Learning Opportunities

While there is a tendency to group English language learners into one category, there is still a great deal of diversity among them.  Students may be just starting to add English and Canada to their linguistic and cultural repertoires, or they may have been on this journey for a number of years.  Many Canadian-born students who speak a language, or languages, other than English at home are also considered English learners, and have different proficiencies than those who are foreign-born.  Therefore, there is a great deal of variability in terms of the language English learners bring with them in order to understand content and complete learning tasks.

This session looks at how to design lessons with language in mind.  We will be looking at three main areas where teachers can have the most impact on supporting our language learners and developing language:  Making input comprehensible; providing support for language production and interaction; and providing feedback and opportunities to practice.