Pathways to Teaching Series: Practical Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

“Who is the English Language Learner?  How do I communicate with them?  How do I prepare them for standardized tests?  How do I teach them advanced reading skills when their vocabulary is so limited?” 

These are the questions raised by teachers facing the daunting task of teaching English Language Learners regular subject content in the general classroom.  The No Child Left Behind policy (2001) raises the accountability for all our students including English Language Learners.  This text is a concise and practical resource book that combines current research in English language learning with teaching application strategies for the preK-12th grade classroom.  The teaching strategies are research based, time tested, classroom proven, and they work.

Written for student teachers and experienced teachers new to English Language Learners, the author uses her own teaching experience in the Author Insight feature to offer practical suggestions.  Other unique features of the text are the Classroom Scenarios, that present authentic voices from the classroom that connect the scenario to the content of the chapter, Guiding Discussion Questions that follow each scenario stimulate talk and discussion and encourage teachers to become analytical and reflective, and Classroom Application Strategies provide teachers with practical, research ―based teaching strategies.

BCC for Curtin, Practical Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

ISBN-10:      013513059X ISBN-13: 9780135130599

This book is for student teachers, experienced teachers new to English Language Learners, beginning alternative route teachers, and “career changers” who find themselves grappling with how best to teach English Language Learners on-grade level subject content in the regular classroom setting.

Who is this English Language Learner?  How do I communicate with him/her? How do I prepare him/her for state standardized test? How do I teach them advanced reading skills when their vocabulary is so limited?

These are common concerns voiced by K-12 teachers as they express their inadequacies about teaching English Language Learners in the regular classroom.  This text is designed to help answer these questions by providing the necessary information and research-proven teaching strategies that are best for all learners including the English Language Learner.  The book addresses the specific role that regular classroom teachers now play in ensuring that English Language Learners are acquiring English through the content subject areas.

FEATURES FOR YOUR SUCCESS:

• Classroom Scenarios present readers with authentic voices from the classroom and actual classroom descriptions from practicing teachers representing a variety of cultural groups.  The scenarios connect with the content of the chapter and exemplify unique challenges faced by real teachers and students.
• Guiding Discussion Questions follow each classroom scenario and are designed to stimulate group discussion and personal reflection about what goes on in a classroom.
• Author Insight features share tips and suggestions from the author's own teaching experiences as well as those from other teachers in the field.  These tips offer practical suggestions about things to look for, ask, or do.
• What Research Tells Us section provides a clear, concise synopsis of current research in the field providing teachers with the theoretical rationale for the Classroom Application Strategies section that follows.  This research, contextualized within the parameters of No Child Left Behind (2001), will help prepare readers for state certification tests.
• Classroom Application Strategies section provides teachers with practical research-based teaching strategies that can be applied in K-12 classrooms.  Each strategy or combination of strategies is clearly explained for use in the classroom.  While many of these strategies are specific to teaching English Language Learners in the subject content areas, all strategies provided are extremely effective for all K-12 grade learners.