Dual Language Learners Webinar

This morning I participated in a webinar hosted by Dr. Jennifer J. Chen, it was called "Diverse Strategies for Communicating with Dual Language Learners." I wanted to participate in this webinar specifically because I will be co-teaching this year and wanted to find more ways to teach my ELD students. Co-teaching is when the ELD teacher comes into the general education classroom and teaches with the gen. ed teacher. The original model consists of the ELD students being pulled out of their regular classroom and attending a small group with all ELD students. With co-teaching, they are able to stay with their classmates and receive the same instruction as everyone else, with guided support from the ELD teacher. I enjoyed listening to Dr. Chen's tips and noticed that my school implements a lot of them already. Visuals was something Dr. Chen touched on quite a bit. I think it's extremely important to have visuals in the classroom for all students to see, but especially the ELD students. One thing I strongly agree with that she suggested was pairing a student who is unfamiliar with English with another student who speaks the same home language. It alleviates some of the stress the student may feel, and allows them to communicate with you through another peer. One thing I learned from this webinar is responding to students that have not been able to successfully connect all parts of a sentence when speaking to someone. Dr. Chen used the example of "I play." She suggested recognizing what the student is attempting to say and respond with: "Oh, you would like to play with those blocks. Let's say 'I would like to play with those blocks.'" I always wondered if I was making the student feel uncomfortable by correcting them, but according to Dr. Chen it is important for their language acquisition to hear it spoken correctly. I enjoyed listening to Dr. Chen's webinar and hope to catch another one soon.