AESAP

Learning in a second language is not an easy task. Practically every school district across Virginia and the United States has seen an increase in the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) who must learn to speak and read English to be successful in our society. The scenarios we present here represent some of the basic challenges those students and their teachers face, based on a survey of practicing teachers. We invite you to propose strategies and compare your ideas to those recommended by a team of English for Speakers of Other Language (ESOL) experts and successful practitioners.

Although we recognize that each student is a unique individual, each of the scenarios here focuses on a challenge that is frequently encountered by teachers working with ELLs. How can you communicate with a student who doesn't speak much English? How can you help a person new to our culture adjust to our schools? What about the ELL parents? What if the student isn't making much progress? Watch these videos, consider the questions and write your answers. Then, compare your responses to answers proposed by our experts.