GSEP Adjunct Professor Jacobo Coronel Publishes Article on Adolescent English Learners in a Post-Pandemic Age in International Language Learning Journal

Jacobo Coronel, GSEP adjunct professor in the MA TESOL program, published a scholarly paper in the RELC Journal, a triannual peer-reviewed international journal focused on language learning, titled “Practical Technological Tools for Teaching and Connecting with Adolescent English Learners in the Post-Pandemic Age” in May 2023.

The paper describes how four teachers at the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) Academy middle school (pseudonym used) utilized technological tools to transform their classrooms and provide a dynamic and engaging learning environment for language instruction and student engagement, particularly for English learners, in a post-pandemic era. Utilizing COVID-19 relief funds to purchase new technology, educators returned to in-person learning ready to embrace a new pedagogical approach that leveraged these tools to achieve two main goals: incorporate technology into their curriculum to help raise assessment scores and connect with their students.

“As schools seek to modernize pedagogy in a post-pandemic era, the challenges teachers face with integrating technology can be overcome with training, encouragement, and support,” says Coronel. “The outcome of incorporating these technological tools can help elevate language instruction, bridge gaps in learning, and foster meaningful connections.”

An eight-week training program equipped teachers with iPads, Apple TVs, Apple Pencils, and Smartboards to help translate texts, digitize paper-based lessons and resources, and implement mirroring techniques from their tablet computers to larger screens. After a year of implementation, teachers demonstrated varying levels of integration due to the comfort and consistency of using the technology and integrating it into their classrooms and curriculum. However, the data showcased a rise in English Language Proficiency Assessments and language proficiency for English learners during the 2021–2022 school year at STEAM Academy.