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Very few gestures are universally understood and interpreted. What is perfectly acceptable in the United States may be rude, or even obscene, in other cultures. It is important for mainstream teachers to understand how the gestures they use unconsciously may be misunderstood. This activity allows participants to look a little closer at how body language might be interpreted by English Language ...

The most frequently asked question of ESL professionals by mainstream teachers, administrators, and even politicians concerns how long it should take English language learners to acquire English. The Research How long does it take to learn English? How long should students receive support in language? These are the most frequently asked questions by administrators, school board members and classroom teachers. The ...

Your English language learners should be developing thinking skills as they acquire English. Dust off your copy of Bloom's Taxonomy and ask questions from all levels. There are activities that ELLs can do on every level. h4. Thinking Skills and English language learners English language learners should be asked critical thinking questions from all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Some of the ...

_Discover how you can alleviate many newcomers' fears by creating an atmosphere of acceptance and welcome in all of your classes._ ESL and classroom teachers can alleviate many of the newcomers' fears by creating a language-nurturing environment in their classes. The first weeks are crucial. A good relationship with classroom teacher and classmates will provide a great deal of the help ...

Diversity is growing within the US and its schools. Some states such as California, Texas, New York, and Arizona have large numbers of Limited English Proficient (LEP) or English Language Learner (ELL) students matriculating each year. Many of these students were born in the US, but are nevertheless learning English as a second language. ELL student drop-out rates are particularly ...

Put any five of the following tips into practice and your English language learners will benefit from the improved instruction. Do you want to create an effective learning environment for your English language learners? Pick five ideas that you have never tried from the list below and implement them in your content area or mainstream classroom. You will be surprised to ...

Hold a meeting for the parents of your English language learners to help them learn about your school. If you want to involve parents in their children's education, you need to find some common ground. As ESL professionals we believe in acculturation, not assimilation. Although we advocate for our students and their parents, we also want them to do things our ...

Imagine entering your educational pipeline, not understanding a single word uttered by the teacher in front of the classroom. Listening to classmates having conversations that you can't participate in. Attending a school district where dozens of languages can be heard in the hallways of a particular school. In a growing number of school districts across the nation, these imaginary situations are ...

Do you want to help classroom teachers in your school with their English language learners? Begin by understanding the challenges ELLs face in their content area learning. At TESOL in Baltimore I was co-presenter of a PCI entitled Helping Mainstream Teachers in Content Area Classes. The participants came with a wealth of ideas which I promised to gather together in an ...

Teaching summer school is often a challenge because the range of English language ability and grade levels in a single class can be very broad. You may find yourself with a mix of students who are not literate in native language with those who are. Second graders may be placed with 5th graders; non-English speakers with intermediate English language learners. In ...