Language and Learning in Multilingual Classrooms ─ A Practical Approach

Coelho, who has coordinated English as a second language programs, taught teacher education courses at the U. of Toronto, and worked on policy and resource development at the Ontario Ministry of Education in Canada, offers a research-based guide for educators that focuses on strategies for working with first-generation immigrant children from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It focuses on the acquisition of academic English and the long-term process of second language development and newcomer students of any age who may or may not have previous experience with the language of instruction. It reviews the social, academic, and linguistic needs of these children and how to orient them to their new environment; ideas for creating relationships with parents; a whole-school approach that includes differentiated instruction, assessment tools and criteria to track linguistic development, and an action plan for accountability and academic performance; and suggestions and examples for the classroom, including inclusive learning, a multilingual environment, and oral language, reading and writing, and vocabulary instruction. It uses examples from Canada but can be adapted by educators in other countries and with second-generation children. Distributed in the US by UTP Distribution. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Elizabeth Coelho, a former coordinator for English as a Second Language in Toronto, has taught teacher education courses at the University of Toronto, and worked on policy and resource development at the Ontario Ministry of Education. Her book Teaching and Learning in Multicultural Schools: An Integrated Approach, also published by Multilingual Matters, is used on teacher education courses across Canada.