, 2008, p.15).

Keep in Mind
English proficiency is not a prerequisite to giftedness.
A student's ability to express themselves in English should not be a prerequisite for gifted and talented services. Do not wait until your student can communicate in English before you initiate testing. If you suspect a child may qualify, begin your state's or district's referral process for screening.
Looking Back & Moving Forward
It makes me sad to think back on the English learners I taught over the years who may have qualified for gifted and talented services but were not afforded the chance because of my lack of knowledge about identifying their gifts. I'm well aware now that there were a few I let slip by me.

Moving forward we can change the present and future landscape for gifted and talented ELs by helping all stakeholders know how to create conditions that allow ELs to shine and know what characteristics to look for in ELs who may qualify for gifted programs. Spend some time investigating the published work in this arena and start conversations with G&T experts in your district and community!

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Identifying Gifted and Talented English Learners

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A MiddleWeb Blog Last summer when Tan Huynh and I asked Twitter followers to suggest topics for on our shared MiddleWeb column, several readers (including Emily Golightly, an ESL teacher in North Carolina) voiced interest in reading about under-representation of ELs in gifted programs. I'm so happy you did!

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This is an article of compiled research on students who are gifted and talented. I think this is a great resource for me to gain a better understanding of my students.

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The National Research Center on Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) successfully competed for a series of federally funded grants (1990-2013) under the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act. Our final studies focused on What Works in Gifted Education with the mathematics study at the University of Connecticut and the reading/language arts study at the University of Virginia. The respective research teams developed model-based curricula in mathematics for grade 3 students in general education classrooms and reading/language arts curricula for grade 3 students in gifted and talented programs reflecting the following curricular/instructional models: (a) Differentiation of Instruction Model (Carol Ann Tomlinson); (b) Depth and Complexity Model (Sandra N. Kaplan), and (c) Schoolwide Enrichment Model (Joseph S. Renzulli and Sally M. Reis). Multiple cohorts of students and their teachers participated in the two curricular studies and initial quantitative and qualitative results were shared with study participants and conference participants.

We completed three additional projects: (a) explored the theory of the malleability of intelligence related to research by Dr. Carol Dweck, Stanford University, and others; (b) summarized the curricular and instructional practices in STEM high schools; and (c) analyzed the status of gifted education programming and services across the nation. An overview of these projects follows.

Dr. Carolyn M. Callahan worked with Dr. Rena Subotnik (Director of the Center for Psychology in the Schools and Education at the American Psychological Association), Dr. Ann Robinson (Past President of the National Association for Gifted Children), and Patricia Johnson (former Javits Program Director) to launch an initiative involving social and cognitive psychologists and neuroscientists. The goal of the project was to share emerging theories about student learning and talent development with researchers in gifted and talented education. The resulting book published by The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented entitled Malleable Minds: Translating Insights From Psychology and Neuroscience to Gifted Education (Subotnik, Robinson, Callahan, & Gubbins, 2012), presents the latest research, followed by how the research can inform theory and practices in gifted and talented education, and ending with illustrative cases that demonstrate the application of the research to teaching/learning environments. The book has been popular in psychology and educational psychology courses and seminars. The book may be ordered directly from The National Research on the Gifted and Talented at ( Malleable Minds).

STEM Schools of Excellence

The University of Connecticut and University of Virginia completed the implementation of a study of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Schools of Excellence. The University of Connecticut created an extensive interactive matrix of STEM high schools around the country. From this matrix, 12 schools representing different service delivery models (e.g., school-within-a-school, residential school, magnet school, charter school, comprehensive high school) were selected for onsite observations, administrator interviews, teacher focus groups, and student focus groups. The purpose of the onsite visits was to obtain first-hand knowledge of effective curricular and instructional practices that may be unique to STEM schools. The information gleaned from a review of existing documents, websites, observations, interviews, and focus groups yielded multiple potential survey items that were organized and classified categorically to reflect the practices. Items became the basis for surveys for administrators and their teachers. Resulting data from the onsite data collection and surveys are the basis for multiple journal articles,(Bruce-Davis et al., 2014).

In addition, we created an eBook (Gubbins et al., 2013) on the status of STEM high schools in the United States which is available from STEM eBook. The quantitative and qualitative data provide guidance for future and current developers of STEM high schools.

