When designing rich and meaningful online courses discussion boards (DBs) are an opportunity to increase the social presence of students and facilitator. Vlogs instead of text-based DBs create a social presence for students and faculty, thereby allowing connectedness and group cohesion to develop.

Dr. Jasmin (Bey) Cowin, Assistant Professor and TESOL Practicum Coordinator, Touro University, GSE

DBs are an important vehicle to measure growth, connect with students beyond text-based contributions, introduce new technology, and interact using different modalities and media. I find that varying the format and giving students the ability to express themselves through different media introduces spaces of discovery, communication, and peer-to-peer learning while giving diverse learning styles various ways to shine.

This Discussion Board focused on a deep dive and exploration of early interventions as well as the RTI system. Touro TESOL candidates were asked to reflect on the importance of providing Multilingual Learners the support and interventions they may need. Candidates also reflected on assessing students in their native language in order to differentiate between academic or language issues.

Luz Chavarrio currently attends Touro College. This is her first year as a public school teacher. She is currently working as a Spanish teacher in an elementary school on the Lower East Side.

Luz Chavarrio’s Vlog on“Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners”

Vlog References:

Ariza, E. N., & Coady, M. R. (2018). Why Tesol?: Theories and issues in teaching English to speakers of other languages in K-12 classrooms (5th ed.). Kendall Hunt Pub Co.

Echevarría Jana, Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2017). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The Siop model. Pearson.

John Zurschmiede: “I am originally from South Africa where I graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand with a Batchelor’s in Primary Education. Since came to the United States, I have worked at private ESL institutions as an instructor and as an Academic Lead. I have also completed a Master’s in Adult Education and am currently studying at Touro college pursuing NYS TESOL certification.”

Vlog Response to Intervention:

Vlog references:

Emerson Dickman, G (n.d.). RTI and Reading: Response to Intervention in a Nutshell. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/rti-and-reading-response-intervention-nutshell (Links to an external site.)

RTI-Based Specific Learning Disability Determination Worksheet. (n.d.). https://wyominginstructionalnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/MTSS-SLD-Eligibility-Documentation-Worksheet.pdf

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

New York is a state that speaks many languages. We need teachers who can find the common ground.

The MS in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) Program helps NYS-certified PreK-12 teachers more effectively teach and communicate with a diverse student population.

Academically rigorous and practice-intensive, the 33-credit program includes 50 hours of fieldwork and at least 20 days or 100 hours of supervised student teaching experience. Candidates that complete all coursework, fieldwork, and student teaching requirements are eligible for recommendation for ESL certification.