Supporting ESL Students

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2013:

120 hours

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject develops an understanding of pedagogy and classroom practice that scaffolds ESL learners’ language needs in the context of mainstream P-6 classrooms. It encourages teachers to reflect on their professional understanding that guides the support given to ESL learners in the mainstream, and to identify key points for inclusive policies and teaching practices for ESL students across the wider curriculum and school.

On completion of the subject, students should be able to:

• develop effective teaching materials and strategies to support ESL students’ learning in the context of the primary school curriculum;

• develop effective teaching material and strategies to support ESL students’ language development in the context of the primary school curriculum;

• plan teaching programs that meet the language and academic learning needs of primary ESL students.

There are two assessment components:

• A 2,000 word essay due mid-course (40%)
• A 3,000 word essay due at the end of the course (60%)

There is one hurdle requirement:

• Each student is required to present a 5 minute in-class presentation in which the language learning needs of an ESL learner that they teach are identified, and includes a report of an assessment task completed by the student and how the student’s performance compared to the performance indicators of the relevant stage of DEECD ESL continuum.

Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of the subject, students should be able to:

• Be skilled communicators who can effectively articulate and justify their practices as knowledgeable agents of changes;

• Understand the significance of developing their practice on the basis of research evidence;

• Work in teams with skills in cooperation, communication and negotiation;

• Be independent of mind, responsible, resilient, self-regulating;

• Have a conscious personal and social values base

• Articulate their knowledge and understanding in oral and written presentations.