advocating for english learners
TRANSCRIPT
Advocating for ELs through Collaboration and Inclusive Teacher EvaluationDiane Staehr Fenner, Ph.D. | 5.27.15
@DStaehrFenner #Advocacy4ELs
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Session Components
• Defining advocacy for ELs
• Advocacy strategies:
– 1. Examining and reframing your current role within
Common Core Standards framework
– 2. Applying a collaborative approach to supporting ELs
– 3. Developing talking points to use in collaboration with
content teachers
– 4. Effectively co-planning instruction with content
teachers
– 5. Sharing responsibility through inclusive teacher
evaluation framework2
Advocating for English Learners
1. Need for Advocacy
2. Creating a Shared Sense of
Responsibility
3. How Teachers Can Collaborate
4. Advocacy Overview for Administrators
5. Increasing EL Families’ Involvement as
Advocates
6. Advocacy Through Effective Instruction
7. Advocating for ELs in Assessment
8. Advocacy for ELs’ Success Beyond Grade
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3Corwin/TESOL, 2014
blog.colorincolorado.org
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DEFINING ADVOCACY FOR ELS
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Defining EL Advocacy
How do you define EL
advocacy?
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Definitions of Advocacy
• Advocacy
• Comes from the Latin
advocatus, meaning
“one called to aid”
• Speaking or acting on
behalf of another
• Advocate cognates:
abogado, advogado, avocat
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My EL Advocacy Definition
• Working for ELs’ equitable and excellent education by
taking appropriate actions on their behalf
• Stepping in and providing a voice for those students—and
their families—who have not yet developed their own strong
voice in their education
• Having a deep understanding about each EL student’s and
family’s background to be able to know which appropriate
action to take
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Staehr Fenner, 2014
Scaffolded Advocacy
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• Advocacy needed dependent upon ELs’ background variables
• Gradually removing advocacy support• Goals - all educators advocate for ELs• ELs & families learn to advocate for
themselves
Scaffolded AdvocacyE
L a
nd
Fa
mil
y N
ee
ds
Amount of Advocacy
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ADVOCACY STRATEGY 1:
EXAMINING AND
REFRAMING YOUR
CURRENT ROLE
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Changing Role of the ESL Teacher
1. What are ESL teachers’ current
roles in implementing the CCSS
for ELs?
2. What should ESL teachers’
most effective roles be so that
ELs achieve with the CCSS?
3. What are the most promising
strategies to support ESL
teachers as they teach the
CCSS?
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ESL Teachers’ Current Roles
• Varying roles and status of ESL teachers
• Lack of recognition and uniformity in TESOL
field
• Content area teacher preparation
• ESL teachers’ degree of involvement in policy
• Importance of academic language
• Expertise of ESL educators
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A Vision for ESL Teachers’ Most Effective Roles
• Need to redefine ESL teachers’ roles
• ESL teachers as experts, advocates, and
consultants
• Role of the principal or administrator
TESOL International Association (2013). Implementing the Common Core State Standards for English Learners: The Changing Role
of the ESL Teacher
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ESL Teachers’ Changing Role
• Need program models that include
ESL teachers in intentional and
systematic ways
• Co-teaching and close
collaboration; push-in models
• Expectations that content teachers
will be both teachers of content
and teachers of language
• PD for content teachers in SLA and
best practices in supporting ELLs
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EL Equity AuditConsideration Questions to Ask: To What Degree… Action Items
Role of ESL teacher
Are ESL teachers working as experts and consultants & collaborating with general edteachers?
Instructional materials & curriculum
Are content instructional materials & curriculum appropriate for ELs? Do they integrate WIDA standards?
Professionaldevelopment
Does PD focus on preparing all teachers to teach challenging content to ELs?
Assessment Are teachers aware of demands of CCSS assessments for ELs & adjust instruction?
EL parentoutreach
Are EL parents aware of implications of CCSS and their assessments?
Teacher evaluation
Is teacher evaluation for all teachers inclusive of ELs accessing the CCSS?
