Learning in Two Languages
Following this introduction is the two page handout I created to give out at my session “Learning Content in Two Languages” at the Texas Association for Bilingual Education (TABE) Conference on October 24th, 2008 (http://www.tabe.org/main/index.php)and my presentation “Scaffolding Content Learning in Two Languages” at the Texas Woman’s University’s Billie J. Askew Early Literacy Institute on November 11th, 2008 (http://www.twu.edu/ce/2008Institute.asp). The content of the presentations is not the same because the first one focuses more on language and the second more on specific areas of content learning, although the topics are similar. The recent resources I found helpful for both topics overlapped due to limited recent professional writing that actually addresses the mother tongue aspects of bilingual learning in the U.S.
Driving to Denton to borrow and return media equipment is less expensive than paying the fees conferences now charge to provide equipment, but only if one discounts the time involved. Therefore, I have decided to use alternative ways of sharing useful information in the three conference presentations I am making in the next three weeks.
For the two presentations listed above, I will share easy access to resources I consulted and found helpful in arriving at the ideas I have synthesized and evaluated for the presentations by posting the handout I prepared here, so that it can be downloaded and session participants and others can use the links in the handout directly to view the resources, rather than typing in URLs from the handout.
For the other presentation “Perils and Promise of Error Correction for Second Language Writers” at the Texas Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages Annual Conference (TexTESOL) on November 7th, 2008 (http://www.textesolv.org/), I will be sharing the research which served as a basis for a chapter entitled “Improving the Writing Skills of Preservice Bilingual Teacher Education Candidates”, which I wrote for a monograph titled Current Issues and Best Practice in Bilingual and ESL Education, Fall 2008 (eds. Phap Dam and Melinda Cowart). Given the anticipated small size of this session “Perils and Promise of Error Correction for Second Language Writers” in a Board Room which probably accommodates 15-20 persons , I used copies of the article as handouts. If you attended that session and were one of two who arrived after the copies had all been taken, please email me with a street address and I will mail you a copy, as I have not yet secured permission to post a copy of the article online.
Direct Access Resources for those who support students who are Learning in Two Languages
(conference presentations and lectures by Rita Deyoe-Chiullan, Ph.D. Oct-Nov’08)
ritadeyoe@yahoo.com , http://maestrostexas.edublogs.org , http://www.maestrostexas.com
Sample Chapters available online (www.heinemann.com)
*Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning: Teaching Second Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom by Pauline Gibbons, Foreword by Jim Cummins
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00366.aspx
*Academic Literacy in the English Classroom: Helping Underprepared and Working Class Students Succeed in College edited by Carolyn R. Boiarsky (Ch. 5 “Challenging But Safe Environments: Helping Students Succeed in College Writing” by Kelly Belanger and Diane Panozzo
http://books.heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/0525/chapter5.pdf
A Quick Guide to Boosting English Acquisition in Choice Time, K-2 by Alison Porcelli, Cheryl Tyler, Lucy Calkins
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E02615.aspx
Diverse Learners in the Mainstream Classroom: Strategies for Supporting ALL Students Across Content Areas–English Language Learners, Students with Disabilities, Gifted/Talented Students Edited by Reynaldo Ramirez, Yvonne S. Freeman, David E. Freeman
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E01313.aspx
Stage by Stage: A Handbook for Using Drama in the Second Language Classroom by Ann Burke, Julie O’Sullivan Foreword by Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00380.aspx
7 Steps to Success in Dual Language Immersion: A Brief Guide for Teachers and Administrators by Lore Carrera-Carrillo, Annette Rickert Smith
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00992.aspx
A How-to Guide for Teaching English Language Learners In the Primary Classroom by Pat Barrett Dragan
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00700.aspx
Explorations in Language Acquisition and Use by Stephen D. Krashen http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00554.aspx
Research-Based Strategies for English Language Learners: How to Reach Goals and Meet Standards, K-8 by Denise M. Rea, Sandra P. Mercuri, Foreword by Yvonne S. Freeman, David E. Freeman
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00810.aspx
Second Grade Writers: Units of Study to Help Children Focus on Audience and Purpose by
Stephanie Parsons, Teachers College Reading and Writing Project
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E01031.aspx
Teaching Reading and Writing in Spanish and English in Bilingual and Dual Language Classrooms, Second Edition by David E. Freeman, Yvonne S. Freeman,
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00801.aspx
When English Language Learners Write: Connecting Research to Practice, K-8
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00633.aspx
Word Wise and Content Rich, Grades 7-12: Five Essential Steps to Teaching Academic Vocabulary by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey Foreword by Karen Bromley
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E01382.aspx
Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions
By Stephen Cary
http://books.heinemann.com/products/E00985.aspx
Academic Language for English Language Learners and Struggling Readers: How to Help Students Succeed Across Content Areas Yvonne S. Freeman, David E. Freeman, Foreword by Robert Marzanohttp://books.heinemann.com/products/E01136.aspx Introduction&Chapter2http://books.heinemann.com/shared/onlineresources/E01136/new_Academ_Lang_sample.pdf
