Supporting infusion of ESOL into teacher education programs is the purpose of this Supporting infusion of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) issues into teacher education programs is the purpose of this professional development site for teacher educators and education professionals.
As the need increases for teachers who are well prepared to help English language learners (ELLs) succeed academically, incorporating English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) into teacher education programs has become essential. Most courses in teacher education programs can include an ESOL focus, and embedding ESOL issues and practices into the curriculum enables pre-service teachers to consider the needs of ELL students as an integral part of effective teaching.
The ESOL TAPESTRY website was designed to support the process of ESOL integration into a wide range of teacher preparation courses and programs. In creating video modules, we collaborated with leading experts in the teaching ESOL (TESOL) field, asking them to address fellow teacher educators regarding the most crucial information in their areas of specialization. The information provided in the video lectures is a brief survey of these issues, so for each module we also created an associated resources page to enable the viewer to go more in depth.
Each module includes a video lecture of approximately one hour. For those who are using the modules to complete part of their ESOL faculty development requirements at USF, we have compiled approximately four additional hours of activities and web-based follow-up, totaling an estimated five hours of self-paced instruction per tutorial module. Each module begins with a pre-viewing activity and ends with a post-viewing activity, which is a means for the viewer to document completion of the tutorial module. The post-viewing activity should be completed once the viewer has gone through the entire tutorial module, including the video lecture and the articles, resources, and information on the associated resources page. The responses should reflect the content of both sources.
Although the tutorial modules are intended for teacher educator faculty development, they may be appropriate for use in pre-service and in-service classes as well. We view these tutorial modules as one resource in a constellation of options for faculty to gain knowledge and skills in the area of TESOL. Some modules may be used for self-paced study and others may be incorporated into faculty development workshops and seminars. They were designed as one item on a menu of faculty development opportunities and should not be considered a comprehensive training program. The best faculty development programs combine various activities, including participation in individualized reading and research, workshops/seminars, technology-based instruction, one-on-one technical assistance with a TESOL expert, and co-teaching, to name a few. We hope that these tutorial modules will serve as a useful component of well-rounded faculty development programs.
Most of the tutorial modules are distinct units that can be viewed in any sequence, although we recommend starting with Dr. Crandall's lecture, Teacher Preparation and ESOL.
In addition to the video modules, we have compiled a list of print-based and web-based ESOL resources that faculty can use for self-study or for inclusion in their courses. We have made these materials available online because we hope that they will be widely used and implemented.