One method I tried with students who have reading problems is to prepare a vocabulary lsit for the chapter ahead of time. When they study this list it definitely helps them understand the concepts. They seem to know the basic english words. The knowledge of key vocabulary words seems to unlock the more important theme of a chapter.

I found that students who are primaril spanish speaking but and fluent enough to take courses are more motivated to learn. They understand that ultimately english is their path to success. They apprecaite when I prepare outlines of teh chapters ahead of time. Also, a test study guide helps them greatly.

Sometimes when I break up students in groups, I will then revisit them sometime later and watch how group dynamics occur. Especially, how one may dominiate or sometimes the student who was shy becomes a group leader when it is a small group (3or 4).

One way I used to handle a disruptive student is to have him or her submit a short paper on a relevant topic. I then will ask questions on it.