Hi and welcome to the Course Overview for Best Practices in English Learner Instruction.
As a nation of immigrants, it’s no surprise that meeting the unique needs of English Learners
today is a key issue in education. Many states welcome EL students in high numbers, and so
now include language acquisition theory in their teacher certification programs.
But theory is never enough and many teachers, both novice and veteran, face significant
challenges as student population shifts bring new types of learners into their classrooms.
To help bridge the gap between theory and practical application, we’ve crafted this
six week course to help teachers focus on how to best support EL learners in their classrooms
with hands-on strategies they can use immediately. Our modules are practice-focused, research-based,
and FUN!
We know teachers are busy so we offer this course online. Each week the content is delivered
in short videos, web links and articles grouped around key concepts that are essential to
quality EL instruction. It’s an asynchronous model so teachers can access the content 24/7.
But it’s not an independent study or self-paced model. It’s instructor led and interactive
to facilitate the development of a positive and collegial learning community.
Learning online can seem like a solitary endeavor and that’s why we think it’s so important
to connect our online learners through weekly discussion postings that inspire dialogue
about real experiences. Personal Reflection Assignments lay the foundation for an ongoing
personal conversation with the instructor. And just like in any quality classroom environment,
learning is personalized through specific feedback and individualized support as needed
to ensure success.
Teachers will work in Partner Teams for the length of the course producing WikiProjects
that apply their learning to a project-based scenario. For instance, in Module 1 they’ll
work together to develop detailed student profiles for specific EL students. In Module
2 they’ll look at issues like classroom environment and parent communication. In Module
3, they’ll determine what needs the language testing indicates for their students and in
Module 4 they’ll use Backwards Design Models to create an original 3 Day Project.
Module 5 will invite them to dig further into specific instructional strategies to meet
the needs of their individual EL students. By Module 6 they’ll demonstrate their mastery
through effective feedback to their colleagues and in their final Presentation of Learning.
Please take a few moments to explore our course. We’ve included Module 1 here, in its entirety,
to provide you with a real sense of what the course feels like for the learner. The pages
are organized sequentially down the left column making navigation easy but you can also access
things like the Discussion Boards, Dropbox and Wiki-Projects by clicking the tabs across
the top.
Thank you for taking the time to view this video and we look forward to working with
you.
