EDT 661 Multicultural Education

This course is designed to provide teachers with instructional strategies that benefit ESL (English second language) students and that are consistent with strategies that benefit all students. In this course students will: examine Federal and State law as it pertains to ESL/ELL (English language learner) students; define multicultural education and how it applies to the ESL student and the rest of the student population; examine the roadblocks teachers encounter in teaching diverse populations; investigate personal beliefs about teaching diverse populations and set personal and professional goals; locate and acquire relevant resources in ESL methodologies; examine methods of teaching English pronunciation, structure, reading, and writing; apply content-based ESL approaches to instruction and assessment; explore current and effective teaching strategies linked to appropriate language acquisition stages; create lessons that are infused with multicultural teaching strategies; examine textbook diversity and controversy as it pertains to the ESL student and others; and learn ways of structuring groups to take advantage of individual differences and maximize strengths. (3 credits)