Mallory Fix ( mfix@ccp.edu ), ESL, and Chris Whitney (swhitney@ccp.edu), ESL 

ESL students bring tremendous value to the classroom, but because they are non-native English speakers, they can also present particular challenges. This Learning Community, facilitated by ESL faculty but intended for non-ESL faculty, is designed for faculty to come together and share their experiences and best practices for working with CCP’s non-native English speaking students. Participants will (1) become familiar with basic research-based theories of language acquisition and related best practices, (2) dispel any misconceptions of language acquisition, (3) explore the concepts of both language and content objectives, (4) discuss how language proficiency impacts assessment, and (5) review/explore supplemental resources to support both instructors and students. Lastly, and most importantly, participants will engage in active dialogue on ways to collectively better support “EL’s” (English learners) at the College.