Good evening, #ELLCHAT - are you ready to start sharing with your awesome colleagues tonight? Our topic is: Reflections on the Past School Year and Hopes for the Coming School Year
A1 Hi! I’m Karen Nemeth - author/consultant on @earlyed for children who are DLLs/ELLs. I always get reflective at this time of year. I’m co-host of #ELLCHAT and can’t wait to read your thoughts!
a2 A big challenge for me as consultant was trying to build real consensus behind change for early childhood programs on teaching young DLLs/ELLs #ELLCHAT Lot of talk, not as much action :(
A2 My biggest challenge in teaching my ELLs middle school science last year was not embedding enough disciplinary reading/writing in instruction. I felt the pressure to teach so much content but next year I want to get them reading and writing wayyy more! #ELLChat
A2 I find so many people read and hear about current research, but they still make decisions based on their own childhood experiences, or their family beliefs. Do you find it hard to go beyond the talking stage of change? #ELLCHAT
A3) One major challenge is getting teachers, especially 6-12, the support and #ESL#PD they need amidst other initiatives and topics when time is at a premium. #ellchat
A2. This was not my first year teaching ESL, but it was my first year in a new school district. My biggest challenge was learning about grade level curriculum, school events, protocols, my own curriculum, my students/families, technology - simultaneously. #ELLCHAT
A2) Part 2 Another challenge was working with new teachers understand the needs of ELLs and not just give them an out but seeing them with an asset based mindset. #ellchat
A2) One of my biggest challenges in the past year was administration and other school leaders couldn’t understand the extent of the support language learners need. Also motivating students to continue working hard close to the end of the year . #ellchat
This can definitely be tough. Talking change is great, but when dollar signs and time limitations come into play it often slows down to a crawl or stop. #ellchat
A3) One major challenge is getting teachers, especially 6-12, the support and #ESL#PD they need amidst other initiatives and topics when time is at a premium. #ellchat
A2 one of my biggest challenges this year as a presenter was getting the message out to content teachers. Helping main stream teachers serve ELLs in their classrooms #ellchat
A2) Parent engagement is still tough. Some parents are so willing to come to the school and voice their opinions while others are afraid and want to blend into the background given the current climate. #ellchat
A2 Yes - EVERY PD topic is a priority, right? What I wish schools would to is to consider that supports for ELLs can be embedded in each of those priority topics - win/win! #ELLCHAT
A3) One major challenge is getting teachers, especially 6-12, the support and #ESL#PD they need amidst other initiatives and topics when time is at a premium. #ellchat
I agree - sometimes it feels like when PD is optional, those who attend are the people who already “get it” and those people you want to attend, do not. #ellchat
That has been a struggle for me in the past but the rapport that I had with this group was incredible. That was something that I had to work on but many of my EL’s always tries their best and believed in their potential.#ellchat
Q3 - Here’s a great question: What strategies did you use to address those challenges? #ELLCHAT We can all benefit from hearing the triumphs and the not-so-much-triumphs!
A3: Elementary ESL teachers developed a common assessment for newcomers. Helped them prioritize & focus their instruction while collecting data to compare across sites. #ELLChat
A3) Our team offered a Sunday PD for our Karen parents. My colleague @ddo contacted teachers who couldn’t attend to get feedback so our translator could speak to each parent. It was very well attended. #ellchat
Q3 - Here’s a great question: What strategies did you use to address those challenges? #ELLCHAT We can all benefit from hearing the triumphs and the not-so-much-triumphs!
A2 That happens in a lot of related fields. For example, teacher ed professors teach a variety of courses, but they only attend conferences related to their favorite topics and rarely update their broader knowledge of the field. Not good for tchrs of the future! #ELLCHAT
I agree - sometimes it feels like when PD is optional, those who attend are the people who already “get it” and those people you want to attend, do not. #ellchat
A3: I tried gallery walks to get them moving and reading and sentence frames to have them write paragraphs, but I felt like they weren’t doing authentic language activities. Going to make it a goal to plan more purposeful activities & get creative on curriculum! #ELLChat
Q3 - Here’s a great question: What strategies did you use to address those challenges? #ELLCHAT We can all benefit from hearing the triumphs and the not-so-much-triumphs!
