1. “Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners:
Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
It's not!
No really,
it's not!
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 1

2. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
Teacher preparation programs are not preparing teachers to work with ELLs
42% of teachers have ELLs in their classroom
Only 12.5% of these have received more than 8 hours of professional development specifically related to ELLs
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 2

3. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
Teacher preparation programs are not preparing teachers to work with ELLs
Only 1/6th of the 417 institutions surveyed by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education require any preparation re: education of ELLs
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 3

4. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 4

5. Issues in Teaching ELLs
Just being a good teacher is not enough in…
Oral Language
Reading
Writing
Content Areas
Culture
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper

6. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills) before CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency)
BICS - through opportunities to communicate with peers
Idioms used in classroom management may confuse
Do not have depth or breadth of native speakers
“thousands of encounters with language used in meaningful contexts”
CALP – not learned through “osmosis”
Plan “structured opportunities for ELLs to actively engage in the process of negotiating meaning through academic language”
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 6

7. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
Teacher should learn how L1 and L2 are the same and how they differ
i.e. sounds, writing system, grammar, word order
Running record assessments
ELLs often cannot express as much as they can understand
Overemphasis on pronunciation
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 7

8. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
Teachers not used to explaining things ELLs may question
i.e. rules of word order
Need for explicit feedback
“Does this sentence sound right?”
“This paragraph sounds awkward.”
Use resources L1
Cognitively mature with experiences
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 8

9. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
Specify content AND language objectives
Look out for challenging vocabulary
Content area specific words (JGT)
Common words with content area specific meaning
i.e. table (math), crust (science), seat (social studies)
Use cognates (esp. w/ Romance languages)
Can ask students to point out cognates when they notice them
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 9

10. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
Classroom participation structures
US values: individualism, egalitarianism
Work alone unless told otherwise, question teacher & text
Routines may be alien
Lining up, how to greet teacher, where to eat lunch, etc.
Need to learn about students
Understanding acculturation patterns, students' circumstances important
Who Am I? Activities, KWL, etc. insufficient
Reflect on own attitudes towards LOTE
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 10

11. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
JGT vs. ELL
Activating prior knowledge (KWL)
Cooperative learning
Student-centered, process-focused writing
Hands-on activities
Who Am I? Activities
Use of L1
Consider how L1 impacts L2
Broader explanatory framework
Ask complex questions that require low-level language for response
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 11

12. Asking ELLs Complex Questions
Group work:
Think of
examples
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper

13. Creating complex questions that students can answer with limited language
Aim for the application and above
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 13

14. by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper
"What distinguishes a classroom that explicitly addresses the needs of ELLs from the 'just good teaching' classroom is that 'English is very much present and accounted for... teachers extend practices of good teaching to incorporate techniques that teach language as well as content' (Diaz-Rico & Weed, 2002, p.117)" p. 118
“Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?”
by Ester J. de Jong & Candace A. Harper 14