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Creating by the University of Kansas, the Community Tool Box is a hub for educators to access resources and find ways to take action to advocate for students and people who need a voice. Their mission is to bring more attention and start the conversation of about social inequities to create a more inclusive and culturally competent world.

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Tools to change our world – free resources for those working to build healthier communities and bring about social change.

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Rita Pierson is a veteran teacher who presents her Ted Talk about the importance of developing meaningful relationships with your students. She says that "kids don't learn from people they don't like". With this is mind it is so important for teachers to understand, get to know, and support your students before learning will take place.

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Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson

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The Manchester Community College Library provides a great collection of resources for educators to explore what it means to be an ally for a minority group. Understanding how we can support different minority groups who have faced oppression when we may have not been oppressed is important in becoming a support person for your students. This guide provides great classroom tips and other external resources that teachers can explore when learning about allyship.

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Being an ally means many things. It starts with reflecting on one's own identity, and on society's dominant identities. The next step is recognizing others' identities and the ways those identities are privileged or marginalized in society. Allies are willing to see these differences and to make an effort to promote equity -- eliminating "otherness" even while acknowledging difference. Allies do not speak for or over the communities they support -- they stand with them. It's hard, it takes practice, but it makes for genuine community.

The idea of allyship is not about intent or feelings . . . feeling bad about oppression isn't allyship. Roxanne Gay notes, in the essay cited below:

"Black people do not need allies. We need people to stand up and take on the problems borne of oppression as their own, without remove or distance. We need people to do this even if they cannot fully understand what it's like to be oppressed for their race or ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, class, religion, or other marker of identity. We need people to use common sense to figure out how to participate in social justice."

Gay explains in her essay that she came to this understanding after a conversation with Ta Nahesi Coates who told her, "I think one has to even abandon the phrase 'ally' and understand that you are not helping someone in a particular struggle; the fight is yours."

Gay, Roxanne, 2016. On Making Black Lives Matter. Marie Claire [online] Available at: https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a21423/roxane-gay-philando-castile-alton-sterling/

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Research Guides: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: What's an ally? (includes classroom tips)

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Being an ally means many things. It starts with reflecting on one's own identity, and on society's dominant identities. The next step is recognizing others' identities and the ways those identities are privileged or marginalized in society. Allies are willing to see these differences and to make an effort to promote equity -- eliminating "otherness" even while acknowledging difference.

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Understood.org is a great resource for teachers, parents, and students to explore the rights that they are entitled to. The site provides a community of information to recognize and celebrate the differences of students in our classrooms and summarizes the different accommodations that many students are eligible for based off of different legislation.

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Are you wondering why your child is struggling?

We're here to help if you're feeling overwhelmed. Take N.O.T.E. (Notice. Observe. Talk. Engage.) is a simple step-by-step tool that can help you figure out if the struggles you're seeing might be signs of a learning and thinking difference.

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Emperor Kaioyus, Grade 4

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Understood - For Learning and Thinking Differences

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Understood.org is the resource that helps the 70 million people with learning and thinking differences anticipate the challenges, barriers, or opportunities in life and confidently reach their potential.

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WIDA is a collection of standards and screening tool used by districts to screen students for eligibility of ESL services. Educators should be well versed on these standards and testing protocols that WIDA requires to ensure that they are supporting multilingual learners with equitable educational opportunities.

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In this edition of Conversations with Tim, Tim speaks with Rosalie Lincoln and Cathy Moses about their work in the Lower Kuskokwim School District in Alaska to preserve and revitalize the Yugtun language.

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WIDA develops and provides proven tools and support to help multilingual learners, and their educators, succeed.

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Similar to the Equal Opportunities Act the Every Students Succeeds Act under the Obama administration was passed to hold schools accountable for providing equitable education. The Every Student Succeeds Act Website provides a comprehensive guide for educators and districts to follow.

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The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a law that was introduced in the Senate by Lamar Alexander (R-TN) on April 30, 2015. ESSA was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015. The purpose of this act was to replace and update the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was signed into law in 2002. Like NCLB, ESSA reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965.

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The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a law that was introduced in the Senate by Lamar Alexander (R-TN) on April 30, 2015. ESSA was signed into law by President Barack Obama on December 10, 2015. The purpose of this act was to replace and update the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) which was signed into law in 2002.

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This law established civil rights issues regarding the education rights for students who are non-English speakers and mandated schools to provide EL students appropriate programs, classes, and opportunities to support their needs. This History article summarizes some of the major aspects that this law put in place and how it affect EL students.

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The Equal Educational Opportunities Act takes effect on August 21, 1974. The new law addressed civil rights issues in education, barring states from discriminating against students based on gender, race, color, or nationality and requiring public schools to provide for students who do not speak English.

In many ways, the EEOA was an extension of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which banned racial discrimination in schools as well as businesses and outlawed the segregation of schools. The Civil Rights Act was one of the most important pieces of legislation in American history, but it did not singlehandedly put a stop to discrimination in public education. Aside from the famous "Massive Resistance" campaign against desegregation in the South, schools continued to fail racial minorities and students for whom English was not their first language.

The EEOA mandated that schools accommodate students regardless of nationality and that they provide adequate resources for students who did not speak English. In effect, this meant that schools must now offer both English classes for non-native speakers and classes in other subjects taught in students' native languages. Subsequent Supreme Court cases clarified the full extent of the law. In 1974, the Court ruled that the EEOA mandated that schools offer classes in students' first languages while they learned English as a second language. In 1982, it ruled that, based on the EEOA, undocumented students not only had the right to attend public schools but were obligated to do so, the same as all American children.

Thanks to the EEOA, schools across the country now offer classes in languages other than English, in addition to teaching English to non-native speakers. The act also provided legal recourse for students facing discrimination in public schools, greatly bolstering the progress that was made during the civil rights era.
READ MORE: The Mendez Family Fought School Segregation 8 Years Before Brown v. Board of Ed

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The Equal Educational Opportunities Act takes effect

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The Equal Educational Opportunities Act takes effect on August 21, 1974. The new law addressed civil rights issues in education, barring states from discriminating against students based on gender, race, color, or nationality and requiring public schools to provide for students who do not speak English.

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The site Teachers Support Teachers provides a great collection of resources, ideas, and strategies for teacher to use to support EL students. This page provides videos, assignments, strategies, different models of learning, and hyperlinks to many other resources for teachers to access easily.

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The Danger of a Single Story: "Novelist Chimamanda Adichie ... warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding." In addition to our biases and misunderstandings, it is also important to recognize how we can send hidden messages to our students by the content we select, what and who we use as examples, language we use or don't use, etc.

