Using E-Books to Acquire Foundational Academic Vocabulary

2017 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 88-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew L. Love ◽  
Tracy G. Spies ◽  
Joseph J. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Content Area ◽  
Content Standards ◽  
Academic Vocabulary ◽  
Academic Challenges ◽  
Language Needs ◽  
Based Instruction

Secondary students identified as English language learners or with learning disabilities present diverse vocabulary and academic challenges related to their exceptional language needs. Limited academic vocabulary may hinder students in accessing academic content and serve as a barrier to achievement. The literature has documented the use of multimedia-delivered instruction as a support in the development of content area academic vocabulary. One such tool, electronic books (i.e., e-books), can be an effective multimedia resource used to supplement standards-based instruction and preteach content area vocabulary specifically designed for students with exceptional language needs. This article describes methods for analyzing content standards and developing differentiated e-books to preteach academic vocabulary to support students with exceptional language needs in acquiring foundational academic vocabulary. The selection and use of specific tools based on students’ academic and linguistic needs will also be illustrated.

scholarly journals Helping Preservice Content-Area Teachers Relate to English Language Learners: An Investigation of Attitudes and Beliefs

2007 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eleni Pappamihiel
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Immigrant Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Content Area ◽  
Attitudes And Beliefs ◽  
Content Area Teachers ◽  
Safe Learning Environment

In the United States and Canada, as in many other countries, it has become common for teachers not specifically trained in English as a second language (ESL) to have immigrant and minority language students in their classrooms. These students, who are generally learning English along with the culture of their new countries, present many challenges for their teachers, who are often not appropriately trained to meet their needs. Often teachers of mathematics, science, and other content-area courses feel less than prepared for these students and lack the skills needed to accommodate instruction to their unique needs. In addition, these same teachers often harbor attitudes and beliefs about immigrant students that are not conducive to the development of a safe learning environment and are difficult to alter. This article describes how a community-based service-learning project (CBSL) was used to begin to investigate the attitudes and beliefs of preservice content-area teachers toward English language learners (ELLs). In this study many participants exhibited some level of change in their attitudes about working with ELLs.

Testing English language learners under No Child Left Behind

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Bunch
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Content Standards ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Grant Program ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Title Iii

Title III of Public Law 107-110 (No Child Left Behind; NCLB) provided for creation of assessments of English language learners (ELLs) and established, through the Enhanced Assessment Grant program, a platform from which four consortia of states developed ELL tests aligned to rigorous statewide content standards. Those four tests (ACCESS for ELLs, CELLA, ELDA, and MWA) are now in use in one or more states, along with a host of other commercially available or locally developed tests. The tests (those developed by consortia as well as the others) are quite similar in many ways, principally in their contents: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Most measure these domains with a combination of multiple-choice (MC) and open-ended (OE) test items. This article provides an overview to the four consortium-developed tests as well as an in-depth analysis of one representative example. It also provides a summary of the characteristics of four commercially available tests. Not surprisingly, the four commercially available tests are rather similar to one another and to the consortium-developed tests in terms of content, psychometric characteristics, and development. The primary difference between the two sets is that the commercially available tests tend to report percentile ranks as well as proficiency levels. Now that the Race to the Top program is in place, we face many of the same challenges we faced a decade ago when NCLB was passed. While the Enhanced Assessment Grant competition emphasized summative assessment, the latest competition emphasizes formative assessment, which gives rise to the hope that educators can not only discover students’ strengths and weaknesses with these new tests, but do so in a timely manner and have opportunities to use the information constructively. Current work by at least one organization is encouraging in this regard.

scholarly journals Challenging, eye-opening, and changing. U.S. teacher training in Korea: Creating experiences that will enhance global perspectives

2014 ◽  
pp. 67-87
Author(s):  
Kevin Oh ◽  
Natalie Nussli
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Teacher Training ◽  
Classroom Management ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Cultural Immersion ◽  
Global Perspectives ◽  
Eye Opening

This case study explored the short-term international experience of pre-service teachers to create and enhance global perspectives. These teachers (n=5), all female graduate students at a university in the U.S., were fully immersed in a foreign culture for three weeks while teaching English to primary and secondary students in Korea. Pre-, during-, and post-data were collected to investigate how the participants work and live while being completely immersed in a new culture. Eight themes emerged from the analysis of multiple qualitative instruments: (a) language barrier, (b) being the minority, (c) cultural differences and cultural shock, (d) student participation and teaching methods, (e) classroom management, (f) underestimation of English language learners, (g) finding confidence as a teacher and instructional flexibility, and (h) support systems. Overall, teachers expressed a transformation in both their teaching philosophy and cultural perspectives despite the short duration of the experience. They also reported that this linguistic and cultural immersion not only advanced their global perspective but also provided them with the necessary tools and understanding to work with diverse populations more emphatically and effectively. The findings suggest that additional teacher training is needed to increase pre-service teachers’ cultural competence and responsiveness to better address the needs of today’s diverse student populations.

scholarly journals Assessments and Accommodations for English Language Learners: A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidi Jo Bartlett
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Standardized Tests ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Literacy Skills ◽  
Content Area ◽  
Individual Student ◽  
High Stakes ◽  
Content Area Teachers ◽  
Classroom Assessments

While research in how English language learners (ELLs) use assessment accommodations is lacking, there are some general conclusions that one can draw. First, teachers must know their students’ abilities. This includes knowledge of their English proficiency, knowledge of their first language skills, especially as it pertains to literacy skills, and knowledge of their content area understanding. If teachers are aware of areas of weakness in students’ assessments, they should work to compensate for them by either changing their instruction or providing assessment accommodations. Second, it is important for teachers to recognize the various types of assessment accommodations that are available in their teaching situation. More vitally, teachers must be able to assign assessment accommodations appropriately to their students and know differences between ELL accommodations and Special Education accommodations. If accommodations are applied without regard to individual student differences, it can cause more harm to the assessment procedures and evaluations than benefits. Finally, there is a difference between high-stakes standardized tests and classroom assessments. While content-area teachers may have more freedom in modifying their classroom assessments, standardized tests are usually more constrained in their testing format and accommodations they are allowed to offer. Identifying gaps in research related to assessments for ELLs will benefit the field as content-area teachers continue to increase their work with students of diverse backgrounds.

An Analysis of Fully Synchronous Pandemic Secondary Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 250-268
Author(s):  
Mark Patrick Ryan
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Secondary Students ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Curriculum Design ◽  
English Language ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Virtual Learning Environment ◽  
Synchronous Learning

Twenty-one grades 6-12 students were interviewed to learn about their experiences participating in a fully synchronous virtual learning environment at a public charter school in California, USA. Students take seven 50-minute classes four days a week and seven 30-minute classes the fifth weekday using the Zoom platform and Google Classroom. One-third of participants were students with disabilities, one-third English language learners, and one-third possessed neither designation. This study identifies several themes regarding the benefits and drawbacks of an entirely synchronous learning experience for secondary students. The participants make recommendations for their general education, special education, and English language development teachers, including strategies to engage secondary students more effectively, assessment suggestions, curriculum design ideas, advice about organizing Google Classrooms in ways that are supportive of student needs, and exhortations about what teachers should not do when planning and implementing synchronous online learning.

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