ADVOCACY STRATEGY 2:
APPLYING A
COLLABORATIVE
APPROACH TO
SUPPORTING ENGLISH
LEARNERS 17
Collaboration for EL Achievement
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Collaboration
ESL Teacher
Advocacy
Sharing Responsibility & Joy
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Sharing
responsibility
for ELs’
education
Educators’
reflection on
their own culture
and its impact
on their teaching
Educators’
beliefs and
expectations
about language
and working with
ELs
Empathy for ELs
and their
families
Collaboration
among ESL
teachers,
content
teachers, and
administrators
Building on Soft Skills to Advocate and Collaborate
• Respect content / general education teachers’ expertise
• Demonstrate empathy first
• Use public relations skills to model respect for ELs
• Showcase EL student achievement
• Begin slowly and thoughtfully
• Offer support & “goodies”
• Build alliances with those who seem open
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Your Sphere of Influence
• What do I have control over in my environment?
• What do I not have control over in my environment?
21Gorski, P. (2012)
ESL Teachers as Leaders
1. In what ways are you a leader in your context in
implementing the CCSS for ELs?
2. How would you describe your current sphere of influence
(classroom, grade level, school, district)?
3. With whom can you collaborate to widen your sphere
of influence in your context to further support ELs?
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ADVOCACY STRATEGY 3: DEVELOPING
TALKING POINTS TO USE IN
COLLABORATION WITH CONTENT
TEACHERS23
Talking Point Defined
What: A talking point is a succinct statement designed to
persuade or inform and an effective tool for preparing for
conversations.
Why: A set of talking points will facilitate more effective
interaction and engagement with content teachers. It will
also showcase your EL expertise.
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CCSS ESL Teacher Talking Points Overview
CCSS ELA Shift ESL Teacher Talking Points
Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
“I can analyze the academic language of the text you’re using and provide scaffolding for ELs at different levels of English proficiency so they can access it.” OR “How can I help you analyze…?”
Reading, writing, and speaking grounded in evidence from text
“I can help you integrate the four domains into instruction and write-text dependent questions that are scaffolded for ELs.” OR “How can I help you integrate…?”
Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction
“I can determine an appropriate amount of concise background knowledge to teach ELs so they are better positioned to access information text.” OR “How can I help you determine…?”
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Developing Your Own Talking Points
• Think of one instructional strategy that would help your ELs
access the CCSS and would benefit the teachers with whom
you collaborate.
• Develop specific talking points you could use with a content
teacher to encourage use of the strategy.
– How would you articulate the need for the strategy?
– How would you explain or model the strategy?
– What would you do next so that the teacher is more likely
to use the strategy?
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ADVOCACY STRATEGY 4: EFFECTIVELY
CO-PLANNING INSTRUCTION WITH
CONTENT TEACHERS
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CCSS for ELs Curriculum Review Rubric
What: A tool to determine the extent to which lesson plans
based on the CCSS meet the educational needs of ELs of
varying proficiency levels*
Why: Use of this rubric will support teachers in identifying and
including key lesson components that support EL student
engagement and achievement within the CCSS framework
*Conceptualized as part of a NJ project
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CCSS Curriculum Review Rubric
29Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2014
CCSS Curriculum Review Rubric Components
Lesson Criteria and Look-Fors 1 2 3
Alignment between lessons, tasks, CCSS, and WIDA ELD standards
Regular practice with complex text and its academic language
Reading, writing and speaking grounded in evidence from text, both literary and informational
Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction
Assessment
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ADVOCACY STRATEGY 5:
SHARING
RESPONSIBILITY
THROUGH INCLUSIVE
TEACHER EVALUATION31
Need for an Inclusive Teacher Evaluation Framework
• Bias in teacher evaluation
of diverse learners
• Need to recognize effective
teaching of ELs and
students with disabilities
• Lack of teacher
preparedness to teach
diverse learners
• Change the test and you
change the teaching
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Inclusive Teacher Evaluation and Support
1. Need for an Inclusive Teacher Evaluation
Framework
2. Foundations of EL Education
3. Foundations of Education of Students
with Disabilities
4. Principle 1: Committing to Equal Access
for all Learners
5. Principle 2: Preparing to Support Diverse
learners
6. Principle 3: Reflective Teaching Using
Evidence-Based Practices
7. Principle 4: Building a Culture of
Collaboration and Community
8. Empowering Educators through
Coaching
33Staehr Fenner, Kozik, & Cooper, 2015
Alignment of Inclusive Teacher Evaluation
Domain Inclusive Teacher
Evaluation Principles
Danielson Marzano
1 Committing to Equal Access
for All Learners
Planning and
Preparation
Classroom
Practices and
Strategies
2 Preparing to Support
Diverse Learners
The Classroom
Environment
Planning and
Preparing
3 Reflective Teaching Using
Evidence-Based Strategies
Instruction Reflecting on
Teaching
4 Building a Culture of
Collaboration and
Community
Professional
Responsibilities
Collegiality and
Professionalism
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Principle 1: Committing to Equal Access for All
Learners
Educators are aware of and adhere
to the laws and to the precedents
set in numerous court decisions
regarding full and equal access to
public education for all students.
