#MdEdChat Archive
Maryland EdChat (#mdedchat) is a weekly discussion on Twitter that focuses on issues facing educators in the State of Maryland. Previous guests on the chat have included Todd Whitaker, Annette Breaux, Rick Wormeli, Dave Burgess, and Eric Sheninger. Participants have "attended" from Maryland, Iowa, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, Kansas, Indiana, Alabama, Texas, California, and Arkansas.
Tuesday February 16, 2016
Welcome to , everyone! Please take a moment and introduce yourself.
Tonight’s topic is language diversity and English Language Learners. We will use the Q/A format this evening.
Stacey here from Montgomery County. 1st grade teacher :-)
Hi, Stacey! Good to see you tonight! I enjoyed chatting with you yesterday! :)
I'm Kathy, an elementary Instructional Resource Teacher in Southern MD
Walter, principal in Prince George's County happy to be a part of the discussion.
Same here! Our virtual edcamp was a blast!
I'm an elementary librarian - 2 schools - PG County.
Good to see you tonight! During virtual yesterday, I thought about how lucky I was to meet you last year!
Hello again, Mike! Good to chat with you tonight! You rocked your chat yesterday!
Q1: What is your experience with language diversity in the classroom?
The pleasure was all mine. Always a blast connecting with the talented learning leaders and partners in MD.
In terms of scaffolding, listening, speaking, or dual language / Non E Ss?
A1: My school has many students who speak Spanish. On occasion, we've had French and Russian as well.
Q1 S1 - Primarily Sp, S2 Primarily Sp w/ mix of other. Some E in both.
Great clarification-- do you have dual language/ English learners in your classes?
Has your English learner population been increasing, or is it steady?
A1: Have worked in elementary/high school settings w/ high poverty/ELL's. Personally believe all Ss are lang. learners.
A1: Have worked in elementary/high school settings w/ high poverty/ELL's. Personally believe all Ss are lang. learners.
Sorry-- you already answered this...
I think it's increased slightly. Currently, we are at 33% ELL
Love your second sentence-- I share your belief that all Ss are language learners https://t.co/GbJW3GVClm
A1: Have worked in elementary/high school settings w/ high poverty/ELL's. Personally believe all Ss are lang. learners.
Q2: Since the conversational skills of ELLs may outweigh their academic language skills, how do you scaffold for student needs?
all are language learners, Esp. today. High Poverty = Low Lang Exposure. I worked in Speech Tx before switching. Props r Common
A1: My first year in a school where language needs, ESOL, encompasses French, Creole, and a variety of Spanish dialects.
A2: Lots of visuals, audio, video, front loading with vocab and other things they might not be familiar with.
Ooh-- Creole is a research focus of one of my profs. https://t.co/pLY7eSIHNu
A1: My first year in a school where language needs, ESOL, encompasses French, Creole, and a variety of Spanish dialects.
A2. Google Earth, Integrate visuals. Goal is to eventually pull away thru a mix of V/W to solo.
A2: Explicitly teach "talk moves" and provide many opportunities for Ss to turn and talk before paper and pencil.
Q3: What are some strategies that have worked to meet the needs of your English Language Learners?
A2 Using this method, students can decipher Old English on If they can do that, they can read almost anything.
My school is a laboratory of learning!
I'll admit-- I had to google talk moves. Similar to active listening?
A2 I use a lot of Ss led discussion. I post something and have Ss talk about it.
Is V/W to solo the same thing as gradual release of responsibility?
I also use visuals, video clips with my ELL students
A3: Embed language standards as an instructional approach. Thinking Maps and other graphic organizers help make thinking visible.
My students rock at discussion. Provide a safe environment without letting any off the hook including newcomers (w/n reason)
maybe, tell me more. Not familiar with gradual release. Is it something like catch and release?
Yes, explicitly teaching strategies for speaking/listening using anchor charts. A big push in our county.
A2 I need to use more graphic organizers to work on turn taking & conv. skills but lack of paper and my focus doesn't help.
My understanding of gradual release- teacher support & modeling, then responsibility released until Ss are independent
Q4: With recent curricular shifts, how are you balancing increased academic rigor with the language support needed for ELLs?
Yes, I think we're speaking the same language. Observe and talk about what seen/heard, slowly intro print.
