One of the most difficult (yet important!) parts of scaling and sustaining a great program is investing staff, students, families, district-level leadership, and the community at large. While will still have a long way to go in this area, we have started laying a good foundation. I wanted to share some documents we've created and presentations we've delivered to share our program, seek approval, and build support. You'll notice that each presentation contains a lot of similar information, but framed a little differently each time. It's critical to know what the end goals and core concerns of a particular constituency are and address those head on.
Texas Charter School Conference
TCSC Conference Presentation: Two-Way Immersion
Presentation to IDEA Chiefs (District Senior Leadership)
Chiefs Presentation
Chiefs Presentation Handouts
Principals Presentation
Principals Presentation
Principals Presentation (Brief)
Principals Presentation Handout: What is bilingual immersion?
Parent Information Sessions
Info Session for Parents of English-dominant students
Info Session for Parents of Spanish-dominant students
Session Feedback Form English (not sure where the Spanish translation is?)
Parent FAQ English
Parent FAQ Spanish
Two-Way Immersion Basics English
Two-Way Immersion Basics Spanish
Showing posts with label presentations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label presentations. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Quarterly Info Sessions
We decided to hold quarterly dual language information sessions for primary parents. This time our presentation for English-dominant parents was even more different than that for Spanish-dominant parents. We focused much more on questions and concerns that we've heard from both sets of parents. They are related but definitely unique.
Spanish-dominant parents need to understand the critical role their child's home language plays in the development of a 2nd language and the importance of learning to read that home language as the literacy skills will easily transfer once their oral vocabulary in English is large enough to read and comprehend in that second language. Several Spanish-speaking parents have said things such as: "But we speak 100% Spanish at home. My child doesn't need to get Spanish here at school. We moved to this country so that they could speak English." This is when I explain the research that shows how children that receive elementary school instruction that includes significant and sustained instructional time in the home language actually end up with higher achievement in English down the road. I also explain the third generation phenemenon--that because Spanish is a minority language here in the U.S and because it wields much less social power (unfortunately), we have to work even harder to maintain it in. To parents that say "but my child will never lose their Spanish--it's all we speak at home," I quickly respond that it's almost a guarantee, however, that their child's children will most likely speak very little Spanish if the value of Spanish is not explicitly taught to every generation. Then they'll be left struggling to communicate with their own grandchildren. I share how we have many third generation children in our very own classrooms--whose parents have personally shared with me that they cannot talk much with their own grandparents because of the language barrier. I've now had several parents excitedly share how our dual language program is giving their child the language skills to communicate much more meaningfully with their Spanish-speaking grandparents. Language is not just about language. It's about culture and family and heritage.
English-dominant have fears too. Some of them don't see the need for a second language. However, most of the parents I've spoken with here do understand the value of speaking both languages but they're a bit afraid that spending several hours a day in Spanish will put their children behind academically. To respond to this concern I discuss research that highlights the many benefits a second language offers cognitively, emotionally, and socially. I also reassure them that research on two-way immersion shows that English speakers in the program, on average, do just as well (and often better) than English speakers not in a bilingual program. In other words, it's win-win!
We advertised last week's meeting (Tuesday October 27th @ 6 PM) for several weeks in the Family Connection, our weekly parent newsletter. We had a total of about 10 parents, not a strong showing, but a good small "sample" size for trying out our new presentations. Both the English session (I facilitated) and the Spanish session (Luzdivina, my assistant principal, facilitated) went well according to the feedback forms. We'll definitely improve our advertising for next time!