A Class Divided: "The day after Martin Luther King, Jr. was killed, Jane Elliott, a teacher in a small, all-white Iowa town, divided her third-grade class into blue-eyed and brown-eyed groups and gave them a daring lesson in discrimination. This is the story of that lesson, its lasting impact on the children, and its enduring power 30 years later ( original clips along with supplemental resources).​"
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english language learners teaching strategies

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Effective teaching strategies for English Language Learners in K-12 classes.

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When students feel misrepresented or misunderstood learning can never take place. Becoming an ally or support that your students can rely on and relate to is very important in their learning process. For El students it is important for educators to become their advocates and ally for when they may not have the voice or words to do so.

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For teachers and districts it is extremely important to be aware of the current and updating legislation to provide students with all and every opportunity they are eligible for. Understanding different policies can help educators advocate for their students needs.

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The site Cult of Pedagogy serves as a great and easy accessible PD resource for teachers. They have tons of podcasts, articles, and resources that are created for educators by educators. In this particular podcast they discuss different teaching strategies that can be implemented into the classroom to help support the needs of EL students.

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
A note on terminology: The acronym ESL is used less often now in schools than it used to be, because we recognize that many students who are learning English already speak several other languages, so English would not be a "second" language. I use it several times in the post because schools sometimes refer to the teachers as ESL teachers, and the term is still widely used as a search term for this topic. My intent in using the acronym is to make this post easier to find online.

You have a new student, and he speaks no English. His family has just moved to your town from Japan, and though he receives English as a Second Language (ESL) support, he will also be sitting in your room every day to give him more exposure to his new language. How can you be a good teacher to someone who barely understands you?

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an average of 9 percent of students in U.S. public schools are English Language Learners (ELLs); that number is closer to 14 percent in cities. Although many of these students start off in high-intensity, whole-day English programs, most are integrated into mainstream classrooms within a year, well before their English language skills would be considered proficient.

How prepared are you to teach these students? If you're like most classroom teachers, you have little to no training in the most effective methods for working with English language learners (Walker, Shafer, & Iiams, 2004). So that means we have a problem here: Lots of ELL kids in regular classrooms, and no teacher training to ensure the success of that placement.

Below, three ESL teachers tell us what they know about the things regular classroom teachers can do to improve instruction for ELL students. These 12 strategies are simple, they are not very time consuming, and best of all, they will help everyone in your class learn better:

1. Make it Visual

"Avoid giving instructions in the air," says Melissa Eddington, an Ohio-based ESL teacher. "ELL kids have a harder time processing spoken language." So instructions - even basic directions for classroom procedures - should be written on the board whenever possible. Challenging concepts should be diagrammed or supported with pictures. And modeling the steps of a process or showing students what a finished product should look like can go a long way toward helping students understand. "Sometimes showing our students what to do is all they need in order to do it," Eddington says. Not only will this kind of nonlinguistic representation improve comprehension for ELL students, it will help all of your students grasp concepts better.

2. Build in more group work.

"Kids aren't just empty glasses that we pour stuff into and then at the end of the day they dump it back onto a test," says Kim, an ESL teacher who was the subject of my very first podcast interview. "If you really want the kids to learn, they've got to be engaged." That means less teacher-led, whole-class instruction, and more small groups, where students can practice language with their peers in a more personal, lower-risk setting. And if ELL students attend your class with a resource teacher, make use of that person: In most cases the resource teacher doesn't have to work exclusively with the ESL students; they can work with smaller groups that happen to contain these students, helping to improve the teacher-student ratio and give kids more time to practice.

3. Communicate with the ESL teacher.

Mary Yurkosky, a former ESL teacher in Massachusetts, credits much of her students' success to the strong relationship she had with the regular classroom teachers. "The classroom teachers were always talking to me about what they were doing in their classes," she says. "They made it so easy for me to support them: If a teacher was going to be doing a unit on plants, I could make sure we used some of that same vocabulary in the ESL class."

Ideally, this could be systematized, where ESL teachers could regularly get copies of lesson plans or collaborate with regular classroom teachers to build solid back-and-forth support, but "it doesn't have to be that much work," Yurkosky insists. "Just talk to each other. Talk about what's going on in your classrooms, invite each other to special presentations, share what your students are learning, and the words will naturally find their way into the ESL class."

4. Honor the "silent period."

Many new language learners go through a silent period, during which they will speak very little, if at all. "Don't force them to talk if they don't want to," says Eddington, "A lot of students who come from cultures outside of America want to be perfect when they speak, so they will not share until they feel they are at a point where they're perfect." Just knowing that this is a normal stage in second language acquisition should help relieve any pressure you feel to move them toward talking too quickly.

5. Allow some scaffolding with the native language.

Although it has been a hotly debated topic in the language-learning community, allowing students some use of their first language (L1) in second-language (L2) classrooms is gaining acceptance. When a student is still very new to a language, it's okay to pair him with other students who speak his native language. "Some students are afraid to open their mouths at all for fear of sounding stupid or just not knowing the words to use," Yurkosky says. "Letting them explain things or ask questions in their first language gets them to relax and feel like a part of the class."

And this doesn't only apply to spoken language. If you give students a written assignment, but the ELL student doesn't yet have the proficiency to handle writing his response in English, "Don't make them just sit there and do nothing," Eddington says. "Allow them to write in their first language if they're able. This allows them to still participate in journal writing or a math extended response, even if you can't read what they write." There has even been some evidence that allowing second-language learners to pre-write and brainstorm in L1 results in higher-quality writing in L2 in later stages of the writing process (Yigzaw, 2012).

6. Look out for culturally unique vocabulary.

"For most of these kids, their background knowledge is lacking, especially with things that are unique to American or westernized culture," says Eddington. It's important to directly teach certain vocabulary words: "Show them videos of what it looks like to toss pizza dough, show pictures of a juke box or a clothing rack - things that are not common in their own language."

One way to differentiate for ELL students is to consider the whole list of terms you're going to teach for a unit, and if you think an ELL student may be overwhelmed by such a long list, omit those that are not essential to understanding the larger topic at hand.

7. Use sentence frames to give students practice with academic language.

All students, not just English language learners, need practice with academic conversations. Sentence frames - partially completed sentences like "I disagree with what _________ said because..." - show students how to structure language in a formal way. Keep these posted in a highly visible spot in your classroom and require students to refer to them during discussions and while they write.

For this kind of language to really sink in, though, Kim says it has to become a regular part of class. "They won't do it if it's not the norm in the class, because they'll be embarrassed to use it among their peers," she says. "But if they can put it off on the teacher and say, Oh, well, you know, Miss Kim makes me talk like this, then they don't look as hoity-toity as they would otherwise."

