Friday, July 31, 2009
Institute Over
Our 3-day Institute finished today--It was excellent, but I think everyone was a bit brain-fried by the end of it. I also reflected a little more on the dynamics created by throwing everyone together in a group (it was the first time many of them have worked together) without prior team-building or norm setting experiences. Even though we didn't have time to do this extensively (that's what I'm dedicating the week of Aug 10th to), I should have done it at least briefly. By the end of today it was clear that we need to agree upon and adhere to common meeting norms and that we have a LOT of close collaboration ahead (which means inevitable moments of tension and friction)--we've got to have some really positive experiences together as a school team and then as grade-level teams and team-teaching partners from the beginning. I'm learning. :)
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Two-Way Immersion Institute
The first two days of our kick-off Two-Way Immersion Institute were big hits. I facilitated the first one--I wanted to send a strong message that as a school leader I'm 100% invested in making dual language work and that, in many ways, I know what I'm talking about. That may sound slightly strange, but I do think teachers deserve the security and confidence that comes from knowing that it's not a "blind leading the blind" situation--that they have an invested, capable, & knowledgeable leader. They also need to know that I'm also learning as I go, but I have resources I can draw upon to find answers when I don't have them myself.
The detailed outline for this first day was as follows:
8:30 – 8:45 Welcome/Team-Building/Getting to Know You Activity
1) Name & position (offer prize at breaks, lunch & end for anyone who can successfully ID everyone’s names) (5 min)
2) Artful Closer (15 min—8 for drawing; 7 for share out)
This activity begins with reflection, proceeds through nonverbal communication, and ends in a discussion. You can use ARTFUL CLOSER to debrief participants after an experiential activity. You may also use it as the final activity at the end of a workshop. You may even use it as an opening ice-breaker by asking participants to think about common personal experiences. For example, I began a recent session on presentation skills by asking participants to process their experiences with the most inspiring speech they had ever heard.
Purpose
To reflect on a common experience and share insights with each other.
Participants
Any number. Best for 8 to 30 participants.
Time
20 to 45 minutes
Supplies
* Large sheets of drawing paper
* Crayons of different colors
* Timer
* Whistle
Flow
Form teams. Divide participants into equal-sized teams of 4 to 6 members each. Seat team members around a table.
Review the experience. Specify a common experience: LEARNING YOUR SECOND LANGUAGE. Ask participants to silently think back on what happened during that experience. Invite them to close their eyes and visualize the highlights of the event. After a suitable pause, ask participants to silently focus on one or more lessons they learned from the experience.
Distribute supplies. Place sheets of drawing paper and boxes of crayons in the middle of each table. Ask each participant to take a sheet of paper and to share the crayons.
Time to draw. Invite participants to draw an abstract picture that captures the essence of major insights from the experience. Discourage them from focusing on artistic quality and encourage them to flow with their intuitive thoughts and feelings. Announce a 10-minute time limit for this artistic activity.
Time to stop. At the end of 10 minutes, blow the whistle and ask participant-artists to stop their activity. Reassure them that it does not matter if their artwork is not yet complete.
Interpret other people’s pictures. At each table, ask participants to take turns holding up the picture. While doing this, ask each person to perform the difficult task of keeping her mouth shut. Invite other participants around the table to treat the picture as a Rorschach inkblot and report what they see in it. It is not necessary that participants take turns in presenting their interpretation. Anyone may call out her insights whenever she feels inspired.
Interpret your own picture. After all pictures have been interpreted, ask the table teams to repeat the process. This time, however, each person should hold up the picture and describe what insights she meant to convey.
Debriefing
After the sharing of insights, encourage a discussion at each table. Use questions similar to these to structure this discussion:
* What insights were the most frequently mentioned?
* What insights were unexpected and unique?
* What was the most powerful insight that affected you?
* How do you expect this insight to change your future behavior?
(should have allowed at least 10 more minutes for this intro activity)
8:45 – 9:30 Concepts related to Bilingualism, Biliteracy, Biculturalism
BIG IDEAS
• It is beneficial for us to have a common language to discuss bilingualism and biliteracy.
• Language, literacy, culture, and learning are interdependently connected.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will classify terminology related to bilingualism, biliteracy and dual language education.
• Participants will state the relationships among these terms.
SESSION ACTIVITIES: DUAL U: 01-01
1) Pairs write vocab on individual sticky notes; open sort (10 min)
2) Ask a few pairs with varied responses to share their categories & why; clarify meaning and model correct usage of words (5 min)
3) Model connect-2 or connect-3 statements; have each pair come up with 2 statements (5 min) write sentence frame (and visual of key vocab) to model this strategy
4) Ask several pairs to share their statements (5 min)
5) Have teachers rearrange terms into 3 categories (closed sort): Terms I Know and Can Use; Terms I Think I Know But Would Probably Not Use Yet; Words that Are Still Confusing (they post on chart paper) (10 min)
6) Lingering questions? (10 min)
9:30 – 10:45 Critical Features of IDEA Mission’s Dual Immersion Model
BIG IDEAS
• We have developed a Dual Immersion model at IDEA Mission that is tailored to our students’ demographics, strengths, & needs, as well as our school’s long-term academic goals.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will summarize key features of IDEA Academy Mission’s dual immersion model.
SESSION ACTIVITIES
Part 1
o KWL chart about dual immersion at IDEA Academy Mission (Know (write even if wrong), Want to Know, Learned); make sure I number questions
o Participants read our school language philosophy. Code text: underline answers to questions on KWL and write number next to it; put a question mark next to something that makes you think of a new question.
o Return to KWL to revise K (if necessary) and add Learnings; add new questions
Part 2
o Peanut butter/jelly: pair activity (one reads the other connects then switch): vocab related to our schedule
o Give each pair a navy week schedule. Review what each color means; go through & explain day. (Leave room for notes on handout)
o Tell them that during gold week students follow the same schedule but the languages they receive each content area in switches. Have them build and glue the gold block schedule (did not do this last gluing activity--went over time going through the schedule, but it was worth it. All but a couple of teachers rated their understanding of the schedule at a level 4 or 5 (out of 5); the remaining teachers at a level 3)
o Answer questions
Part 3
o Inside/outside circle
o Put questions on powerpoint; 1 person answers, the other one rates (according to answer criteria)
Name at least 4 subject areas students will study each day.
What language will students do guided reading in?
Explain what navy & gold blocks are.
During what part of the day will students focus very specifically on science & social studies content objectives?
What language will students receive Rise instruction in?
What language will students study math in?
What subject will students study in both languages every day? Why?
What is a “homebase?”
How does “circle time” work?
(should have allowed at least 15 - 20 more minutes for this session)
10:45 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 12:00 Language Allocation Considerations
BIG IDEAS
• A language allocation plan is developed according to the goals of the program, the needs of the learners and available resources and staff.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will compare and contrast various language allocation plans and support a plan for our school context.
