English Learners (ELs) make up a growing share of U.S. college students, but rates of EL degree completion still lag. ELs face not only language barriers, but also structural barriers. Programs were long based on a false premise that learning English, unlike other foreign languages, was a remedial chore, siloed away from “real” academia. In recent years, sweeping equity reforms have dramatically improved placement, course sequences, and pedagogy. Learning English is now more rightly treated as an academic skill students acquire as they tackle multidisciplinary content, while students’ identities and prior knowledge are more rightly valued as essential assets. In this new framework, traditional ESL textbooks are increasingly inappropriate for the tasks required. OER has the potential to bridge that materials gap. This session uses two examples of OER ESL texts, written collaboratively by community college faculty, to highlight OER’s promise for the future of college English learning.
Attendees of this session will be able to:- contrast principles of effective vs. ineffective language learning materials.
- describe the features of OER that surpass traditional textbooks in meeting student needs.
- explain to colleagues and supervisors why moving to OER is worth the effort for student equity.
- access example OER ESL texts and freely adapt them for immediate use or sharing.
