Technology has the potential to improve student capacity to learn in new and exciting ways that promote interactivity and deeper understanding of a given topic. In a survey of K-12 Technology newsletter readers, we explored what types of technology tools are currently in use and for what purposes.
You have a new student, and he speaks no English. His family has just moved to your town from Japan, and although he receives English as a second language (ESL) support, he is also in your classroom every day so he will have more exposure to his new language. How can you be an effective teacher to this student?
Three educators of English learners offer 12 strategies that regular classroom teachers can use to improve instruction for their EL students. The strategies are simple to implement; they take little time to carry out; and best of all, they will help all students to learn.
Try these resources as you implement some of the suggested strategies.
Project-based learning (PBL) is a topic many teachers are interested in, but are unsure of how to implement or understand if it is working. Long before my Epic Romeo and Juliet Project, the first major project I created was during my student teaching 10 years ago. I thought it would be a great idea to hold a mock trial in my class after reading Huck Finn. I wanted students to put Mark Twain on trial for being a racist. At the time, there was some uproar across the nation on whether or not Huck should be taught in schools. We had discussed the topic in class and I thought this would be an engaging way for students to explore both sides of the issue and make up their minds.
Innovating Worthy Projects Foundation provides financial grants for structuring, developing, or modifying special-needs children’s programs of organizations recognized as 501(c)(3) charities by the US Internal Revenue Service.
Every March the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) hosts a Poetry Tournament. The idea is to create a basketball-tournament pairing chart like the NCAA does each year in March but using poetry, and to determine a final winner by reading the poems.
