The Research Process

The research process I have completed throughout these last few months has been a very interesting experience.  I was able to interview most of the staff I work with and they were able to express their thoughts and opinions.  It was interesting to find that each staff member had a different idea of an "ideal ELL program."  Each take was a little different from the one before it, and this has given me good insight into what people expect out of an ELL program.

Teachers' viewpoints varied from alternative programming and sheltered classes to complete integration, witht the goal of all ELLs being able to survive in a mainstream classroom. We discussed alternative post secondary programming and varied diploma options for students.

I spoke with teachers about social and cultural issues we have at the school.  This process has helped inform me as to who would be helpful allies in effecting change within the school system.  I now have a better idea of departmental leaders who can lead the charge within their content.

As influential as my findings have been, I have to admit that the study did not go the way I had initially planned.  I had hoped to implement some professional development in the form of our Teacher Academy here in Telluride.  The high school Spanish teacher and I got the most requested class going this spring: Spanish for Educators.  Sadly, not one high school teacher showed up after many requesting it.  This, along with interview iformation, tells me that many teachers either do not hold our Els as a priority or do not have the time to attend PD.  Ultimately, our school needs to provide ELD professional development for everyone as a mandatory training.  People are busy, and probably have the best intentions, but do not have the time to give up one to two afternoons a week.  Thus, I need to build PD into our inservice week next year and also provide professional development during staff meetings and PLC time.

As I am summarizing my findings, there are many options in how to continue this journey.  I am in the process of securing professional development for next year and also working on an action plan with my K-12 ELD team.  This research is not over yet.  I will continue the process again next year and hope to continuously provide and find support for our building next year.

Reflection # 10

"Building Collaboration Between Schools and Parents of English Language Learners: Transcending Barriers, Creating Opportunities" helped me see all of the positives in my current teaching assignment.  I work in a small school and we have a parent liaison to help with all family communication with our Spanish-speaking community.  Before the hire of our parent liaison, however, my job was much different; I was pulled from class to translate for behavioral problems, parent meetings, and to help with the simple task of paying a lunch bill.  I rarely made it through a class without being pulled for some other task, having nothing to do with teaching English.  As you can see, this isn't a very efficient way to run things, and the addition of our parent liaison has been essential in improving communication with families.  Additionally, I am able to communicate well with my parents, as I speak Spanish, but could not imagine the struggles with communication in larger schools and multiple home languages.

Through this article I also thought of many things I can implement in the future to increase communication with families.  I have already asked for a bilingual parent who would be willing to serve on our accountability board and act as a liaison to Spanish-speaking parents with any concerns.  I would also like to implement a once monthly brunch or breakfast in which parents can come in to check in on their student's progress and ask any questions they may have.  This type of monthly meeting could also update parents on the schedule for the coming month (to take the place of weekly emails).

Building Collaboration Between Schools and Parents of English Language Learners: Transcending Barriers, Creating Opportunities

Waterman, R., & Harry, B. (2008, January 1). Building Collaboration Between Schools and Parents of English Language Learners: Transcending Barriers, Creating Opportunities. Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.nccrest.org/Briefs/PractitionerBrief_BuildingCollaboration.pdf

Home-school communication is extremely important in student success and achievement, but unfortunately communication between home and school is a frequently reported problem for English Learners, their parents, and their teachers. The article discusses some of the essential practices in creating a welcoming school environment and increasing communication between the school and parents of English Learners.  The article presents the many barriers to communication, such as language, cultural, and educational differences, and offers solutions through which schools can increase parent involvement with culturally diverse populations.  

 

Lack of cultural background often inhibits communication between families and teachers, as many parents of English Learners lack both understanding necessary to support parent-school communication/collaboration and understanding of the U.S. school systems. School and homework expectations are commonly misinterpreted or simply not understood.  Informational meetings focused on parent interest, for example fostering literacy skills or aspects of the American education system, may increase parent interaction and communication. Offering ESL or family literacy classes can help increase contact time with parents and make the school a more welcoming place. Seeing parents continually learning and spending time in the school can also motivate students to strive for academic success. Additionally, teachers can take parent information back to the staff to help the faculty understand where parents are coming from and what their educational backgrounds are.  

In addition to the aforementioned obstacles to communication,  parents who do not yet have legal status in the United States may feel apprehensive about filling out forms, or participating in the school.  It is important for staff to ensure that parents feel welcome and safe.  This topic of citizenship may also influence student and parent feelings about completion of high school, or advancement to  further education.  Parents may ask, “what is the point of high school?” if there is no tangible road to citizenship, which is important for educators to remember.  

