Co-Teaching for ELLs

Abstract

This capstone project aims to support general education teachers and English of Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers and other school staffs who work with English Language Learners (ELLs), also known as English Learners (ELs). To ensure positive academic outcomes for English Learners, it is imperative that teachers must collaborate. ELLs are a fast-growing population in our schools and many teachers are not prepared to meet the diverse needs of our language learners. ELLs are impacted by a lack of social, emotional, cultural, support from their teachers, which can result in unsuccessful academic outcomes. Solutions to the problem faced by students and teachers include implementation of culturally responsive teaching trainings, lesson plan templates for co-teachers, family engagements, monthly faculty meetings, and formation of an ELL advocacy group. Several solutions are relevant to meeting the academic, social, and emotional needs of ELLs and helping teachers better support ELLs by becoming successful co-teachers. Recommendations include incorporating additional professional development opportunities for all teachers to educate and support them to become better culturally proficient teachers. Furthermore, programs recently established, such as ELL advocacy group and family engagements, should be modified to better support ELLs and their families.