What is Intentional Instruction?

Many teachers who consider themselves effective teachers begin to discover gaps in their instructional practice as they work with English Learners (ELs) in larger numbers or in isolated contexts. The most effective instruction for our ELs is done by planning lessons that accelerate academic language development while teaching content. This happens by intentionally using instructional strategies to make language and content accessible to ELs. This is the struggle for today's teachers. From their knowledge and experience in teaching, they do things that have traditionally worked with our traditional students. Teachers have developed a talent for sharing information, in a way that has been successful historically. With our new population of diverse students, we need to be cognizant about new ways we share ideas and knowledge. We need to be intentional about a specific delivery method for a particular purpose to result in a designated outcome.