Many parents of ELLs feel extremely isolated. Creating environments in which parents can come together to discuss important topics, or simply socialize and share information are extremely important.  Social networks, and additional sources of information emerge through this type of social networking. A dedicated school staff, or parent liaisons can help bridge the gap between school and home for English Learners.  This liaison may help implement parent volunteer programs, which may benefit the school and increase parent involvement and leadership.  Parent Liaisons may also want to build a Parent-School Advisory Council, in which ELL parents advise the school and work with various councils and committees to ensure that their voices be heard.  

In summary, there are a variety of ways in which schools can reach out to the parents of their ELL population, all of which can increase involvement.  The appropriate methods of increasing parent communication will vary among schools and communitiesl; what works in a big city may not work in a smaller town, but it is essential that the school holds family communication as a priority.

Reflection # 9

Boosting Language Skills of English Learners Through Dramatization and Movement was a very interesting article, in that it blended language and art education into hybrid lessons.  I throughly enjoyed learning about this program, and can see that it has huge benefits for younger students.  It was interesting and informative.  The fact that the program had an effect on native English speakers also spoke volumes.  I liked that the program was a longitudinal program that offers training and support to classroom teachers.  Though I work with older students, I can see how these types of drama and theater ideals can also help older students become more confident and expressive.

Boosting Language Skills of English Learners Through Dramatization and Movement

Greenfader, C., & Brouillette, L. (2013). Boosting Language Skills of English Learners Through Dramatization and Movement. The Reading Teacher, 67(3), 171-180. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from EBSCO Host.

This article discussed the importance of improving oral language for English Learners through the arts.  To start with, many of our schools are solely focusing on reading; it was found that students were not engaging in interactive dialogue with one another, but responding briefly to the teacher.  About 79% of literacy instruction was found to be focused on reading, leaving little time to develop oral language skills.  Additionally, theater and arts classes, a great place to develop oral language skills, have been cut across the country in recent years.  An inventive way to solve the aforementioned problems: teach oral language through arts instruction in a fun and inclusive environment!

It was found that many English learners were motivated and engaged through participating in arts-focused activities.  Students comprehended the stories, took on roles, and gained confidence in performing these roles.  “Medina and Campano (2006) discovered that ‘through teatro, the students found a safe place to fictionalize reality and enact more empowering individual and collective representations from which others might learn’ (p. 173).”

A great example of this idea of teaching oral language through art is The Teaching Artist Project, which has been implemented in San Diego.  Artists go into classrooms and provide art education (which has been severely cut), and also development to teachers in the area of dramatic language teaching.  Lessons teach arts and ELD standards simultaneously. These TAP lessons were found very beneficial in increasing literacy skills among both English Learners and native English speakers.  The arts-based lessons provide visual, auditory, and kinesthetic input that ultimately benefit students and enhance learning.  The practice also seemed to help students feel more comfortable and confident in the classroom.  Fidelity with implementation was essential, as was correlation to curriculum.

Reflection #8

This article, "Picture Books, Young Adult Books, and Adult Literacy Learners" was interesting to me as an English Language Development teacher.  Though the article is not what we would consider current, the ideas are gaining popularity, and I'd like to read more current similar articles.  I have taken Kathy King Dickman's classes, which use picture books often as a way to teach literary elements.  This concept is close to her teaching, but with older students.  The article touched on the subject of appropriateness for adult learners, and I think the way in which the material is presented is the key to success here.  

I have recently started taking my high school English Learners to the elementary school every Wednesday to read to the first graders. They have enjoyed it so far, and I have noticed that they are feeling successful while doing this.  Students are reading low level materials with picture supports to the students, giving them more confidence when reading.  I can see that students are becoming more comfortable with reading aloud and the basic flow of the English language. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this article, and can't wait to read more on the topic.

Picture Books, Young Adult Books, and Adult Literacy Learners

Bloem, P., & Padak, N. (1995). Picture Books, Young Adult Books, and Adult Literacy Learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 40(1), 7-7.  Retrieved January 23, 2015, from ERIC.

Picture Books, Young Adult Books, and Adult Literacy Learners discusses the many possible uses for picture books  in teaching literacy and content to older learners.  Through the years, picture books have morphed into a "genre" that covers many ages and topics.  Many picture books have become more complex and target an older audience, containing themes that are only appropriate for older students.  

The article suggests that picture books may be especially useful for English Language Acquisition, science or GED classes, may be a great way to start a lesson, or introduce a topic.  These stories may also be used as quality short examples of writing technique and literary use, or as journal prompts.  Students are able to interview a classmate and write a short story.  The Bloem and Padak include that reading shorter picture books with older learners is an ideal way to combine the elements of literacy.  "An environment that combines learning to read with opportunities to listen, speak, write, and think is the most appropriate learning environment for adult literacy students (Weibel, 1994)."

There have now been several successful adult literacy programs which use children's picture books with adults.  Additionally, programs to promote family literacy have surfaced, and been found very effective.  Parents typically loo for additional books to enhance their own literacy level and improve their child's skills simultaneously.