Spanish-dominant parents need to understand the critical role their child's home language plays in the development of a 2nd language and the importance of learning to read that home language as the literacy skills will easily transfer once their oral vocabulary in English is large enough to read and comprehend in that second language. Several Spanish-speaking parents have said things such as: "But we speak 100% Spanish at home. My child doesn't need to get Spanish here at school. We moved to this country so that they could speak English." This is when I explain the research that shows how children that receive elementary school instruction that includes significant and sustained instructional time in the home language actually end up with higher achievement in English down the road. I also explain the third generation phenemenon--that because Spanish is a minority language here in the U.S and because it wields much less social power (unfortunately), we have to work even harder to maintain it in. To parents that say "but my child will never lose their Spanish--it's all we speak at home," I quickly respond that it's almost a guarantee, however, that their child's children will most likely speak very little Spanish if the value of Spanish is not explicitly taught to every generation. Then they'll be left struggling to communicate with their own grandchildren. I share how we have many third generation children in our very own classrooms--whose parents have personally shared with me that they cannot talk much with their own grandparents because of the language barrier. I've now had several parents excitedly share how our dual language program is giving their child the language skills to communicate much more meaningfully with their Spanish-speaking grandparents. Language is not just about language. It's about culture and family and heritage.
English-dominant have fears too. Some of them don't see the need for a second language. However, most of the parents I've spoken with here do understand the value of speaking both languages but they're a bit afraid that spending several hours a day in Spanish will put their children behind academically. To respond to this concern I discuss research that highlights the many benefits a second language offers cognitively, emotionally, and socially. I also reassure them that research on two-way immersion shows that English speakers in the program, on average, do just as well (and often better) than English speakers not in a bilingual program. In other words, it's win-win!
We advertised last week's meeting (Tuesday October 27th @ 6 PM) for several weeks in the Family Connection, our weekly parent newsletter. We had a total of about 10 parents, not a strong showing, but a good small "sample" size for trying out our new presentations. Both the English session (I facilitated) and the Spanish session (Luzdivina, my assistant principal, facilitated) went well according to the feedback forms. We'll definitely improve our advertising for next time!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Getting Personal
While I've known it for years, it becomes more and more apparent to me that language is a deeply personal issue and that our opinions on language and how it should be taught are rooted primarily in personal experience and mindsets. We met as a group of principals yesterday--the task was to bring drafts of our plans for a bilingual model for each school and to use a protocol to provide feedback to one another as we worked to make sure everyone's plans met the requirements of state education code. Every one of us is in a different place with respect to our bilingual models--as we should be....
First, because each of our schools has a unique combination of English and Spanish speakers. While we are all located in the Rio Grande Valley, it's fascinating to see the differences in numbers. For example, our North McAllen campus is only 15% ELL while our Brownsville campus is over 60% ELL. The rest of us are somewhere in between (my campus is 50% ELL). This DOES make a difference--for example, a two-way immersion bilingual program is simply not feasible as a school-wide model for IDEA Quest in McAllen, though the principal, Sharon, would have loved to launch one. They simply don't have enough ELLs to serve as Spanish language models.
Second, we each come to the table with vastly different personal experiences, opinions, and knowledge of bilingual ed and second language acquisition. Some really great questions came up--Dolores asked me to send her some of the questions that surfaced during our breakout session, so I thought I'd include them (and my two cents) :) here. The answers, obviously, represent some of my thinking around possible responses.
1) What if I don't speak Spanish? How can I coach Spanish teachers? How do I (or other non-bilingual teachers) participate in the language of the day?
First of all, Language of the day is just one small element of a bilingual approach. It definitely helps by 1) adding value to the minority language and 2) providing additional opportunities for kids to build more everyday basic vocabulary in both languages; however, it's not a deal breaker. In other words, you can have a bilingual program without it.
However, given that it does help a lot, if a school decides to include "language of the day" as part of their model, non-bilingual staff (just like monolingual students) can use the language of the day to the best of their abilities (this might just be a single Spanish word in an English sentence, phrases, or full conversations, depending on language proficiency) Modeling the learning of a second language can go a long way! :)
As far as coaching teachers instructing in Spanish, there are a few things to think about. First of all, if the lesson isn't comprehensible to you, chances are there students also not understanding. Excellent language teaching should always focus on "comprehensible input"--delivering instruction that uses the various modes of learning so powerfully that the concepts are clear in spite of a language barrier. If you have Spanish-speakers on your lead team--other admins or coaches--you can engage them in joint observations of Spanish instruction. They can help fill in any gaps--things you didn't quite understand.
