Cindy Lovell, an adjunct faculty member in the College of Education, and Jane Govoni, the ESOL/Foreign Language Program coordinator and an assistant professor of instruction on the Sarasota-Manatee campus, have co-authored a textbook titled, “The Big Book of ESOL Activities: Preparation for Educators, Administrators and School Counselors,” to help teachers and school personnel better serve English language learners in the classroom.
A “first of its kind,” the book introduces and reviews over 60 critical concepts through a series of over 200 “ready-to-go" activities that allow readers to test their knowledge.
“We are confident the book will provide full engagement with the concepts since we have been using these activities in our own classrooms for years, and our students confirm the power of this approach,” said Lovell, who teaches “Instructional Methods & Strategies of Teaching ESOL” and “Curriculum and Pedagogy of ESOL” at the Sarasota-Manatee campus. “We expect the book to be used in both undergraduate and graduate classrooms as well as ESOL endorsement trainings in school districts around the country.”
Over 5.1 million English language learners were enrolled in public schools across the country in the fall of 2019. With over 277,000 English language learners enrolled in Florida public schools, the state has the third largest population of English language learners in the country. Among these students, Spanish is the most common native language.
“Our students tell us they are taking many of these activities directly to their own students,” said Lovell who, along with Govoni, expects students will use the book to review for teacher certification exams.
“The Big Book of ESOL Activities: Preparation for Educators, Administrators and School Counselors” is the third book from Lovell and Govoni. It is available from Kendall Hunt Publishing Co.
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