On November 17th and December 8th, 2010, at a two-part NYS Spanish BETAC workshop at NYU, author Judie Haynes discussed second language acquisition myths, the stages of language acquisition, culture shock, and challenges for ELLs in acquiring content knowledge. Above all, she stressed the importance of providing ELLs with comprehensible input, that is, speech and reading material that they can understand. And in order to do this, she advocated speaking in meaningful phrases at a somewhat slower rate than is commonly done in the classroom. She also felt that teachers should use gestures, body language, and visuals or realia of all types to convey meaning. Finally, she advocated simplifying text material that is presented to students and choosing one or two important themes to present to ELLs rather than the material in its entirety.

Regarding culture shock, Haynes, in her book, Getting Started with English Language Learners, has assembled a number of scenarios, many of which occurred in her own school teaching situation, to illustrate the cultural phenomena at work. For example, students from certain cultures are apt to recoil when someone pats them on the head because the head is considered a sacred part of the body with spirits residing above it. Similarly, Asian parents who nod are signifying that they understand; they are not necessarily agreeing with what is being said.

Through a live demonstration of American elevator behavior, Haynes communicated the idea that Americans need to have space between themselves and other people. They are not used to having people stand very close to them. On a more subtle level, Asians in general are not used to accepting praise or being praised for their efforts. Rather, they adopt a humble stance and communicate that they need to do better or keep on trying.

To teach the content areas, Haynes advocated the use of both language and content objectives, as well as the simplification of text materials and the provision of comprehensible input at all times. Participants benefitted greatly from Hayne's expertise and left anxious to implement the strategies with their English Language Learners or teach them to their school colleagues.