2) I have only about 12 non-spanish speaking PK students....all the rest are Spanish-dominant. If we teach PK in L1, they're going to have to be in a bilingual classroom--how do I work that?
The 12 English dominant children would be in a classroom with 12 Spanish dominant students (they might be 12 of your ELLs that already come with high levels of proficiency in both languages or children with "off the charts" scores in Spanish). You'd have to really utilize a strong bilingual co-teacher (aide) here, so that a significant portion of the day is spent in small groups, so that ELLs spend substantive time learning the key content in Spanish, even though whole group activities may need to be English. In this sort of setup, you'd need to find as many ways to "sneak in" additional Spanish as possible--maybe the morning meeting could be in Spanish one day, English the next, etc.
3) I'm going to start with about 20 - 30 min Spanish daily and increase up the grades, introducing Spanish reading in 2nd grade for all students....what's wrong with that?
First of all, hats off for at least considering Spanish important enough to include in core instruction! To clarify what this approach really is....this is a "Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language" approach that allows monolingual English speakers to learn to read first in their home language (allowing their brains to fully practice all aspects of reading, including high-level comprehension) but doesn't allow Spanish speakers to do the same. Unless parents are teaching them to read at home the same way we teach them at school, many of them will only go through the "motions" of reading--connecting letters and sounds without having the vocabulary required to really access the text's meaning. They may go for several years without their brains having sustained "practice" at reading for meaning, not just decoding and sounding out words that may or may not have meaning.
A "super quick" read on some of the basic theories/research that support the importance of initial literacy instruction in Spanish can be found in: http://www.ldonline.org/article/Effective_Reading_Instruction_for_Struggling_Spanish-Speaking_Readers:_A_Combination_of_Two_Literatures and other articles like this one.
4) Another program I worked in (where Spanish support existed but the focus was on English) was successful.
First of all, what do we mean when we say "it worked." We have to be careful (I do it too!) that we don't generalize without data to back up our conclusions. We need to be critical professionals who make decisions based not only on our own qualitative experiences but on approaches (our own & others'--especially in aggregate) that have shown sustained quantitative success. The "numbers" don't tell the whole story, but they do tell an important part of it. The research that we do have points overwhelmingly to increasingly higher student achievement in English when students have a strong and sustained foundation in their first language.
5) Many local districts have been unsuccessful with dual language.
The name of any model means very little if it's not being implemented properly. Some common errors made in local dual language (or any bilingual model) implementation might include:
6) I've taught too many middle school students who came out of bilingual programs with very low English proficiency.
Yep, the research is clear that not all bilingual programs are created equal--FAR from it! The bilingual programs that show the highest sustained achievement in English are those that include large amounts of instruction (at least half the day) in the home language while learning the second language--all the way to fifth grade. As noted in the answer above, if districts "cave" to testing pressure and don't do a go job with intial teaching, they are forced to spent large amounts of extra time in the language of assessment--this decision can hurt ELLs by spending too MUCH time in Spanish and not enough in English. There must be a careful balance and strict program integrity!
7) How will assessment work? Will HQ (central office) understand that language learning takes time?
By allowing Spanish dominant children to show proficiency in their strongest language on state assessments, it should actually BOOST achievement. Children can show their "true colors" sooner. At IDEA Mission, we do, however, assess in both languages in the classroom (depending on the language of instruction) as we must frequently monitor progress both language acquisition and mastery of content objectives. The goal should be on-grade-level achievement in the student's first language EVERY year, and on-grade-level achievement in the student's 2nd language in 3 - 5 years. The goal should be for every student to perform on grade level in every content area in English by 5th grade. This is where LPAC meetings take on a whole new significance--we've got to use those meetings to really monitor ELLs' progress and to use data to determine in which language is the student most likely to be successful for high-stakes state assessements.
8) I am firmly against separating bilingual students into their own separate classes--I believe that this is today's segregation.
(I personally believe the same!) :) One option is to choose a two-way model for your whole school (or offer a two-way "strand" for Spanish speakers and interested English speakers). You might also choose an approach that keeps homerooms heterogeneous but utilizes lots of small group instruction to ensure substantive L1 instruction. Remember though, the the #1 predictor for ELLs' success in English is their level of proficiency in their first language, so regardless of the "nuts and bolts" of any model, substantive and sustained L1 instruction in both literacy and content is a MUST.
