On November 1, 2011 Elizabeth Coelho presented a day-long workshop about promoting inclusive educational practices in multicultural and multilingual classrooms. The workshop focussed on how to take advantage of student diversity, in order to both support English Language Learners and to benefit all learners through intercultural experiences. The workshop was recorded and edited into five segments which are provided in the links below. Each segment includes a video clip of Elizabeth Coelho’s presentation, her accompanying power point, her supplementary hand-outs and a Learning Guide to facilitate discussion. Throughout her presentation Elizabeth Coelho made reference to various other helpful resources. Links to these are included in the document entitled “Research References.”
About Elizabeth Coelho
Elizabeth is renowned for providing practical advice based on current research and effective practice in second language teaching and multilingual education. She has published several professional resource books for teachers and classroom materials for students. She was the District Co-ordinator for ESL/ELD in the Toronto District School Board. Elizabeth was the Student Achievement Officer for the Ontario Ministry of Education where she provided leadership on addressing the needs of newcomer students. She frequently delivers keynote speeches, workshops, institutes and seminar presentations throughout the world.
Jump to Section
Introduction to the Workshop
View this introduction to hear Elizabeth’s story and learn what to anticipate in the following five sections.
Understanding the Immigrant Experience
The following video presents interviews with youth in Ontario who describe their experiences as immigrants and newcomers to the school system. The link below the video will take you to the site that hosts New Moves, from where it can be downloaded. The video is available in many languages. The site also provides a handbook with teaching tips. View Elizabeth’s introduction, open the site and watch the New Moves video.
First Impressions (and how to improve them)
Teachers and schools can make a difference for newcomer students by providing supports for welcoming and orienting students and parents. View this video for ideas about how to incorporate welcoming practices. Explore more ideas through the discussion questions in the Learning Guide.
How to Create a Welcoming and Inclusive Social Environment in the Classroom
The way in which newcomer students are included in classroom activities is essential for promoting their social inclusion and language development. Attention to inclusive practices also builds cross-cultural understandings among all students. View this video for ideas and strategies. Explore more ideas through the discussion questions in the Learning Guide.
Intercultural/Multilingual Projects
Learning projects with a cross-cultural and multilingual perspective take advantage of the knowledge that diverse learners bring to the classroom. View this video for ideas about how multilingual and cross-cultural projects can be infused across the curriculum. Explore more ideas through the discussion questions in the Learning Guide.
Fostering Intercultural Communication through Co-operative Group Work
Cooperative learning approaches and strategies provide tremendous benefits for all learners, and especially for English Language Learners. View this video for specific cooperative learning strategies that can be incorporated across many grade levels and curriculum areas. Explore more ideas through the discussion questions in the Learning Guide.