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Assessment Accommodations Toolkit from CEEE at George Washington University
http://ceee.gwu.edu/AA/SEAtoolkit.html
LPAC Updates from TAMU-Corpus Christi Institute for Second Language Achievement
http://ell.tamucc.edu/LPACupdate.html
Direct Access Resources for those who support students who are Learning in Two Languages
(conference presentations and lectures by Rita Deyoe-Chiullan, Ph.D. Oct-Nov’08)
ritadeyoe@yahoo.com , http://maestrostexas.edublogs.org , http://www.maestrostexas.com
Webinar Archives from West Ed—Schools Moving Up
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/query/q/19 Recommended for ELL Educators:
October 8, 2008
English Learner Literacy Development through Formative Assessment of Oral Language
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/3046
April 30, 2008
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2628
April 22, 2008
A County Immersed in Vocabulary
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2708
April 17, 2008
Using Formative Assessments to Accelerate the Academic Achievement of English Learners http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2801
April 9, 2008
The Key Three Routine: Comprehension Strategy Instruction
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2690
March 18, 2008
A School Immersed in Vocabulary http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2692
January 23, 2008
Building Oral Language into the Basal (Research from CREATE)
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2447
November 8, 2007
Making Standards-based Lessons Understandable for English Learners: The SIOP Model (Research from CREATE) http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2058
October 24, 2007
Tools for Literacy: Technology to Support Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Development http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2057
October 3, 2007
Reading Science for Understanding in Middle and High School
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/1532
September 6, 2007
Learning All-Purpose Academic Words (Research from CREATE)
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/2056
June 14, 2007
Findings from the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth (Research from CREATE) http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/1574
May 24, 2007
Word Lists: Choices and Uses http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/1786
April 5, 2007
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/1573
January 29, 2007
What’s Happening in Vocabulary Research? http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/1401
November 30, 2006
Teaching Science: How to Really Give Universal Access to English Learners
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/wested/view/e/1105
New Books to Own and Use
Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL: A Resource Book for Teaching K-12 Learners, 5th ed. Suzanne F. Peregoy, Owen F. Boyle (New York: Pearson: Allyn & Bacon, 2008) ISBN 0205611362 http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/academic/product/0,3110,0205593240,00.html
Instructional Assessment of English Language Learners in the K-8 Classroom.
Diane K. Brantley (New York: Pearson: Allyn & Bacon, 2007) ISBN 0205455999
http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/academic/product/0,3110,0205455999,00.html
Spacing is unreliable when one is trying to cut and paste!!!
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Updating contact information…
My two website domains http://www.maestrostexas.com and http://www.texestutor.com , which go to the same location, have now been updated so that the links are current. The main page provides information about private tutoring for TExES examinations that I occasionally provide to individuals and small groups and the other pages provide information for Spanish speakers seeking to learn about becoming certified as teachers in Texas. The old website still appears if one fails to type in www because the previous provider seems to want to continue our relationship (and charge me for it) even though I have shifted the domains and site to hosting with Apple so I can use my new iLife/iWeb software to update the site as easily as one revises a PowerPoint. Not needing my son’s HTML skills is a definite improvement! The e-mail for the website and for anyone reading this blog to reach me is maestrostexas@gmail.com
Uncategorized | Comment (0)TABE and TWU Early Literacy Conference Presentations
Thank you so much to the two delightful groups who joined me at these conferences. The PowerPoint that I used in both presentations about ways of becoming a certified bilingual teacher in Texas, with critical observations about the possible positive and negative aspects impacting each route is attached. Also attached is the PowerPoint I used at the TWU conference about a critical assessment of factors which impact the retention of bilingual teachers and the need for more avenues for continued development of bilingual teachers as they become candidates for leadership roles in schools and universities.Thank you to the generous members of ENABLE who provided me excellent input for this second PowerPoint with their responses to my questionnaire (which appears here in a previous post). Their responses certainly helped to define some priorities that need to be considered.Finally, I am attaching some poems and other inspirational and/or humorous items that have sometimes helped me smile and make it through a challenging day as a teacher.God bless you all for working for the future of us all!Cheers, RitaBecoming a Bilingual Teacher (TABE Conference)Being a Bilingual Teacher and Beyond (TWU Early Literacy Conference)Invictus (a poem for crisis moments)Short poems or Phrases of Inspiration (emotional support)Something to keep on top in your desk drawer (humor).
