Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Institution
Articles 1 - 13 of 13
Full-Text Articles in Education
Word Choice: A Neglected But Key Skill For Ell Writers, Kristin Lems
Word Choice: A Neglected But Key Skill For Ell Writers, Kristin Lems
Faculty Publications
With all of the urgent, critical issues confronting education in general, and literacy practices in particular, why write a column on something as obscure as word choice? Word choice (sometimes called vocabulary choice or diction) often drops to the bottom of the “To Do” list for English as a Second Language (ESL), English, bilingual, and language arts teachers. Even when teachers are able to focus on writing to begin with (writing development is often the first thing cut when lessons run over), teachers of English language learners (ELLs) are too preoccupied with teaching grammar, spelling, organization, syntax, genres, and building …
The Implications Of Integrating The Theory Of Multiple Intelligences Into English Language Learning Methodologies, Taylor Woodbury
The Implications Of Integrating The Theory Of Multiple Intelligences Into English Language Learning Methodologies, Taylor Woodbury
Education Theses
The achievement gap between English Language Learners and their peers has emerged as a problem in our nation's school system. Although the Theory of Multiple Intelligences has been used in education, it is not often applied to English Language Learners. This research analyzed the application of Multiple Intelligence Theory as it pertained to the achievement of EL’s. The results show that by using MI to dictate what teaching method to use, EL’s benefited both socio-emotionally and academically. Overall, the findings show the importance of 1) ESL training for all teachers, 2) the consideration of students' Funds of Knowledge, and 3) …
Black Lives Matter In Teaching English As A Second Language!, Kristin Lems
Black Lives Matter In Teaching English As A Second Language!, Kristin Lems
Faculty Publications
The Winter 2020 issue of theIllinois Reading Council Journal published a special issue focusing on “action for equity,” with thoughtful articles and abundant family and classroom resources. This issue of the “wELLcome”column, which is dedicated to topics regarding English language learners (ELLs), continues in that same vein. In this issue, we place the spotlight on ELLs of African descent, their teachers, and their schools.
Emperor Penguins, Dan Wu
Emperor Penguins, Dan Wu
ESL for Academic Purposes
The purpose of this unit is to develop students’ English skills and familiarize them with emperor penguins. The topic of the unit is about emperor penguins. Students will be able to learn the basic information of the species and its huddle behavior, incubating and parenting, as well as human impact on the species. The unit is designed for intermediate level ESL or EFL pre-academic students on the A2-B1 level of the CEFR scale. The assessments involve pair work, group work and individual tasks, through which students will be able to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
Silent Film: A Visual Narrative For Developing Linguistic Competence, Patricia George
Silent Film: A Visual Narrative For Developing Linguistic Competence, Patricia George
Open Educational Resources
Visual narratives in silent films are an effective method for developing linguistic competence in English language education and are equally constructive in developing critical thinking skills across disciplines. “Silent film, more than any other film property, capitalizes on ESL students’ visual literacy, using it as both a foundation and a catalyst for honing the verbal language skills that are key to acquiring and articulating complex knowledge in English” (Kasper and Singer, 2001). Silent films rely on the power of vivid, interactive visual imagery to depict personal struggles, character interactions, and plot development. This medium grabs the attention of ESL students …
The Unknown Heroes Of Wwii, Okumura Melissa
The Unknown Heroes Of Wwii, Okumura Melissa
ESL for Academic Purposes
This unit introduces ESL students to the history of the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS), its students, and their contributions as English-Japanese translators and interpreters during WWII. It is intended to be used as a U.S. history unit in an ESL context for high school and college students. It is designed for EL learners at a CEFR B2—C1 Level. The goal of the exercises in this unit are to introduce historical academic vocabulary, develop students’ reading and listening comprehension about a historical topic, and explore the cultural complexities of the MISLS students’ lives through writing, speaking, and visual projects. …
Music In World Cultures: Flamenco Unit, Whitney Krogstad-Yambrick
Music In World Cultures: Flamenco Unit, Whitney Krogstad-Yambrick
ESL for Academic Purposes
This is a content-based course called Music in World Cultures. The course is meant to educate students on international music genres. This specific unit presents the flamenco dance. It is intended for adult learners of English with a B2 level on the CEFR scale. The goal of this unit is to inform students about the flamenco and to encourage them to think critically.