8. Pre-teach whenever possible.

If you're going to be reading a certain article next week, give ESL students a copy of it now. If you plan to show a YouTube video tomorrow, send a link to your ESL students today. Any chance you can give these students to preview material will increase the odds that they'll understand it on the day you present it to everyone else. "That kind of thing is wonderful," Yurkosky says. "The kids feel so empowered if they've had a chance to look at the material ahead of time."

9. Learn about the cultural background of your students...

Our second-language populations grow more diverse every year. Taking the time to learn the basics of where a child comes from - exactly, not 'somewhere in the Middle East/South America/Asia/Africa' - tells the student that you respect her enough to bother. Kim remembers one time when she had to set the record straight about the diverse South American population at her school: "I was listening to the teachers talking about the 'Mexican' kids in our building," she says, "and I was like, 'We don't have any Mexicans.'" Not taking the time to at least correctly identify a child's country of origin, much like not bothering to pronounce their name correctly, is a kind of microaggression, a small, subtle insult that communicates hostility toward people of color. Make a commitment to be someone who bothers to get it right.

Once you have the country straight, take things up a notch by learning about students' religious and cultural practices. If he is a practicing Muslim, he should be told if one of the pizzas you ordered for the class party has sausage on it. If she comes from a culture where eye contact with adults is viewed as disrespectful, you'll know not to force her to look you in the eye when she's talking.

10. ...but don't make a child speak for his entire culture.

In her podcast interview, Kim shared a story about watching a teacher ask a new Iraqi student how he felt about the war in his country, right in the middle of class. "That's not cultural inclusiveness," she explains. "I've seen teachers do this and then pat themselves on the back. The students' English is limited so they can't express themselves very well, and they don't want to 'represent'; they just want to be there." If you anticipate a theme coming up in your class that's going to be relevant to one of your students, have a conversation with them in advance, or check with your ESL teacher to see if they think it's appropriate for in-class discussion.

11. Show them how to take themselves less seriously...

By modeling the risk-taking that's required to learn a new language, you help students develop the courage to take their own risks, and to have a sense of humor about it. "I tried to say the word 'paint' ( pinta) in Portuguese and instead I said the word for 'penis' ( pinto). They all roared with laughter while I stood there with a What?? look on my face," Yurkosky says. "When they explained what I'd said, I laughed so hard! I told them that laughing was fine because sometimes mistakes are really funny, but ridicule is never okay."

12. ...but always take them seriously.

One of Kim's pet peeves about how teachers interact with English language learners is the way they often see students' efforts as 'cute,' missing the whole point of what the student is trying to say. "A student will be desperate to communicate, and the teacher will get distracted by the delivery and miss the message," she says. "That's painful for me to watch." It bothers her when teachers mistake a lack of language for a lack of intelligence or maturity. When a child can't express themselves as well as they would in their native language, it's far too easy to assume the concepts just aren't in their heads.

"It breaks my heart when I hear teachers say (ELL kids) don't know anything," says Eddington. "These are brilliant kids and they know a lot. They just can't tell us in English yet." Make a conscious effort to see past the accent and the mispronunciations and treat every interaction - every student - with the respect they deserve.

"They're doing twice the job of everybody else in the class," Kim adds, "even though the result looks like half as much." ♦

Further Reading

The ESL/ELL Teacher's Survival Guide is one of the highest-rated books on teaching English-language learners available. In addition to offering an overview of the research on second-language learners and best practices in teaching ESL, it also includes a whole section on teaching ESL in the content areas and another specifically geared toward teaching ELL students in mainstream classrooms.
References:
Walker, A., Shafer, J., & Iiams, M. (2004). "Not in my classroom": Teacher attitudes towards English language learners in the mainstream classroom. NABE Journal of Research and Practice, 2(1), 130-160.

Yigzaw, A. (2012). Impact of L1 use in L2 English writing classes. Ethiopian Journal of Education and Sciences, 8(1), 11-27.

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12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

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Advice from three ESL teachers on the things regular classroom teachers can do to help English language learners thrive in mainstream classrooms.

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Created by TESOL International association is a resource guide for ESL educators looking to further their education and refine their teaching. The guide suggests ESL teachers to develop and share their work with other educators. Actively involve themselves in committees and programs to advocate for ESL students. Additionally presenting or attending conferences or becoming involved in publishing. The site ultimately promotes educators to be "life long learners" which is a very important skill for teachers to stay up to date on new resources and strategies.

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Guide to Professional Development in TESOL

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ESL teachers who are continuing their education and looking for additional certifications, endorsements, and learning opportunities can visit ESLteacherEDU.org to find opportunities to further their education in teaching ESL students.

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How to Become an ESL Teacher | ESL Teacher Education and Requirements

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You are a unique breed. As an ESL teacher, you're not only responsible for teaching K-12 students in a content area, you must also teach them the English language. In-service professional development for you isn't about going through the motions to get the required CEUs in before your teaching certification expires. It's about ensuring that you always bring the highest-quality curriculum and the most passionate instruction into your classroom and to your ESL students.

Professional development is the process of improving job-related knowledge and skills through continued learning. Ideally, a teacher's professional development activities should focus on the well-being and the intellectual, physical, emotional, and social development of their students, despite their cultural, economic, or linguistic background.

However, English as a Second Language (ESL) in-service teachers must ensure their professional development initiatives are reflective of their students' cultural, economic, and linguistic backgrounds. ESL teachers must know how to navigate the complexities involved with teaching students from different cultures and backgrounds. They must apply unique strategies that address the barriers to meaningful instruction that learners of a second language often encounter.

You are undoubtedly ready and willing to tackle these challenges head on because you are inspired and motivated by the children you teach every day. You know that continued learning in your profession is not just about earning CEUs or meeting the professional development requirements of your school or district, but about continually reflecting upon your teaching and updating your practices to address the needs of your ESL learners.

You also know that as you learn new skills and gain new knowledge, you are effectively lowering the barriers to learning for your ESL students, while at the same time piquing their curiosity and inspiring in them a love of learning.

The Face of High-Quality In-Service Professional Development for ESL Teachers

Meaningful, beneficial professional development opportunities will allow you to develop and build upon a comprehensive, high-quality curriculum that will address the unique needs of your ESL learners.

What does high-quality professional development look like?

Effective and worthwhile professional development for in-service ESL teachers will:

Build upon their foundation of skills, knowledge, and expertise.

Include many opportunities to engage ESL teachers as learners and offer them the opportunity to apply new skills and knowledge.

