Teaching and Learning ESL

When it comes to teaching and learning English as a Second Language, all of us are at different stages of mastery. My teaching philosophy is based in a growth mindset. While our goal is to achieve mastery of the English language, we also must acknowledge that there is never a point where we will stop our language learning. Even I, as an English teacher, learn new words, grammar rules, and writing techniques every day. In fact, I spend most of my free time reading and listening to content in English and Spanish, as well as writing and producing my own content. 

 

In my class, we will work toward a greater mastery of the English language through intentional practice with the four language domains: listening, reading, speaking and writing. Through these domains we will grow both our receptive and productive English. We will also spend time preparing for the WIDA exam, which will come in the spring. Just like any exam, for example the SAT or the ACT, learning how to best approach, take and improve on the WIDA exam is a skill that must be learned. By setting goals, studying the exam format, and working on practice problems we will improve our scores and maybe even move to the next level of language acquisition! Furthermore, at the school level, I will work closely with all my students' teachers to help implement classroom strategies that best serve our multilingual learner population, these strategies may help alleviate any language barriers, as well as highlight the assets that being multilingual brings to learning.