Strategies for Teachers of English-Language Learners
~Alliance for Excellent Eduction
~Teaching Channel
~Teaching Channel
Vocabulary and Language Development
Teachers should introduce new topics by discussing the vocabulary words related to that topic with students.
Guided Interaction
Teachers should design their lessons so that students learn content by working together.
Metacognition and Authentic Assessment
Instead of requiring students to memorize material, teachers should model and explicitly teach thinking skills that are necessary for learning new skills. Teachers should use a variety of activities to check for students' understanding.
Explicit Instruction
Explicit instruction is the direct teaching of concepts such as teaching academic language or reading strategies.
Meaning-Based Context and Universal Themes
Connect students' personal lives to academic concepts.
Modeling, Graphic Organizers, and Visuals
The use of visual aids such as pictures, diagraphs, and charts to make content more accessible to students.
Background Knowledge
It is helpful for students when teachers provide students with background knowledge about a topic to be discussed in class. This activates students' existing knowledge about a topic while increasing their interest. Furthermore, this allows students to bridge new knowledge to old knowledge, which increases understanding.