Episode 011: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words! - a podcast by Stephanie Axe and Jean Dempsey

1. Source: The English Skills Learning Center blog: “Tips on Classroom Management for Adult ELL classes”http://www.eslcenter.org/about-us/blog/103-tips-on-classroom-management-for-adult-ell-classes
2. Classroom management—what and why?

• Challenges of teaching different age groups and cultural backgrounds in the same classroom
• Challenges of “mixed classrooms”—English and ESL
• Different college settings (Community college, 4 year college, grad school)

3. The 7 tips the English Skills Center blog shares in their article, and howweimplement them in the classroom:

• Make class expectations clear and realistic and stick to them
• Be consistent: set class routines that students can become familiar with
• Find a balance between being your students’ teacher and being their friend (respected vs. approachable)
• Work to engage all the students while teaching. Don’t base the pace of an entire class on one or two students
• Use interactive activities and open-ended questions as a chance to check student comprehension
• Ask for student feedback and incorporate it as appropriate for everyone
• Recognize that some discipline concerns need to be addressed immediately, while others are better done individually after class

4. Plus, 3 more tips (from us) for an even 10!

• Follow the “golden rule”—treat students with the same respect you expect from them
• Don’t shame students into submission, participation, etc. (Brene Brown)
• Address different learningstyles(in addition to pace) in order to reach everyone

1. FYI: listen to future episodes for similar segments about audio learners and kinesthetic learners!
2. Source: Adam Simpson’s blog, “Teach them English,”http://www.teachthemenglish.com/2014/05/using-infographics-to-teach-language-the-why-how-and-where/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
3. Beginning English

• Picto-wikis
• Infographic
• Timeline of events in a story
• Illustrating student work
• Diagrams: Venn diagrams, columns, thought-webs
• Building blocks of English writing (bottom of pyramid)

4. Intermediate English

• Building blocks of English writing (top of pyramid)
• Outlining essays (outline as a “blueprint”)
• Videos (i.e. “School House Rock” for Grammar)
• Powerpoints (a picture is worth a thousand words—being succinct; animations—giving students a chance to answer first)
• Presentations (posters, Powerpoints, passed objects, etc.)
• Graffiti

5. Advanced English

• Research presentations (Powerpoint and beyond)
• Videos (for the studentandby the student)
• Including pictures in wikis (literal and abstract)
• Picture outline (a picture for each point)

1. Immigration issue

• Preserving L1/living in predominantly L1 communities
• Learning the spoken language of new country and letting go of L1
• Actively integrating both in daily life

2. Language and identity

• First-generation Americans
• Kids caught between cultures
• 3^rdculture kids
• Role reversal in immigrant families

3. Multilingual countries

• The linguistic divide can cause political/cultural tension (i.e. Quebec)
• Language status (English vs. anything in the U.S.)
• Countries that were formally colonized and the linguistic implication

4. English as the official language of the U.S.

• The U.S. doesnothave an official language
• English’s status in the U.S. as the “unofficial official language”
• Should the U.S. have an official language?
  • What should it be?
  • Should/could there bemorethan one?
  • Is this an issue to be decided at a state or federal level?

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