SESSION ACTIVITIES: DUAL U: 02-03
• Introduce different ways of dividing language (time, person, place, or content)
• Scenarios of language use
• Use white boards to ID type of language use in scenarios (lots of "aha" moments as a result of this role play; didn't use white boards but should have) :)
12:00 – 12:15 Instructional strategy “step-back” (did not do this--had to skip to make up time)
12:15 – 1:30 Lunch (on your own)
1:30 – 2:15 Promoting the Non-English Language
BIG IDEAS
• Language use is language learning.
• Over-reliance on English in the early grades creates a dependency on it that becomes difficult to overcome: falling back on English in the early grades makes learning easier now, but more difficult later.
• Mastery of advanced academic material and cognitive skills in higher grades requires advanced levels of language competence; foundations of this competence must be laid in early grades to prepare students for learning through the non-English language.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will identify and list strategies that help promote the non-English language in the dual language classroom.
• Participants will share and discuss whether the two languages in a dual language classroom deserve equal status.
• Participants identify and discuss the long-term difficulties that may arise from use of too much English in the dual language classroom.
SESSION ACTIVITIES: DUAL U: 03-01
1) Facilitator poses question: “Are there strategies that effectively reduce students’ use of English in the Spanish classroom?”
2) Teachers complete an agree/disagree chart
3) Compare thoughts with a partner using hand up-pair up
4) Partners then skim through the article “Help they’re using too much English!”
5) Partners brainstorm additional strategies using worksheet
6) Share with group on chart paper
7) Closing questions for discussion:
• Should the two languages in a classroom enjoy equal status or not?
• What difficulties may arise if too much English is allowed in the lower grades or as the amount of English increases in the upper grades? (The most powerful part of this session came as a result of teachers sharing their own unique experiences learning a second language--many had very negative experiences and felt "ashamed" of their ability to speak Spanish. Sharing their personal stories and connecting them to the broader history of language/culture divisions in the Rio Grande Valley makes the work of promoting the non-English language all the more important)
2:15 – 2:45 Initial Literacy Instruction
BIG IDEAS
• Expectations and concerns for initial literacy development should be considered separately for language minority and language majority students.
• In order to determine the initial language for reading/writing instruction, one must consider the status of the students’ language in the larger society.
• Informing all stakeholders in a dual language program of the specifics of the program can increase buy-in and decrease confusion about the rationale for delivering initial literacy instruction in one language vs. the other.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will identify the problem(s) in a given scenario and list possible solutions and outcomes.
• Participants will decide on the appropriate language for initial literacy instruction for a particular student.
• Participants will discuss the need to inform all stakeholders of the rationale behind their initial literacy instruction policy.
SESSION ACTIVITIES: DUAL U: 03-04 (and 03-03)
1) Participants read the student scenario (partner read—one sentence each)
2) In groups of 4, fill out problem/solution template (assign each part a number so that every group member participates; those not writing are giving ideas and helping with spelling if asked)
3) Whole group discussion of various parts of template
4) Model follow-up parent/teacher discussion about this issue (if time)
(I actually skipped this session altogether, due to time. I was actually OK doing it since it was written to be such a short introduction (only 30 min) anyway. Much of it had already come up in prior discussions and it's something we'll come back to over and over again throughout the year.)
2:45 – 3:00 Break
3:00 – 3:50 Bilingual Partnerships in the Classroom
BIG IDEAS
• All students serve as language models for their peers.
• Children need explicit instruction and practice in how to work effectively in cooperative groupings.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will understand why bilingual pairs are critical in a two-way immersion classroom.
• Participants will explain how they will set up bilingual pairings in their own classrooms.
• Participants will practice several cooperative structures that bilingual pairs can use in the classroom.
SESSION ACTIVITIES
1) Explanation of bilingual pairs & example
2) Quick practice with 8 real kids and their LAS scores
3) Activity: build a free-standing structure with straws (as a cooperative group)
a. Captain: (makes sure all are on task & participating; only one allowed to go to other groups or to teacher)
b. Scribe: writes data (if applicable)
c. Reporter: (shares out results verbally)
d. Materials Manager: (obtains and puts away materials)
4) Reflection on cooperative structures used throughout the day (numbered heads—1, 2, 3, 4 numbered in groups, I ask question, group confers, I call number and they answer)
a. What did you like?
b. What questions do you have?
c. What’s difficult about using cooperative structures?
d. Why are cooperatives structures useful in the classroom?
(Had I been more organized in getting this activity off the ground it would have been even more powerful--I didn't have all the materials completely ready nor were my directions crystal-clear so it fell a little flat...my own fault)
3:50 – 4:00 Wrap Up/Exit Slips/Prizes
I collected evaluation/feedback forms and every participant agreed/strongly agreed that they are highly invested in our Two-Way program and believe it will increase student achievement. They commented on the many things they learned--I got great feedback from Dolores that I could do a better job of checking for understanding (not just relying on teachers self-reporting that they understand)...gotta figure out how I can do a better job of that.
As far as Dr. Mercuri's sessions today, it was a lot for my staff to take in. Luckily she slowed it down and gave them plenty of work time to apply what she taught to their own unit planning. I told her I had no problems slowing it down--depth vs. breadth. She helped us understand the importance of interdisciplinary units of inquiry led by a big guiding question and helped us see the heirarchy of ideas and the relationships and connections between different parts of each of our units. Teachers were definitely feeling the "brain-stretch" but I think that's a good thing, as it means they're being pushed to think in new ways and approach planning and teaching units in a very different way. We have one more day with Dr. Mercuri, though she'll be back several times throughout the year and, hopefully, next year.
The detailed outline for this first day was as follows:
TWO WAY IMMERSION INSTITUTE
DAY ONE
DAY ONE
8:30 – 8:45 Welcome/Team-Building/Getting to Know You Activity
1) Name & position (offer prize at breaks, lunch & end for anyone who can successfully ID everyone’s names) (5 min)
2) Artful Closer (15 min—8 for drawing; 7 for share out)
This activity begins with reflection, proceeds through nonverbal communication, and ends in a discussion. You can use ARTFUL CLOSER to debrief participants after an experiential activity. You may also use it as the final activity at the end of a workshop. You may even use it as an opening ice-breaker by asking participants to think about common personal experiences. For example, I began a recent session on presentation skills by asking participants to process their experiences with the most inspiring speech they had ever heard.
Purpose
To reflect on a common experience and share insights with each other.
Participants
Any number. Best for 8 to 30 participants.
Time
20 to 45 minutes
Supplies
* Large sheets of drawing paper
* Crayons of different colors
* Timer
* Whistle
Flow
Form teams. Divide participants into equal-sized teams of 4 to 6 members each. Seat team members around a table.
Review the experience. Specify a common experience: LEARNING YOUR SECOND LANGUAGE. Ask participants to silently think back on what happened during that experience. Invite them to close their eyes and visualize the highlights of the event. After a suitable pause, ask participants to silently focus on one or more lessons they learned from the experience.
