A1 I taught English overseas for a number of years, worked in an international school which was like a mini UN and back in rural Sask which has changed a lot since back in the day; more diversity now which rocks #saskedchat
A1 Last school year from Nov to March I was an tutor in RPL's EAL program. As a math person, it gave me confidence in my ability to teach language. #saskedchat
It can be hard too when as a native speaker English is so automatic; explaining grammar, etc to someone who may not be fam with things or asks why can be challenging too #saskedchat
For example, teaching younger children how to learn language. They are amazingly motivated learners. Some children are able to comprehend words at a younger age than I ever expected. #saskedchat
Right now I have students that did not speak any English on the first day of school who have been in my WA 10 class. We work on the math and basic terminology in class such as the name of different shapes. #saskedchat
A2 Diversity, and a sense of community! It can allow the classroom to become a bit of a culture exchange, everyone learning a bit about each other. #saskedchat
A3 A challenge is definitely the English language; it's a very mixed up language historically speaking which can pose tons of problems in itself #saskedchat
A3 That initial roadblock of social interaction can sometimes be tough. It can be tough, and even intimidating to socialize when you are not comfortable with the majority language. #saskedchat
A4: Visuals, visuals, visuals. My students are also awesome at being patient and trying to help explain, using Google when necessary to find the right words. #saskedchat
A4 One tip I might have is to look a bit at an EAL's mother tongue if there's some repeated mistakes (gain perspective); is the grammar structure the same, phonetic vs non phonetic language, etc #saskedchat
A4- I think making the learner feel comfortable is the most important thing. Also, do not discourage them to stop using their native language all together. #saskedchat
A4 Graphic novels and comics! My RPL students would read these with my for the first half of our sessions. It helped with the application of sight words within sentences, and made the burden of learning English fun! #saskedchat
A5 For elementary Ss https://t.co/ukv7khLged is good (worth $25 a year); lots of games, flashcards, etc for vocab plus you can make your own custom lists within the website #saskedchat
A5: I make my own vocab sheets to support my math learners. Using Google translate is okay but https://t.co/34Eo15PnlX is more accurate (but more time consuming) #saskedchat
I never actually thought of finding dual language books haha. Most of the ones at my branch were French-English. The nice part with comic-based content though is the visual almost takes the place of the dual-language aspect :) #saskedchat
A5 Memory/Flash cards work really well, and there is an endless supply of premade ones online. I also had my student using Duolingo at home for practice. #saskedchat
A6: There are lots of ways but I like digital portfolio apps like @Seesaw allow them to see what is going on visually and Ss can annotate in multiple languages if needed. #saskedchat
I used this with my URChoir cohorts on our Cuba tour this past May! It worked great in a museum, and they have an offline mode so you can use it outside of the school. #saskedchat
A7: I think having a word of the day from different languages could help including different languages into the everyday lessons. Bring as much diversity and language as we can!! #saskedchat
A7: I like integrating the history of math terms, breaking them down to their roots to help understanding this helps native English and EAL learners. #saskedchat
A7: I also sometimes bring my French out and start the lesson in French to throw them off, one of my students understands but the others get to know the feeling #saskedchat
A7 https://t.co/FFG9CCcubH With our Words Their Way Lists I sometimes put them in different languages for students to translate; they love it and it's interesting to them languages that have sim and diff with English #saskedchat
A7 I remember doing Pen Pals, a I expect with modern technology this can be a rich experience. However, the music nerd in me has to say MUSIC! Lyrical music is a natural form of linguistic and culture exchange, and can be applied to the classroom. #saskedchat