Provide feedback on performance and include follow-up activities.

Provide opportunities to measure changes in teachers' knowledge and skills.

Provide opportunities to measure changes in student performance.

Here are some of our favorite ESL educator resources for finding high-quality professional development activities and programs:
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL)
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Language (TESOL) is an international association of professionals who work together to advance the quality of English language teaching through advocacy, standards, research, and professional development. TESOL members include teachers, students, administrators, researchers, authors, curriculum developers, and more.

TESOL is, by and far, the leader in professional development programs, advocacy efforts, and publications for ESL teachers.

Professional development opportunities for in-service ESL teachers include:

TESOL Virtual Seminars: TESOL virtual seminars are one- to two-hour webcasts focused on key issues in ESL and EFL (English as a Foreign Language). Seminars can be accessed online. Some of the past seminars included:

Practical Tips for Integrating Pronunciation into Your Lessons

The Critical Role of Perception in Second Language Listening

Online Courses: TESOL online courses provide ESL teachers with convenient, online courses that are enhanced through peer-to-peer exchange and instructor feedback. Some of the courses offered include:

Grammar 1: Phrasal Structures

Grammar 2: Multiclause Structures

ESL for Secondary Mathematics Teachers

ESL for Secondary Science Teachers

Self-Study Courses: Self-study courses allow ESL teachers to complete their study at their own pace for a truly individualized learning experience. Some of the self-study courses offered include:

Fundamentals of TESOL

Teaching and Assessing Young Learners

TESOL International Convention and English Language Expo: The TESOL International Convention and English Language Expo is the largest professional development event in the TESOL field, featuring more than 6,500 attendees, 1,000 education sessions, and 150 exhibits. The interactive sessions allow educators to develop a global perspective through the exchange of ideas and practices. Attending this event will allow you to catch up on the latest trends and develop a professional network of ESL educators.

Online Certificate Programs and Leadership Training: Allows ESL teachers to advance their career while gaining valuable knowledge and skills in leadership and related areas. Certificate programs include:

Imagine Learning
Ahead of the Class, sponsored by Imagine Learning, is a great resource for educators and administrators working with English language learners. In-service professional development opportunities are offered through a variety of platforms, including free webinars.

Free Webinars: Imagine Learning's free webinars provide ESL teachers with the latest in pressing educational issues. A sampling of some of the past webinars include:

ELLs and Common Core Academic Standards: Successful Strategies for the Content Classroom

Authentic Conversation: The Key to First and Second Language/Literacy Development in the Early Years

A Systematic Approach to Leveling the Playing Field for ELLs

Academic Success for English Learners

Removing Barriers to Learning for Long-Term English Learners

Stanford CLAD ELL Modules
The Stanford CLAD ELL Modules is a professional development resource for educators working with English language learners. The modules are part of the former Stanford CTEL/CLAD Program, a three-course online program that led to CTEL/CLAD certification. Although the program no longer exists, Stanford released the online resources to the public, free of charge. The modules include classroom video samples, assignments, and links to articles and information.

The ELL Modules include:

English Language Learner Policy and Theory

Language and Content Instruction at the Elementary Grades

Vocabulary Development and Academic Language

Listening and Speaking

Writing

Reading

Testing and Assessment

ESL/ELD at High School

Native Language

Teaching High School Science Using SDAIE

Teaching High School Math Using SDAIE

ESL/ELD at Elementary and Middle School

SDAIE in Middle School

Culturally Relevant Teaching

Reading Rockets: Professional Development Webcasts
Reading Rocket's Professional Development webcasts are one- to two-hour video programs that ESL teachers can use for professional development or for staff development workshops. Some of the webcasts aimed at ESL teachers include:

Preschool for ELLs

Academic Language and English Language Learners

English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities

Reading to Learn: ELLs in Grades 4-6

Teaching English Language Learners to Read

Comprehension: Helping English Language Learners Grasp the Full Picture

Assessment of English Language Learners

Graduate Degrees for ESL Teachers: Satisfying Professional Development Requirements While Advancing Your Career

The pursuit of graduate-level courses or a professional (post-licensure) master's degree in education with a concentration or emphasis in ESL allows bachelor's-prepared ESL teachers to advance their knowledge and skills in the education of linguistically diverse students, expand their career opportunities, and satisfy the continuing education requirements of their teaching certificate and the professional development requirements of their school, district or state licensing body.

Some of the degrees in this area of study include:

Master of Arts in English Language Learning (PK-12)

Master of Science in Education: Teaching English Language Learners (K-12)

Ed. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Master of Arts in ESL

Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction: English as a Second Language concentration

Master of Science in Education: English Language Learning and Teaching

Consisting of between 40-60 credits and about two years of full-time study, professional master's degrees for certified and licensed ESL teachers cover a wide range of topics relevant to teaching English to speakers of other languages, including applied linguistics, assessment and evaluation, classroom management, and cultural communications.

Coursework often includes:

Foundations in ESOL

Methods and Learning Theory

Second Language Acquisition

Language and Culture

Curriculum and Materials Design

Research Methods

These programs generally culminate in a final project, such as a capstone project or thesis. A thesis allows practicing ESL teachers to perform extended research on a topic of interest.

Many professional master's degrees for the ESL teacher are offered in an online or hybrid format designed to accommodate the busy schedules of working educators.

These programs offer an interactive web-based format that allows students to engage with faculty and peers.

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ESL Teacher Continuing Education Professional Development Resources

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You are a unique breed. As an ESL teacher, you're not only responsible for teaching K-12 students in a content area, you must also teach them the English language. In-service professional development for you isn't about going through the motions to get the required CEUs in before your teaching certification expires.

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Learning for Justice - Culture in the Classroom

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Learning for Justice - Culture in the Classroom

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Learning for Justice is a great resource for educators trying to find opportunities to bring culture into the classroom. The first step in bringing culture into the classroom is overcoming stereotypes by not tolerating or giving them a platform in the classroom. The site then further explores resources and suggests for teachers to give students opportunities to explore and share their culture. This could be done by giving student autonomy in the topics they are researching for a project or by simply bringing in literatures of other cultures into the classroom. The site has further resources for lessons, frameworks, and professional development for educators to explore and support their EL students.

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Educators today hear a lot about gaps in education - achievement gaps, funding gaps, school-readiness gaps. Still, there's another gap that often goes unexamined: the cultural gap between students and teachers.

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Educators today hear a lot about gaps in education - achievement gaps, funding gaps, school-readiness gaps. Still, there's another gap that often goes unexamined: the cultural gap between students and teachers.