Distribute supplies. Place sheets of drawing paper and boxes of crayons in the middle of each table. Ask each participant to take a sheet of paper and to share the crayons.
Time to draw. Invite participants to draw an abstract picture that captures the essence of major insights from the experience. Discourage them from focusing on artistic quality and encourage them to flow with their intuitive thoughts and feelings. Announce a 10-minute time limit for this artistic activity.
Time to stop. At the end of 10 minutes, blow the whistle and ask participant-artists to stop their activity. Reassure them that it does not matter if their artwork is not yet complete.
Interpret other people’s pictures. At each table, ask participants to take turns holding up the picture. While doing this, ask each person to perform the difficult task of keeping her mouth shut. Invite other participants around the table to treat the picture as a Rorschach inkblot and report what they see in it. It is not necessary that participants take turns in presenting their interpretation. Anyone may call out her insights whenever she feels inspired.
Interpret your own picture. After all pictures have been interpreted, ask the table teams to repeat the process. This time, however, each person should hold up the picture and describe what insights she meant to convey.
Debriefing
After the sharing of insights, encourage a discussion at each table. Use questions similar to these to structure this discussion:
* What insights were the most frequently mentioned?
* What insights were unexpected and unique?
* What was the most powerful insight that affected you?
* How do you expect this insight to change your future behavior?
(should have allowed at least 10 more minutes for this intro activity)
8:45 – 9:30 Concepts related to Bilingualism, Biliteracy, Biculturalism
BIG IDEAS
• It is beneficial for us to have a common language to discuss bilingualism and biliteracy.
• Language, literacy, culture, and learning are interdependently connected.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will classify terminology related to bilingualism, biliteracy and dual language education.
• Participants will state the relationships among these terms.
SESSION ACTIVITIES: DUAL U: 01-01
1) Pairs write vocab on individual sticky notes; open sort (10 min)
2) Ask a few pairs with varied responses to share their categories & why; clarify meaning and model correct usage of words (5 min)
3) Model connect-2 or connect-3 statements; have each pair come up with 2 statements (5 min) write sentence frame (and visual of key vocab) to model this strategy
4) Ask several pairs to share their statements (5 min)
5) Have teachers rearrange terms into 3 categories (closed sort): Terms I Know and Can Use; Terms I Think I Know But Would Probably Not Use Yet; Words that Are Still Confusing (they post on chart paper) (10 min)
6) Lingering questions? (10 min)
9:30 – 10:45 Critical Features of IDEA Mission’s Dual Immersion Model
BIG IDEAS
• We have developed a Dual Immersion model at IDEA Mission that is tailored to our students’ demographics, strengths, & needs, as well as our school’s long-term academic goals.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will summarize key features of IDEA Academy Mission’s dual immersion model.
SESSION ACTIVITIES
Part 1
o KWL chart about dual immersion at IDEA Academy Mission (Know (write even if wrong), Want to Know, Learned); make sure I number questions
o Participants read our school language philosophy. Code text: underline answers to questions on KWL and write number next to it; put a question mark next to something that makes you think of a new question.
o Return to KWL to revise K (if necessary) and add Learnings; add new questions
Part 2
o Peanut butter/jelly: pair activity (one reads the other connects then switch): vocab related to our schedule
o Give each pair a navy week schedule. Review what each color means; go through & explain day. (Leave room for notes on handout)
o Tell them that during gold week students follow the same schedule but the languages they receive each content area in switches. Have them build and glue the gold block schedule (did not do this last gluing activity--went over time going through the schedule, but it was worth it. All but a couple of teachers rated their understanding of the schedule at a level 4 or 5 (out of 5); the remaining teachers at a level 3)
o Answer questions
Part 3
o Inside/outside circle
o Put questions on powerpoint; 1 person answers, the other one rates (according to answer criteria)
Name at least 4 subject areas students will study each day.
What language will students do guided reading in?
Explain what navy & gold blocks are.
During what part of the day will students focus very specifically on science & social studies content objectives?
What language will students receive Rise instruction in?
What language will students study math in?
What subject will students study in both languages every day? Why?
What is a “homebase?”
How does “circle time” work?
(should have allowed at least 15 - 20 more minutes for this session)
10:45 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 12:00 Language Allocation Considerations
BIG IDEAS
• A language allocation plan is developed according to the goals of the program, the needs of the learners and available resources and staff.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will compare and contrast various language allocation plans and support a plan for our school context.
SESSION ACTIVITIES: DUAL U: 02-03
• Introduce different ways of dividing language (time, person, place, or content)
• Scenarios of language use
• Use white boards to ID type of language use in scenarios (lots of "aha" moments as a result of this role play; didn't use white boards but should have) :)
12:00 – 12:15 Instructional strategy “step-back” (did not do this--had to skip to make up time)
12:15 – 1:30 Lunch (on your own)
1:30 – 2:15 Promoting the Non-English Language
BIG IDEAS
• Language use is language learning.
• Over-reliance on English in the early grades creates a dependency on it that becomes difficult to overcome: falling back on English in the early grades makes learning easier now, but more difficult later.
• Mastery of advanced academic material and cognitive skills in higher grades requires advanced levels of language competence; foundations of this competence must be laid in early grades to prepare students for learning through the non-English language.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will identify and list strategies that help promote the non-English language in the dual language classroom.
• Participants will share and discuss whether the two languages in a dual language classroom deserve equal status.
• Participants identify and discuss the long-term difficulties that may arise from use of too much English in the dual language classroom.
SESSION ACTIVITIES: DUAL U: 03-01
1) Facilitator poses question: “Are there strategies that effectively reduce students’ use of English in the Spanish classroom?”
2) Teachers complete an agree/disagree chart
3) Compare thoughts with a partner using hand up-pair up
4) Partners then skim through the article “Help they’re using too much English!”
5) Partners brainstorm additional strategies using worksheet
6) Share with group on chart paper
7) Closing questions for discussion:
• Should the two languages in a classroom enjoy equal status or not?
• What difficulties may arise if too much English is allowed in the lower grades or as the amount of English increases in the upper grades? (The most powerful part of this session came as a result of teachers sharing their own unique experiences learning a second language--many had very negative experiences and felt "ashamed" of their ability to speak Spanish. Sharing their personal stories and connecting them to the broader history of language/culture divisions in the Rio Grande Valley makes the work of promoting the non-English language all the more important)
2:15 – 2:45 Initial Literacy Instruction
BIG IDEAS
• Expectations and concerns for initial literacy development should be considered separately for language minority and language majority students.
• In order to determine the initial language for reading/writing instruction, one must consider the status of the students’ language in the larger society.
• Informing all stakeholders in a dual language program of the specifics of the program can increase buy-in and decrease confusion about the rationale for delivering initial literacy instruction in one language vs. the other.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will identify the problem(s) in a given scenario and list possible solutions and outcomes.
