If you are teaching English Language Learners, here are some tips and strategies that you can practice in the classroom to create a safe environment and support the students throughout their learning process: Speak slower, not louder : Students need to process the words separately and form an understanding, for ELL students this requires some extra time.

Aww, bless you for asking a geek about his area of geekery. I'm a grad student in Second Language Acquisition, so this is kind of my steeze. **Histor...

STARTALK is a Presidential Initiative to Fund Summer Programs in Critical Languages including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Persian, Turkish, Swahili and Urdu.

Implementing a Standards-Based and Thematically Organized Curriculum Every lesson derives from a standards-based unit that culminates in students developing the ability to engage in spontaneous, unrehearsed communication for real-world purposes. Each lesson has clearly stated cultural objectives that indicate what students will be able to do and what they need to know by lesson's end.

The foundational centerpiece of the TELL Project is the Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning Framework, which establishes those characteristics and behaviors that model teachers exhibit. The Framework consists of 7 domains designed to address a teacher's need to Prepare for Student Learning, Advance Student Learning, and Support Student Learning.

The first few days of school are a vital time to set the right tone for the rest of the year. Many teachers focus on important things like getting to know their students, building relationships and making sure students know what the classroom procedures will be.

Credit: William Duke Have you ever plunked yourself down in a staff meeting where some of your colleagues were, for lack of a better phrase, not paying attention? Grading homework? Having private conversations? Texting? As we know all too well, kids aren't a whole lot different than adults: If they aren't absorbed by what's going on, they'll find something else that interests them.

Joshua Block Humanities teacher at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia Over the summer, I offered to help some friends convert their dining room light fixture into a ceiling fan. Once the electricity was off, the old fixture was down, and I'd opened the large cardboard box, my goal was clear and pressing.

The New Jersey Department of Education's official Web site is the gateway to NJ information and services for parents, educators, students, and other residents.

Last Thursday, #langchat was in full swing, Q&A style! @KrisClimer started off the hour, "Let's get the #langchat rocking!" anticipating "a flurry of ideas!" As always, Langchatters did not disappoint. They rapidly tweeted their thoughts on ways to incorporate more comprehensible input (CI) and authentic resources (#authres) in a "traditional" language program.

What strategy doubles student learning? According to 250 empirical studies, the answer is formative assessment, defined by Bill Younglove as "the frequent, interactive checking of student progress and understanding in order to identify learning needs and adjust teaching appropriately."

In recent years, research has confirmed what most teachers already knew: providing students with meaningful feedback can greatly enhance learning and improve student achievement. Professor James Pennebaker from the University of Texas at Austin has been researching the benefits of frequent testing and the feedback it leads to.

Understanding Differentiated Instruction Knowing and Assessing Students How Learning Profiles Can Strengthen Your Teaching, by John McCarthy (2014)Here's a heretical notion: learning profiles can actually benefit students. McCarthy shares some tips. Tools for Teaching: Ditching the Deficit Model, by Rebecca Alber (2013)Alber proposes five activities for gaining knowledge about your students' strengths, interests, and hidden talents.

Classroom management is a delicate balancing act often learned through experience and trial-and-error experimentation. Whether you're a new or experienced teacher, having strategies for effective classroom management is essential for creating positive, successful learning spaces (and staying sane!). In this guide you'll find 25 tips for managing your classroom.