Teaching and Learning Context

Teaching and Learning Context

This module was created for English Language Learners (ELLs) in grades 1 and 2 at an American International School in Oman. The English language learners are assessed at the beginning of the year to determine their language fluency level and are placed in their grade according to their age. These students stay in their mainstream class to learn but are pulled out during an English lesson in class or when native English speakers go to a second language class, which can be Arabic, French or Spanish.  The learners are in the ELL class every day for one hour and half consisting of about six to eight students. Most of these students come to Oman from different parts of the globe, mainly; Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, and few from the Middle East region. These learners’ proficiency levels in English range from emerging  to developing, and according to the Common Framework Reference (CRF) my language learners are considered to be on the CFR Global elementary scale between A1 – A2 (Government of Saskatchewan, Ministry of Education, 2012).  Pull-out support (teaching in the ELL classroom) is coordinated with the homeroom teacher.  As a result, there is a strong correlation between what is taught in the ELL class and the subject matter being presented in the homeroom. The content curriculum in ELL embeds the standards and benchmarks, AERO and Common-Core Curriculum, using selected texts, as well as themes from the student’s homeroom. AERO was created for American international schools, and the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools and the Overseas Schools Advisory Council assisted these schools in developing and implementing standards-based curricula, particularly with the Common Core initiative in the U.S (Office of Overseas Schools, U.S. Department of State, 2015).

The American International School views technology as an integral component of their curriculum and language acquisition because it complements a variety of literacy and skills; reading, writing, listening and speaking.  Harris, Mishra, and Koehler (2009) note that in order for technology to become successful, it should first be embedded into the content of the curriculum and then the use of new and sophisticated technologies should be applied.  Technology is utilized as a tool for bringing differentiated learning opportunities to all of our students in a motivating, student-friendly way (Harris and Hofer, 2011).  Romrell, Kidder, and Wood (2014) explain that these technological tools are “designed to be personalized, situated and connected, the resulting mLearning activities have the potential to redefine and transform learning” (p. 9). Therefore, technology provides a comprehensible input that supports alternative learning styles with additional tutorials or concrete examples of concepts being explained.