Weekly Update
Wayne Township LAP 3/13/2020
How to Approach Online Teaching
With the spread of the Coronavirus, schools are considering making the transition to online teaching. Brandman University is offering a free webinar about online learning for teachers and administrators on Thursday, March 29. Instructor Kimberly Green will teach participants:
- the basics of running effective online classes and live meetings
- best practices for giving student feedback in an online class
Teaching English to Speakers of Chinese
Many English Learner experts advise teachers to be aware of differences, such as in language sounds and word order, as listed in this article by VIPKid, Differences to Know When Teaching English to Students Who Speak Chinese. This article from FluentU also points out Nine Linguistic and Cultural Differences Between English and Chinese Languages.
It might also be helpful to understand the typical school expectations and experiences in China. This article is about fifteen education students from China who traveled to a school district in New Hampshire to learn about teaching and learning in the United States. The visiting students also described what school is like in China -- including longer school days and stricter policies -- and explained the experience in the context of culture.
Indiana Parent Portal
Quick Ways to Boost Students' Self-Esteem
This article from a teacher in Massachusetts is a good reminder that teachers have the power to build up students' self-esteem. Rayna Freedman offers 10 ways to improve students' self-esteem, including greeting students as they walk in and asking a question of the day.
Learning Language and Science At the Same Time
Making Science Multilingual, a joint effort from WIDA and the National Science Teaching Association, has recenlty released a paper, Design Principles for Engaging Multilingual Learners in Three-Dimensional Science, that will be a helpful resource for science teachers.