07/16/14
How to teach English to speakers of other languages will be the subject of a workshop taught by Dr. Sherri Brantley, instructor of teacher education at Fort Hays State University, on Friday, July 25, in Rarick Hall, room 201, on the FHSU campus.

K-12 teachers and students going into the education field will learn about strategies to assist students who are also English-Language Learners (ELL).

"The 'What' and 'How' of ELL Strategies" is sponsored by the Kansas Center for Innovative Education, an entity of the College of Education and Technology at FHSU. KCIE provides tools for creative and critical thinking in the fields of manufacturing, technology and education.

"I hope to engage teachers on the research, resources and strategies to help them in the classroom when it comes to ELL students," said Brantley. "We will also take a look at the assessment requirements in regards to these students."

Brantley earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Central Oklahoma and a Master of Science in elementary education with an emphasis in English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and Master of Science in educational administration from FHSU. She received a doctorate in education in educational leadership for teacher Learning from Walden University, Minneapolis.

After moving back to Kansas, Brantley taught fifth grade and served as the ESOL coordinator at Riley Elementary in Great Bend. She served on the Kansas Department of Education ESOL Standards Committee and the steering committee to develop the new 2014 ESOL Standards. Currently, she is the vice-president of Mid-America Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Organization for Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska and will serve as president in 2014-2015.

The workshop, available for college credit, will equip participants to address the needs of English-language learners through strategies for how to distinguish between second language acquisition levels and what instructional strategies are appropriate for each language level.

Lunch and refreshments are included in the $90 workshop fee, due Friday, July 18. Space is limited to 30 participants.

For more information or to enroll in the workshop, visit www.fhsu.edu/kcie/events.