Acquisition Boot Camp (ABC) Express is a short, self-directed course intended to introduce you to the basics of acquisition based teaching with a focus on English Language Learners and emergent Multi-lingual Language Learners. In this course, we cover the theory of language acquisition, necessary skills for acquisition driven classrooms, and an introduction to building literacy in the classroom.
ABC Express has a unique format with:
Recorded Videos
Short, focused pre-recorded videos that address one discrete topic that is relevant for Acquisition Driven Instruction in a Multi-Lingual Classroom.
Workbook Activities and Reflection Questions
Each video is accompanied by a workbook activity, reflection questions, and a handout of resources to extend your thinking.
Course Access
You will have access to the full course for 90 days from your registration date.
Course Outline
Each of the six short videos covers one aspect of teaching with an acquisition-driven approach, including foundational knowledge and core strategies that you can immediately use across classroom contexts.
Course Credit
Participants will receive a certificate of completion to document their hours.
CLOCK HOURS / CE HOURS
Because there are many ways to interact with this course, teachers are invited to choose their level of engagement based on their preferred activities within the course. Here are some guidelines:
Option 1: Videos
"I watched the videos"
CE Hours: 90 minutes
Option 2: Videos & Reflections
"I watched the videos and answered the reflection questions. "
CE Hours: 3 hours
Option 3: Videos & Workbook Activities
"I watched the videos and engaged with the workbook activities.
CE Hours: 3 hours
Option 4: Videos, Reflections, and Workbook
"I watched the videos, answered the reflection questions, and engaged with the workbook activities.
CE Hours: 4.5 hours
Who will benefit from ABC EXPRESS:
Target audience: Elementary, Middle, and High School teachers of ELD / MLL students.
Teachers who are new to Comprehension-based teaching, who want to learn more about Comprehension-based teaching, or who are new to working with ELD / MLL students.
Teachers in any kind of virtual/hybrid/scattered/face-to-face classroom situation: what we talk about will be applicable to all situations.
Teachers who already use Comprehension-based teaching in their classrooms, but have not had any training yet.
This class may not be a good fit for you if:
You are not at least a little bit comfortable with self-paced learning and video instruction.
This might not be a good fit for you if you have already had training in comprehension-based teaching.
Core Concepts
Language is acquired through consistent and constant comprehensible input.
Martina and Elicia will dig into important topics including proficiency, what it means to be comprehensible, and how languages are acquired.
Comprehension cannot guarantee acquisition, but acquisition cannot occur without comprehension.
Martina and Elicia will introduce participants to two key skills for helping students acquire the target language: how to ask questions to support comprehension, and what it means to shelter vocabulary.
Classroom strategies: Connection over curriculum
Elicia and Martina discuss how to use reading as a tool to speed up acquisition.
Elicia Cárdenas
Director of Training
Elicia Cárdenas is a middle school Spanish teacher with extensive experience teaching a variety of levels, ages, and subjects. She currently teaches as an adjunct faculty member for Westminster College, working with pre-service world language teachers and serves as a teaching assistant for MITx’s Learning Labs. Although she was trained as an elementary teacher, she shifted her focus to understanding of second language acquisition and its application to classroom instruction in a world language classroom, using the SOMOS curriculum. She presents regularly at national, regional, and state conferences and is proud to be a member of the NTPRS coaching staff. Her particular areas of interest include assessment with an equity lens and working to make sure all students are successful at acquiring another language. She is known for her dynamic and energetic approach to teaching and workshop facilitation.
After partnering with The Comprehensible Classroom for two years as a part-time Curriculum Mentor and trainer, Elicia joined as the full-time Director of Training in 2020. Elicia travels throughout North America to work with districts and organizations that represent teachers who are ready to transform their classroom instruction through Comprehension-based instruction. Elicia is also the founder of the Deskless Classroom.
Martina Bex
Founder
Martina Bex is the Founder of The Comprehensible Classroom, whose curricula and training materials have been helping language teachers implement proficiency oriented, comprehension based language programs with confidence since 2010. Martina is internationally recognized for her leadership and expertise in the world language teaching profession as a teacher trainer and curriculum developer. A Spanish teacher by trade with experience in public and private schools and at the university level, Martina balances her work for The Comprehensible Classroom with the needs of her five young children, for whom she is the full-time caregiver. Martina has been published in The Language Educator and presents regularly at state, regional and national conferences in addition to consulting with individual districts and organizations. Her newest project for supporting teachers is the Garbanzo App, an interactive library of stories in Spanish designed specifically with language classes in mind.