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The Center of Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning

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The Center of Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning

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CCRTL is an organization whose mission is to validate, affirm, build, and bridge culture into the classroom. Their site serves as a home for educators to explore CRT with ample resources for available for teachers to use in their classroom. Available are videos, handouts, training, responsive literature, among more. Exploring this site serves as a great launching point for educators to begin thinking about culture in the context of their classroom.

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Dr. Gholdy Muhammad's book, Cultivating Genius, is a great tool for educators trying to learn how to restructure their classroom with culturally relevant pedagogy in mind. Within the text she challenges educators to redesign their curriculum to promote student engage in four major themes: (1) identity (2) skill (3) intellect and (4) criticality.

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"Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is a pedagogical framework that grounds and informs every aspect of a teacher's practice". In this teach for America article  they discuss the idea of stripping the classroom of its institutionalized nature and to create a more socially conscious and culturally competent classroom for your students. As the article concludes it links to additional readings and resources to further explore how to integrate culture into the classroom.

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Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) is a philosophical outlook towards one's approach to teaching that informs the what, the how, and the why. CRP focuses on the academic and personal success of students as individuals and as a collective. It ensures students engage in academically rigorous curriculum and learning, feel affirmed in their identities and experiences, and develop the knowledge and skills to engage the world and others critically.

CRP, a pedagogical framework coined by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings in the early '90s, rests on three fundamental pillars-academic achievement, cultural competence, and sociopolitical consciousness. These three pillars work in tandem with one another-in other words, a culturally relevant teacher cannot focus on one pillar without also inherently focusing on the others.
Academic Achievement (Student Learning and Academic rigor)
Academic achievement, the first pillar, acknowledges that the primary function of a teacher's role is to cultivate the minds of their students. Culturally relevant teachers hold high and transparent academic expectations and meet students where they are. They know the content, they know the learner, and they know how to teach the content to the learner. They think deeply about what they teach, why they are teaching it, and how they are going to teach it based on who their students are as people and as learners.
Cultural Competence
Cultural competence requires that teachers understand culture and its role in education, that they take responsibility for learning about their students' culture and community and that they interrogate their own identity, culture, biases, and privilege to critically assess and strengthen their instructional practice. When cultural competence is playing out as it should, the classroom can be described as full of mirrors and windows- students see themselves reflected in the classroom (mirrors) and have opportunities to learn more about and see into the lived experiences of others (windows). The teacher uses their students' culture as the basis for learning, helps students recognize and honor their own cultural beliefs and practices while accessing and learning about the wider world.
Sociopolitical Consciousness
Sociopolitical consciousness requires that teachers actively educate themselves and their students on the personal and sociopolitical issues that impact their students, their students' communities, and the world-and, that they incorporate this into their teaching. This also inherently means that teachers encourage students to think about and consistently question why things are the way they are and encourage students to see themselves as agents of social change and transformation. Students are therefore empowered to think and act in ways that challenge the inequitable status quo among people, within communities, and in society at large.
So, How Do I Do it?
As Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings states, a common misconception when engaging with CRP is believing that successful teaching is primarily about what to do. The truth is that successful teaching is primarily about how we think-about our students, their communities and broader social contexts and about our curriculum, our instruction, and our role as teachers.

In life, our beliefs drive our actions, and the same is true in teaching. Culturally Relevant Pedagogy is more of a way of being or way of thinking that then manifests into ways of doing. CRP is not something that we incorporate or add-on to our teaching-it is the foundation that grounds and informs every aspect of our instructional practice; it is the lens through which we approach our work. Therefore, CRP cannot be boiled down to a set of specific strategies, a checklist for lesson planning, or specific curriculum because all of these must be directly connected to and informed by a teacher's specific set of students- who they are as people and as learners, their communities, their history, and their context.

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy equips us as teachers to provide our students with the type of education they not only deserve but are entitled to. An education that recognizes and celebrates their identities, lived experiences and culture. An education that nurtures their inherent brilliance and infinite potential. An education that doesn't set them up to "fit into," accept or replicate an inequitable system, but one that equips them with the tools to transform it. An education that cultivates strong trunks, beautiful branches, colorful leaves, and deep roots.
Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Texts & Sources
Interested in learning more? Please check out the following articles and sources we've used throughout this article.

From the Achievement Gap to the Education Debt by Gloria Ladson-Billings

The Dream Keepers: Successful Teachers of African American Children" by Gloria Ladson-Billings

Yes, But How Do We Do It? Practicing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy" by Gloria Ladson-Billings

Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice by Geneva Gay

The Art of Critical Pedagogy by Jeff Duncan-Andrade

Note to Educators: Hope Required When Growing Roses in Concrete by Jeff Duncan-Andrade

All together now: Academic Rigor and Culturally Responsive Pedagogy by Jeff Duncan-Andrade

Educating Culturally Responsive Teachers by Ana Maria Villegas and Tamara Lucas

Reality Pedagogy by Christopher Emdin

Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies by Django Paris and H. Samy Alim

Whose Culture Has Capital? by Tara J. Yosso

Funds of Knowledge: Theorizing Practices in Households, Communities, and Classrooms by Norma Gonzalez, Luis C. Moll, and Cathy Amanti

"This is How We Do It: Helping teachers understand culturally relevant pedagogy in diverse classrooms," by Adrienne D. Dixson and Kenneth J. Fasching-Varner

Reading Between the Lines and the Pages: A Culturally Relevant Approach to Literacy Teaching by Gloria Ladson-Billings

Self-guided professional development for anti-bias education: https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/self-guided-learning

Being Culturally Responsive: https://www.tolerance.org/professional-development/being-culturally-responsive

Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors by Rudine Sims Bishop

About the Author
Bárbara Escudero currently serves on Teach For America's Teacher Leadership Development team and leads the national work TFA does around Culturally Relevant Pedagogy and supporting Linguistically Diverse students. She is a proud first-generation Latina, born in Brooklyn, raised in the Bronx. Bárbara completed her undergraduate degree at Cornell University and received her Master's degree in Bilingual/Bicultural Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She proudly served as a classroom teacher for 12 years.

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How to Practice Culturally Relevant Pedagogy | Teach For America

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A mindset more than a set of practices, culturally relevant pedagogy aims to celebrates the unique culture within each of us.

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EL students require special attention when engaging in literature within all content areas. Scaffolding is a great technique that combines many strategies to support the literacy needs of ESL students. The infographic below shows different reading strategies such as adaptive texts, partner reading, shared reading, and chunking, which can all be used to help EL students navigate literature in the classroom.