Educators describe diverse learners’
full access to the curriculum and the
adaptations for unique learners an
observer can expect to see so that
all students are included in learning.
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Principle 1 Look-Fors for All Teachers of ELs
• Aware of what ELs’ home language(s) are and their literacy
skills in their home language(s)
• Knows ELs’ levels of English language proficiency and what
the levels mean for instruction and assessment
• Articulates types of language support services ELs receive
at the school
• Describes how instructional materials for ELs at different
levels of English language proficiency (ELP) are chosen,
created, or adapted
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Principle 2: Preparing to Support Diverse Learners
Educators demonstrate their
knowledge of individual student
backgrounds as well as the
strengths and advantages student
diversity brings. They articulate
rationales for using appropriate
instructional strategies to support
diverse learners so that every
student will be treated as a valued
individual capable of learning.
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Principle 2 Look-Fors for All Teachers of ELs
• Articulates high expectations for ELs, including a nuanced
understanding of expectations for what ELs can do with
language at their English language proficiency level
• Articulates how ELs’ culture may influence their behavior
and conduct
• Describes configuration of classroom space so as to
support EL’s opportunities to participate in classroom
activities and their acquisition of English
• Describes plans for lowering students’ affective filter and
encouraging risk taking in English
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Principle 3: Reflective Teaching Using Evidence-
Based Strategies
Educators’ classroom instruction
embodies the tenets of Universal
Design for Learning. Instruction is
individualized, student-centered,
varied, appropriately challenging,
standards-based, and grounded in
evidence-based practice. Educators
build instruction around their
diverse students’ unique strengths,
challenges, backgrounds,
experiences, and needs.
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Principle 3 Look-Fors for All Teachers of ELs
• Encourages students’ use of home language where
appropriate
• Uses analysis of the academic language in materials used
during instruction to explicitly teach the linguistic structures
ELs need to fully participate in the lesson
• Integrates a variety of appropriate scaffolding techniques
(e.g., sentence stems, word banks, glossaries, home
language materials) to support students of varying
proficiency levels
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Principle 4: Building a Culture of Collaboration and
Community
Educators focus on professional
relationships and connections to
culture and community in the
service of all students. They work
toward establishing a community
that is based on collaboration
among educators, students,
caregivers, families, neighbors, and
other relevant groups. They work
cooperatively, communicate
regularly, and share resources,
responsibilities, skills, decisions and
advocacy.
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Principle 4 Look-Fors for All Teachers of ELs
• Communicates with families of ELs in a language and form
they understand
• Engages EL families in creative ways (e.g., making home
visits and/or visiting the work places of students’ families)
• Involves ELs in actively reflecting on and participating in the
process of their education
• Collaborates with others (e.g., content, ESL or bilingual
teachers) in lesson planning and implementation to support
ELs’ academic growth
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EL Advocacy Through Inclusive Teacher Evaluation
43Staehr Fenner, Kozik, & Cooper (2015)
1: Committing to
Equal Access for
All Learners
2: Preparing to
Support Diverse
Learners
4: Building a
Culture of
Collaboration &
Community
3: Reflective
Teaching Using
Evidence-Based
Strategies
Goal Setting
Drawing from today’s discussion, think of one or two ways you
would like to reframe your role within the CCSS framework to
ensure ELs are supported.
• How would you like to reframe your role?
• What steps do you need to take to achieve your goals?
• Which allies do you need?
• What types of support would helpful to you?
• How will your ELs benefit?
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