EAL Practice and Support

Today with the girls I focused on English language support. I knew they wouldn't jump up and down for joy – and they didn't – but they solidified some skills and had enough fun to press through. 

I intended to use Duolingo, an engaging language support platform, and I created logins for each student, set them up as a class, and assigned certain tasks for them to complete. I figured it would either be too easy or hard but that we'd eventually find what was about right. Instead, due to complications I couldn't overcome in the moment (the text was in Hindi as they practiced their English, so I couldn't help them know where to click and navigate through lessons. Also, not all of them are fluent in Hindi and typing in Hindi text on the keyboard wasn't possible.) So, that was a bit of a bust. Hopefully next time I'll succeed at configuring it better or find a different tool. 

We switched over to BrainPopESL. They each took a placement test and it walked them through appropriate lessons and videos accordingly. Even the older girls seemed engaged and in various vocabulary and grammar activities.

So, they made it through. With a few minutes left we practiced some typing and the older girls are all 20WPM or higher. I challenged them to try it without looking so much at their hands, but they are in a good spot.

Next up: hands-on, offline!