Professional Development Supporting English Learners
Teaching English Learners requires teachers to use strategies that support both language development and academic learning.
EL students need to acquire subject knowledge while simultaneously building their English skills.
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A Proven Approach for English Learners
Dataworks provide teachers and administrators with a proven and systematic approach to professional development for teaching English Learners (ELs) that will produce a positive result for your students.
Research shows that teachers meet EL needs by:
- Designing engaging and accessible lessons
- Adapting language to ensure ELs can comprehend the material
- Encouraging and supporting daily opportunities for English language practice and expression
The Goal of Our Professional Development for English Learners
Our goal is to provide teachers with a wide range of effective strategies to achieve this triple duty for English Learners. In fact, we have identified more than 50 strategies in our bestselling book for Teaching English Learners.
We Wrote the Book!
With over 25 years of experience in more than 25,000 classrooms, we have gathered extensive research on effective strategies for teaching English Learners (ELs). This work culminated in the publication of our dedicated book, Explicit Direct Instruction (EDI) for English Learners.
One key takeaway from our research is that nearly all teachers of English Learners face similar challenges.
The big question is: How can you build language skills while simultaneously teaching new content?
The answer lies in Explicit Direct Instruction for English Learners. This approach integrates the best of educational theory, brain research, and data analysis, offering a proven method to design and deliver effective lessons tailored for English Learners.
Teacher Success = Student Success
Our Professional Development For Educators With English Learners Features:
- Support for Designated classes.
- Support for Integrated classes.
- Supporting curriculum for English Learners with real-time examples.
- Support for teachers through the implementation.
- Teacher practice in the workshop and in the classroom.
Implementing the DataWORKs’ Process
Step 1: Workshop Practice
The first step is to keep teachers in active teacher mode. That means an effective Professional Development Workshop for EL Teachers should involve the teachers pairing off or working in small groups to actually practice the techniques. Teachers need to rehearse the new strategies with their colleagues. This starts to rewire the brain for efficient implementation.
Step 2: Classroom Practice
An effective professional development workshop includes a classroom demonstration, where presenters show strategies in action with EL students, proving their effectiveness. Teachers then practice these techniques in real classroom settings to build confidence and skill.
Like learning to drive, the workshop is the “parking lot,” and classroom practice is “real traffic.” The goal is automaticity—effortless use of strategies through repeated practice so they become second nature.
With this approach, you’ll see visible growth: students using English confidently, mastering content, and performing better on tests. As an EL teacher, you’ll experience greater success, satisfaction, and a lasting impact on your students’ lives.
6 Things to Know About English Learner Instruction
Resources About English Learners
