Working with ESL SpecialistsJenny Smith with Laura Varlas Working with English language learners can be a challenge for mainstream teachers.Most have little or no expertise in second language development or multicultural education;support and training, therefore, are invaluable.Schools all too often assume the ESL (English as a second language) teacher's responsibilityis simply to help English language learners complete their class assignments and homework or learn to read and write English in a pull-out program. ESL teachers are not seen as aninstructional resource or as in-class support for the mainstream teacher. Very littlemeaningful collaboration exists between them. A better approach would be to ask themainstream teacher and the ESL teacher to work together so the instruction Englishlanguage learners receive is coherent and reinforced by both teachers. Creating a CollaborationESL teachers are a valuable resource that many mainstream teachers overlook. With a background and expertise in second-language development, ESL teachers can identifywords and concepts that English language learners are likely to have trouble with in alesson. ESL teachers also use specific strategies with English language learners that caneasily translate to the mainstream classroom to the benefit of all students.Collaborations can occur in a variety of ways. The two educators can coteach, withthe mainstream teacher providing expertise in the subject matter and the ESL teacher offering strategies that ensure English language learners comprehend the content. ESL andmainstream teachers can also collaborate outside the classroom. One-on-one or teammeetings provide an effective format for addressing concerns and issues regarding specificstudents, with the ESL teacher offering suggestions and strategies. In this way, the ESLteacher can provide informal training for the mainstream teacher. In this scenario, however,the ESL teacher has no opportunity to model the strategies, as she does with a coteachingset up.If collaboration is not an option, at the very least teachers can consult with the ESL teacher about the needs of English language learners in their classroom and how to adaptcurriculum and instruction appropriately. The ESL teacher may also be a useful resource for communicating with parents of English language learners.
In Focus: Fairfax County's English Language Learner Program
Fairfax County (Virginia) Public Schools (FCPS) has a comprehensive and varied approach
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