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Imagine stepping into a classroom where half your students speak limited English, and a few have barely attended school. Their eyes are bright, but their voices are silent. You want to help—but how?

Supporting English Language Learners (ELLs), especially Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE), requires more than translation. It demands tools that lower the affective filter, build confidence, and honor every student's journey. When used thoughtfully, technology can do precisely that. Strategic tech use can provide ELLs with access to productive struggle—academic tasks that are just challenging enough to promote growth—without adding overwhelming prep work for teachers (Sharma 2024)

Productive struggle is the intentional design of learning experiences that challenge students just beyond their current abilities, encouraging persistence, reflection, and growth within their zones of proximal development (Griffin and James 2025). In the context of second language acquisition (SLA), it allows ELLs—especially those with limited literacy in their first language—to engage deeply with language tasks through guided effort and iterative feedback (Mudambi 2024). 

Make Participation Low-Stress and High-Value with Pear Deck  

Pear Deck transforms any slideshow into an interactive experience. Although it is a paid service, a free trial and educator discounts are available. Your district may already offer similar tools, such as Nearpod or Quizizz. You can use Pear Deck to check understanding with drawings, draggable responses, and text boxes. It allows you to use student work as exemplars and provide real-time feedback. This lowers the affective filter and lets SLIFE students participate at their comfort level while giving the teacher live insights to differentiate instruction. 

Connect Behavior and Family with ClassDojo  

ClassDojo turns classroom management into a game where points reinforce positive actions like participation and effort. At the beginning of the school year, teachers can co-create classroom expectations and rules for earning and losing points. This free app also fosters strong family communication. Its built-in translation features allow you to message families in their home language, helping build trust and consistency between home and school. 

Duolingo for Schools: Gamify the Learning of English  

Duolingo is a free, adaptive language learning platform that provides bite-sized, engaging practice. You can create a teacher profile and even practice your students' languages as they learn English. You can run weekly leaderboard competitions, and students can share vocabulary through Frayer models of words they’ve learned and used. Duolingo works well as homework, early-finisher work, or a warm-up to reinforce language in context. 

Screencastify: Build Confidence in Speaking  

Screencastify is a free Chrome extension (with optional upgrades) that lets teachers and students record short videos. SLIFE students often fear speaking aloud in front of peers. Screencastify lets them practice and record responses privately. Teachers can respond with personalized video feedback, creating a safe, asynchronous speaking loop. Pair this with sentence stems or partner work to support language development and digital literacy. 

AI-Powered Planning: ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude for Differentiation  

AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude can help teachers design lessons that promote productive struggle by tailoring content to individual learners' needs. These platforms can generate differentiated reading passages, scaffolded questions, or vocabulary supports aligned to grade-level standards. For English learners—especially SLIFE students—AI helps maintain high expectations while offering flexible supports that match each learner's starting point. 

AI can be used for both high-level planning and for addressing specific student needs, such as creating a small-group activity. You can upload a syllabus into an AI tool and prompt it to create a new outline based on specific program guidelines. You can then refine the prompt with details about your students' native languages, proficiency levels, and learning goals to build confidence with social English. AI also helps personalize instruction. You can find resources on a topic, upload them into a tool like NotebookLM to generate a "podcast" as a listening activity or allow students to "ask" the source questions. To use AI effectively, always be specific in your prompts—include language levels, standards, and content goals—and never include personal student data. 

Acknowledging Challenges and Barriers 

While many of the recommended tools are free, their effective implementation is not without obstacles. Teachers must be mindful of potential barriers, such as a lack of available classroom technology or a lack of computer literacy among students and educators. District-level restrictions on certain platforms or a lack of institutional support for technology integration can also present significant challenges. Understanding the effective use of AI in the classroom can help teachers navigate and advocate for its integration, depending on the specific context and pedagogical goals (Chen et al., 2024). The successful use of these tools for English Language Teaching ultimately depends on a clear understanding and navigation of these various challenges, ensuring equitable access to the resources and support all students need. 

Summary 

You don’t need to master every tool; you just need to pick one. By strategically integrating just one or two tech tools, teachers can create a supportive learning environment that empowers English Language Learners to engage in productive struggle, fostering confidence, language acquisition, and long-term success (Chen et al., 2024). Small tech shifts can bring significant results: more student voice, confidence, and connection. When learners feel safe and seen, language learning thrives. All students deserve high standards and a productive struggle that builds pride (Griffin and James 2025). Technology can bridge challenge and support, lowering students' affective filters and inviting ELLs, especially SLIFE, into academic discourse (Sharma 2024). Tools like Screencastify, Pear Deck, and Duolingo promote safe engagement, while AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, NotebookLM, and Claude help teachers personalize instruction, lighten workloads, and maintain high expectations. Increased engagement builds language, autonomy, and long-term success. 

Bibliography 

Xi Chen, Di Zou, and Haoran Xie, "AI and English Language Teaching: Affordances and Challenges," British Journal of Educational Technology 55, no. 1 (2024): 5–27,  
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13460. 

Hayley Griffin and Trixie James, "The Temptation of the Silver Platter: Preventing the Sidestep  and Normalising the Productive Struggle," Intelligent Technologies in Education,  advance online publication, 2025, https://doi.org/10.70770/tbb3db47. 

Aaliyah Mudambi, "Balancing Scaffolds: The Key to Bilingual Education Success," Language and Equity Blog, November 26, 2024, https://socialjusticeandeducation.org/2024/11/26/productive-struggle-and-emergent -bilinguals/. 

Sunaina Sharma, "The Role of Digital Technology in Supporting English Language Learners:  Balancing Engagement and Access in Secondary Schools," International Journal of  English Language Education 12, no. 2 (2024): 194–209,  https://doi.org/10.5296/ijele.v12i2.22383. 

Resources 

• AI for Education's Prompt Library: A free tool that provides customizable AI prompts for lesson planning, assessment, and other classroom tasks. ​AI for Education+1AI for Education+1
• ClassDojo Teacher Training Hub: Short, easy video tutorials guide teachers through setting up ClassDojo and using it to connect with students and families. Training Hub
• Duolingo for Schools Professional Development: This hub offers guides and printables to help educators effectively use Duolingo in their classrooms or trainings. Professional Development
• Edutopia’s ELL Tech Resource Guide: This article highlights free and low-cost digital tools to support English learners through engaging, tech-driven instruction. Helpful Online Resources for Teaching ELLs
• NotebookLM Getting Started Guide: An AI-powered tool that uploads source materials to create an interactive space summarizing content, generating ideas, and asking questions based on the documents using audio, text, and mindmaps. Tips for getting started with NotebookLM
• Pear Deck Resources & Community Hub: A free collection of templates, lessons, and training materials to help teachers create interactive, student-centered presentations. Resources & Community
• Screencastify Video Training Guide: This guide shows educators how to use video for instruction, feedback, and student communication. Training Guide 

Dr. Shiau is a virtual educator fellow with Escuelas Normales. An instructional coach and teacher specializing in ESL and literacy, her research focuses on second language acquisition, culturally responsive teaching, and tech-integrated curricula for Haitian Creole-speaking learners.