Status of Gifted Education Programming

The United States Department of Education commissioned the University of Virginia to conduct a national survey focusing on the status of K-12 gifted programming opportunities across our nation. Data from elementary, middle, and high schools were used to develop portraits of the programming and services; to identify policy inputs (e.g., mandates, funding practices, teacher qualifications, program evaluation); and to provide accurate and comprehensive data to federal, state, and local policy makers as well as researchers and practitioners (Callahan, Moon, & Oh, 2013a, 2013b, 2013c). The reports are available from the National Association for Gifted Children's website ( www.nagc.org).

The research that we have conducted for over 2 decades required the cooperation and collaboration of administrators, teachers, and students from all over the country (Gubbins, Callahan, & Renzulli, 2014; Renzulli, Callahan, & Gubbins, 2014). We gratefully acknowledge the role that each person played in providing us with opportunities to collect extensive data on critical topics and report the findings to multiple audiences. Research teams associated with The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented continue to share their scholarly work at conferences as well as through books, book chapters, and articles. We hope you share our research with other interested educators involved with gifted and talented education by visiting our website for the latest information on meeting the needs of gifted and talented students.

Bruce-Davis, M. N., Gubbins, E. J., Gilson, C. M., Villanueva, M., Foreman, J. L., & Rubenstein, L. D. (2014). STEM high school administrators,' teachers', and students' perceptions of curricular and instructional strategies and practices. Journal of Advanced Academics, 25, 272-306.

Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., & Oh, S. (2013a). Status of elementary gifted programs. Charlottesvile: University of Virginia, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Retrieved from http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-university-professionals

Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., & Oh, S. (2013b). Status of middle school gifted programs. Charlottesvile: University of Virginia, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Retrieved from http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-university-professionals

Callahan, C. M., Moon, T. R., & Oh, S. (2013c). Status of high school gifted programs. Charlottesvile: University of Virginia, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Retrieved from http://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-university-professionals

Gubbins, E. J., Callahan, C. M., & Renzulli, J. S. (2014). Contributions to the impact of the Javits Act by The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented. Journal of Advanced Academics, 25, 422-444. doi:10.1177/19322002X1459355

Gubbins, E. J., Villanueva, M., Gilson, C. M., Foreman, J. L., Bruce-Davis, M. N., Vahidi, S. . . . Tofel-Grehl, C. (2013). Status of STEM high schools and implications for practice [iBooks version]. Retrieved from https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/status-stem-high-schools-implications/id736858982?mt=11

Renzulli, J. S., Callahan, C. M., & Gubbins, E. J. (2014). Laying the base for the future: One cornerstone of the Javits Act, 25, 338-349. Journal of Advanced Academics. doi:10.1177/1932202X14542686

Subotnik, R. F., Robinson, A., Callahan, C. M., & Gubbins, E. J. (2012). Malleable minds: Translating insights from psychology and neuroscience to gifted education. Storrs: University of Connecticut, The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented.

The work reported herein was supported under the National Research Development Centers Program, PR/Award Number 305A060044, as administered by the Institute of Education Sciences, United States Department of Education. The findings and opinions expressed in this report do not reflect the position or policies of the Institute of Education Sciences of the United States Department of Education.

Web counter courtesy of

Digits.Net.

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The National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented (1990-2013)

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The National Research Center on Gifted and Talented (NRC/GT) successfully competed for a series of federally funded grants (1990-2013) under the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Education Act. Our final studies focused on What Works in Gifted Education with the mathematics study at the University of Connecticut and the reading/language arts study at the University of Virginia.

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This website provides games that can engage ELLs and provide them with context in their communication skills. I could use this tool to incorporate games into my future classroom for ELLs.

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Getting Started With Game-Based Language Learning

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Introducing English-language learners to game-based learning brings the added benefits of conversation about their interests, discussion of in-class rules, and peer collaboration.

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This article describes the benefits of incorporating digital stories with EB/EL students and includes bullet points at the bottom of the article including ways to incorporate digital stories and create them.

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Last year, I took a big risk by including blogging as part of the curriculum for my first-year college English course. Around half of my students were English language learners (ELLs), and I wasn't sure that they would be comfortable with this medium. (Read about blogging in my ELL classroom here). I started to think of ways they could contribute to their blogs that did not necessarily require an overwhelming amount of writing. A conversation with our college's librarian led me to digital storytelling. Students would still write, but by using another medium too, I aimed to keep them motivated and engaged in writing blogs.
What Is Digital Storytelling?
Digital storytelling is the concept of using digital media (photos, audio, video) to create a story. It's a tool that can be used for a variety of communication purposes, from marketing and advertising to documentary videos. In the classroom, digital storytelling allows students to apply tools that are relevant to 21st-century learning and to extend their communication and interaction to another level.
Benefits of Digital Storytelling for ELLs
Digital storytelling has profound benefits for students' communication, critical thinking, creative and writing skills. For ELLs, those are three particularly important areas to focus on since learning a new language adds a layer of difficulty to overcome.

