Teaching K-8 English Learners Literacy & Academic Content

“If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”

-Ignacio Estrada

 

 During the Fall semester of 2020 (my sophomore year), I enrolled in a free non-credit course through the Friday Institute called, “Teaching K-8 English Learners Literacy & Academic Content”. The goal of this course was to provide teachers of any subject with recommendations for teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) academic content and reading/writing skills. I watched videos and engaged in discussions related to teaching a classroom of elementary school students consisting of ELLs. I learned many skills that include introducing vocabulary, grouping students to aid their oral language and critical thinking, teaching written language skills, and scaffolding student project work. 

Even though this course is specifically designed for teaching ELLs, I found that the information we learned would be helpful for any student struggling in literacy, ESL or non-ESL. In this class I learned that English language instruction can easily be paired alongside regular academic instruction which is beneficial to helping all students communicate their thoughts orally or on paper. I also learned the benefits of ESL students learning and completing activities in pairs or small groups. I am still unsure if I would like to be a mainstream teacher or an ESL teacher after graduation, but regardless of what I decide, I feel that this class prepared me to work with ELLs in any setting.

I will be using this course as an engagement experience under the Cross Cultural Skills theme for the Passport to Success program.