Teaching Strategies
Recent Newsletter Articles
Routines That Foster Constructing Viable Arguments and Critiquing the Reasoning of Others – Part 1
Regardless of the subject matter, there is a skill/practice that is central to any learning: the ability to construct viable and valid arguments, and to engage in critiquing the reasoning of others - the reasoning of both students and teachers. There are routines you can put in place to help develop this skill/practice. Read More
A Walk in My Shoes: Videos to Help Everyone Have a Place at the Table
This documentary video series features stories from first-generation college students and aims “to create awareness about the diversity, the challenges, the opportunities and the benefits each student brings to campus.” Watching the videos would be an excellent way to begin a conversation about a number of important topics, such as the barriers that first-generation college students face, the value of persistence, and the importance of “making room at the table” for diverse voices in educational spaces. Read More
What is Pear Deck and How Can I Use it in My Classroom?
Pear Deck is a digital tool that allows teachers to create interactive activities for students in online and in-person classes. It is accessible as an add-on when using Google Slides and works seamlessly with Google Suites, allowing teachers to use it as an asynchronous or synchronous teaching tool. Pear Deck offers a paid version and a free version; this article focuses on the free version and using Pear Deck as an online teaching tool, even though it is perfectly adaptable to in-person teaching as well. Read More
Using Nearpod in the ABE Classroom
Nearpod is a great tool that makes any lesson interactive, whether in the classroom, virtual, or a combination of the two. In this article, ABE Teacher Polina Huffman shares how and why to use Nearpod in the ABE classroom. Read More
Project-Based Learning in Action: How to Be a Successful Online Student – Part 2
Instructor Dan Bruski describes how he led his low-intermediate ESL students through a project-based learning activity around composing a list of rules and expectations for their online class. The culmination of the lesson was the creation of a video on "How to be a successful online student," which has an authentic use for orienting new students. Read More
Project-Based Learning in Action: How to Be a Successful Online Student – Part 1
Instructor Dan Bruski describes how he led his low-intermediate ESL students through a project-based learning activity around composing a list of rules and expectations for their online class. The culmination of the lesson was the creation of a video on "How to be a successful online student," which has an authentic use for orienting new students. Read More
Engage Learners in Preventing Food Waste
Save the Food! – a free curriculum developed by public health practitioners who specialize in cross-cultural and immigrant health – provides interactive instruction, games and exercises that deliver both useful language instruction and relevant environmental health information, enabling learners to identify and prevent food waste as well as save money in the process. Read More
Diversifying Your Image Searches
How can a beginner level ESOL class be made more culturally responsive, when the content and skills we need to cover seem so basic? I realized that in order to embody the values that our field aspires to hold, I needed to figure out how to make them real and tangible in my classroom. This school year, that mission became my primary focus. I’d like to share some of my thoughts and takeaways from my journey so far. Read More
Fun Minimal Pair Activities for English Learners
Where to begin with easy and effective pronunciation instruction? Read on to learn about two pronunciation activities targeting minimal pairs that are a great starting point for teaching pronunciation, as well as where you can find the recordings and materials from ATLAS’s latest pronunciation webinars. Read More
Manipulatives Are a Fun and Engaging Way to Help ESL Students Learn! – Part 2
Miriam Bosveld, a Level 1 ESL teacher at the Robbinsdale Adult Academic Program and a PANDA consultant, wrote the following article series about the relevance of using manipulatives in teaching her students. Using manipulatives is also supported in the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) free training that PANDA offers each year. Read More