Though this article is a bit out-dated, it demonstrates that we have been playing with this idea for some time.  This concept could use further advancement, as I know there are still barriers to using picture books at a high school level for many teachers.   Picture books are a great way to add support for a struggling reader or English Learner at the secondary level.

Reflection #7

The Many Faces of Word Walls in Middle School Science Classrooms: Variability In Function and Content

I really enjoyed reading "The Many Faces of Word Walls in Middle School Science Classrooms: Variability in Function and Content," by Jennifer Hooper and Janis Harmon.  I have been encouraging my colleagues to use word walls for the past few years, but to no avail.  I have started printing and creating word wall sets for the science and math departments at my school to better serve the EL population.  I really  liked learning more about digital displays for words, and think that I will start using a digital display for vocabulary in the classroom.  I also found it helpful that the article discussed presenting word walls for academic vocabulary that is not content specific.  I have heard from many of my colleagues that this is surprising, and that they only teach content specific vocabulary.  I aim to teach more academic vocabulary in my class, and encourage this practice in content classes as well.

The many faces of word walls in middle school science classrooms: Variability in function and content

Harmon, J. & Hooper, J. (2015).  The Many Faces of Word Walls in Middle School Science Classrooms: Variability in Function and Content.  Science Scope, 38(6), 54-59.  Retrieved February 1, 2015, from OmniFile Full Text Select.  


The Many Faces of Word Walls in Middle School Science Classrooms: Variability in Function and Content was a look into the varied use of word walls in science classrooms.  As science texts are often written at a higher level, many teachers have found word walls helpful in the teaching of both content-specific vocabulary, as well as in building general academic vocabulary. This practice is especially important in helping English Learners, and has been found to be more beneficial when used interactively as noted here: 
"We add that the word wall should also be interactive.  Students should be active participants as either co-creators of the word wall, engaged learners using the word wall as a focal point for expressive language use in discussion and writing, or seekers of information using the word wall as a reference while encountering words during reading or listening" (p. 55). 

The article also speaks to the varying ways in which to construct a word wall.  Teachers can create the word wall using a puzzle, ordering, matching, categorizing, or color-coding technique.  Students can also be the creators or co-creators of a word wall.  As repeated exposure to a word heightens a student's acquisition of the word, the article discusses students creating a representation of one or two words, using it in a variety of situations, presenting the word to his/her peers, and even presenting a question to his/her audience about that word.  Students can also create a "vodcast," or digital word wall by developing a iMovie, Power Point, or Photo Story to share the word.  This type of representation was shown to increase motivation among English Learners.  Another way to engage students in the creation of a word wall is to have them add an object or picture to the word; for example, a student could connect an aluminum can to the word "conduct," as aluminum is a heat or electricity conductor.  

The article discusses three ways to teach academic vocabulary in the science classroom.  The fist is a word wall that is divided into four columns: "Content Words," "General Academic Words," "Classroom Discussion Terms," and "Terms for Writing."  This helps students think about the words they are taking in and use them in their writing and discussion.  The second suggestion is to create a word wall of "Procedural Vocabulary," meaning "words and phrases that indicate specific relationships among ideas and concepts"(p. 58).   Seeing this vocabulary highlighted helps students put together how phrases such as "be thought of as" are commonly used.  The third word wall suggestion for academic vocabulary is to display cognates (useful with Spanish speaker).  The cognates can be displayed and the immediate connection can be made, and the word understood.  These word walls can be a constant reminder of the word pronunciation, etc.

Word walls can be a useful tool in science and many other disciplines.  The word wall provides the needed support for struggling students, and can be used during test/quizzes.  Student interaction with the word wall is key, as is their use and production of language with the new words.  It is important to teach both content and academic vocabulary explicitly in order for students to fully understand the meanings and uses for the words.  

Starting the Year Surveying

Happy New Year!  

We are all back at work, starting up our capstone projects and discovering new information to help the educational world.  I am feeling up to the challenge of solving some educational challenges in the world - or at least in my school building.  This is going to be a long 4 months, but I have started with a good sleep regimen (my New Year's resolution!).

I will be working with my colleagues to uncover the main obstacles they face teaching English Learners in their high school classrooms.  I have started collecting data through my initial survey asking how many of the English Learner specific strategies and techniques are being used in their classrooms, what their biggest obstacles are in teaching ELs, and their feelings towards professional development.  Now comes the work.  I will interview each of these teachers, and try to implement PD with these teachers for the spring.  January is the big testing month for ELD, which means I will be busy giving the ACCESS test to all English Learners, while trying to interview my colleagues during lunch, plan times, after school, or over coffee.  We all know teachers are always incredibly busy, but these next few months will be taking it to a new level.  

I have been excited to receive surveys back, and hope to start scheduling interviews next week.  Let the journey begin!