What stands out to you about your experience in the ELD coursework?
"Our ELD coursework fills in the gaps of a traditional TEP with a robust bank of teaching strategies and a pedagogical approach that leads with cultural humility and inclusion of all learners. Simply put, it’s just good teaching. My coursework was housed in a vibrant community of like-minded educators committed to improving educational access for multilingual learners. What struck me was how our ELD coursework pushed us to interrogate the relationship between language, literacy, and power, which is critical to pedagogy centered on anti-racism and social justice."

How has the ELD coursework impacted your teaching of multilingual learners?
"It has helped me envision what I want student-centered teaching to look like: an approach that celebrates our students’ full selves, draws in their linguistic and cultural assets, collaborates with their families and communities, and invites a co-construction of knowledge. The joy that comes with working with multilingual learners and celebrating every “small” win is unmatched."

What stands out to you about your experience in the ELD coursework?
"Working at SESLA has given me the invaluable experience to work with kids of all different ages. I feel prepared to work in any classroom and support students by meeting them where they’re at and knowing where to take them next, with both content and language in mind."

How has the ELD coursework impacted your teaching of multilingual learners?
"I have an understanding of teaching as social justice work. Multilingual learners never fit into any one box or category. They enter our classroom as whole human beings with their own unique strengths and challenges. I feel prepared to act not only as a teacher, but as an advocate."

What stands out to you about your experience in the ELD coursework?
"The coursework provided me with a comprehensive understanding of how languages are learned, which was instrumental in designing more effective instructional strategies. Furthermore, engaging with fellow educators who are passionate about supporting multilingual learners was inspiring and enriching. The exchange of ideas and experiences enhance my learning and broadened my perspective."

How has the ELD coursework impacted your teaching of multilingual learners?
"I now incorporate a variety of instructional strategies that cater to different language proficiency levels. This includes using visuals, modeling, and language scaffolds to make content accessible and engaging for all students."

What stands out to you about your experience in the ELD coursework?
“Being exposed to many different professionals within the field of supporting the multilingual community stood out the most to me. We were given opportunities to hear from teachers, legal support staff, and others who inspired me to learn what I can do beyond the classroom to show support.”

How has the ELD coursework impacted your teaching of multilingual learners?
“When I plan any lesson, I consider how I am setting all students up for success. I carefully select methods of teaching that offer multiple uses of language to give student practice with cognitive input and output. Additionally, I have a strong relationship with my building EL staff because we share common knowledge, which makes collaboration flow smoothly.”

What stands out to you about your experience in the ELD coursework?
“My experience in ELD was amazing- the professors are some of the kindest and most down to earth people you'll ever work with. The experiences working with multilingual students in the Ann Arbor schools were so fun they barely felt like work, and I loved working with people from other educational programs at Umich.”

How has the ELD coursework impacted your teaching of multilingual learners?
“Working with MLs can be challenging, and I think about the most important things I learned at Umich- put the students first, show you care, and have fun. The ELD coursework gave me the foundations to be able to do these things and help kids learn everything from the ABCs to the causes of WWII.”

What stands out to you about your experience in the ELD coursework?
“I appreciated that the ELD coursework gave us a glimpse into the challenges that multilingual learners experience, because this cultivated compassion in us for the learners and their families.”

How has the ELD coursework impacted your teaching of multilingual learners?
“The ELD coursework gave me the awareness I needed to interact sensitively and compassionately with my multilingual families. It also gave me the skills I needed to effectively communicate with students and their families, and ensure that they had access to the same opportunities as the rest of my class community.”

What stands out to you about your experience in the ELD coursework?
“What really stood out to me about the ELD coursework was how practical our classes were, in that I gained a clear image not only of what to do in my lessons, but also how to lead and foster community. Each seminar that was meant to teach us ways to foster interaction, support language acquisition and make connections across subject matter did *exactly* that, with us as the stand-in students. We played games, brainstormed, had small group discussions, gave presentations and listened to direct instruction. Our lecturers didn't talk at us or bore us with theory; rather, our lecturers knew us on a really meaningful level and conducted classes with us that stood as practical examples of how to engage with your students and foster an atmosphere of true learning.”

How has the ELD coursework impacted your teaching of multilingual learners?
“I can't say enough good things about how the ELD coursework enhanced my skills as an educator. I learned a wide variety of hands-on approaches to help students acquire new vocabulary, make connections across subjects, and in general develop strategies that help them to continue building their language abilities as they continue to encounter more advanced language at school and in the world. Furthermore, I gained a new lens with which to see education; in other words, I gained a way to see each students' vast strengths both in English and the other languages they speak, and the tools to help them build upon that existing foundation. I found our work to be extremely empowering, full of empathy and deeply positive. It shaped me immensely into the educator that I am today.”