#25 - Supporting English Learners in PE Without Speaking Their Language (Yet) with Kelly Donnelly
Description
What would you do if 200 new students walked into your gym — most of them speaking a language you don’t understand?
That’s exactly what happened to Kelly Donnelly, a PE teacher in Denver Public Schools. In this powerful episode, Kelly shares how welcoming a wave of Spanish-speaking migrant students changed her teaching, pushed her outside her comfort zone, and strengthened her belief that movement is a universal language.
We talk about:
- How to overcome fear and anxiety when teaching ELLs
- Ways to build connection through shared experience
- Strategies for learning key phrases quickly
- Using movement to teach language and social skills
- The beauty (and challenge) of teaching beyond words
Whether you’ve worked with multilingual learners for years or you’re about to welcome your first, this episode will leave you inspired — and better prepared.
Resources
For all things Distinguished Physical Education:
https://linktr.ee/distinguishedpe
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