Methods and Materials for Teaching New Language Learners I

Catalog description

The widespread presence of students growing with more than language in PK to third grade in American schools, posits many opportunities and challenges for all involved in the education of these young emergent bilinguals and multilinguals. Classroom teachers in particular face the daily practical demands imposed by curricula and learning standards on one hand, and a student population whose linguistic, economic, ethnic, and cultural diversity warrants instruction that is complex, dynamic, and effective, on the other. In consequence, today’s teachers must gain knowledge about instructional strategies proven effective to teach young emergent bilinguals and multilinguals, and be prepared to examine the implications of language and culture for the selection of materials and pedagogy. This course provides preservice and in-service teachers to critically consider the theoretical underpinnings and pedagogical rationale for a variety of teaching methods used to support successful learning for young linguistically diverse students, and to incorporate them into the practice of their own classroom.