Language & Cultural Services
LCS Bulletin - September 4, 2016
What English Learners Wish Teachers Knew
Despite the fact that English-language learners (ELLs) and immigrant students have been the fastest growing student subgroup in the United States for the past 10 years, teachers continue to report that they feel unprepared to work with students who are language learners. Professional development for reaching ELLs seems, at best, a one-shot deal, even though ELL enrollment continues to increase annually in most states. As of 2013, there were 4.5 million language learners in the United States, nearly 1 in 10 students in public schools, and they are not going to disappear.
Read more here about what English Learner students wish their teachers knew.
Directed Reading-Thinking Activity
Use this activity to help students build proficient-reader strategies when assigned the reading of a narrative text. The DR-TA Teacher's Guide provides questions for facilitating students' close reading of the text and offers tips for successful implementation of the activity in the classroom.
New resource: Lessonpick
by Corey Mitchell
A recent alum of the Harvard Graduate School of Education with a background in working with immigrant students is developing a lesson-sharing website specifically for teachers of English-language learners.
The site, created under the auspices of Harvard's Innovation Lab, is accessible now in a beta version. It includes plans for a "resource bank" with separate categories for general ESL, students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE), and district-specific materials. Lessons will be tagged in accordance with variety of standards frameworks and language proficiency levels.
The Lessonpick team says, "In the U.S., there is 1 ELL teacher for every 150 ELLs. Given this massive shortage, we believe teacher development is key to the success of ELLs. By supporting teacher leadership and collaboration, we envision collective growth as the catalyst to real change." Check out this new, collaborative resources for teachers of English Learners here.
OABE's August 2016 Newsletter
CEOE Field Testing Opportunity: New ESL Certification Test Pilot
Field testing for the following tests is available at Oklahoma-Pearson computer-based testing centers from August 11 – September 16, 2016. Each field test takes approximately 120 minutes to complete.
· English
· Advanced Mathematics
· Middle Level/Intermediate Mathematics
· Mild/Moderate Disabilities
· Severe/Profound Multiple Disabilities
· English as a Second Language
Advantages of Field Test Participation (There is no cost to participate in the field test):
Participants are offered their choice of ONE of the following incentives1:
- a $75 CEOE voucher2 that can be applied toward future CEOE test registration fees
- a $50 Barnes & Noble eGift card
Note: Participants may take up to two field tests and receive two incentives. Additional incentive requests will not be honored.
In addition to the incentives listed above, participants will also:
- Provide input into the test that will be taken by future educators; and
- Gauge professional knowledge by taking actual test items; and
- Gain practical testing experience.
Who is eligible to participate?
- Juniors, Seniors, or Graduate students preparing for certification in the field for which they are taking a field test, or individuals who have been certified in the field since August 2013.
How can you help?
- Register today to take a field test!
- Forward this e-mail to eligible friends so that they may participate in this opportunity.
Registration is open now. Eligible students should visit the CEOE field test website to register: www.pearsonvue.com/espilot
Thank you for your assistance in the development of the CEOE program.
If you have questions or need further information, please contact the CEOE program at es-ceoe@pearson.com
Webinar: Effective Strategies for Integrating English Learner Students' Funds of Knowledge into Classroom Practices
Based on integrating culturally and linguistically responsive instruction across all content areas, this professional development webinar provides educators with a sociocultural framework for successfully tapping into their EL students' background knowledge by engaging families to broaden learning opportunities. This approach to integrating EL students' funds of knowledge into classroom practices starts with acknowledging and honoring minority families' strengths and adopting strategies designed to establish meaningful partnerships with students' parents. Specifically, family visits are emphasized as vehicles to accomplish two fundamental goals: 1) to engage the parents and families of EL students to widen avenues of communication and collaboration; and 2) to gather information about students' funds of knowledge to integrate into classroom practices (Johnson, 2014).
Free MOOCs with Understanding Language
Starting this coming Fall, Stanford University's Understanding Language team will offer a set of FREE online courses sponsored by the Hewlett Foundation to help educators use innovative assessment practices – instructionally-focused formative assessment and curriculum-embedded performance assessments for deeper learning. These MOOCs will focus on instructional improvement and student learning related to both the academic standards and the English Language Proficiency standards.
Participants can develop competencies in two strands: (A) Formative Assessment - Focus on Student Language; and (B) Building and Using Performance Assessments. Detailed information about the courses in each strand can be found on our website at: http://ell.stanford.edu/moocs.
Registration for the Fall courses for both strands has begun. Click on the titles of the courses to register wtih us today!
Strand A: Constructive Classroom Conversations
Strand B: Designing for Deeper Learning: How to Develop Performance Tasks
Getting to know you
Who is your hero? My mom
If you could live anywhere, where would it be? Vancouver, British Columbia
What is your biggest fear? At the end of my life having not spent enough quality time with the people who matter most
Language & Cultural Services Events
September 7, 8:30am - KWAPT Training
September 7, 4:00pm - EL Flex Working Group
September 8, 12:30pm - WAPT Training
September 8, 3:45pm - ELD Department Meeting (Elementary)
September 8, 4:45pm - ELD Department Meeting (Secondary)
September 10, 9:00am - SIOP Saturday: Lesson Planning
All events are listed in MyLearningPlan unless otherwise noted. Please pre-register and verify session location in MLP.
Check out the Language & Cultural Services events calendar for future events.