English Language Learners in University Classrooms: Practical Resources for Faculty

Posted on 7 May 2018 by Elena Shvidko
Elena Shvidko
Elena Shvidko

As language specialists, we may be asked by colleagues from other departments how to better help international students (for the purpose of this blog, I will equate this term with English language learners) in college classrooms. Lots of resources are available out there—both print and online—that aim to raise university professors’ awareness of how to help these students succeed academically. In this blog post, I’ll list a few resources that may be helpful to university instructors who are not trained to work with English language learners. While I included several books and academic journals for those who’d like to dig deeper, most of the resources below describe practical suggestions and recommendations for university faculty. Continue reading →

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ESP Project Leader Profile: Michael Ennis

Posted on 2 May 2018 by Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight

Hello, ESPers worldwide!

In this ESP project leader profile, we meet Michael Ennis, a leader in Italy who shares his story of launching a TESOL group that has held several ESP conferences. Please see Mike’s bio:

Michael Ennis is the English Language Coordinator at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano’s Language Centre and the founding coordinator of the TESOL Italy Val d’Adige Local Group. He has taught English and German at multiple universities in the United States, Germany, and Italy, and has given numerous conference presentations, organized teacher training, and published on his interests in ESP, ESAP, CLIL, extra credit and motivation, intercultural language teaching, and cultural studies. He is an active member of TESOL Italy and TESOL International, also serving on the TESOL Italy National Committee and the Editorial Review Board for TESOL Journal. He recently contributed an entry on “bilingual programs” to the TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching.

In his interview responses, Mike reflects on project leadership and provides valuable information for ESP practitioners aiming to start up an ESP group. Continue reading →

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Exploring Campus Through Writing: A Course Project

Posted on 16 April 2018 by Elena Shvidko
Elena Shvidko
Elena Shvidko

Many institutions of higher education offer various types of resources to facilitate English language learners’ success at the university. However, the lack of awareness of these resources, among both faculty and the students, may significantly undermine their value. I believe that teachers are well positioned to help students become familiar with these support services, resources, and programs, so they can become more socialized into the academic community. A writing class, in particular, provides an excellent venue for integrating these resources in course projects and activities. Let me share an example of a project that could be implemented in a writing course. Continue reading →

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ESP Project Leader Profile: Elise Geither

Posted on 10 April 2018 by Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight
Kevin Knight

Hello, ESPers worldwide!

The 42nd ESP project leader profile features Elise Geither, who gave a presentation at TESOL 2018 in Chicago in an ESP-EFL (English as a foreign language) intersection session. In addition to being an ESP practitioner, Elise is a multitalented teacher and novelist, who supports students with disabilities: Continue reading →

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Why I Refuse to Call My Colleagues “ELL Teachers”

Posted on 21 March 2018 by Michelle Benegas
Michelle Benegas
Michelle Benegas

I can hear my grandmother’s voice echoing through her house as she called. “Get your feet off the davenport!” My mother still calls remote controls “clickers.” My siblings and I have found humor in their use of these antiquated terms. In recent years, I’ve found more and more commonality with my grandmother and mother as some of the words in my vocabulary Rolodex are now notably different from the mainstream dialect.

I’m a teacher educator and an applied linguist. Like any progressive linguist, I bristle at those who identify as “grammar snobs,” knowing the colonial and elitist backdrop that such a posture implies. It is because of my deep respect for language evolution and variation, as well as my Midwestern aversion to disruption, that I’ve struggled to voice my dissent on a vernacular change in my field. Continue reading →

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