A3. For me I needed to accept that I cannot possibly do everything instantly & perfectly. Leaning on my ESL team & colleagues. Saying no is okay & so is asking for help when you need it. It’s not a sign of weakness, but rather I find it actually shows your strength! #ELLChat
A3) For the Trauma challenge, it was hard. Sometimes, all I could do was tell them how much I loved them. Yes, I always tell them. But continue to hold them accountable for the learning. #ellchat
A3) For motivation at the end of the year and before testing daily pep talks were the norm in my class. We did an end of year project where my students wrote their immigration stories. The project helped me motivate them the last weeks of school.#ellchat
A3 I know you can’t change how many or when newcomers arrive, but that would be a good challenge to address from a systems perspective. It shouldn’t fall on the shoulders of each teacher. #ELLCHAT
A3: I tried gallery walks to get them moving and reading and sentence frames to have them write paragraphs, but I felt like they weren’t doing authentic language activities. Going to make it a goal to plan more purposeful activities & get creative on curriculum! #ELLChat
A3 That’s why I’m a consultant, Shaeley! I couldn’t do what you do! I have seen a couple of ideas work: research other districts so when your’s says “it has to be this way” you can show how it doesn’t. Then… look for loopholes and vagueries in policy and exploit them! #ELLCHAT
Developing student language portraits for gen ed teachers helps them understand where their #ELLs are and where they’re going with language acquisition. Looking forward to using them much more extensively this year! #ellchat
A3) Developing student language portraits for gen ed teachers helps them understand where their #ELLs are and where they’re going with language acquisition. Looking forward to using them much more extensively this year! #ellchat
A3) I also tried to build relationships with a few very active parents who want to persuade others to attend events more frequently. Starting small with genuine and meaningful interactions will hopefully help grow our EPAC. #ellchat
A2 My biggest challenge this year was time and space. I feel that small group instruction is best for my ELLs, but many times our numbers are so high (with few ESL teachers!) that we struggle with time and space to provide excellent instruction. #ELLCHAT
A3 One thing I heard in Iowa - schools hire bilingual teacher assistants, but they are not allowed to introduce any learning content because they are not teachers! Only in Iowa! That could change! #ELLCHAT
A3 But I’ve hear lots of “we are not allowed to…” statements in many states that turn out to be misunderstandings, often perpetuated by school leaders! #ELLCHAT
A3 Many of our Ss wanted to improve their reading. I offered a Reading for Pleasure study block oppty. 2d/wk, but limited attendance, even w/ parents informed and contacted if their Ss did not attend. Promoted Newsela across content areas, sent interesting articles to Ts #ELLCHAT
A4 Sometimes I think one small step we can all make is just clear up misconceptions about regulations and policies to get closer to effective practices. Do you agree? #ELLCHAT
Agreed. I have always lived by “for the students” and can usually justify what we are doing by research. If we have the research and can speak with our building level admin, usually it flies. #ellchat
A3) One of my biggest challenges when I was in the classroom was to support classroom & subject area teachers to work effectively with my ELLs. I ended up writing books about supporting mainstream teachers and this took me to a whole other career. #Ellchat
A4 That’s a good place for small changes - if they are there, why not sneak in some PD to help them support ELLs … who they just might happen to encounter ;) #ELLCHAT
Agreed. I have always lived by “for the students” and can usually justify what we are doing by research. If we have the research and can speak with our building level admin, usually it flies. #ellchat
A4: Collab w/ admin helped start the creation of a collaborative teaching model. Working with certain teachers helped equip them with tools to better meet the needs of their students. #ellchat
A4) Like @kruu_justin said, building relationships is impt. Because I have been building relationship for 18 years, I am able to influence when I see the need. It has taken a while, but my admin trusts our team when we propose something. #ellchat
Yes! We tried to support our students by giving them opportunities to share their voices (if they wanted to share) through their writing. One place I shared this was at SEI training for novice teachers to help them see our students’ perspectives. #ELLChat
A4. I hope for my colleagues & administrators that I brought positivity & passion to my schools this past year. In one building I helped implement Sheltered Instruction. I think I was able to present it in a way that they saw the value & felt at ease about the change. #ELLChat
Great idea, Blanca! Making the end of year so personal. Did they have the chance to share these with a wider audience? That could be intimidating, but also a powerful community-building, empathy-building piece, for peers to better understand each other. #ELLchat
A3) For motivation at the end of the year and before testing daily pep talks were the norm in my class. We did an end of year project where my students wrote their immigration stories. The project helped me motivate them the last weeks of school.#ellchat
A4) I was invited by a HS guidance counselor to meet to discuss students, student needs, and teacher support. Those 30 minutes may seem minuscule, but that was a HUGE step in the right direction! #ellchat
A4) Our bilingual aides are the key to our parent relationships. They build those relationships and help us communicate the needs. Through them, we have been able to cut down on tardies and absences. (A huge problem for some families) #ellchat
A2 I am realizing how many of your challenges are facing outward for the good of the students. You are not yet talking about personal challenges such as impossible scheduling, lack of funding for materials, inappropriate curriculum? #ELLCHAT
A4 Hopefully I communicated that COLLABORATION is 🔑 Student growth will be exponential if ELL teachers collaborated with each other and with their respective content area teachers daily. #ELLChat
A4 this is a big issue and a big solution. But I wonder how much training do the aides get on topics such as confidentiality, person-first language, understanding regulations, and positive communication? #ELLCHAT
A4) Our bilingual aides are the key to our parent relationships. They build those relationships and help us communicate the needs. Through them, we have been able to cut down on tardies and absences. (A huge problem for some families) #ellchat
A4) I think when I started presenting at national conferences, I felt that I could really make a difference. Advocacy within my school district & state has really help me feel empowered. #ELLCHAT
A4 You know that understanding and using data is good for you and your students, but it also makes you a great resource for colleagues. I think this applies to observation and anecdotal data too - not just numbers! #ELLCHAT
A4. I also simply hope that I was able to be the source of comfort and celebration for my students. I always help them see their strengths and want them to feel special. It’s so important when they’re often up against so many challenges. #ELLChat
Q5) What do your feel you need to work on during the upcoming school year? For yourself and/or for your whole school? #ELLCHAT Any specific goals in mind?
