This is an online course.

Cost: $325 for members; $410 for nonmembers

Additional $315 for 3 graduate credits from Union Institute (optional)

If you are intending to take this course for graduate credit, you must also complete and submit the Union Institute Credit Registration form to LAPDA prior to commencing the course.

Registration:

www.lapdavt.org

Course Description:

As the school population of English Language Learners continues increasing rapidly across the United States, classroom teachers from K-12 are confronted with the great challenge of helping them acquire skills in English in addition to teaching them in the content areas. Many teachers do not have the training or knowledge to confront the task, and schools may not have the resources to assist them. This course provides them with the background necessary for meeting the needs of students from different countries and cultures including encouraging intercultural exchanges, information about assessment and the language learning process, cultural awareness, and a wide range of techniques and suggestions for offering a high quality learning experience for ELLs.

The course presents and analyzes the foundations of bilingual education for teachers to be able to understand and incorporate the most relevant aspects in their classrooms. As teachers gain expertise in the theory and methods of second language learning in general, they will learn to recognize the real level of ELLs, both in Basic Interpersonal Communicative Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP).  In addition, becoming familiar with the way English is taught around the world and ways to access their students’ schemas, educators will gain insights into how their ELLs have been exposed to the language previously and how they are accustomed to learning.

One of the main points in the course is that good instructional practices for ELLs will benefit all learners. Recommendations for an eclectic approach include assigning buddies, cooperative learning, reading strategies, and incorporating the arts to create a learning environment that will motivate all students to reach their full potential as human beings as well as academically.

Course Objectives: Participants will

•  understand the needs of ELLs to work with them accordingly
•  become more familiar with the situation of immigrants in the United States
•  become more culturally aware to create a multicultural classroom environment
•  learn how to sensitize English Only students to be able to help their ELL peers
•  understand how immigration affects education
•  understand the principles of bilingual education to apply them in the classroom
•  understand the process of language acquisition
•  learn techniques and methods for teaching a second language
•  assess ELL students in terms of BICS and CALP and first language literacy
•  learn how to individualize instruction for ELLs
•  integrate lessons with creative arts in the regular curriculum
•  repare lessons keeping in mind the schema and particular needs of ELLs
•  be able to accommodate lessons for ELLs with different forms of scaffolding
•  encourage ELLs to read extensively in English
•  learn about the specific problems ELLs face in reading in English and helping them overcome them
•  learn different techniques to incorporate in content area lessons•  learn how to involve the family and the community in the multicultural learning environment.

Instructor: Lenore Cohen
Download the online syllabus here

Download the Graduate Credit Registration Form Here

How do I sign up?
Register as usual using the LAPDA Registration form. If you are intending to take this course for graduate credit, you must also complete and submit the Union Institute Credit Registration form to LAPDA prior to commencing the course. Once your registration has been processed, you will receive a course code by email from LAPDA with instructions on how to sign in to access the course. The course must be completed within 105 days. In the event that you can not complete the course within the allotted time, you must pay an additional $25 to LAPDA in order to be given a two week extension. Once you have completed the class, your grade will be submitted to Union Institute and you will receive your credit transcript within 4 weeks.

This course is offered through CE Credits Online: