Description
Although students from non-English speaking countries amaze us with how quickly they “pick up” English, there is usually a lag between their ability to handle conversational language and academic language. This professional development course is designed to provide an overview of the educational needs of English Learners and the responsibilities of educators to English Learners. The course will guide participants as they develop content knowledge and skills for setting high – yet realistic – expectations for English Learners’ progress toward language proficiency and content mastery.
Course Outline
Week 1: Student Orientation
Week 2: Foundational Knowledge
Week 3: How is language learned?
Week 4: How do districts and schools provide services to their English Learners?
Week 5: Putting what we know about English Learners and Language Acquisition to Work in the Classroom
Week 6: Teaching Content and Building Academic English – at the same time
Week 7: Next Steps
Prerequisites
This is an intermediate level course for teachers, literacy coaches, curriculum specialists, professional development specialists, or other school personnel. Participants are expected to have regular access to computers with Internet access. In addition, participants should be proficient with browsing the Internet, uploading and downloading content, navigating to computer files, and with using word processing software, email, and attachments.
Required Materials
All materials in this course are the property of the South Carolina Department of Education Office of VirtualSC PD. All course materials needed/required for the workshop are available online.