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Research about Teacher Retention and Mentoring/Induction
So far what I have found suggests that teachers are more likely to remain in the profession and more likely to remain in the same school and district when they receive high quality, frequent mentoring from a colleague who teaches the same sort of assignment on their campus, whether the mentoring is officially required or informally offered, but all the studies have serious flaws in methodology, data collection, interpretation… In short, a consensus of opinion of any 25 third-year teachers would probably be equally likely to be valid and reliable.
Now my concern is to look a little beyond theoretically well-designed mentoring programs (such as TxBESS) which appear to have helped a little, and consider the somewhat larger and less precisely defined context of what factors weigh most heavily in the minds of teachers in causing them to leave or encouraging them to stay and become leaders and mentors of coming generations of teachers.
Your advice and insights are welcome in this task! I have been preparing teachers, being one, mentoring a few, mentoring a few teacher educators and continuing to learn about teaching for most of the past forty years and hope to continue doing so for another twenty or so. Thus, I have some relevant knowlege and experience, but I have a lot to learn about doing this well in the twenty-first century. This is our profession; we should think and care deeply about how to make it one that builds a better world without using up the primary resource that creates culture, civility and knowledge–the teachers.
Uncategorized | Comments (7)Newsletters and Websites for Bilingual/ESL Education Professionals
In addition to giving you access to several of Stephen Krashen’s books and articles, at the top of this webpage, you can subscribe to his mailing list and take heart as you see his frequent postings to newspapers in defense of effective bilingual education and ESL programs and teachers and their efforts to help the world communicate.
http://www.sdkrashen.com
Jim Cummins’ website gives you access to a number of his landmark articles and to research information that can be helpful when you need something in print to help you convince someone of the value of what you are trying to do. On this webpage, on the lower left-hand side in the box of links to other parts of the site, be sure to click on Version 2 under Links-Bilingual Education! It takes you to incredible online resources and discussions from the “crème de la crème” of bilingual and ESL experts!
Although the part of the site entitled Reflective Teaching and the Texas EXCET is out-dated in its references to the EXCET Professional Development test which was revised and became the TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR), the observations of the writer of this segment (apparently a Houston ISD teacher) still provide some useful guidance for new teachers and those attempting to understand the philosophy which underlies the Texas teacher certification tests.
http://www.iteachilearn.com
Colorín Colorado! A bilingual site for families and educators of English language learners. Go to this publication of theirs for something you can share with your monolingual colleagues that will make them more aware of the differences between Spanish and English: http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/background/capitalizing I don’t agree with everything this article says (as a linguist or as a bilingual teacher), but the inaccuracies are minor and it is a useful attempt to explain some contrasts. Be sure to look around their website for items in Spanish that you can share with parents.
http://www.colorincolorado.org
Reading Rockets: “Launching Young Readers”. This site sometimes reflects a point of view that is somewhat more behaviorist and less constructivist than the orientation preferred by many education professionals, but often there are useful practical suggestions for parents and teachers.
http://www.readingrockets.org
LDonline: “The world’s leading website on learning disabilities and ADHD”. They often have brief articles by some of the most cited and sought after authorities, as well as practical advice for teachers and parents.
http://www.ldonline.org
Education Week is such a helpful resource for staying current on important issues in education. When you go to this page, in the upper right-hand corner, be careful to click on Free Newsletters, not trial subscription! I subscribe to all the free newsletters they offer because I have such varied interests in teaching as a profession, but often the same articles are repeated in the different newsletters, so you might be more likely to benefit by choosing one or two options. Keep in mind that this resource provides articles collected from other sources such as newspapers and is probably not what your graduate school professors expect you to cite in research papers. However, the news items you find in EDWEEK publications give you a good idea of where to look for current topics and often provide links to important reports of funded research studies. Often the executive summary or the entire report can be downloaded as a pdf document or you can at least read enough to determine whether you want to spend time and funds to access them.
http://www.edweek.org
HELP! I need some information.