Communication:For many ELLs, communicating an idea, a narrative or a story is the most difficult aspect of learning English. Digital storytelling allows students to communicate an experience or an idea-and the meaning and feelings behind it-in a short timeframe and to express themselves in ways they might not be able to while writing an essay or report. For example, a digital story can be three minutes long, but the tools used to tell it help convey a deeper meaning and builds a connection with the audience. Images, music, audio recordings and family photos are just a few of the possible tools.

Critical Thinking and Creativity:Often, ELLs get so caught up with learning and trying to speak and write English that critical thinking and creativity become lost in translation. The process of creating a digital story guides students to think about why an idea, an experience or a story is important to them. This allows students to practice analyzing their own narratives, which fosters reflection and critical thinking.

In addition to critical thinking, students will be able to learn in a way that supports and encourages creativity. Many students, if asked, would tell me they're not creative. However, students use their creativity throughout the process of developing digital stories, even when they're using technical or other skills (e.g., digital media tools) that don't conjure up "creativity" in their minds.

Writing:Writing is a pretty daunting task for most ELLs, but I found that, after being introduced to digital storytelling, my students became more comfortable with sharing their thoughts and experiences. Digital stories allow them to express themselves with fewer words. Still, creating a digital story takes students through a process that is very similar to the writing process. Students have to brainstorm, plan, outline, draft, edit and share. If you use digital storytelling with your students, periodically remind students to make connections between the two processes. This will help familiarize them with the writing process and help them see that writing is a doable task.

Here is an eight-step digital storytelling process, as explained byeducator and ed-tech expertSamantha Morra:

1. Generate an idea and go from there.

2. Research to learn about the topic.

3. Write out a script.

4. Create a storyboard.

5. Compile or create digital media (images, audio, video, etc.).

6. Assemble all the parts into a digital story.

7. Share with others.

8. Reflect on the experience and give feedback.

Digital Storytelling and Classroom Culture
As a class, we went through the process of creating digital stories together, but students also worked independently. I thought it would be great for them to share with each other their final products. Many students were reluctant at first, so I only chose volunteers. But as they saw their peers' work, many students changed their minds and shared their own stories.

Digital storytelling not only contributed to a safe environment for students to share their cultural experiences and personal stories, but it also created a classroom where students gained confidence. They realized that it's valuable for all of us to be proud of who we are.
One Student's Digital Story
Oleksii, an ELL student from Ukraine, had come to Canada a year before he attended my class. He was very self-conscious about writing and speaking in English and sought out extra help from me whenever he had the chance. When I introduced digital storytelling, he was very hesitant because of his accent-he even mentions it in the beginning of his video. However, after experimenting with digital storytelling, he saw it as an opportunity to share with his classmates a bit about Ukraine and his cultural background. After seeing his classmates' reactions to his story, Oleksii beamed with pride: He made a powerful digital story that he can share with others.
Resources How to Incorporate Digital Storytelling to Empower Student Voice
Digital Storytelling on Seneca College's Sandbox
A Guide to Producing Student Digital Storytellers
Alrubail is a writer on education, teaching and learning. She is also the editor of Medium's The Synapse publication on learning, teaching and education.

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Expressing themselves clearly in English can be challenging for English language learners, but digital storytelling can enhance their communication skills and learning in a fun, relevant way.

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This video differentiates the terms "BICS" and "CALP" and how it relates to social and academic language. This understanding can be useful when teaching academic language by using different teaching methods depending on your students.

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This article provides eight techniques to enhance reading skills, vocabulary, and language development. This is a great resource for building strong reading skills in students who may struggle a bit.

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Gianfranco Conti, Phd (Applied Linguistics), MA (TEFL), MA (English Lit.), PGCE (Modern Languages and P.E.)

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Eight narrow reading techniques that will enhance your students’ vocabulary and reading skills

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1. Introduction This post describes eight Narrow reading techniques that have significantly enhanced my students’ vocabulary and reading skills. As explained in previous posts, Narrow …

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This video recognizes ways to help ELLs develop their language skills and discusses content and language objectives. It is a great resource to review when trying to accommodate ELLs when accomplishing a language objective. It also provides support in writing language objectives for ELLs.

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Tip: How to help ELLs develop academic language

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This is a Vimeo that provides sentence structures for creating language objectives and the expectations of students before, during, and after a lesson. This is a great guide for creating my language objectives in the future.