A4: I try to have everything labeled, many pictures, go into detail when possible, and lots of repetition
This is a great strategy! Telling Ss what you will be listening for when monitoring gives them a target.
I'm intrigued by talk moves-- will look more closely after the chat. TY for the share! https://t.co/eboMeTr6jq
Yes, explicitly teaching strategies for speaking/listening using anchor charts. A big push in our county.
Awesome-- do Ss experience the language support everywhere in your school, or just in your classroom? https://t.co/FJ9iIhPGAO
A4: I try to have everything labeled, many pictures, go into detail when possible, and lots of repetition
Though I don't usually do this. I usually let Ss flow.I start w/ a prompt. For ex: What do you see?
I do allow for plenty of wait time as my quieter and more reflective students can get overshadowed.
Q5: How do you partner with ELL teachers? Is there common instructional planning?
There are dif degrees of language support throughout the school. I like to think I'm over the top w/ my 1sties.
A4: My 1st grade team is looking at model lessons for teaching assessment vocab Ss will see on tests using familiar content.
A5: We all have a co-teacher for part of the day. Some of us have ESOL teachers. We can always go to them for help if need be.
I think that is great-- sounds like you're creating a very supportive environment for your Ss! https://t.co/EC9KF7jYVT
There are dif degrees of language support throughout the school. I like to think I'm over the top w/ my 1sties.
Yup. Though sometimes I jump. I should, Sometimes I use "the library is slightly different" excuse
Co-teaching can be huge with the right duo and mindset!
Co-teachers-- what a nice model! We share ELL teachers with other schools, so this is one of our challenges.
Q6: What are some challenges that you have experienced with language diversity in your classroom?
Some reluctance to speak, Others reluctant to wait. Not enough time to focus on certain students in 30/45mins 1x/w
A6: Lack of background knowledge is probably the biggest challenge. *Especially w/standardized tests!!!!*
I mentioned our challenge-- our time is scarce with ELL teachers, so planning is a hurdle
A6: The diverse language needs are so complex, requiring all minds collaborating across content areas.
You do have unique challenges since you're at two schools
Yes indeed. Sometimes I call on the 1st one, sometimes the last. Other times I pick my own subject.
I hope you don't have too many standardized tests in first grade https://t.co/5VSfGwBwEn
A6: Lack of background knowledge is probably the biggest challenge. *Especially w/standardized tests!!!!*
A6: Big issue is TIME for specialists who support multiple grade levels to Co-plan with Ts.
1,400 S +/- <300 in one. You do the maths.
We have MClass and MAP P (Each 3x a yr) But once they hit 3rd and have PARRC *And when MSA was around.* Oy....
but if they can't get access to computers due to testing, they can't type. That causes problems in 3rd grade.
A6: Our ESOL team is administering the ACCESS TEST; halting some language instruction during the testing season.
We see that at our school. Especially since many of our families can't afford a lot.
(Take two) Totally agree! I've been targeting school-wide PD to help make connections for our staff https://t.co/ejkJy5H4X3
A6: Big issue is TIME for specialists who support multiple grade levels to Co-plan with Ts.
Wow. Two completely different school cultures, I'm sure.
Time? What time? . We cover the Ts so they can plan.
Same here! Happy that we wrapped up WIDA testing, and that instruction begins again! https://t.co/NybbiJ5XKM
A6: Our ESOL team is administering the ACCESS TEST; halting some language instruction during the testing season.
Two cultures, Two environments - 1 library 1 go to class, 1 tech one w/o 2 completely different programs
Tomorrow we are introducing a modified "playdate" structure for professional learning! Hoping to engage more Ts!
Seems like we need more specialists
Awesome! I'd love to hear how your playdate structure goes! https://t.co/w6pb3pXFv1
Tomorrow we are introducing a modified "playdate" structure for professional learning! Hoping to engage more Ts!
Q7: What are some of the opportunities and benefits of language diversity in the classroom?
Love the idea of bringing specialists in for planning.
We're hoping to build capacity at each school over time https://t.co/FfalZ4zUNn
Seems like we need more specialists
I personally love the experiences and knowledge that dual language Ss bring to our classrooms!
A7: Lang. diversity creates the space to learn; it places value on differences and uses them as a bridge to deepen learning.
. I try to converse with them in S. Sometimes I'll even read them a story or show a video in S. Opportunity - Es
