Liz Brisson
Why did you decide to pursue the ELD coursework and obtain the MDE ESL endorsement?
“I chose to engage in ELD coursework to expand my knowledge on ways to support multilingual students and families. When I began my Master's program, I was placed to student teach in a school with a large population of multilingual learners. Choosing to pursue my MDE ESL endorsement meant that I could learn, practice, and build confidence in strategies to create a more equitable environment for my multilingual 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.”
MiKayla Kasparian
Why did you decide to pursue the ELD coursework and obtain the MDE ESL endorsement?
“I decided to pursue ELD coursework because I value everything that multicultural and multilingual students bring to the classroom and community and I wanted to spend more time teaching them and learning from them.”
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.”
Fatema Alqamoussi
Why did you decide to pursue the ELD coursework and obtain the MDE ESL endorsement?
“As a child of immigrants whose prospects were limited by language barriers, I wanted to ensure that all of my students would have access to a high-quality education. I felt that the ESL endorsement would provide me with the skills I would need to make my lessons accessible to all.”
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.”
Brittany Boyle
Why did you decide to pursue the ELD coursework and obtain the MDE ESL endorsement?
“Through my previous classroom experiences as a teaching assistant, I was convinced that knowledge of how to effectively support English language learners would be a game-changing skill to have as a future educator. That, coupled with my desire to teach abroad, made it clear to me that the ELD coursework was something I wanted to pursue, as I knew I would be exclusively working with non-native English speakers once I moved abroad. Furthermore, I saw the ELD coursework as a great opportunity to diversify my skill set and make myself a more attractive applicant to future schools. With two areas of expertise, I knew that I would be a more confident and more useful educator for my future school.”
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.”
Katherine Hamilton
Why did you decide to obtain an endorsement in ESL?
"For better chance at getting hired & because I think ESL is important for all teachers to know how to teach."
What was the most important thing you learned through this experience that you are taking with you into your own classroom?
"Explicit teaching and instruction is key to creating a learning space online. Any vague instruction can lead to confusion and inaction. Making sure that I give really clear directions and have a clear sense of what direction the class is taking is important to being able to facilitate everything else. Also, relationship building is key, especially online!"
Conor Callam
Why did you decide to obtain an endorsement in ESL?
"Although I will not be teaching in and ESL position next year, I wanted to obtain an ESL endorsement to improve my teaching practice and continue to learn how to teach equitably for all students in my classroom."
What was the most important thing you learned through this experience that you are taking with you into your own classroom?
"The most important thing that I learned through the SESLA experience is that it is possible to foster a cohesive classroom community, even when teaching online."
Chelsea Froning
Why did you decide to obtain an endorsement in ESL?
"To be able to more effectively serve ELL populations in schools."
What was the most important thing you learned through this experience that you are taking with you into your own classroom?
"Wait time and materials prep time are crucial!"
Connect with us
Please contact the ELD Coursework coordinator with your questions.
ELD Coursework Coordinator
Susan Atkins
satkins@umich.edu
(734) 239-2151
Location
610 E. University Avenue
Room 1302 A
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1259
Office Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.