Mod 2 Discussion: What the Research Means to Me

One of the biggest challenges I have teaching ELA and Journalism to ELL students is that they often lack the cultural and in some cases the foundational context for exploring some of the ideas relevant to the classwork we are focused on. Allowing ELL students extended time to master their native language, WHILE taking classes that focus on specific content (science, math, history, etc.) can help bridge these gaps, especially if the teachers in the content areas provide the teacher(s) in the bilingual class the relevant “content” material. Naturally, this means that all the teachers working with ELLstudents need to be on the same page with the same requisite training in how to effectively work with ELL students.