I think also that this makes the late-transition model more attractive (if a school decides not to go with two-way)--it would allow upper elementary ELLs to spend much/most of their day in heterogeneously mixed classes as the amount of Spanish decreases (but is still there). I think Rosy & Sharon brought this up as a valid point. The sustained 50/50 one way model is ideal in terms of amount of Spanish used through 5th grade, but is it appropriate to keep students divided by language every year, especially in grades 3 - 5 when social relationships and peer acceptance becomes more and more important? Something to think about...
First, because each of our schools has a unique combination of English and Spanish speakers. While we are all located in the Rio Grande Valley, it's fascinating to see the differences in numbers. For example, our North McAllen campus is only 15% ELL while our Brownsville campus is over 60% ELL. The rest of us are somewhere in between (my campus is 50% ELL). This DOES make a difference--for example, a two-way immersion bilingual program is simply not feasible as a school-wide model for IDEA Quest in McAllen, though the principal, Sharon, would have loved to launch one. They simply don't have enough ELLs to serve as Spanish language models.
Second, we each come to the table with vastly different personal experiences, opinions, and knowledge of bilingual ed and second language acquisition. Some really great questions came up--Dolores asked me to send her some of the questions that surfaced during our breakout session, so I thought I'd include them (and my two cents) :) here. The answers, obviously, represent some of my thinking around possible responses.
1) What if I don't speak Spanish? How can I coach Spanish teachers? How do I (or other non-bilingual teachers) participate in the language of the day?
First of all, Language of the day is just one small element of a bilingual approach. It definitely helps by 1) adding value to the minority language and 2) providing additional opportunities for kids to build more everyday basic vocabulary in both languages; however, it's not a deal breaker. In other words, you can have a bilingual program without it.
However, given that it does help a lot, if a school decides to include "language of the day" as part of their model, non-bilingual staff (just like monolingual students) can use the language of the day to the best of their abilities (this might just be a single Spanish word in an English sentence, phrases, or full conversations, depending on language proficiency) Modeling the learning of a second language can go a long way! :)
As far as coaching teachers instructing in Spanish, there are a few things to think about. First of all, if the lesson isn't comprehensible to you, chances are there students also not understanding. Excellent language teaching should always focus on "comprehensible input"--delivering instruction that uses the various modes of learning so powerfully that the concepts are clear in spite of a language barrier. If you have Spanish-speakers on your lead team--other admins or coaches--you can engage them in joint observations of Spanish instruction. They can help fill in any gaps--things you didn't quite understand.
2) I have only about 12 non-spanish speaking PK students....all the rest are Spanish-dominant. If we teach PK in L1, they're going to have to be in a bilingual classroom--how do I work that?
The 12 English dominant children would be in a classroom with 12 Spanish dominant students (they might be 12 of your ELLs that already come with high levels of proficiency in both languages or children with "off the charts" scores in Spanish). You'd have to really utilize a strong bilingual co-teacher (aide) here, so that a significant portion of the day is spent in small groups, so that ELLs spend substantive time learning the key content in Spanish, even though whole group activities may need to be English. In this sort of setup, you'd need to find as many ways to "sneak in" additional Spanish as possible--maybe the morning meeting could be in Spanish one day, English the next, etc.
3) I'm going to start with about 20 - 30 min Spanish daily and increase up the grades, introducing Spanish reading in 2nd grade for all students....what's wrong with that?
First of all, hats off for at least considering Spanish important enough to include in core instruction! To clarify what this approach really is....this is a "Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language" approach that allows monolingual English speakers to learn to read first in their home language (allowing their brains to fully practice all aspects of reading, including high-level comprehension) but doesn't allow Spanish speakers to do the same. Unless parents are teaching them to read at home the same way we teach them at school, many of them will only go through the "motions" of reading--connecting letters and sounds without having the vocabulary required to really access the text's meaning. They may go for several years without their brains having sustained "practice" at reading for meaning, not just decoding and sounding out words that may or may not have meaning.
