I am bringing you a series of episodes … 3 simple accommodations every classroom teacher can make to reach ELs, even newcomers. They are very targeted and easily digestible so that the tips you hear today and in the previous and coming episodes, you can implement right in your next lesson. We have identified 3 very simple, yet extremely effective accommodations that any teacher can include in any lesson, so that the lesson becomes more accessible to our English learners. Last week, we talked ...
Nov 12, 2024
17 min
How can I help an English learner in a regular education classroom? This question is right there at the top of all questions asked by teachers along with what to teach EL newcomers. We all know that teaching is complicated and consists of a lot of moving parts that are sometimes hard to juggle. And since my mission is to bring you EL teaching tips in a practical and digestible way, so you can implement them in your next lesson, let's talk about what teachers can do to reach ELs, even newcomer...
Oct 29, 2024
14 min
Let's talk about translation in the world of multilingual teaching. It is a bigger topic and covers both the translation of materials in the classroom and translation of school communication with EL families. Today, I wanted to focus on the other side of translation, namely best practices for communicating with EL families of our students who do not speak or understand English, but with whom we need to keep in touch. In this episode, I will review the laws and requirements that the schools mu...
Oct 22, 2024
19 min
I work closely with content area teachers, and I frequently receive questions from them about how they can help English learners in their classroom. The questions about teaching ELs, frankly, are the same every year. How to help a newcomer? How to assess EL students in the classroom? What activities work well with ELs, especially those at lower proficiency levels? How to engage students, and so on. It is interesting because I wanted to know if there are any other questions that EL teache...
Sep 17, 2024
25 min
Teaching grammar can be a topic that raises many questions for teachers of English learners, but it doesn't have to be. And as we discussed last week about how to teach grammar to younger English learners, we talked about strategies that work with that age group and answered questions about why we need to teach grammar in general. Today, I wanted to share how you can incorporate effective and meaningful ways to teach grammar to English learners who are teenagers and adults.Show Notes:Episode ...
Sep 10, 2024
14 min
Whether you teach young English learners or teenagers and even adults, teaching in language involves teaching the grammar of that language. At the same time, it raises many questions for us. What is grammar exactly? Do we need to teach grammar explicitly when working with English learners in English speaking settings? Or do we let the students absorb it through content? If we do teach explicitly, do we have them practice with worksheets or are there any other ways that would make it stick bet...
Sep 3, 2024
14 min
Today we're diving into a crucial topic for every ESL teacher as we approach a new school year—how to set the stage for success during the first five days in the ESL classroom. In this episode, we'll explore essential strategies for building trust, setting expectations, understanding student backgrounds, establishing routines, introducing content, and fostering a positive classroom community. Whether you're a new or veteran teacher, these insights will help you create a welcoming and effectiv...
Aug 27, 2024
20 min
Recently, I talked about the roles of the EL teacher, what our jobs entail, and how we can explain, in short, about what we do to our colleagues and administrators. Today, I wanted to go a step further and talk about a mission statement. This short, clear statement packs so much information and might be just the ticket for EL teachers and departments to feel seen and heard. In this episode, I will talk about why it is important to have a mission statement for your EL program and 3 steps to cr...
Aug 20, 2024
13 min
With the new school year kicking off, energy is buzzing through the hallways as teachers set up their classrooms and dive into mandatory trainings. Today, we’re addressing a fundamental question: Why should schools consider hiring outside educational consultants for English Learner (EL) professional development, especially when they already have in-house EL specialists?In this episode, we’ll explore three reasons why bringing in an external EL educational consultant can significantly benefit ...
Aug 13, 2024
12 min
With the number of English learners constantly rising and permeating not only large urban areas but also spreading into suburbs and rural towns, there's a serious need for all involved in the education of those English learners to understand the role of an ESL, ELL teacher in their district. This podcast episode was inspired by observations of both the mainstream teacher and EL teacher perspectives. So today, we will dive into the 4 major roles that an EL teacher brings to the school and why ...
Aug 6, 2024
16 min
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