Summer programs can help teachers learn what makes a good teacher when it comes to teaching reading to ESL students.
Raising literacy levels for the ESL teacher today seems to be a challenging feat for ESL teachers in terms of learning the ropes on how to be a good teacher as well as how an ESL student can be a good reader. One way therefore to start the school year right is to pursue professional training and development with ESL summer programs.
Teachers summer programs is one way to help teachers teach subject matter such as ESL but over a short period of time. Some courses require applicants to be qualified teachers. The purpose of such courses is to train teachers, within the school system. Such courses consist of lectures, discussions and practical teaching or simulation sessions.
ESL summer programs can be an invigorating way to equip you as the ESL teacher with additional tools on how to teach reading to ESL students with special emphasis on how to become a better reader.
If taught well, an ESL summer program can help you understand why some learners have difficulty learning to read and write as well as other difficulties besides learning. You will also gain better understanding on ESL methods and strategies such as a highly structured phonic-based teaching as well as multi-sensory teaching methods.
Such information might help you prepare for what seems a daunting task for motivating ESL students, but there are various programs that can help you apply your knowledge on how to teach reading in a group that is a practical-method approach and can give hands-on ideas to use right away in the ESL classroom.
The National Council Of Teachers Of English seems to have it all, from ESL summer reading, summer programs for teachers, summer jobs for teachers, and articles and books on teaching reading to ESL students.
If you can't participate in an ESL summer program face to face, at least you have the option of going online and reading all the professional literature and summer reading lists this site has to offer.
The challenge in teaching weak ESL learners is how to motivate them to read especially since these types of readers have developed survival tactics that have made them invisible over the years. In many cases, gaps in students' reading knowledge begin quite early on and it is up to the teacher to close the gaps in their knowledge. This is where a summer program can also give you the necessary tools of strategies and professional literature to guide you in your work.
Have you participated in a summer program? How did you find them? Were they particularly helpful in your work? Please start a discussion and share your experiences for everyone.