• Participants will decide on the appropriate language for initial literacy instruction for a particular student.
• Participants will discuss the need to inform all stakeholders of the rationale behind their initial literacy instruction policy.
SESSION ACTIVITIES: DUAL U: 03-04 (and 03-03)
1) Participants read the student scenario (partner read—one sentence each)
2) In groups of 4, fill out problem/solution template (assign each part a number so that every group member participates; those not writing are giving ideas and helping with spelling if asked)
3) Whole group discussion of various parts of template
4) Model follow-up parent/teacher discussion about this issue (if time)
(I actually skipped this session altogether, due to time. I was actually OK doing it since it was written to be such a short introduction (only 30 min) anyway. Much of it had already come up in prior discussions and it's something we'll come back to over and over again throughout the year.)
2:45 – 3:00 Break
3:00 – 3:50 Bilingual Partnerships in the Classroom
BIG IDEAS
• All students serve as language models for their peers.
• Children need explicit instruction and practice in how to work effectively in cooperative groupings.
OBJECTIVES
• Participants will understand why bilingual pairs are critical in a two-way immersion classroom.
• Participants will explain how they will set up bilingual pairings in their own classrooms.
• Participants will practice several cooperative structures that bilingual pairs can use in the classroom.
SESSION ACTIVITIES
1) Explanation of bilingual pairs & example
2) Quick practice with 8 real kids and their LAS scores
3) Activity: build a free-standing structure with straws (as a cooperative group)
a. Captain: (makes sure all are on task & participating; only one allowed to go to other groups or to teacher)
b. Scribe: writes data (if applicable)
c. Reporter: (shares out results verbally)
d. Materials Manager: (obtains and puts away materials)
4) Reflection on cooperative structures used throughout the day (numbered heads—1, 2, 3, 4 numbered in groups, I ask question, group confers, I call number and they answer)
a. What did you like?
b. What questions do you have?
c. What’s difficult about using cooperative structures?
d. Why are cooperatives structures useful in the classroom?
(Had I been more organized in getting this activity off the ground it would have been even more powerful--I didn't have all the materials completely ready nor were my directions crystal-clear so it fell a little flat...my own fault)
3:50 – 4:00 Wrap Up/Exit Slips/Prizes
I collected evaluation/feedback forms and every participant agreed/strongly agreed that they are highly invested in our Two-Way program and believe it will increase student achievement. They commented on the many things they learned--I got great feedback from Dolores that I could do a better job of checking for understanding (not just relying on teachers self-reporting that they understand)...gotta figure out how I can do a better job of that.
As far as Dr. Mercuri's sessions today, it was a lot for my staff to take in. Luckily she slowed it down and gave them plenty of work time to apply what she taught to their own unit planning. I told her I had no problems slowing it down--depth vs. breadth. She helped us understand the importance of interdisciplinary units of inquiry led by a big guiding question and helped us see the heirarchy of ideas and the relationships and connections between different parts of each of our units. Teachers were definitely feeling the "brain-stretch" but I think that's a good thing, as it means they're being pushed to think in new ways and approach planning and teaching units in a very different way. We have one more day with Dr. Mercuri, though she'll be back several times throughout the year and, hopefully, next year.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
New Student Registration: Day 1
Our first day of new student registration went incredibly well! We included a dual language station where every parent was again reminded of the key elements of our program, they signed an authorization form acknowledging that they will support their child in the program for 5 - 7 years, and handed out more copies of the parent information packet. Not a single negative comment from any of the (approximately) 125 elementary school families that attended today. The words of one mother of an English-dominant student: "I cannot WAIT for the Spanish program to begin!" Ahhh...music to my ears. I'm beginning to trust that all the work we've put into the information sessions for both new and returning students might just be paying off. I know all too well to think that concerns won't arise once classes start, but I'm hoping our efforts to educate and invest parents over the past several months will pay high dividends and minimize the concerns down the road. Day 2 ahead!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Two-Way Immersion: Not for the faint of heart
At the suggestion of my colleague, Irma Munoz, I've decided to start a blog about my school's journey toward implementing a school-wide two-way immersion bilingual model. In just two weeks all of my teachers will be attending the official kick-off training for our two-way model, a three day summer Two-Way Immersion Institute. And in only a month, almost 300 PK, K, and 1st grade students will begin receiving core instruction in 2 languages. But getting to this point has been in the making for a very long time....
2001
I return from my LDS mission in NYC--I'm now bilingual in English and Spanish and with a new career path in mind--education. I'm particularly committed to learning more about bilingual education, immigration, inner-city education, etc. I begin considering related topics for my Honors Thesis at BYU. I discover Teach For America and become very interested.
2003
I complete and defend my thesis. (1 page thesis summary: DOWNLOAD FILE) I decided to study Dominican-American transnationalism through themes and symbols in Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. I walk away from the whole thesis-writing experience very passionate about making sure bilingual children have a voice both in their home language as well as their new language. I graduate from BYU with a double major in American Studies and Spanish, minor in music. I buy a car and make the long drive down to the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. I join Teach For America (TFA) and prepare to teach billingual 3rd grade at Taylor Elementary in Mercedes (about 98% economically disadvantaged, 50% ELL). I learn that the entire Mercedes school district (at that time) follows a dual language immersion bilingual model. I research this approach and find it completely in line with what I believe about equity and excellence in bilingual education. I'm very excited to begin.
2003 - 2004
I teach in a 50/50 bilingual classroom. Approximately half of the students are Spanish-dominant. The other half are English dominant. I teach the Spanish portion of the day: Spanish Language Arts, Science & Social Studies. My team teacher and mentor, Erica Munoz, teaches the English portion of the day: English Language Arts and Math. We switch homerooms at mid-day. I'm horrified by the principal's mandate that after Christmas dual language, writing, science, and social studies are "suspended," but am not completely surprised given the benchmark test scores. For several months, students only receive instruction in reading and math (and only in the language they will be assessed in). While the students in my and Erica's classes do relatively well on their 3rd Grade Reading and Math TAKS tests (math passing rates for our children are in the high 80%'s, and after the second administration in the low 90's for English Reading & 100% for Spanish Reading). As an entire grade level (8 homerooms, if I remember correctly) 83% of students met standard in Reading, 74% in Math.
2004-2005
I'm still teaching at Taylor and consider remaining at the school beyond my 2 year commitment through Teach For America. I am asked by the principal to teach a self-contained (vs. last year's team teaching placement) 90/10 dual language class. This is a class of students that received 90% Spanish 10% English in Kinder & 1st, 80/20 in 2nd grade, and were now moving into a 70/30 Spanish/English combination with me for third grade. I have only 15 students; all but 2 are highly Spanish dominant and the other 2 are English dominant children identified as gifted and talented. Their parents elected to place them in a full Spanish-immersion setting. I begin to see for myself that the students who are progressing most quickly in English are those who have the strongest oral language and literacy foundations in Spanish (exactly what the research says). I serve as our school's representative on the district dual language steering committee and for the first time I read Thomas and Collier's study comparing the effectiveness of all major bilingual education models. This is the first time I have ever seen data that appears to prove that a dual language enrichment approach to language may close and even invert the achievement gap for low-income English Language Learners. I'm hooked.