Industrial Engineering Tools, Lucas Santos
Industrial Engineering Tools, Lucas Santos
ESL for Academic Purposes
The unit presents an interesting combination between Industrial Engineering tools and language learning. The tools are utilized in a way that facilitates engineers’ language skills development. The unit is intended for industrial engineers who work for multinational companies in either an ESL or EFL context. Learners should have a B2 level of proficiency or higher. By working through the unit, learners will increase their technical vocabulary, structure, reading, speaking, and writing skills.
All About The American Flap, Kristin Lems
All About The American Flap, Kristin Lems
Faculty Publications
In this column, I am going to talk about the American flap, a phonological feature of the American English dialect. Those of us with backgrounds in ESL/EFL learn about this in our master’s programs, but I have found that even teachers who have taken a course in linguistics may not be aware of the flap and its important implications for listening, reading, and spelling in English (Lems, Miller, & Soro, 2017)
Teaching English To Refugees Through Storytelling, Emily Camplejohn
Teaching English To Refugees Through Storytelling, Emily Camplejohn
Senior Honors Theses
Many refugees are trying to learn English while assimilating to a new culture. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has identified several needs and goals of refugees including competence in the language of the receiving culture and participation in a new, welcoming community. Storytelling, expressing or receiving a narrative through oral or written communication, can be implemented for teaching English to refugees with these goals and can link academic learning with real life experiences. In addition to using storytelling as a meaningful way to interact with language, storytelling also fosters a community within the classroom. The teacher is …
An Investigation Into A Culturally Sensitive Manner Of Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Julianna Vaught
An Investigation Into A Culturally Sensitive Manner Of Teaching English As A Foreign Language, Julianna Vaught
Senior Honors Theses
How to teach English globally has continued to be a relevant topic of discussion in the field of TESL, especially how to teach in a manner that is sensitive to the various sociocultural and historical factors surrounding the English language, as well as other languages and cultures. Through an examination of the current global status of English, its historical significance, the dilemmas attached to its’ worldwide spread and dominance, and an examination of culture in language teaching, an attempt is made to codify some basic principles of culture-sensitive English teaching, as well as address the Christian position on this matter, …
Exploring The Educational Involvement Of Parents Of English Learners, Elizabeth M. Vera, M Susman Israel, Laura Coyle, J Cross, Laura Knight-Lynn, I Moallem, G Bartucci, N Goldberger
Exploring The Educational Involvement Of Parents Of English Learners, Elizabeth M. Vera, M Susman Israel, Laura Coyle, J Cross, Laura Knight-Lynn, I Moallem, G Bartucci, N Goldberger
Center for Research Quality Publications
The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the relationships among a range of specific barriers and facilitators of parent involvement and a variety of types of school involvement within a diverse group of immigrant parents of English Learners (ELs) in four elementary school districts. In-home types of educational involvement such as monitoring homework and asking children about their school day were the most commonly reported behaviors, and utilizing community resources was found to be the least common type of parental involvement. Involvement type was predicted by parental demographic factors such as comfort with English language, educational background, and …
Nine Complementary Principles To Retain Adults In An Esol/Literacy Program, Edmund T. Hamann
Nine Complementary Principles To Retain Adults In An Esol/Literacy Program, Edmund T. Hamann
Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications
The following list of principles is my attempt to share general recommendations to teachers of ESOL and/or limited literacy adults based on my specific practice running a bilingual family literacy program and confirmed by my more recent experience as a volunteer bilingual literacy teacher at the Asociación Latinoamericana (in Atlanta). Though I believe in bilingual classroom environments, I think the principles identified here are also pertinent to monolingual ESL environments.