EU449
Teaching Students of Refugee Backgrounds
0.25 Credit

This course explores the diverse backgrounds of refugee students, including barriers that impact their English language acquisition (e.g., limited formal education and first language literacy development). Through equitable assessment and instructional practices, Teacher Candidates will learn how to identify and affirm students’ linguistic assets, as well as knowledge students have gained from life experiences, cultural perspectives and prior learning contexts. These best practices include student-centred and trauma-informed strategies for supporting refugee students of different ages, languages and literacy backgrounds. The course also provides a framework for balancing universal design for learning with explicit language and early literacy instruction.