Teacher Discussion Forums

I once saw a video of a young man explaining the importance of his primary language. He explains how his family has migrated through various countries and finally ends up in the US, where they are not wanted or able to feel at home. This lack of belonging causes him and his family to hold on to thie...

It is sad that the parent has to make that choice. That child may end up acquiring English more if he is forced to speak it at home but language is a big part of culture. Unfortunately, her son may learn English fluently or may not, but either way he is losing his primary language and that is not be...

Having students learn two languages side by side seems like a great program to be used in schools. Students are able to assist each other and become more familiar with the language that they are trying to learn since they have native speakers there with them. It can also build a sense of community a...

I agree that teachers, especially new teachers should all have some knowledge of ESL and how to teach English learners. English learners face many challenges and it becomes even harder for them when teachers do not know how to assist them. Having professional development for teachers so that they ar...

When discussing why there remains a large achievement gap between ELLs and mainstream students, lack of adequately trained teachers is always mentioned. Qualified teachers can drastically change how programs are implemented and how instruction is received by ELLs. So why is it that programs to creat...

Prop 227 seemed to be created more as a response to negative views of bilingual education and ELLs versus out of a desire to actually help ELLs. California attacked the wrong issue. Supporters of Prop 227 weren't trying to improve the language skills of those they deemed 'limited' in English, they w...