I enjoy my second year in the classroom and again am pleased when I find out that 100% of my students met standard on the Spanish Reading TAKS, with over half answering 80%+ of questions correctly. I'm excited to find that every student has progressed the equivalent of 1 grade level in reading and all but 1 have progressed over 2 grade levels. However, their math scores are not high. A little less than 70% of my students meet standard on the math TAKS--I am very disappointed in myself and set a personal goal to figure out how to better teach elementary math so I would never again shortchange my students that way (I'm happy to report that the following year 92% of my second graders met standard on their end of year math assessment). I am rocked to the core when I find out that only 68% of the school's fourth graders (our students in third grade the year before) pass Reading and only 63% pass Math. Again, however, I am not taken completely by surprise. When a school simply stops teaching certain areas of the curriculum, suspends their bilingual model, or allows their panic over scores to push ditto sheets, reading passages, and test prep questions all day for several months a year, it is no surprise to expect that within only a year or two those students will begin to fail miserably. I watch our school administration essentially self-destruct as they tell us, and I quote, "we just need to get this test out of the way and then we'll go back to teaching kids to read." It is during the last months of the 2004-05 school year that the school and district cave and decide to disband the dual language model and return to an early transition bilingual model, thinking that this will improve test results and fast. I am livid. I know very well that the only reason this model isn't working is because it isn't being implemented properly at all. I talk with our principal until I'm blue in the face but she is obsessed with improving short-term results and refuses to admit that her choices are hurting children long-term. I write to the superintendent and other key central office personnel and receive no response. I feverishly try to win over colleagues and urge them to speak up in defense of dual language but they are, understandably, tired and somewhat demoralized by this year's overall school results. I know that Taylor has some excellent teachers achieving stellar results, but I also know that--like great teachers in many other schools--they are islands of excellence in a sea of mediocrity. I realize that closing the achievement gap between rich and poor, between monolingual English speakers & English Language Learners, between white and minority students is the work of a school, not a single teacher. Are teachers the front lines? Absolutely. But the large gains students may achieve with one phenomenal teacher simply cannot and will not be sustained long term if their teacher the next year, and the next, and the next aren't also phenomenal teachers. Dual language, in spite of it's impressive track record in the research, will fail without long-term and school-wide investment in and integrity to the model. I am frustrated and, though it is a difficult decision, I decide to leave Mercedes ISD.
2005-2007
I am offered a second grade teaching position at IDEA Academy in Donna. It is a public charter school with a very clear mission--getting low-income kids to college. I am inspired by their goals and intrigued by their K - 12 campus model; it aligns to my belief it takes a school full of great teachers to close the achievement gap and really achieve deep reform. IDEA's primary program is very young, so while there is no bilingual model yet I'm excited to help launch a new grade level and create things from scratch. I decide to suspend my obsession with bilingual education and just see what I learned at IDEA. After my final few months in Mercedes I am honestly not sure what to think about bilingual education any more, so I come to IDEA with an open mind and a willingness to suspend my judgement for a time. To be honest, my first two years of teaching have me wondering if it is even possible to implement a two-way immersion program to the degree required to really make it work. Is true program integrity realistically possible? I loop with my second graders to third grade in 2006 and become further convinced of the power of approaching instruction vertically (thinking long-term and across the grades instead of focusing only on the here and now). However, my opinions on bilingual ed are "suspended" no longer--by the end of my second year at IDEA I better understand the injustice created by a full English immersion approach to teaching young primary English Language Learners--both educationally and culturally. I initiate a few more late night online searches for the research and practice behind two-way immersion. I'm back in the game.
2007
In spring of 2007 I apply to become an IDEA school leader--to launch and lead a new expansion primary school as principal. I receive an offer and excitedly accept. I already know, however, that I cannot lead a school that doesn't fully embrace both Spanish and English and set bilingualism as a goal for all children.
2007 - 08
It is "year zero," my planning and preparing year for school launch. I am busy working on my masters degree at Sam Houston State, writing my school design plan, hiring teachers, recruiting students, writing curriculum plans, and the list goes on. I engage in several discussions with IDEA's senior leadership. Not only can I tell that I would not be permitted to launch a dual language program, but I am also honest with myself in recognizing that I'm not ready to take that kind of leap as a new school leader. However, I still refuse to open a school that does not embrace Spanish and treat it as an asset, so I hire a Spanish teacher and create a schedule in which every student in every class receives 80 minutes of Spanish Language Arts daily. The remainder of the day will be spent in English instruction.
2008 - 09
While we agree as a school staff that our campus' model for supporting Spanish is certainly better than nothing, it is quickly evident to me that I must offer something much better to my students. I am led back to confirm what I've known for years. I see our current approach more and more as a "foot in the door" as far as organization senior leadership are concerned. My school opens with Kindergarten only--81% economically disadvantaged, 50% English Language Learners. Most come with some prior experience with Spanish, even if it isn't their dominant language. It really couldn't be a more perfect setup for two-way immersion. My staff and I begin to discuss options. I organize a book study and invite people across the district, particularly members of senior leadership. Tracy, our Chief Academic Officer, hosts one of the meetings and shares comments that evidence her growing support for dual language. While different people attended different sessions, we consistently have 5 - 8 attendees at each dinner meeting. It is a beginning.
One of my teachers sets up two local school visits. While 6 or 7 were invited, three of us go--me, my teacher, and another administrator who is a dual language supporter from IDEA's Donna campus (where I taught 2nd and 3rd grade). We visit two dual language schools in the neighboring PSJA school district and have long conversations with their principals. We get many ideas for what our model and our own classrooms can look like next year.
