NWC receives grant to assist English learners

The grant has funded the purchase of video conferencing equipment to allow students in English as a second language (ESL) courses to visit other ESL classrooms or give reports about their countries to schoolchildren. Another use could be for students who are preparing to become ESL teachers to hear lectures from experts in the field from other campuses.

The grant has also enabled Northwestern education and ESL professors to attend seminars and participate in a cultural immersion experience in Villachuato, Mexico.

“The grant’s purpose is to improve the understanding and education of English language learners. So many students are coming to our schools from different backgrounds, and we need to learn how to address ESL needs in a more effective way,” says Carol Braaksma, instructor in English as a second language at Northwestern. “The grant enables us to broaden our scope and more easily exchange information—to learn more about what other schools are doing, plus to share what we do.”