Teaching English Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach.

TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: A Differentiated Approach. Carol Rothenberg & Douglas Fisher. Columbus, OH: Pearson Education, 2007. 273 pp. Paperback, $17.00. Teaching English Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach is an easy-to-read, self-help book for educators of English language learners (ELLs). The book is organized into eight chapters, with a last section on teacher tools. All teachers dealing with English language learners in their classrooms would benefit from reading this book. It offers practical suggestions on teaching methodologies, along with strong research and classroom examples. The margin notes guide the readers into thoughtful reflections and interaction with the contents. The theories are strongly supported with sound and current research. The mixture of components included in each chapter sustain readers' interests and attention. The authors also raise many issues that are challenging and relevant to today's teaching climate.

The book's authors are well-equipped to address this topic. Carol Rothenberg holds a bilingual certificate with an expertise in ELL education. She is a resource teacher with the San Diego Unified School District, coaching and providing teachers with technical assistance. Douglas Fisher is a professor at San Diego State University, specializing in teacher education. His expertise includes content literacy, ELL, and differentiated instruction.

The first chapter of the book provides important background and statistics recognizing the immigrant population in the United States, and lists descriptors of various English proficiency levels. The Focus Questions and Research in Focus sections serve as a reflection guide and provide up-to-date research. Subsequent chapters deal with language acquisition, purposeful planning, assessment, and dimensions of oral and academic language development, integration of language acquisition and learning, and differentiated instruction.

The book focuses on issues relating to direct instruction and introduces many programs available to ELLs. Each of the chapters provides readers with a good summary of current research and practical teaching ideas. Concepts and classroom practices are well-integrated in each unit with a unique feature of different websites that provide educators with a wealth of resources. The authors point out the importance of differentiated instruction and challenge educators to maintain a high expectation for all students, including ELLs. Reviewed by Carolyn K. Ng, a 3rd-grade teacher at San Gabriel Christian School and Doctoral Student at Azusa Pacific University.