Wondering how to design, teach and assess language and content for your multilingual learners? The course uses a backwards-design format starting with the review of language-development standards for CLIL learning environments, progressing to the design and alignment of academic language objectives or targets, classroom-based assessments, and collaborative, high-quality instruction. Additional areas of exploration and reflection include feedback, grading and reporting, standardized assessments, leading shared responsibility and advocacy for the achievement of multilingual learners, and an inquiry into how learning issues relate to multilingual learners.

This ten-week course shows how multilingual learners can access grade-level standards, engage with content, and express what they know and can do alongside their peers in mainstream classrooms. Participants plan a culminating unit of instruction using a content and language integrated learning (CLIL) approach.

What will I learn?

During this learning experience you will explore:

• components of curriculum design for language and content (know, do, evidence)

• classroom-based and standardized assessments as evidence of learning (uses and impact on multilingual learners)

• high-impact instructional tools for multilingual learners for content and language integration 

• shared responsibility and advocacy for the achievement and language acquisition of multilingual learners

• essential (research-based) schoolwide shifts for the success of multilingual learners in international schools 

You will learn and practice how to:

• unpack content and language standards into aligned content and language learning targets (content and language integrated learning or CLIL approach) 

• redesign ‘deficit-based’ assessments to ‘promise’ assessments which show what multilingual learners know and can do academically and linguistically 

• prioritize the design of feedback options to monitor and progress academic achievement and ongoing language growth (e.g. conferring, single point rubrics, language proficiency continua, reporting options, etc.)

• analyze and interpret student data from multiple sources, including standardized, classroom-based, and language-proficiency assessments, to make informed instructional decisions that promote advocacy for multilingual learners, including the advancement of learner agency in self-monitoring bi- or multilingual development 

• design learner- and learning-centered lessons for meeting the standards and curricular objectives through research-based instruction that develops multilingual learners’ language and literacies across all content areas 

• plan instruction and assessment collaboratively with other teachers and proactively serve as a resource for instruction which builds upon the linguistic and cultural ‘funds of knowledge’ of multilingual learners 

• use relevant technology and digital resources effectively to plan lessons for multilingual learners, strengthen communication with colleagues and multilingual learners’ families, and foster student language learning in all content areas

• explore ways to collaborate with Learning Needs Specialists to further investigate multilingual learners who may need additional support due to learning issues 

• practice self-assessment and reflection, make adjustments for self-improvement, and make plans for continuous professional development in the profession of language learning and teaching

You can anticipate

• 5-6 hours of asynchronous learning, group discussions and collaboration per week

• Completing 9 formative assessment tasks (most of which provide choices) 

• Completing at least one application or culminating task (depending on whether you take this course alone, take this course in order to obtain the TTC EAL certification, or you take the course to obtain TCNJ university graduate credit)

What is my investment?

Per participants from a PTC member school: USD $1000.
Per participant from a non-member school: USD$1100.
Online payment by credit card.