This on-line activity prepares Student Service Providers (School Psychologists, Speech/Language Pathologists & Social Workers) to plan and implement strategies that will meet the educational needs of English Language Learners (ELLs). Participants will interact with a facilitator and other participants on-line, demonstrating knowledge of how a second language is acquired, using various program models serving ELLs. Participants will demonstrate mastery by developing a final project relating to their job responsibilities, which applies course content learned and promotes cross-cultural understanding.

Duration: 4 weeks
Inservice: 18 points
Audience: School Psychologists, Speech/Language Pathologists, & Social Workers
Access to Students: No

Specific Objectives

Participants will:

• Describe the cultural implications relative to cross-cultural counseling and consultation.
• Describe the relationship between second language acquisition and language interference.
• Identify the challenges and techniques in meeting the educational and assessment needs of ELLs.
• Apply knowledge of concepts of cultural competence particularly knowledge about how cultural identities affect learning and academic progress for students of diverse backgrounds and at varying English proficiency levels.

Materials

In order to complete this online course, participants need to be able to access web-based content, including multimedia presentations, professional articles, and various interactive websites.