STEM Teaching Tools: Engaging English Learners in the Science and Engineering Practices
Routinely engaging all students in the practices of science and engineering is a crucial fixture of the new vision for K-12 science education.
The practices can be seen as a barrier to participation for English Learners (ELs), or they can be viewed as an opportunity to provide rich instruction that builds science-related competencies and identities. Certain elements of the practices and related instructional approaches can be beneficial for students learning science while also learning the language of instruction.
- Teachers should know NGSS practices are heavily language-dependent—and teach accordingly to make experiences inclusive for multilingual students.
- District staff and PD providers should learn about local approaches for supporting disciplinary language use with English Learners and help science teachers apply these.
- School leaders should develop teachers’ collective expertise to ensure approaches to developing language are coherent across subject matter instruction.
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Routinely engaging all students in the practices of science and engineering is a crucial fixture of the new vision for K-12 science education.
The practices can be seen as a barrier to participation for English Learners (ELs), or they can be viewed as an opportunity to provide rich instruction that builds science-related competencies and identities. Certain elements of the practices and related instructional approaches can be beneficial for students learning science while also learning the language of instruction.
- Teachers should know NGSS practices are heavily language-dependent—and teach accordingly to make experiences inclusive for multilingual students.
- District staff and PD providers should learn about local approaches for supporting disciplinary language use with English Learners and help science teachers apply these.
- School leaders should develop teachers’ collective expertise to ensure approaches to developing language are coherent across subject matter instruction.