Using geospatial technology to teach language and content to English learners

Abstract

It has been well documented that English learners (ELs) in U.S. secondary schools have limited access to rigorous content area curriculum, in particular science. Yet watering down or forgoing content area instruction compromises the short‐ and long‐term academic trajectories of ELs. Thus, the need for science curricula that marries rich learning opportunities with language support continues to be a pressing need in EL education. This article draws on an innovative inquiry‐based science curriculum to demonstrate how geospatial technologies can be utilized to provide ELs with rigorous academic and second language learning opportunities. The featured curriculum includes tasks that engage students in locally relevant issues and draws on principles of second language acquisition and geospatial learning. The curriculum ultimately demonstrates how opportunities to learn can be cultivated for ELs as well as other language learners in a wide range of academic contexts.

Geography's secret powers to save the world

“…In the United States and elsewhere, there is a burgeoning movement in which classroom teachers use geospatial technologies to identify and investigate topics of their choosing. Frequently these projects focus on a critical envisioning of students' neighbourhoods to produce findings and take community action by presenting these findings to community leaders (Kangas et al ; Schlemper et al ; Kenreich ). The National Geographic Society (NGS), in its newly conceptualized education program, has embraced this concept, framing it as a geo‐inquiry process.…”

Technology use in secondary level of English language teaching: A Literature Review

“…It also provides information that guides ESL teachers in choosing appropriate apps for transformative lessons and information on apps that have been used in ESL classrooms. Some studies also reviewed Facebook (Barrot, 2018); a digital game-based (Acquah & Katz, 2020); and Geospatial application (Kangas et al, 2019) as technologies that provide an encouraging learning environment in the secondary level of ELT. Another study also claimed that electronic books (ebook) could be an effective multimedia resource that is used as supplementary standards-based instruction and pre-teach content area vocabulary specifically designed for students with exceptional language needs (Love et al, 2017).…”