"ESL and LD students: Diverse Populations, Common Concerns" by Jane Hirschorn discusses the challenges ESL and LD (learning disabled) students face. In this sensitive article, Hirschorn uses several examples of her own ESL and LD tutoring sessions to remind us that tutors must tailor their teaching/tutoring strategies to support these students. Examples of this include scheduling longer appointment times (1 hour vs. 40 min.), as well as meeting with these students on a weekly basis to continue building upon the foundations they are learning: internalizing metacognitive processes such as prewriting and comprehension, which take more time to learn with ESL and LD students.
After reading this article I am reminded how difficult writing can be for me, and I intuitively know the rhetorical patterns of English which "are shaped by the politics and values of our western culture" (Hirschorn). I can only imagine how challenging and frustrating it must be for ESL and LD students to write academically.
To read the full article click on the link below:
http://emil.uwc.utexas.edu/praxis/?q=node/175
I've been delving into UDL (universal design for learning) lately and realizing that while UDL is often framed as being about accommodating disability, the principles can just as easily be applied to ELL student situations.
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