Academic Success for English Learners from Coursera

This course is designed for early career teachers (0-3 years of experience) to build a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to work with English learners, no matter the age or subject taught. We’ll start off by learning about the importance of specialized instruction for ELs and principles that teachers should follow to set the stage for their academic. Next, we’ll expand on the concepts from module 1 and explore practical steps for teachers in the classroom, including how to make linguistic and instructional accommodations for ELs. We take a deeper dive into techniques for teachers and present strategies for students to bolster their own academic success in module 3. The course wraps up with module 4, which is all about facilitating academic success for special groups of English learners, including gifted students, long-term English learners, and ELs with disabilities.

Throughout this course, you will watch instructional videos, read scholarly articles, participate in discussion boards, and complete assignments that will encourage you to think about your practices as a teacher of ELs. Finally, you will complete this course with a treasure trove of practical classroom activities and tips for fostering academic success with English learners.

By participating in this course, teachers will be better prepared to serve the English learners in their classrooms through sheltered instruction principles, effective lesson planning and assessment practices, purposefully reflecting on teaching, and understanding the unique challenges faced by this group of students.

What's inside

Syllabus

Setting the Stage for Success

In Module 1, you will learn how to set the stage for academic success for English Learners. You’ll be introduced to the fundamentals of sheltered instruction. We'll explore factors that may affect the foundation of an EL’s academic success such as the classroom affective filter, engaging ELs’ families in their education and teacher expectations. You will be able identify the key components of a quality lesson plan within a sheltered instruction model. We wrap up the module by reflecting on your own experiences writing lesson plans for ELs and engaging their families. Learners will be required to evaluated a sheltered instruction lesson plan for best practices.

Principles in Practice

Module 2 is all about putting the principles of sheltered instruction into action. We'll learn a number of different strategies to make linguistic and instructional accommodations for ELs in the classroom. You’ll discover the importance of output for ELs and different ways to encourage it. We'll introduce the five principles of assessment. You will gain awareness of different factors affecting the assessment of ELs such as language barriers and the need for ongoing informal assessment. We wrap up the module by reflecting on your experiences with accommodating instruction and designing assessment tools for ELs. Learners will be required to analyze teaching videos for appropriate use of linguistic and instructional accommodations in a sheltered instruction environment.

Strategies for Students and Techniques for Teachers

In module 3, we introduce a number of techniques for teachers to use with ELs, including Complex Instruction, Universal Design for Learning, multimodal materials, and more. We will learn about the characteristics of a reflective teacher. You'll discover different tools and data sources to help you reflect on your teaching practices. You'll understand the benefits of teaching students to use metacognitive and language learning strategies. We wrap up the module by reflecting on your experience with the techniques and tools discussed in the lessons. Learners will be required to identify metacognitive and language learning strategies in action.

Academic Success for Special Groups of ELs

The final module in the course aims to educate course participants about working with three special groups of ELs: gifted ELs, long-term English learners, and ELs with disabilities. We will share common characteristics from research about each group as well as best practices for supporting them in the classroom. You will learn about some of the unique challenges involved in the identification process, instruction, and assessment for these special groups as well. The module wraps up by reflecting on your experience working with gifted ELs and ELs with disabilities. Learners will be required to create a lesson plan to effectively engage LTELs in the classroom.

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Focuses on providing best practices and scaffolding for teachers working with English learners across all subjects

Led by experienced instructors with strong foundational knowledge in English language teaching, theory, and practice

Designed specifically for early career teachers looking to develop their skills in meeting the unique needs of English learners

Provides a comprehensive overview of the principles and practices of sheltered instruction, an effective approach for teaching English learners

Covers a range of topics, including creating a supportive learning environment, adapting lesson plans, and providing appropriate assessments

Offers practical strategies and techniques for teachers to use in their classrooms, such as metacognitive and language learning strategies

Career center

Learners who complete Academic Success for English Learners will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

ELL Program Coordinator

An ELL Program Coordinator oversees and manages English language learning programs for schools or districts. This course may be helpful to those interested in becoming ELL Program Coordinators as it will introduce the principles of sheltered instruction, as well as effective assessment practices for ELs.

See salaries and explore the career path for ELL Program Coordinator

TESOL Teacher

A TESOL Teacher teaches English to students who are not native English speakers. This course may be useful for those interested in becoming a TESOL Teacher, in that it will provide a solid foundation of the principles and strategies for working with ELs.

See salaries and explore the career path for TESOL Teacher

Instructional Designer

An Instructional Designer creates and develops educational materials and programs to facilitate learning. The principles of sheltered instruction, as well as the focus on practical classroom accommodations for ELs, may be useful to those looking to become Instructional Designers.

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Special Education Teacher

A Special Education Teacher works with students who have disabilities to provide individualized instruction and support. This course may be useful for Special Education Teachers, as it will provide an overview of principles and strategies for assessing and supporting ELs with disabilities.

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Gifted and Talented Teacher

A Gifted and Talented Teacher works with students who are identified as gifted or talented to provide them with challenging and enriching learning experiences. This course may be useful for those interested in becoming a Gifted and Talented Teacher, as it will help them to build a foundation for understanding the principles of sheltered instruction and effective assessment practices for ELs.

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Bilingual Teacher

A Bilingual Teacher teaches core academic subjects to students in two languages, allowing them to continue developing their native language while learning English. The sheltered instruction principles introduced in this course may be helpful to Bilingual Teachers.

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Language Arts Teacher

A Language Arts Teacher develops and implements lesson plans to teach students reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. The principles of sheltered instruction and the focus on practical classroom accommodations for ELS may be of great use to Language Arts Teachers.

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Literacy Coach

A Literacy Coach provides support and guidance to teachers to help improve their literacy instruction. This course may be useful for those who want to become Literacy Coaches in that it will help them to build a foundation for understanding the principles of sheltered instruction and effective assessment practices for ELs.

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Educational Consultant

An Educational Consultant provides support and guidance to schools and other educational institutions to help improve their educational practices. This course may be helpful in providing the foundation for supporting and guiding ELs, as well as teachers who work with them.

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Adult Education Teacher

An Adult Education Teacher works with adults to help them improve their literacy and numeracy skills. This course may be useful for Adult Education Teachers, as it will help them to build a foundation for working with ELs.

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Higher Education Instructor

A Higher Education Instructor teaches courses at a college or university. This course may be useful for those interested in becoming a Higher Education Instructor, as it will provide them with an overview of principles and strategies for assessing and supporting ELs in higher education.

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Educational Researcher

An Educational Researcher conducts research to improve educational practices and policies. This course may be useful for those interested in becoming an Educational Researcher, as it will provide them with an overview of principles and strategies for assessing and supporting ELs.

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School Administrator

A School Administrator manages the operations of a school and provides leadership to teachers and staff. An understanding of the principles and strategies for supporting English learners may be useful for School Administrators to effectively lead their schools.

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ESL Teacher

An ESL Teacher works with non-native English speakers to help them learn and improve their English language skills. This course may be useful in helping one to build a foundation for working with English learners in order to set the stage for their academic sucess.

See salaries and explore the career path for ESL Teacher

Curriculum Developer

A Curriculum Developer designs and develops educational materials and programs. This course may be useful for those interested in a career in Curriculum Development in that it will help them to understand principles of effective lesson planning for English learners.

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Academic Success for English Learners

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