Case study - How I reached my ELL student with AI

Today's case study is focused on a personal experience of mine. This was something that, as an educator, required my immediate attention. I hope that through my own experience you too will learn something and in turn, make an even larger impact on your students than you already do.

 

 

It was just like any other day of the week.I had just welcomed my class and a knock at the door occurs. Enter Christopher (not his real name) with one of our assistant principals. After a quick signal the three of us step out into the hall to chat.

 

The principal gives me a quick rundown and essentially Christopher hasn't been in school for over 6 months and doesn't speak a lick of English. My job is to not just catch him up but ensure he is successful.

 

At that time, I currently had 3 preps and over 160 other students. My other students had their own accommodations, individual education plans, supports, needs, life events, etc. How was I supposed to pull off this miracle?

 

Not alone.

 

At the time, I was teaching high school biology and physics in Texas. We were approximately midway through the semester and had covered a vast amount of content. Now, even if your background and situation is different there is plenty for you to take away from this.

 

In the state of Texas, biology is a tested subject at the end of the year. Students have to pass this test to graduate unless there were certain extreme circumstances. Sadly, the inability to speak English and being out of school for half a year wasn't "extreme" enough.

 

Meaning, Christopher, still needed to learn science and be able to apply it successfully. Not only was he successful at this but how exactly was this accomplished?

 

While this situation isn't a one-size-fits all, there is plenty of valuable information you can learn from this case study. Take these actionable solutions into your own district, school, or classroom. Reach these learners where they are and unlock the potential in every one of them.

 

All of them are capable of it. Are you up for the challenge?

 

 

If this sounds like something you are interested in solving in your own class, school, or district, check out our free course on AI and Education. There you'll learn all how to use AI in the education setting to drive results and increase your time to interact with students.