English Language Learners (Non-Licensure)

Course Overview

The program is designed to introduce students to the foundational and practical information to effectively serve populations who are learning English as a second language. The program consists of two strands, teaching English language learners in U.S. educational settings and teaching English in an international setting. Our faculty are very engaged with nationally recognized research activities including: TRANSLATE, We test an instructional model (TRANSLATE) designed to improve the English reading comprehension of EL students in grades 2 and 3. In TRANSLATE, students learn to identify key textual excerpts and use cognitive, linguistic and social strategies to facilitate translation and comprehension. We work with four teachers and their EL students (32) in two elementary schools. Our goal is to establish proof of concept for the TRANSLATE approach and to identify any remaining problems teachers encounter during its implementation. Project PROPEL, Given the large population of immigrants in Nashville, we developed Project PROPEL (Peabody/Metropolitan Nashville Partnership Supporting English Learners) which provides supporting coursework and substantive mentoring to elementary teachers in an effort to increase the effectiveness of teachers who work with English learning students (ELs). Project PROPEL takes a three-pronged approach to organizational change and capacity building. First, Project PROPEL provides coursework leading to an ESL endorsement and mentorship to elementary school teachers in schools with the greatest need of EL teachers. Second, Peabody faculty provide professional development to key administrators and EL consultants within the district through workshops focused on teaching ELs. Finally, in addition, Peabody faculty work with MNPS district administrators to assist in developing teaching modules to assist with ESL professional development.