Terminology to Describe Multilingual Learners: Labels and Their Implications At SupportEd, we had been hearing the terms English learner, multilingual learner, multilingual language learner, and emergent bilingual being used interchangeably. These were just a few of many terms used in the field of English language development, and we wanted to…
Have you noticed any changes to your English learner (EL) population lately? As educators of ELs, we are aware that world events often have an impact on our newly arrived ELs’ backgrounds. In this point in time in which immigrants and ELs are often the topic of conversation among policymakers, it…
By Sydney Snyder | March 2, 2017 It is important to consider the digital divide that may exist between ELs and their non-EL peers and how that affects computer-based testing. While most ELs are probably familiar with smartphones, because some lack access to computers at home and at school, they…
By Sydney Snyder | February 13, 2017 At SupportEd we frame all of our work — from professional development to technical writing to research in the field — on the following five essential guiding principles: 1. ELs bring many strengths to the classroom. 2. ELs learn best when they are taught in a…
By Jill Kester | February 12, 2017 Translanguaging is one of the five English language teaching (ELT) trends to watch in 2017, according to a recent TESOL blog post by Kristen Lindahl. Ofelia García, Otheguy, and Reid (2015) describe translanguaging as “the deployment of a speaker’s full linguistic repertoire without regard…
By Diane Staehr Fenner | January 13, 2017 Happy New Year! Here are SupportEd, we recognize that we are all moving into some uncertain times, and we would like to share our plan for addressing the anxiety that you may also be feeling when it comes to supporting your English…
