Education 375: Second Language Acquisition Theory and Policy

Teachers of English language learners require specialized training beyond the basic credential program in order to prepare their students to succeed in academic English. This section focuses on the theories of second-language acquisition and the laws and policies that affect English language learners. The activities in this section present an opportunity for you to enhance your understanding of these issues, facilitating your work with English language learners.

Education 376: English Language Development (ESL)

Second language acquisition has been explored from a multitude of perspectives, and these perspectives have had a strong impact on pedagogical approaches to teaching a second language. This section will introduce you to some of the big ideas in the field and how they impact the experience of language learners in the classroom. The theories described here draw on the belief that language is best learned in a comfortable but challenging environment where the students are provided both with ample opportunities to use their developing language in creative ways and with carefully constructed feedback and instruction to help them continue to improve.

Education 377: Culture and Content/SDAIE Instruction 

The culture a student brings to school interacts with the school culture and this interaction has an impact on student achievement outcomes. This course will help teachers understand these complex relationships and how they can use that knowledge to effectively instruct linguistically and culturally diverse students. This course will also help teachers to support English Learners in accessing content while they are still in the process of gaining English fluency.

Visit the Language Difference Media Lab at the Equity Alliance.