I speak several times with my manager and share increasingly determined plans to expand our 80 minutes of Spanish daily to a full 50/50 two-way immersion model where all children receive half of their daily instruction in English and the other half in Spanish. He is very nervous about the idea, but his concerns are normal and are the concerns typically encountered when anyone moves to launch a dual language program. Assessing in Spanish, the time spent in Spanish, staffing, budget, etc. My manager is clear on what it will take to convince him--evidence that two-way immersion will improve student achievement and, therefore, move our organization closer to our goals, one of which is to become an "exemplary" district. I ask to give a 1 hour presentation to all of IDEA's senior leadership--all the chiefs and other key stakeholders at HQ. Remarkably, I am able to schedule this. I work incredibly hard on my presentation, collaborating with Irma, Dolores (both at HQ) as well as a number of my teachers. Every single chief attends. It goes perfectly, and I get the green light to launch. (Presentation: DOWNLOAD FILE; Handout: DOWNLOAD FILE)
One of the challenges I ask the organization to take on is determining what our district's bilingual model would be. We are grossly out of compliance with state education code (TAC 89: DOWNLOAD FILE) in most of our elementary classrooms, as Texas requires a bilingual program be offered to any English Language Learner PK - 5 once the district has 20 students with the same home language in a grade level, which, of course, we do. However, several of our schools continue to offer only English immersion to English Language Learners. I also mention the recent landmark court decision in LULAC v TX in which the court ruled that the state of Texas was underserving its English Language Learners and ordered that big changes be made beginning with the 2009-10 school year (Judgment: DOWNLOAD FILE; Opinion: DOWNLOAD FILE) Luckily, the district can see in our upper elementary test results that our ELLs' passing rates are, in many exams, abyssmal, so they're open to my challenge. My manager commits to choosing a bilingual model, but it is now July 19 and while there have been many heated discussions, no real decisions have been made. Much of the trouble in gaining support internally is due to lack of understanding of the importance of early instruction in childrens' home language; here's a brief presentation (DOWNLOAD FILE) I created to try and address this. Our organization, though we support over 3,000 students here in the RGV, has no bilingual coordinator at the central office level, so I am not surprised that the effort to choose a bilingual model has not moved forward. I offer all the support I can but also decide that I have to focus on my own school and worry a little less about the entire organization for now. Eventually we'll get there.
I spend several evening hours a week drafting plans and a master schedule that capture how we want to implement two-way immersion at IDEA Mission. Children will spend half a day with their English teacher and the other half with their Spanish teacher. The will study half of their subjects in Spanish (the other half, obviously, in English) for three weeks. They will then switch the language in which they receive their classes every three weeks (we call them navy & gold blocks) (PK - 1 schedule: DOWNLOAD FILE) I look up dozens of dual language schools on the internet and email/call their principals or bilingual coordinators for information. I meet with Patty Rendon at the Region One service center; she managed a grant that helped several dual language schools become IB authorized (one of our goals), so I pick her brain for ideas to merge the two school-wide models. I go to the NABE conference in Austin and attend every session I can about two-way immersion and considerations for starting a program. I meet bilingual educators from across the country and gain valuable insights and ideas by networking with them. I also meet Dr. Sandra Mercuri, a professor at UT Brownsville and dual language expert. I am thoroughly impressed with her focus on instruction in a dual language classroom and within a few weeks following NABE, she and I agree on a consulting contract for next year.
In early May I conduct 4 parent information sessions that provide an overview of the changes we are making to next year's program (Eng Presentation: DOWNLOAD FILE; Span Presentation: DOWNLOAD FILE). Parents are even more excited than I anticipated. I collect feedback forms and find that almost all are highly invested in our plans and excited that their children will either maintain or regain the language of their heritage. A few parents of English-dominant children are nervous about possible academic lag in their students' first language, a very common concern. I am increasingly convinced that with Dr. Mercuri's help with teaching academic language and sheltered instruction to make input comprehensible to second language learners in a two-way classroom that my teachers will be well equipped in this critical and often-overlooked area.
Over half of our students' parents attend one of the two-way immersion meetings, but almost half do not. I send home letters outlining changes for next year's program (Spanish: DOWNLOAD FILE; English: DOWNLOAD FILE) and plan to hold more information sessions in the fall. An overview of our dual language philosophy and model is a key part of the information session every new student must attend to enroll at IDEA Academy Mission, so I hope that our frontloading of information and multiple attempts to invest parents in this big change will result in little to no student attrition come August.
Summer 2009
The actual launch of dual language at IDEA Academy Mission is just a few weeks away, and I must admit that I have recently had some moments of deep nervousness. To be expected. Flashbacks of Mercedes battle against the research I've read and the conversations I had with leaders of successful dual language schools. I constantly remind myself that what we are doing is difficult but must be done--very few schools in the country implement a whole-school dual language program (the majority are programs or strands within a school), let alone with the kinds of ambitious goals we have for our students given our mission to close the achievement gap and get kids to college. I firmly believe that if any school system in the country has an opinion about bilingual education, it should be IDEA Public Schools. We are dedicated to preparing children from the Rio Grande Valley for college--and over 80% of the families in the Valley reported on the last census that at home they speak a language other than English. Therefore, we can't afford to NOT find out everything we can about bilingual education and then take a definitive stand. It may still be a while before IDEA Public Schools finds a strong position on this issue, but IDEA Mission has no problem taking the first major steps in getting there.
All instructional staff will be attending our three-day two way immersion institute at the end of July. I will facilitate the first day's activities (I'll be presenting several modules from Dual U, a phenomenal resource for Dual Language professional development that I purchased online). Dr. Mercuri will facilitate the second 2 days of the institute. Many teachers volunteered time this past week to study our core resources and plot out unit and daily lesson objectives--a major feat.
While the nervousness never goes away completely, I am counting down the days until I finally launch two-way on my campus. I'm hoping that careful journaling and reflection on the process will help both us as well as other school leaders out there hoping to do something similar. We must figure out how to make two-way immersion scalable--the research is clear that this model offers tremendous hope for our children learning English and is nothing but a benefit to those who are English dominant. Our children deserve nothing less.
Here are a few more resources we've used or created during the past few months:
Thomas & Collier (full 1997 study report): DOWNLOAD FILE
Guiding Principles for a Dual Language Model: DOWNLOAD FILE (from http://www.cal.org/)
Lindholm-Leary's research review: DOWNLOAD FILE
Our school's language philosophy: DOWNLOAD FILE
(Fairly) final draft of master schedule for 2009-10: DOWNLOAD FILE
2001
I return from my LDS mission in NYC--I'm now bilingual in English and Spanish and with a new career path in mind--education. I'm particularly committed to learning more about bilingual education, immigration, inner-city education, etc. I begin considering related topics for my Honors Thesis at BYU. I discover Teach For America and become very interested.
2003
I complete and defend my thesis. (1 page thesis summary: DOWNLOAD FILE) I decided to study Dominican-American transnationalism through themes and symbols in Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents. I walk away from the whole thesis-writing experience very passionate about making sure bilingual children have a voice both in their home language as well as their new language. I graduate from BYU with a double major in American Studies and Spanish, minor in music. I buy a car and make the long drive down to the Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. I join Teach For America (TFA) and prepare to teach billingual 3rd grade at Taylor Elementary in Mercedes (about 98% economically disadvantaged, 50% ELL). I learn that the entire Mercedes school district (at that time) follows a dual language immersion bilingual model. I research this approach and find it completely in line with what I believe about equity and excellence in bilingual education. I'm very excited to begin.
