Differentiating Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners: A Guide for K-12 Teachers

by Shelley Fairbairn, Stephaney Jones-Vo

Book by Fairbairn, Shelley, Jones-Vo, Stephaney

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Teaching, School

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2010

About the author

Dr. Michele Beth Fairbairn is an ESL/EFL teacher and an associate professor in the Drake University School of Education. Her teaching focuses on training student teachers to design effective lesson plans and assessments and on training teachers to meet the needs of English language learners through linguistically and culturally responsive practice.

Reviews

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book would be better than it was. The author name drops some famous names in TESOL at the beginning, her methods and advice for teaching ESOL students ignore important facts. She stresses throughout the book that speaking English in the home is important but sees the native language as a detriment to learning English. It’s not true. In fact cutting off the native language can be very detrimental to learners of English. She also is not willing to allow writing that isn’t grammatically correct or a bit easier in vocabulary. Grammar and vocabulary are learned in listening and reading. Speaking and writing will lag behind and can’t be forced forward without falling into a trap of being incomprehensible and essentially written by the teacher or directed by them. The comprehension hypothesis by Stephen Krashen. I felt that students were missing from this book although there were many scenarios on almost every page. It was cold and inauthentic. The best progression for English language learning is the bond between student and teacher, staff, fellow students and school. This book is highly clinical and misses the ballpark.

[Elaine · Rating 2 out of 5]

The strategies are good, but the way the text is executed is unnecessaryily difficult to digest. One really has to sit, linger and think for it all to process in a non enjoyable manner. I have read multiple textbooks on this subject and this one was not as useful as it could have been if the publishers were thinking of the reader

[Talbot Hook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Granted, I am the tiniest bit biased, as I have had Professor Fairbairn as my professor before; yet, this book is unbelievably necessary within modern-day education, so my bias is overridden by the simple fact of its necessity. As someone who has been in many different schools, in many different roles, throughout the years, I can honestly state that English-Language Learner (ELL) instruction is, even at the best of times, messy. It almost goes without saying that most teachers only know the term ELL, and have little idea what to do with such a student, should an ELL end up in their classroom. Because of educational law, all students have the right to an appropriate education, which means that teachers need ELL-focused professional development and training, and that is something that this book effectively proffers.

By enumerating each level of English Language Proficiency (ELP), and the salient strengths and weaknesses that could perhaps attend each level, this text does a truly fantastic job of helping teachers contextualize knowledge of human language acquisition. However, the best part of this book is in its activities. At the end of each chapter are several professional development activities focused on differentiating instruction and offering scaffolding and support for fictitious (though not unreal) students. So, at once, this book is both theoretical, and yet highly practical, and achieves a synthesis of the two that most textbooks strive to attain, yet never reach. My ever-learning hat is off to both authors.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was asked to read this book for departmental professional development. While it has good advice and strategies, it was difficult to read straight through will all of the frequent repetition. However, this book can serve as a valuable reference when working to differentiate instruction for specific students (so the repetition is probably necessary). If you work with ELLs or even students who are native speakers of English, but struggle with reading and writing, this is a handy resource.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides concrete and helpful suggestions for differentiating to meet the needs of English Learners in the classroom. It underscores that promoting English proficiency is the duty of all education professionals, not just sheltered EL teachers.
They break down their suggestions based on proficiency level and build off what students can do at each level. The student scenarios and example assignments help you see what it could look like in practice with real, dynamic students at various grade levels and proficiency levels.

[D. DeTo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent text to use in a course on teaching ELLs.

[Summer]

A great reference for teachers of ELLs.