Language Assistance Update
November 10, 2017
Sheltered Instruction Observational Protocol (SIOP) Training Opportunity
Spring and Summer 2018
We'd like to invite private school administrators and teachers to attend SIOP training on the following dates: March 20, March 21, June 12 and June 13. We strongly encourage this training from the Center for Applied Linguistics for all classroom teachers who teach English learners. A link to sink up will be shared with you by email.
What does it mean to 'simplify directions?'
Many ILPs suggest that teachers give simplified oral or written directions when they explain an assignment to an English Learner. This means taking out extra words or turning complex sentences into simpler ones. Here's an example:
Carefully read each sentence below and determine its subject and predicate. Then, underline the subject once and the predicate twice.
These directions can be easily changed to this simpler version:
Read each sentence. Put one line under the subject. Put two lines under the predicate.
These simple changes can make a big difference for English language learners.
Global Learning Community
Have you seen the Indiana Department of Education's Global Learning Link on the Learning Connection? By joining either the World Languages & Cultures Community (world language teachers) or the Global Learning Community (all other content areas), you will be sent announcements with scholarship, fellowship, and project opportunities that promote international engagement and exchange for both teachers and students of all content areas. You can also participate in forum discussions about international education and have access to a variety of resources.
Guidance on transferring credits for international students
Language Assistance Program Book Study for the 2018-2019 School Year
We'd like to invite you and your teachers to participate in a book study regarding English learners. Participants will choose a book and then have 9 months to read it (December 2017 - September 2018.) We'd love for you to join us in book discussions during our LAP teacher training in September. Half of the training day will be devoted to discussing the books with other educators and hearing about the other books on the list:
Seven Steps to Separating Difference from Disability by Catherine Collier
Co-Teaching for English Learners (includes 20 video clips) by Maria G. Dove and Andrea Honigsfeld
Advocacy for English Learners by Diane Staehr Fenner
Assessing English Language Learners by Margo Gottlieb
ELL Frontiers Using Technology to Enhance Instruction for English Learners by Heather Parris, Lisa Estrada, and Andrea Honigsfeld
Students with Interrupted Formal Education by Brenda Custodio and Judith O’Loughhlin
Mastering Academic Language by Debbie Zacarian
English Learners in the Mathematics Classroom (second edition) by Debra Coggins
The link to sign up for book studies will be shared by email.