2003 - 2004
I teach in a 50/50 bilingual classroom. Approximately half of the students are Spanish-dominant. The other half are English dominant. I teach the Spanish portion of the day: Spanish Language Arts, Science & Social Studies. My team teacher and mentor, Erica Munoz, teaches the English portion of the day: English Language Arts and Math. We switch homerooms at mid-day. I'm horrified by the principal's mandate that after Christmas dual language, writing, science, and social studies are "suspended," but am not completely surprised given the benchmark test scores. For several months, students only receive instruction in reading and math (and only in the language they will be assessed in). While the students in my and Erica's classes do relatively well on their 3rd Grade Reading and Math TAKS tests (math passing rates for our children are in the high 80%'s, and after the second administration in the low 90's for English Reading & 100% for Spanish Reading). As an entire grade level (8 homerooms, if I remember correctly) 83% of students met standard in Reading, 74% in Math.
2004-2005
I'm still teaching at Taylor and consider remaining at the school beyond my 2 year commitment through Teach For America. I am asked by the principal to teach a self-contained (vs. last year's team teaching placement) 90/10 dual language class. This is a class of students that received 90% Spanish 10% English in Kinder & 1st, 80/20 in 2nd grade, and were now moving into a 70/30 Spanish/English combination with me for third grade. I have only 15 students; all but 2 are highly Spanish dominant and the other 2 are English dominant children identified as gifted and talented. Their parents elected to place them in a full Spanish-immersion setting. I begin to see for myself that the students who are progressing most quickly in English are those who have the strongest oral language and literacy foundations in Spanish (exactly what the research says). I serve as our school's representative on the district dual language steering committee and for the first time I read Thomas and Collier's study comparing the effectiveness of all major bilingual education models. This is the first time I have ever seen data that appears to prove that a dual language enrichment approach to language may close and even invert the achievement gap for low-income English Language Learners. I'm hooked.
I enjoy my second year in the classroom and again am pleased when I find out that 100% of my students met standard on the Spanish Reading TAKS, with over half answering 80%+ of questions correctly. I'm excited to find that every student has progressed the equivalent of 1 grade level in reading and all but 1 have progressed over 2 grade levels. However, their math scores are not high. A little less than 70% of my students meet standard on the math TAKS--I am very disappointed in myself and set a personal goal to figure out how to better teach elementary math so I would never again shortchange my students that way (I'm happy to report that the following year 92% of my second graders met standard on their end of year math assessment). I am rocked to the core when I find out that only 68% of the school's fourth graders (our students in third grade the year before) pass Reading and only 63% pass Math. Again, however, I am not taken completely by surprise. When a school simply stops teaching certain areas of the curriculum, suspends their bilingual model, or allows their panic over scores to push ditto sheets, reading passages, and test prep questions all day for several months a year, it is no surprise to expect that within only a year or two those students will begin to fail miserably. I watch our school administration essentially self-destruct as they tell us, and I quote, "we just need to get this test out of the way and then we'll go back to teaching kids to read." It is during the last months of the 2004-05 school year that the school and district cave and decide to disband the dual language model and return to an early transition bilingual model, thinking that this will improve test results and fast. I am livid. I know very well that the only reason this model isn't working is because it isn't being implemented properly at all. I talk with our principal until I'm blue in the face but she is obsessed with improving short-term results and refuses to admit that her choices are hurting children long-term. I write to the superintendent and other key central office personnel and receive no response. I feverishly try to win over colleagues and urge them to speak up in defense of dual language but they are, understandably, tired and somewhat demoralized by this year's overall school results. I know that Taylor has some excellent teachers achieving stellar results, but I also know that--like great teachers in many other schools--they are islands of excellence in a sea of mediocrity. I realize that closing the achievement gap between rich and poor, between monolingual English speakers & English Language Learners, between white and minority students is the work of a school, not a single teacher. Are teachers the front lines? Absolutely. But the large gains students may achieve with one phenomenal teacher simply cannot and will not be sustained long term if their teacher the next year, and the next, and the next aren't also phenomenal teachers. Dual language, in spite of it's impressive track record in the research, will fail without long-term and school-wide investment in and integrity to the model. I am frustrated and, though it is a difficult decision, I decide to leave Mercedes ISD.
2005-2007
I am offered a second grade teaching position at IDEA Academy in Donna. It is a public charter school with a very clear mission--getting low-income kids to college. I am inspired by their goals and intrigued by their K - 12 campus model; it aligns to my belief it takes a school full of great teachers to close the achievement gap and really achieve deep reform. IDEA's primary program is very young, so while there is no bilingual model yet I'm excited to help launch a new grade level and create things from scratch. I decide to suspend my obsession with bilingual education and just see what I learned at IDEA. After my final few months in Mercedes I am honestly not sure what to think about bilingual education any more, so I come to IDEA with an open mind and a willingness to suspend my judgement for a time. To be honest, my first two years of teaching have me wondering if it is even possible to implement a two-way immersion program to the degree required to really make it work. Is true program integrity realistically possible? I loop with my second graders to third grade in 2006 and become further convinced of the power of approaching instruction vertically (thinking long-term and across the grades instead of focusing only on the here and now). However, my opinions on bilingual ed are "suspended" no longer--by the end of my second year at IDEA I better understand the injustice created by a full English immersion approach to teaching young primary English Language Learners--both educationally and culturally. I initiate a few more late night online searches for the research and practice behind two-way immersion. I'm back in the game.
2007
In spring of 2007 I apply to become an IDEA school leader--to launch and lead a new expansion primary school as principal. I receive an offer and excitedly accept. I already know, however, that I cannot lead a school that doesn't fully embrace both Spanish and English and set bilingualism as a goal for all children.
2007 - 08
It is "year zero," my planning and preparing year for school launch. I am busy working on my masters degree at Sam Houston State, writing my school design plan, hiring teachers, recruiting students, writing curriculum plans, and the list goes on. I engage in several discussions with IDEA's senior leadership. Not only can I tell that I would not be permitted to launch a dual language program, but I am also honest with myself in recognizing that I'm not ready to take that kind of leap as a new school leader. However, I still refuse to open a school that does not embrace Spanish and treat it as an asset, so I hire a Spanish teacher and create a schedule in which every student in every class receives 80 minutes of Spanish Language Arts daily. The remainder of the day will be spent in English instruction.
2008 - 09
While we agree as a school staff that our campus' model for supporting Spanish is certainly better than nothing, it is quickly evident to me that I must offer something much better to my students. I am led back to confirm what I've known for years. I see our current approach more and more as a "foot in the door" as far as organization senior leadership are concerned. My school opens with Kindergarten only--81% economically disadvantaged, 50% English Language Learners. Most come with some prior experience with Spanish, even if it isn't their dominant language. It really couldn't be a more perfect setup for two-way immersion. My staff and I begin to discuss options. I organize a book study and invite people across the district, particularly members of senior leadership. Tracy, our Chief Academic Officer, hosts one of the meetings and shares comments that evidence her growing support for dual language. While different people attended different sessions, we consistently have 5 - 8 attendees at each dinner meeting. It is a beginning.