A "super quick" read on some of the basic theories/research that support the importance of initial literacy instruction in Spanish can be found in: http://www.ldonline.org/article/Effective_Reading_Instruction_for_Struggling_Spanish-Speaking_Readers:_A_Combination_of_Two_Literatures and other articles like this one.
4) Another program I worked in (where Spanish support existed but the focus was on English) was successful.
First of all, what do we mean when we say "it worked." We have to be careful (I do it too!) that we don't generalize without data to back up our conclusions. We need to be critical professionals who make decisions based not only on our own qualitative experiences but on approaches (our own & others'--especially in aggregate) that have shown sustained quantitative success. The "numbers" don't tell the whole story, but they do tell an important part of it. The research that we do have points overwhelmingly to increasingly higher student achievement in English when students have a strong and sustained foundation in their first language.
5) Many local districts have been unsuccessful with dual language.
The name of any model means very little if it's not being implemented properly. Some common errors made in local dual language (or any bilingual model) implementation might include:
- uninvested/uninformed principals
- uninvested/uninformed teachers
- uninvested/uninformed parents
- uninvested/uninformed central office
- lack of patience--"pulling out" in fear that the long-term language learning process won't take place
- succumbing to testing pressures and putting the 2nd language "on hold" while preparing for TAKS, etc (for ELLs, this can result in "too much Spanish")
- poor program integrity (usually to transition them to English more quickly than the model calls for)
- bilingual teachers that are "bilingually certified" in word, but not necessarily expert in teaching language learners
- generally mediocre/poor teaching
6) I've taught too many middle school students who came out of bilingual programs with very low English proficiency.
Yep, the research is clear that not all bilingual programs are created equal--FAR from it! The bilingual programs that show the highest sustained achievement in English are those that include large amounts of instruction (at least half the day) in the home language while learning the second language--all the way to fifth grade. As noted in the answer above, if districts "cave" to testing pressure and don't do a go job with intial teaching, they are forced to spent large amounts of extra time in the language of assessment--this decision can hurt ELLs by spending too MUCH time in Spanish and not enough in English. There must be a careful balance and strict program integrity!
7) How will assessment work? Will HQ (central office) understand that language learning takes time?
By allowing Spanish dominant children to show proficiency in their strongest language on state assessments, it should actually BOOST achievement. Children can show their "true colors" sooner. At IDEA Mission, we do, however, assess in both languages in the classroom (depending on the language of instruction) as we must frequently monitor progress both language acquisition and mastery of content objectives. The goal should be on-grade-level achievement in the student's first language EVERY year, and on-grade-level achievement in the student's 2nd language in 3 - 5 years. The goal should be for every student to perform on grade level in every content area in English by 5th grade. This is where LPAC meetings take on a whole new significance--we've got to use those meetings to really monitor ELLs' progress and to use data to determine in which language is the student most likely to be successful for high-stakes state assessements.
8) I am firmly against separating bilingual students into their own separate classes--I believe that this is today's segregation.
(I personally believe the same!) :) One option is to choose a two-way model for your whole school (or offer a two-way "strand" for Spanish speakers and interested English speakers). You might also choose an approach that keeps homerooms heterogeneous but utilizes lots of small group instruction to ensure substantive L1 instruction. Remember though, the the #1 predictor for ELLs' success in English is their level of proficiency in their first language, so regardless of the "nuts and bolts" of any model, substantive and sustained L1 instruction in both literacy and content is a MUST.
I think also that this makes the late-transition model more attractive (if a school decides not to go with two-way)--it would allow upper elementary ELLs to spend much/most of their day in heterogeneously mixed classes as the amount of Spanish decreases (but is still there). I think Rosy & Sharon brought this up as a valid point. The sustained 50/50 one way model is ideal in terms of amount of Spanish used through 5th grade, but is it appropriate to keep students divided by language every year, especially in grades 3 - 5 when social relationships and peer acceptance becomes more and more important? Something to think about...
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.
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