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Teaching about other Cultures - The danger of a Single Story 

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Teaching about other Cultures - The danger of a Single Story 

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This Ted Talk is a great story told by Nigerian Ngozi Adichie as she talks about her experience with Western and European literature. She speaks about how she was not always able to identify with the characters in much of the literature she was reading. The idea of a "single story" and how students are not always taught about different cultures authentically is a disservice to our students. Bringing different cultures and literature into the classroom helps enrich the learning for all students and helps ESL students get to teach about and learn through their own cultures.

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The Danger of a Single Story | TED

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Dr. Emdin is another educator at the forefront of culturally relevant teaching. In this video he speaks about how educators need to allow student culture to shape the classroom. He speaks on how educators need to forego their ego and become more vulnerable in their classroom. Incorporating student identity into the learning process helps to create a better learning environment for all.

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National Center for Education Statistics 

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National Center for Education Statistics 

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This resource explores the statistics of EL students in America. Within the resources their is data from 2018 that shows the distribution of different minority groups and EL students by grade, language, and geography. Exploring the demographics and cultural statistics of EL students across the nations help educators better plan for EL students that will be entering their classrooms.

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Spanish was the most commonly reported home language of EL public school students in fall 2020 (3.7 million students), representing 75.5 percent of all ELs and 7.8 percent of all public school students. Arabic was the second most commonly reported home language (128,600 students). English was the third most commonly reported home language (124,900 students), which may reflect students who live in multilingual households or students adopted from other countries who were raised speaking another language but currently live in households where English is spoken. The next most commonly reported home languages of ELs in fall 2020 were Chinese (93,300 students), Vietnamese (73,100 students), Portuguese (43,400 students), Russian (37,200 students), Haitian (30,100 students), Hmong (28,700 students), and Urdu (25,200 students). [Other individual characteristic]

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COE - English Learners in Public Schools

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Spanish was the most commonly reported home language of EL public school students in fall 2020 (3.7 million students), representing 75.5 percent of all ELs and 7.8 percent of all public school students. Arabic was the second most commonly reported home language (128,600 students).

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Schema Building is the idea of tapping into students prior knowledge and building off what they already know to understand and learn new concepts. Schema building is beneficial for all students but is an especially important strategy for EL students because it helps to support language needs. EL students come into the classroom with different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences, so it is very important for educators to ask questions and learn about different cultures to find ways they can capitalize on prior experiences and knowledge all students are bringing into the classroom. The article below by DiversifiED lays out some steps and strategies of how to utilize schema in the classroom.

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Background knowledge is explored from three lenses of connection: text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world. The following exercises encourage students to activate, share and expand on schema in order to make meaning from each of the schematic lenses.

5 Strategies for Activating & Building Schema for ELLs
1. Make it visual.
A. Illustrations- picture file cards, photos, student drawings

B. Realia- clothing, food and other artifacts

C. Diaries, postcards, letters

D. Maps

E. KWL Charts

F. Picture Walk-the-Room: Pictures related to a topic are posted around the room. Students move from picture to picture, discussing with a partner what they know about the image.
2. Make it Engaging
A. Tangible Experiences- physical/virtual field trips, kinesthetic learning

B. Media clips

C. Carousel- in groups of 4, students rotate through stations, talking about a specific topic or picture and recording all they can about that topic on a poster.

D. Non-linguistic representations- Tableaus, dramatic enactments

E. Expert/Guest- parents, volunteers, older students
3. Read About It
G. Picture walk

H. Cloze reading

I. Content word wall- ideally, student generated

J. Word sorts- using key text vocabulary and explaining sort strategy

K. Picture sequencing sorts

L. Flexible small group reading instruction
4. Talk About It
A. 3-step interview- In groups of four, two students take turns interviewing one another about personal experiences related to a topic. The second pair does the same.

Then, each student reports out to the group on their partner's experiences.

B. Inside-outside circle- One group forms inner circle; second group forms circle around first, facing a partner; facilitator calls on inside or outside to respond to prompt;

outside circle shifts one spot to the right.

C. Jigsaw- Students read and or/research different parts of a text; in small groups,

each member shares out critical information, or "teaches" his or her text.
5. Write about it
A. Anticipation guides- students indicate agreement/disagreement of a statement related to text; teacher facilitates discussion.

B. Thinking maps and Graphic Organizers

C. Student-centered Journaling

D. Sentence frames

E. Storyboard with sequence- Using a storyboard, students draw or write all that they know about a topic in sequential order.

Read more in The Newcomer Student (2016), available HERE

and The Newcomer Fieldbook (2017), available HERE.

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5 Schema Building Strategies for ELLs - DiversifiED Consulting

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Background knowledge is explored from three lenses of connection: text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world. The following exercises encourage students to activate, share and expand on schema in order to make meaning from each of the schematic lenses. 1. Make it visual. A. Illustrations- picture file cards, photos, student drawings B.

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DOE - Academic Performance Outcomes of EL Students 

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DOE - Academic Performance Outcomes of EL Students 

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Although national and statewide standardized assessments do not always demonstrate the most authentic level of student proficiency, they do help in providing some understanding of student growth. It is important to analyze academic performance of EL students so achievement gaps can be identified and used to help fill in the "gaps" were EL students may be struggling.

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Performance on national assessments and on-time graduation rates

Introduction

This data story presents the most recent data on EL academic proficiency for states and selected urban school districts. It also provides state-level EL high school graduation rates and insights into changes in EL graduation and proficiency rates over time. When interpreting differences across states and between grade levels, readers should keep in mind that states vary in their criteria for which EL students are included in this reporting and in the accommodations provided for EL test takers. These differences can affect outcomes. ⁴ Additionally, it is important to remember that the EL population is dynamic: Students who attain English proficiency are reclassified as non-EL, and those who remain classified as EL over time are more likely to be low-performing. ⁵

The charts are interactive. Hover over or click on chart elements to learn more about specific data points, and where they appear; use buttons to filter charts by grade.

Proficiency on Educational Assessments

At least once every two years since 2003, samples of fourth- and eighth-grade students from across the nation take the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in reading and mathematics. The assessments are administered the same way across the nation and use the same test booklets. Thus, NAEP results provide a common measure of performance across states and a set of urban districts. Nationally, 14 percent of ELs in grade 4 were at or above proficient in mathematics and 9 percent were at or above proficient in reading on the 2017 NAEP. b, 6 A smaller percentage of ELs were at or above proficient in reading and mathematics in grade 8. For each grade and subject, ELs were far behind the proficiency rates of non-ELs. For example, while one-third of non-ELs were proficient in mathematics in grade 8, just 6 percent of ELs attained this level. Although EL performance on NAEP mathematics and reading assessments has improved overall since 2000, more recent years have shown little change for ELs and non-ELs alike. ⁷

The analyses below use state-level NAEP assessment data to show changes in EL proficiency rates in grade 4 and 8 mathematics and reading since 2009. Additional analyses present EL proficiency rates in reading and mathematics in the 27 school districts that participated in NAEP's Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) in 2017. Since the percentage of ELs is generally higher in urban districts, analyzing the proficiency rates in these districts may provide insights into the performance of ELs in districts with higher concentrations of ELs. ⁸ Note that the number of urban districts invited to voluntarily participate in the TUDA assessment has changed over time.

