MISSION

The Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Education is committed to facilitating equitable academic experiences for the CLD population at Colorado College, including international and domestic students, staff, and faculty by providing academic and cultural support via courses, consultations, programming, pedagogical support for faculty, and campus partnerships. The Office of CLD Education unequivocally upholds the antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) mission of the College and uses the mission to guide our work.

VISION

The Office of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) Education finds its purpose in listening to and advocating for CLD populations and actively seeks to make positive change in our campus community. To continue this work, the Office of CLD Education strives to broaden its outreach and services to best support an increasingly diversified campus population.

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse is a preferred term for an individual or group of individuals whose culture and language differ from that of the dominant group (Herrera, 2016).

• This terminology:
  • decenters English and English proficiency
  • appreciates the inseparability of language and culture in the learning environment
  • recognizes cultural and linguistic variance as an asset in learning and teaching

International and domestic culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students are an important part of our student body. International CLD students make up 7.9% of the 20-21 class, and 9.3% of the total student body, with total numbers of CLD students being greater in each class.”

Dr. Chelsea Walter, Director of the Office of CLD Education, offers support to CLD students, CLD faculty, and faculty and staff working with CLD students Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00. Contact Chelsea at  cwalter@coloradocollege.edu to schedule an appointment. 

Chelsea Walter is a descriptivist linguist and language educator. She has taught English internationally and domestically to culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students for more than a decade. She also teaches linguistics and language pedagogy to preservice educators.

Her research interests include culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy, TESOL teacher education, and linguistic equity advocacy. She is a Board Member for CoTESOL and the Chair of TESOL’s Membership Professional Council.

Office of CLD EDUCATION SERVICES

Student Services

• One-on-one consultations for:
  • Reading, studying, writing, and oral presentation strategies
  • Workshopping assignments, including but not limited to: research papers, lab reports, critical analyses, reflections, creative works, oral presentations, etc.
  • Graduate school, internship, and job applications, essays, resumes
  • Fellowship Advising: Princeton in Asia, Princeton in Africa, Princeton in Latin America, and Banyan AIF (India) Fellowships
• Global Scholars Program
• Teaching English domestically or abroad after graduation
• COTESOL or other teaching and language centered professional organizations

Faculty Services

• One-on-one or department wide workshops on culturally and linguistically diverse approaches to working with, teaching, and assessing CLD students
• One-on-one consultations for syllabus, course, and assessment design
• Faculty research and scholarly work consults

REGULAR CLASSES

GS208: Advanced Practice for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners

This course will provide holistic language support for any culturally and linguistically diverse student. The material will focus on strengthening oral fluency, listening, and note-taking skills through pronunciation practice, vocabulary development, idiomatic expressions, classroom discussions, and presentations. Material will also focus on necessary writing and reading skills, such as understanding prompts, writing expectations, and the writing process, avoiding plagiarism, formatting, synthesizing, editing, and revising. These skills are intended to be directly utilized in concurrent block courses. Personal understanding of American social and cultural topics will also be facilitated. The course will meet twice per week over 4 blocks. 1 unit.

ED200: Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners

This course introduces students to theories, applications, and issues related to teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). Students read second language acquisition theory, learn strategies for working with diverse populations, and understand how to make content area lessons accessible to CLD students. The course includes a field observation practicum component. Block 6. 1 unit

GS213: Global Scholars Program

This course, designed for Global Scholars, will promote academic success during their transition to Colorado College. This course may cover a range of topics including but not limited to FYP coursework, research and ethical scholarship skills, writing in academic genres, reading and oral presentation strategies, language support, and culturally-contextualized rhetorical practices.

To learn more about the Global Scholars Program and courses, click here.