One of my teachers sets up two local school visits. While 6 or 7 were invited, three of us go--me, my teacher, and another administrator who is a dual language supporter from IDEA's Donna campus (where I taught 2nd and 3rd grade). We visit two dual language schools in the neighboring PSJA school district and have long conversations with their principals. We get many ideas for what our model and our own classrooms can look like next year.
I speak several times with my manager and share increasingly determined plans to expand our 80 minutes of Spanish daily to a full 50/50 two-way immersion model where all children receive half of their daily instruction in English and the other half in Spanish. He is very nervous about the idea, but his concerns are normal and are the concerns typically encountered when anyone moves to launch a dual language program. Assessing in Spanish, the time spent in Spanish, staffing, budget, etc. My manager is clear on what it will take to convince him--evidence that two-way immersion will improve student achievement and, therefore, move our organization closer to our goals, one of which is to become an "exemplary" district. I ask to give a 1 hour presentation to all of IDEA's senior leadership--all the chiefs and other key stakeholders at HQ. Remarkably, I am able to schedule this. I work incredibly hard on my presentation, collaborating with Irma, Dolores (both at HQ) as well as a number of my teachers. Every single chief attends. It goes perfectly, and I get the green light to launch. (Presentation: DOWNLOAD FILE; Handout: DOWNLOAD FILE)
One of the challenges I ask the organization to take on is determining what our district's bilingual model would be. We are grossly out of compliance with state education code (TAC 89: DOWNLOAD FILE) in most of our elementary classrooms, as Texas requires a bilingual program be offered to any English Language Learner PK - 5 once the district has 20 students with the same home language in a grade level, which, of course, we do. However, several of our schools continue to offer only English immersion to English Language Learners. I also mention the recent landmark court decision in LULAC v TX in which the court ruled that the state of Texas was underserving its English Language Learners and ordered that big changes be made beginning with the 2009-10 school year (Judgment: DOWNLOAD FILE; Opinion: DOWNLOAD FILE) Luckily, the district can see in our upper elementary test results that our ELLs' passing rates are, in many exams, abyssmal, so they're open to my challenge. My manager commits to choosing a bilingual model, but it is now July 19 and while there have been many heated discussions, no real decisions have been made. Much of the trouble in gaining support internally is due to lack of understanding of the importance of early instruction in childrens' home language; here's a brief presentation (DOWNLOAD FILE) I created to try and address this. Our organization, though we support over 3,000 students here in the RGV, has no bilingual coordinator at the central office level, so I am not surprised that the effort to choose a bilingual model has not moved forward. I offer all the support I can but also decide that I have to focus on my own school and worry a little less about the entire organization for now. Eventually we'll get there.
I spend several evening hours a week drafting plans and a master schedule that capture how we want to implement two-way immersion at IDEA Mission. Children will spend half a day with their English teacher and the other half with their Spanish teacher. The will study half of their subjects in Spanish (the other half, obviously, in English) for three weeks. They will then switch the language in which they receive their classes every three weeks (we call them navy & gold blocks) (PK - 1 schedule: DOWNLOAD FILE) I look up dozens of dual language schools on the internet and email/call their principals or bilingual coordinators for information. I meet with Patty Rendon at the Region One service center; she managed a grant that helped several dual language schools become IB authorized (one of our goals), so I pick her brain for ideas to merge the two school-wide models. I go to the NABE conference in Austin and attend every session I can about two-way immersion and considerations for starting a program. I meet bilingual educators from across the country and gain valuable insights and ideas by networking with them. I also meet Dr. Sandra Mercuri, a professor at UT Brownsville and dual language expert. I am thoroughly impressed with her focus on instruction in a dual language classroom and within a few weeks following NABE, she and I agree on a consulting contract for next year.
In early May I conduct 4 parent information sessions that provide an overview of the changes we are making to next year's program (Eng Presentation: DOWNLOAD FILE; Span Presentation: DOWNLOAD FILE). Parents are even more excited than I anticipated. I collect feedback forms and find that almost all are highly invested in our plans and excited that their children will either maintain or regain the language of their heritage. A few parents of English-dominant children are nervous about possible academic lag in their students' first language, a very common concern. I am increasingly convinced that with Dr. Mercuri's help with teaching academic language and sheltered instruction to make input comprehensible to second language learners in a two-way classroom that my teachers will be well equipped in this critical and often-overlooked area.
Over half of our students' parents attend one of the two-way immersion meetings, but almost half do not. I send home letters outlining changes for next year's program (Spanish: DOWNLOAD FILE; English: DOWNLOAD FILE) and plan to hold more information sessions in the fall. An overview of our dual language philosophy and model is a key part of the information session every new student must attend to enroll at IDEA Academy Mission, so I hope that our frontloading of information and multiple attempts to invest parents in this big change will result in little to no student attrition come August.
Summer 2009
The actual launch of dual language at IDEA Academy Mission is just a few weeks away, and I must admit that I have recently had some moments of deep nervousness. To be expected. Flashbacks of Mercedes battle against the research I've read and the conversations I had with leaders of successful dual language schools. I constantly remind myself that what we are doing is difficult but must be done--very few schools in the country implement a whole-school dual language program (the majority are programs or strands within a school), let alone with the kinds of ambitious goals we have for our students given our mission to close the achievement gap and get kids to college. I firmly believe that if any school system in the country has an opinion about bilingual education, it should be IDEA Public Schools. We are dedicated to preparing children from the Rio Grande Valley for college--and over 80% of the families in the Valley reported on the last census that at home they speak a language other than English. Therefore, we can't afford to NOT find out everything we can about bilingual education and then take a definitive stand. It may still be a while before IDEA Public Schools finds a strong position on this issue, but IDEA Mission has no problem taking the first major steps in getting there.
All instructional staff will be attending our three-day two way immersion institute at the end of July. I will facilitate the first day's activities (I'll be presenting several modules from Dual U, a phenomenal resource for Dual Language professional development that I purchased online). Dr. Mercuri will facilitate the second 2 days of the institute. Many teachers volunteered time this past week to study our core resources and plot out unit and daily lesson objectives--a major feat.
While the nervousness never goes away completely, I am counting down the days until I finally launch two-way on my campus. I'm hoping that careful journaling and reflection on the process will help both us as well as other school leaders out there hoping to do something similar. We must figure out how to make two-way immersion scalable--the research is clear that this model offers tremendous hope for our children learning English and is nothing but a benefit to those who are English dominant. Our children deserve nothing less.
Here are a few more resources we've used or created during the past few months:
Thomas & Collier (full 1997 study report): DOWNLOAD FILE
Guiding Principles for a Dual Language Model: DOWNLOAD FILE (from http://www.cal.org/)
Lindholm-Leary's research review: DOWNLOAD FILE
Our school's language philosophy: DOWNLOAD FILE
(Fairly) final draft of master schedule for 2009-10: DOWNLOAD FILE
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)