Our district has yearly training and our CO works with them on what is expected. We were fortunate to have a seasoned person who has a respected reputation for parent support. #ellchat
Yes! We are very overcrowded in our district, but construction is going on as we speak. I’m hoping our ELLs benefit from my space in our schools! #ELLChat
A5) I want on working on some form of PD for teachers. Either through PLC or even a newsletter. I want to help our teachers with more effective strategies #ELLCHAT
I think this will be good for you. When you speak about your students, it reminds me of how intense I was when I taught ELLs. I burned out but not because of students. It was due to all the paperwork & duties that I had outside of the classroom. #ELLCHAT
A5. I’m going to really define clear thematic units that infuse readers and writers strategies the students will need to know in their grade level classrooms. I also want to continue to be a resource for mainstream teachers and provide information & support. #ELLChat
A5: I made need five or more tweets to go over this! I want to practice actual Co-Teaching on a consistent basis. Document and analyze student achievement using his model, and reflect on my experience. #ellchat
Q5) What do your feel you need to work on during the upcoming school year? For yourself and/or for your whole school? #ELLCHAT Any specific goals in mind?
A5) As I enter a whole new role, I will need to step back and make sure I am listening to the teachers I work with to see what their needs are. I need to make sure I still focus on the students as well. #ellchat
A5) With 18-19 being our first full year of SEI in K-5, I need to be accountable for getting teachers what they need to successfully teach students in the content areas. My goal is to be present in classrooms regularly in a supporting role. #ellchat
Avoid giving #ELLs LESS work! Instead accommodate and scaffold instruction to level the playing field so that language learners can participate in grade level curricula. Set high expectations! #satchat#teachertips#ellchat#katyool#ESL#Bilingual
In my PD sessions, I make sure mainstream teachers understand that they can use best practices for ELLs to strengthen other students’ achievement. The students do not have to be ELLs to benefit from targeted strategies. #ellchat
A5: I made need five or more tweets to go over this! I want to practice actual Co-Teaching on a consistent basis. Document and analyze student achievement using his model, and reflect on my experience. #ellchat
Q5) What do your feel you need to work on during the upcoming school year? For yourself and/or for your whole school? #ELLCHAT Any specific goals in mind?
We find the same. Our teachers have been providing workshops (about local support services or literacy) to help show our parents that we support them and their children. #ELLChat
A6) We have wonderful teachers, but they are overwhelmed with everything that is expected. Sometimes, they just don’t make the time to attend to ELLs needs. #ellchat
A6: The biggest positive change I saw was when certain teachers (who I was told would never collaborate with me) invited me into their classrooms to Co-Teach. Massive win! #ellchat
A6) We have wonderful teachers, but they are overwhelmed with everything that is expected. Sometimes, they just don’t make the time to attend to ELLs needs. #ellchat
Q6) I’m seeing my #ESL teachers being tougher on themselves. I’m so fortunate to have an amazing staff, and I want them to see themselves the way I see them! It can be so difficult when you know the students are making great progress, but it doesn’t show soundly in data. #ellchat
A6. I found that by doing Sheltered Instruction training the staff frustration & confusion about ELLs/ESL was because no one had ever taken the time to explain WIDA, strategies, SLA, language development, etc. Now that they have the tools they need, they’re happier. #ELLChat
