Introduction to Teaching English Learners

This course is designed for early career teachers to learn about evaluating and incorporating technology into the classroom to engage students, especially English learners (ELs). Teachers face the challenging expectation of helping ELs achieve grade-level standards and to develop additional 21st century skills, including citizenship, collaboration, creativity, communication, character, and critical thinking. Selecting and utilizing appropriate, high-quality educational technology as part of the learning process can motivate students and facilitate academic success. Throughout the course, we will raise awareness of special linguistic, cultural, and pedagogical considerations for using educational technology with English learners. Teachers will apply best practices to select and use educational technology effectively, and evaluate online educational tools and resources for classroom adoption. Course participants will watch interviews with highly-experienced English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers who will share their personal experiences of utilizing technology to teach 21st century skills to English learners. Teachers will interact with peers in the educational field to discuss how to apply course concepts in their own teaching environment. Finally, course participants will receive practical, classroom-ready recommendations for helping ELs develop 21st century skills using technology. By participating in this course, teachers will increase their own digital literacy skills and be better prepared to serve the English learners in their classrooms through educational technology.

Culture and language are inextricably linked. As teachers, we are often faced with the challenge of teaching both language and elements of culture to our English learners. When these students join our classes, they come equipped with knowledge about their own culture, which may or may not have the same norms and values as the new one they find themselves in. It is not our job, as teachers, to prove that one culture is better than another. Instead, it’s our goal to understand how culture influences one’s identity, affirm our students’ identities in the classroom, and use best practices to teach intercultural communicative competence and promote acceptance and respect for those who are different from us. This course is designed for early career teachers (0-3 years of experience) to learn about the foundations of culture and the key role that culture plays in teaching English learners. You will also learn about the connection between language and culture and how to appropriately incorporate cultural topics into instruction. We will discuss how culture is an asset in the classroom and ways to celebrate diversity with students. Throughout this course, you will watch instructional videos and interviews with experienced teachers of English learners. You will read scholarly articles, participate in discussion boards, and complete assignments that will encourage you to think about your practices as a culturally responsive educator. Finally, you will complete this course with a treasure trove of practical tips for integrating culture into your classroom. By the end of this course, teachers will be better prepared to serve the English learners in their classrooms. They will be able to evaluate curriculum for cultural responsiveness, identify best practices for teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence, reflect on their own cultural background and how that may influence expectations for students, and create a lesson plan to teach cultural knowledge.