NAEP provides a common academic metric across states and a set of urban school districts; however, interpreting EL performance differences across states is complex, and comparisons should be made with caution. State inclusion criteria and testing accommodations for ELs vary. ⁹ In addition, NAEP EL proficiency data were not available for a number of states. In these states the sample of tested EL students was too small to produce statistically reliable estimates and therefore reflects a "reporting standards not met." States that did not meet NAEP reporting standards in one or both years examined (2009 and 2017) are classified in this data story as "Change not available." c

Change in proficiency rates over time

At the national level, there were small increases in the percentage of ELs reaching proficiency in grade 4 and grade 8 mathematics between 2009 and 2017. This percentage increased by 2 percentage points in grade 4 mathematics (from 12 to 14 percent) and by 1 percentage point in grade 8 mathematics (from 5 to 6 percent). ¹⁰ However, the state-level data reveal considerable variation in changes in EL proficiency rates in mathematics over time. For example, 14 states saw a sizeable decrease (more than 5 percentage points) in the percentage of ELs proficient in grade 4 mathematics. Among these states, five states experienced a decrease of more than 10 percentage points, with Kentucky experiencing the largest decrease (-16.5 percentage points). Four states saw the percentage of ELs who were proficient increase by at least 5 percentage points, with Indiana experiencing the largest increase (11.7 percentage points).

EL proficiency rates in grade 8 mathematics over time were available for fewer states. While 10 states experienced essentially no change (a change between plus or minus 1 percentage point), five states experienced a sizeable decrease. Indiana experienced an increase of more than 5 percentage points.

Similar to mathematics, the percentage of ELs proficient in grade 4 and grade 8 reading increased somewhat over time when looking at the nation as a whole, but there was more variation by state. Overall, the percentage of ELs proficient in reading rose by 3 percentage points in grade 4 (from 6 percent to 9 percent) and by 2 percentage points in grade 8 (from 3 percent to 5 percent). ¹¹

However, in contrast to mathematics, fewer states experienced a sizeable decrease (more than 5 percentage points) in grade 4 reading (four states compared with 14 in mathematics). As in mathematics, four states saw an increase of more than 5 percentage points in grade 4 reading, with Ohio experiencing the largest gain of 16.5 percentage points.

About half the states had available grade 8 reading data for 2009 and 2017. Only Virginia experienced a sizeable decrease, and two states experienced an increase of more than 5 percentage points, including Kansas, which had the largest increase of 11 percent.

Proficiency rates by district

The four urban districts in Texas (Dallas, Austin, Houston, and Fort Worth) had more than 20 percent of ELs proficient in grade 4 mathematics in 2017. The EL proficiency rates for these districts were far above the national percentage of 14 percent. Boston, Miami Dade, and Hillsborough County (Florida) also had higher EL proficiency rates than the national rate. d As with the state-level data, urban district EL proficiency rates in grade 8 mathematics were lower than in grade 4. Of the two districts that exceeded the national EL proficiency rate in grade 8 mathematics, only Dallas had more than 10 percent of ELs who were proficient.

Nationally, the EL proficiency rate in grade 4 reading (9 percent) was lower than in mathematics (14 percent).With few exceptions, this was also true for each urban district that participated in the NAEP TUDA in 2017. Seven districts had a fourth-grade EL proficiency rate in reading greater than the national rate (Boston, Austin, Fort Worth, Denver, San Diego, Dallas, and Cleveland). Four districts had an eighth-grade EL proficiency rate in reading above the national rate (Detroit, Dallas, Denver, and Hillsborough County).

Graduation Rates

In 2015-16, 84 percent of students nationwide graduated from high school on time (in four years, and accounting for transfers a). For ELs the rate was 67 percent, up from 57 percent in 2010-11, but well below the rate for non-ELs (85 percent). ¹² This difference in the graduation rates is especially concerning because we know that those without a high school diploma experience lower earnings and higher unemployment than those with a diploma.

The analyses below use four-year cohort graduation rate data to examine the rate at which ELs graduated from high school within four years compared with their non-EL peers, and how the graduation rate for ELs has changed over time. Because graduation requirements differ across states and states use different inclusion criteria for their EL cohorts, differences in graduation rates should be interpreted with caution.

In 2015-16, there were six states in which less than half of ELs graduated from high school on time. In these states, the EL graduation rate was between 34 and 48 percentage points lower than the graduation rate for non-ELs. Overall, state EL graduation rates varied from a low of 32 percent (Arizona) to a high of 93 percent (West Virginia).

Nationally, the EL graduation rate increased 10 percentage points from 2010-11 to 2015-16. In 31 states, the graduation rate of ELs was at least 5 points higher in 2015-16 than in 2010-11. In California and Texas - the two states with the largest EL populations - the graduation rate increased by more than 10 percentage points.

Wrap Up

Proficiency in core academic subjects such as reading and mathematics is a key indicator that students are learning what is expected at their grade level. A high school diploma demonstrates students' readiness for postsecondary activities and can lead to more successful employment outcomes than without a diploma. ¹³ While ELs have experienced some small gains in reading and mathematics proficiency nationally as well as increases in on-time high school graduation rates, their performance still lags far behind their non-EL peers.

This story map suggests that national gains in proficiency and graduation rates for ELs smooth out state-level variations. For example, about the same number of states experienced an increase as experienced a decrease in EL proficiency rates in grade 4 reading. Also, while many states experienced an increase in graduation rates from 2010-11 to 2015-16, the increase was not always in a straight line.

Moreover, drawing conclusions about EL performance only from national trends may misrepresent what is happening at the district level. Data from selected urban districts suggested wide variation in EL proficiency rates, with ELs in some districts performing at rates considerably higher or lower than the national rate.

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Academic Performance and Outcomes for English Learners

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This story map presents the most recent data on EL proficiency for states and selected urban school districts. It also provides state-level EL high school graduation rates and insights into changes in EL graduation and proficiency rates over time.

