Breaking Through Barriers To Language Acquisition
February 2011-This month’s newsletter will present material in video format
ELL Teacher Pros Newsletter February, 2011
Our school populations are changing. ELLs used to be the population that went unattended for the most part. Accountability was largely absent. New teachers fresh out of college or veterans who had lost their original positions made up much of the teaching pool for ESL/ELD teaching slots.
Well now ELLs are in many mainstream class in the U.S. This has led to the need for teachers to think “outside the box” in devising techniques that will make content accessible at whatever level of English they have as well as build language skills.
How can this feat be pulled off without losing one’s hair? DIFFERENTIATION supported by TECHNOLOGY may be the answer.
This month’s newsletter will present material in video format:. The first one will provide you with a new look at differentiation. Each clip is short, but powerful. (They could easily be used as an intro to a staff meeting with ease—they are exciting in their presentation as well as humorous thereby offering quite a bit of potential for discussion afterwards).
After the introduction/review of what differentiation actually is, I have another video which shows you DIFFERENTIATION in action in an algebra class. Notice the many activities going on in the class with the teacher facilitating wherever necessary while each group works in a style that suits each member and at a pace that they feel comfortable with. How many of us have such settings and support? For me, it is something I strive for and continue to develop. After all, I want my students to know that all things are possible if they try. To make this happen, I need to make sure they know that success is possible in their own way with my guidance. The following video provides an overview differentiation for ELLs and GATE (who may also be ELLs). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4TDYywOnco
Now, what does differentiation actually look like in a real classroom? Watch this algebra class. Notice the many learning centers and the movement of the teacher from group to group as needed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU25gNc024I Differentiated Instruction (Literally meaning NO child left behind).
The next three videos look at the changing classroom over the last 60 years. Though entertaining and slick in their deliveries, they hit a nerve. Outdated strategies and technologies will cause America to lose its edge in creativity and leave our young people in a situation where they won’t be able to compete in our global community. The world is changing and to be competitive, we have to make sure that we do our best to prepare our students (ELLs especially) to enter it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mirxkzkxuf4 A Vision for 21st Century Learning
http://youtu.be/ShbWZ29jJdg Changing Classroom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnh9q_cQcUE Education Today and Tomorrow
Please give us your feedback on the videos. We DO pay attention to comments.
Also, we are happy to announce that ELL Teacher Pros is now on FACEBOOK and TWITTER. Please visit us and become a friend. In addition to that, we are in the process of building a rating system into our reference section. Sites that you really enjoy, we will highlight on the home page for all the world to see.
Denise, Cheryl, and Marnie
www.ellteacherpros.com (over 19,000 readers from over 70 countries and growing)
www.teachingsuccesseswithells.blogspot.com (1500 followers to date from all around the world)
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