Podcasts

The first podcast I subscribe to is The English We Speak.  This podcast is provided by the BBC and is available for both Apple and Android devices. This podcast looks at everyday English phrases or slang and discusses them in three minutes or less. A new blog is released every week and if you visit the website you can read the transcript as you listen. This is a good podcast for ELL learners because it explains common phrases or slang that are often confusing for ELL learners.   They are phrases or words that are commonly used but don't follow the normal rules of the English language. Recent phrases discussed include "happy-go-lucky, the best of both worlds, and barking up the wrong tree.  This is an entertaining podcast that will help ELLs learn tricky phrases and slang. This blog would be good to follow to stay current with new vocabulary and slang.

The second podcast I subscribe to is Better at English. This podcast is full of authentic conversations designed to provide an entertaining way to learn English. Transcripts of the podcasts and vocabulary are available on the website. The vocabulary portion includes tricky words, slang, idioms, etc. that might be challenging for ELLs. There is also a video portion of the website that provides captions. This is a good podcast for ELL students to practice listening and following along to conversations. However, there were a few times the vocabulary would not be appropriate for younger students.

Padres learn English

Many of the members of the Padres' baseball team are non-English speakers. They come from countries such as the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Columbia, and Mexico.  Living in or near San Diego having the ability to speak English is important. So three to four days a week the players of the Padres team take classes to help them learn English.
Since the players have been out in the sun practicing all day they are exhausted by the time they would enter a classroom. Kaitlyn Teske and Karen Foltz,  both doctoral students, had to get creative with teaching the players the skills they need. Teske and Foltz help the players learn practical language and everyday skills like ordering at a restaurant and using a banking app.
I think this is a great lesson for students. Many students (especially younger students) want to become professional athletes when they are older. Sharing this story via a video conference or Webinar would be a great way to show students that even athletes need more than just sports training.

ELSA

ELSA (English Language Speech Assistant) is a unique learning platform designed to help ELLs become more fluent in the English language. Unlike typical ELL technology programs, ELSA focuses on pronunciation and the user's accent. ELSA is available for Android and iOS and comes with a monthly subscription fee.
Users of ELSA begin by taking a five-minute assessment test which identifies the user's pronunciation proficiency and identifies which areas the user needs improvement. The app then customizes lessons to improve the user's pronunciation. The app listens to the ELL's voice and then matches what they said to the correct English pronunciation. The app will provide the user with tips to improve pronunciation, including how to form their mouth when saying the word or phrase.
ELSA is beginning to develop tools that would allow classroom teachers to input words specific to their curriculum. This sounds like a great tool for teachers to use as they work with students learning English.

One -pagers

One-pagers is a new idea that is growing in popularity. But what are they? One-pagers are a single page of sketchnotes used to represent important ideas. So then what are sketchnotes? Sketchnotes are purposeful drawings.

I had never heard of one-pagers before reading this article. I love the idea of allowing students to use pictures and text to summarize a book, discuss the theme of a book, or share a character's point of view. One-pagers encourage critical thinking and creativity as students decide what they are going to design to display their message in just one page.
One-pagers are a great idea for ELL students. ELL students can use pictures they create to convey a message. This is a good way for ELL students to show their understanding when their writing skills might be developing.
Reading this article really got my wheels turning. As the computer teacher, I immediately began to think about how we could create one-pagers using technology. Students could create one-pagers using Google Drawings and Google Docs instead of paper. Using Google Docs would allow students to take things a step further and include hyperlinks. ELL students could draw their pictures and then record themselves explaining different parts of a story. Students could then link their own voice to their own pictures.  Creating one-pagers using Google Docs opens the door to endless possibilities.

Online Education Improves Science Scores

With the increase in popularity of STEM, it is no surprise that schools are using many different modes to teach science related subjects. A recent study completed with students in Oregon and Georgia shows that enhancing science education with online content increased test scores for students. Students with a learning disability and ELL students improved science scores by more than 15%.
The online units included lessons and activities that incorporated virtual experiments, interactive content, games, collaboration with peers and videos. The online content used features like voice to text, pop up definitions, the ability for text to be read aloud and captioning for the videos. This online content is a great way to provide accommodations which are helpful to ELL students. Students can rewatch and listen to the material as many times as they need to help them understand. The interactive features help students stay engaged in their learning.
This sounds like a great way to enhance and support lessons taught in the classroom.

Fairview's Dual Language Program

At Fairview Elementary in Carthage, Missouri, students learn in both English and Spanish in their dual-language program. Students who are enrolled in the program spend half of their day learning core content subjects in Spanish and the other half of their day learning core content subjects in English. Students enrolled in this program are native English speakers and native Spanish speakers. By the time students in this program graduate high school, they will most likely be bilingual. This is the third year the school is running this program and the interest has been overwhelming. There is a waitlist for students to be enrolled in the program.
This is an interesting approach to learning that almost levels the playing field for ELL students. With half of the content being taught in their native language, students are able to focus on the content rather than the language and the content.  This also gives the English speaking students an idea of what it is like to learn in a language they are not familiar with. Both ELL and native English speakers will benefit from the ability to speak both English and Spanish after high school graduation. It would be interesting to see the data as the students progress through school.

Renzulli ELLA

One of the Google Alerts I received this week discussed the breakthroughs Renzulli Learning is having with ELL students. According to this article, Renzulli personalizes instruction for ELL students. It allows teachers to pair ELL students with native English speakers to work collaboratively using Peer Assisted Learning Strategies.  Renzulli is an online tool making it accessible anywhere the Internet is available.

I was intrigued enough by this article to check out the website for Renzulli Learning. The ELLA program is available in Spanish, Chinese, Italian and Arabic with Vietnamese, Thai, German and French becoming available soon. I was disappointed to see the cost was not readily available on their website and I would have to request a quote. I would be interested in seeing a trial of this program to see what it offers.

When I think about my district, we have a variety of web-based programs used for personalizing learning, but we don't have anything specific for ELL students.  Our district also shares one ESL teacher between our two elementary buildings. I wonder if Renzulli ELLA (or something similar) would be a better option for our ELL students then some of the programs they are currently using.