Blog Post #1: Using blogs to meet standards

 3 Ways to use blogs to teach English, while meeting the TESOL standards are:

1) To meet the listening and reading requirements of the TESOL standards, I could post interesting articles and youtube clips on my blog for students to read and watch.  This sort of extracurricular English language involvement can help kids who have to stay home sick, or those who need some extra help understanding English in certain contexts.  Another way this can help the students is by providing extracurricular English to kids in families without an English-speaking environment at home.

• Reading
• English language learners process, interpret, and evaluate written language, symbols, and text with understanding and fluency. Learning to read in a second language may be enhanced or hindered by students’ level of literacy in their native language. Students who have a strong foundation in reading in their first language bring with them skills that can be readily transferred in the process of learning to read in English.

2) Along the lines of the first possibility that blogs allow for in ESL teaching is the opportunity for kids to respond to the teacher's blog posts in English to show comprehension and literacy.  This fulfills the writing aspect of the TESOL standards.  This can also help students at proficiency levels 3, 4, and 5!

• Writing
• English language learners use written communication for a variety of purposes and audiences. Writing can be used to express meaning through drawing, symbols, or text. English language learners may come with writing styles influenced by their home cultures.

3) The blog also allows students to ask questions outside of school hours, and receive a response from not only the teacher, but other students can discuss and solve problems.  This encourages peer-mediation from the sociocultural theory of language acquisition, and helps students become more engaged in their English language learning because nowadays they are already on the internet.Above all, this expands far beyond the obligations of the first standard of TESOL.

•  Standard 1: English language learners communicate for social, intercultural, and instructional purposes within the school setting.

TESOL Standards