Sheltered English Instruction Learning Opportunities
Teacher Institute (see component descriptions below)
Designed to establish a learning community through sustained and consistent engagement throughout the year, building trust and laying the groundwork in areas that are critical to the success of all students. Three full-day classes for cohorts, tailored to thoroughly investigate how to strategically and thoughtfully plan for instruction so that all students have equitable access to content while developing all of their language skills. Emphasis is placed on implementation as homework will be assigned, and email communication will be encouraged between classes to maintain momentum and accountability.
Administrator Access
Administrators will learn the ‘Look Fors’ when observing students who are actively engaged in their learning due to the conscientious implementation of highly effective strategies by their inspired teachers. During a full day of training, administrators will adjust their collective lens as they gain clearer insight into how a classroom infused with sheltered English instructional strategies will operate, so that they may provide support and validation to teachers as they Up the Bar on the quality of education all of their students deserve.
Personalized Coaching
The goal is to provide the teachers with the in-class support and on-the-job learning required to implement the training they have received to a high degree of fidelity. This is the follow-through that is critical to the success of professional development. It is a commitment to work closely with teachers to guide them on their journey to create truly inclusive learning environments. Interaction may include modeling, co-teaching, observations, and real-time feedback on strategic implementation in the classrooms. Occasionally, administrators may be invited to join so that they may sharpen the collective lens through which teachers are observed and expectations are aligned.
Designed to establish a learning community through sustained and consistent engagement throughout the year, building trust and laying the groundwork in areas that are critical to the success of all students. Three full-day classes for cohorts, tailored to thoroughly investigate how to strategically and thoughtfully plan for instruction so that all students have equitable access to content while developing all of their language skills. Emphasis is placed on implementation as homework will be assigned, and email communication will be encouraged between classes to maintain momentum and accountability.
Administrator Access
Administrators will learn the ‘Look Fors’ when observing students who are actively engaged in their learning due to the conscientious implementation of highly effective strategies by their inspired teachers. During a full day of training, administrators will adjust their collective lens as they gain clearer insight into how a classroom infused with sheltered English instructional strategies will operate, so that they may provide support and validation to teachers as they Up the Bar on the quality of education all of their students deserve.
Personalized Coaching
The goal is to provide the teachers with the in-class support and on-the-job learning required to implement the training they have received to a high degree of fidelity. This is the follow-through that is critical to the success of professional development. It is a commitment to work closely with teachers to guide them on their journey to create truly inclusive learning environments. Interaction may include modeling, co-teaching, observations, and real-time feedback on strategic implementation in the classrooms. Occasionally, administrators may be invited to join so that they may sharpen the collective lens through which teachers are observed and expectations are aligned.
Components of the Teacher Institute
Day One
1a. How Well Do You KYS (Know Your Students)?
Effectively and strategically integrating a diversity of learners into the school community requires an understanding of and an appreciation for students' backgrounds. During this intensive and highly interactive class, you will learn how to KYS – Know Your Students. You will learn how to build strong relationships with your students, which will in turn allow for more precise differentiation of instruction, which will in turn lead to greater learning and academic success for ALL of your students. KYS topics to be explored:
|
1b. Comprehensible Input English language learners (ELLs) compel teachers to consider how their students can succeed in the delicate balancing act of acquiring both content and language. Engaging in the process of sheltered English instructional scaffolds, teachers learn to thoughtfully plan their lessons complete with visuals, meaningful tasks, and effective learning strategies in a culturally responsive and collaborative environment. Teachers of ELLs become stronger, more creative, and more competent as they rise to the challenge of creating equitable access to education for all of their students. As they experience the sheltered English instructional scaffolds, participants will emerge with a renewed appreciation for the richness that results from cultural diversity. |
Day Two
2a. Creating & Implementing Authentic Academic Language Objectives
Authentic access to academic language is critical to the success of English language learners. Moving beyond tips, make-and-take strategies, and vocabulary games, educators who learn how to create meaningful academic language objectives at the word, sentence, and discourse levels create optimal learning environments wherein all of their students will access content concepts, and the language associated with that content. During this class, participants will understand the value of academic language objectives and they will engage in the how-to for creating academic language objectives, including the value of differentiated scaffolding supports. |
2b. Collaborate Like A Champ
When students are provided with the opportunity to process and engage in critical thinking and problem solving with their peers, they are afforded the opportunity to process their thoughts in their own native language and then take the time to consider how to most effectively articulate those ideas in English. This kind of oral rehearsal serves all students, but it is especially important for English language learners. Collaborative learning fosters a culture and climate wherein a community of learners engage together and learn together. The five essential elements of collaborative learning to be explored:
|
Day Three
3a. Building Background Students come to school with a rich and wide array of background experiences and knowledge. The teacher considers how to leverage those experiences to increase everyone's learning potential. Additionally, critical background information must be provided in order for student to more successfully engage in and learn new material. A plethora of strategies that may be used for this purpose will be explored during this class. An emphasis will be placed on the authentic and multimodal approach to how students learn academic language for the purpose of academic discourse. |
3b Authentic and Equitable Assessment
Students who are acquiring content while developing the English language are accountable for learning the content concepts, but must be provided the language support they need to articulate what they have learned. That is, the curriculum should not be watered down for them, given that they are cognitively capable of learning the concepts, but linguistically may not have the English language to express themselves. Therefore, teachers need to consider options for assessing students' knowledge and skills using the English language they know. A variety of assessment options and opportunities will be explored during this class, including how all students can take ownership of their learning process by tracking their own data and learning. |