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DOE - Our Nations English Language Learners 

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DOE - Our Nations English Language Learners 

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The Department of Education Resource, Our Nation's ELLs, is another great resource for teachers to explore the statistics of EL students in their states. Through interactive maps and charts it showcases data about EL students that can help educators account for the EL students in their districts. EL students come from a diverse variety of background and therefore have diverse native languages. Each language and culture will have unique differences that are important for educators to be well versed on, so it is important to be aware of the demographics of your classroom, district, state, and nation.

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For many EL students understanding abstract or new concepts in their non native language can be difficult so incorporation of visuals, drawings, and symbols are a great way to facilitate their learning. Visual aids provide a secondary non verbal explanation to support learners struggling with the language demands of a concept. This article provides some great examples for all subjects on were educators can throw in visual aids to support their students and why visual aids are such a great tool for teachers.

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Visual aids are an item of illustration. Visual aids can be in the form of films, slides, modeling, poster, graphic organizers, etc. Visual aids are designed to supplement written or spoken information so it can be understood more easily.

"Using visual facilitation and pre-drawn flip charts not only helps draw in learners, but it makes it easier for students to remember the concepts they've just learned. The simple pictures and words about the topic offer an easy way for people to link the concept to the picture," (Stancampiano, 2013)
"Make lectures or presentations more compelling to the brain by using objects, photographs, slides, graphs, bulletin board displays, and color. Visuals are important for remembering information. Change things up: use vivid posters, drawings, videos, and other ways to grab attention," (Jensen, 2008, pg. 104).

Why visual aids are helpful to ELL students

Visual aids used in the classroom are essential for English language learners. Visual aids provide a different form of explanation, and provides the students with information that they may not have understood if it was presented to them in written or spoken form. If a student cannot read or understand spoken English, drawings, videos in their native language, graphs etc. help the students immensely in learning the content that is presented to them.

​"Providing a model as the students are taken through the task verbally eliminated ambiguity and gives the messaging in more than one way. Students are then able to complete the rest of the worksheet," (Eehevarria, Vogt, Short, 2010, pg. 102)
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"ELL's often have difficulty processing auditory information and so instruction that is supported with visual clues is more beneficial to them. Web sites, magazines, commercial photos, and hand drawing can provide visual support for a wide variety of content. Many teachers also use whiteboards, PowerPoint slides, or smart boards to help provide additional visuals," (Nieto & Bode, 2008, pg. 42).

During your reading instruction visual aids can be a helpful tool to use for your ELLs. A visual aid such as an anchor chart can provide assistance to for ELLS if they are unsure of a specific word. Last year, I used an anchor chart during an interactive read aloud of the story "Mean Jean." The students each received a star and wrote one internal and one external personality trait of the character in the story. Using visual aids deepens the connection of learning.

Visual Aids In Mathamatics

The use of visual aids in a math classroom should capture the students attention, and get them interested in the concepts that will be taught. The best visual aid that could be used in math would be manipulatives. By using real objects the students can visually see, and be hands on with the concept that is being taught. The visual aids used in a math class should be appropriate for the lesson, and communicate the message that they teacher wants to convey.

"All students can benefit from using visual representations, although struggling students may require additional, focused support and practice. Visual representations are a powerful way for students to access abstract mathematical ideas," (Zorfass & Han, 2014)

References

Echevarria, J., Vogt, M., & Short, D. J. (2010). Making Content Comprehensible for Elementary English Learners The SIOP Model. Pearson.​

Stancampiano, J. (2013, March 1). Benefits of Visual Facilitation in the classroom. Retrieved from
https://www.trainingindustry.com/content-development/articles/
the-benefits-of-visual-facilitation-in-the-classroom.aspx

Zorfass, J., & Han, A. (2014). Using Visual Representation in Mathematics. Retrieved from
http://www.ldonline.org/article/61885/

Visual Aids In social Studies

While teaching social studies to English Language Learners could produce special challenges for them. ELL's sometimes need additional support/materials to understand content. Visuals make excellent learning tools for all students, especially ELL's. Some examples of visual aids you can use in social studies would be; photographs, graphs, maps, globes, charts, timelines, and venn diagrams.

Visual Aids in Science

The use of visual aids in a science classroom should engage the students and capture their attention. The best visual aid that could be used in science would be visuals of animals, the periodic table, and visuals that would be related to the content being taught. Another form of visual aids that could be used in a science classroom would be manipulative, or hands on materials. This way students can see how the content is being taught, and can communicate the message in a different way so that all students can learn the content in a way that makes sense to them.

Watch this quick video below to learn why the use of visual aids in your classroom is a proficient strategy to teaching your ELLS.

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Visual aids are an item of illustration. Visual aids can be in the form of films, slides, modeling, poster, graphic organizers, etc. Visual aids are designed to supplement written or spoken...

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Understanding Cultural Competence - ft. Gloria Ladson Billings 

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Understanding Cultural Competence - ft. Gloria Ladson Billings 

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Culture is dynamic, constantly changing, and complex. It is important for educators to learn the nuances of different cultures. This YouTube video by Tolentino Teaching highlight the literature by Gloria Ladson-Billings that addresses the conflicts and misconceptions that often exist in regards to culture in the classroom. It focuses and defines the idea of cultural competence which is defined as the ability to understand, interact, and appreciate cultures or beliefs different than your own.

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Part of being a teacher is becoming a lifelong learner. Keeping up to date on new literature and pedagogy is what makes a good teacher. There are ample opportunities for professional development that can enrich your teaching. Being active in the community, collaborating with other professionals, reading literature, and attending events and conventions are all ways to continue to be the best teacher you can be for any student who walks into your classroom.

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Finding strategies to support the needs of EL students are really important as they will need additional supports and resources to support their language demands. There is not just single strategy that will support all their needs so it is important for educators to incorporate all these different tools and techniques to help students progress in content and language proficiency.

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Making room for connection to culture in your classroom cultivates a safe and more learning conducive environment for students. In creating these connections between culture and curriculum educators can better help students relate and draw personal connections to content. Overall making content more meaningful and applicable to their lives. For EL students specifically, bringing their culture into the classroom helps them make connections to their prior knowledge from their native languages and can help them build upon things they may already be familiar with. It also provides opportunities for non EL students to learn new things about other cultures.

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As the demographics of our school systems and country are rapidly changing it is important to address how that impacts the culture of school and the classroom. School were originally designed with one student in mind: white males. As times have changed so has the population of students in our school systems. With this in mind it is important for teachers to address, recognize, and platform the different cultures in the classroom so that students can learn from a multidimensional story.

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Understanding the student demographics in your classroom, district, state, and nation better help prepare educators for what to expect each year. Identifying and then learning about different cultures enriches the learning experience not only for students but also for educators.