2013 REP ORT OF T HE P R ES IDENT S OUT H ERN CONNECT ICUT S TAT E UNIVERS IT Y
A Resource for Teachers Statewide
E
ven the most experienced teachers can find it challenging to communicate effectively with students whose native language is not English.
As part of an effort to help Connecticut teachers and their students who are still learning English, the university has compiled instructional units (grades K-12) created by Southern students pursuing their master’s degree in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). Available at SouthernCT.edu/groups/tat, the units provide teachers with lesson plans, an outline of teaching strategies and objectives and student handouts such as worksheets, pictures and easy-to-read summaries of the lessons. Marisa Ferraro, manager of the university’s Training for All Teachers program (which has been coordinating the project), said more than 175 such units have been created since 2002 and are available to any K-12 teacher in the state. “I believe the increased accessibility will make a significant difference in how often these units are used in the schools,” Ferraro said. “The number of students who are classified as English Language Learners has been growing rapidly in Connecticut, and this new resource will improve their quality of education.”
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