Hello/Saludos,
I have a couple of conference presentations coming up about bilingual teachers and what keeps them in the profession and helps them grow professionally. Besides a bunch of articles and funded study reports from various places, I have some strong personal opinions, but those are not allowed.
What I really need are some reports from all the truly wonderful bilingual teachers who were once my students, mentees, interns, neighbors, friends, colleagues—-and some of their friends who don’t even know me.
The only way I could think of to get the data I need without going to schools and trying to get tired teachers to fill out a form at the end of a long day, was to use this blog and impose on several former students and/or interns who include me on their lists of people who welcome their forwarded PowerPoints about the things that matter to them, religion for some, gentle humor for others. Please copy the link to my blog to your list!
So, here goes! I don’t have any special funding to provide a perfectly composed and formatted questionnaire and, frankly, every time someone asks my opinion and it has to fit one of their pre-conceived responses, my answers become less informative.
Please just highlight the rest of this blog post and paste it into an email addressed to
maestrostexas@gmail.com
then edit in your responses and send it to me. I will not reveal who responded to my questionnaire, nor do you need to reveal your name if it isn’t in your email address.
1. What events or experiences would have caused you to leave the teaching profession and find a different line of work? This may be something that happened to you, or to a friend or something you imagine. Examples that come to mind from teachers I have known who either considered leaving or did leave include
____A. being physically assaulted by a student or someone else in a school,
____B. having an administrator who set out to prove a teacher incompetent,
____C. having members of one’s family “punished” for one’s professional convictions,
____D. having no real mentor or friend to turn to at school when faced with new or serious challenges,
____E. being offered substantially more money for work that has similar rewards in terms of serving humanity
____F. some of the above, and these others…
____G. none of the above, but maybe…
____H. all of the above and…..
____I. couldn’t happen–I was born to teach and I probably won’t stop til I drop—Some call it “VOCATION”.
HINT: to save time, just put the number rank (1=MOST LIKELY TO MAKE ME LEAVE through whatever rank is needed to include the ones that could affect your decision in a major way), after you add the others you think of to F., G. or H., as needed.
2. In rank order from MOST IMPORTANT to ALSO MATTERED, these are the people, events or experiences that kept me from leaving teaching or a particular school or district in my first year or first two years of teaching:
These are some possible considerations, rank those that are/were not important for you as N/A, and for the others and those you add, rank them from 1=MOST IMPORTANT to whatever number you think is a good place to stop:
____A. Having a very supportive family, partner, friends, pets at home for sympathy, encouragement, etc.
____B. Having an official mentor who was paid extra to help me learn how to do the job.
____C. Having an informal mentor who wasn’t paid but took me under her/his wing and anticipated my every need for guidance, information and support.
____D. Having direct support, including visits to my school from my college, university or AC program professor/supervisor/specialist/coordinator.
____E. Having direct support with modeling of instructional strategies from a specialist for new teacher support provided by my school district.
____F. Having a principal who believed in me and who gave me an opportunity to overcome my errors.
____G. Having students who made me feel I was important to them.
____H. Having the support of the parents of my students.
____I. Having religious beliefs that supported me in times of doubt and difficulty.
____J. Having a strong personal and/or philosophical committment to the value of the work I am doing.
____K. Having a good sense of humor.
____L. Having a copy of the poem “Invictus” in my desk drawer. (Let me know if you need a copy.)
____M. Relishing my addiction to caffeine in its many life-saving forms–coffee, Coca-Cola, Mountain Dew, chocolate, etc. (O.K., this is getting a little too personal; use your own imagination from here on.)
____N. (your ideas)
____O. (your ideas)
____P. (your ideas)
HINT: to save time, just rank any that work for you and add the others you think of with their rank.
3. Is it important for teachers to get a master’s degree or other specialization as a way to keep up in the profession? If not, what is a better way to learn new information, skills, strategies…?
4. If you have or are currently taking post-graduate courses or training, what have been additional benefits (if any) beyond the new knowledge you have gained or are gaining?
5. How have you made professional contacts with colleagues who share common interests and concerns, other than working with your grade level or subject matter team at school?
6. Are you active in any professional organizations for educators? If so, which one(s) and how have you benefited from that experience (if you feel you have)?
7. What else should I have asked?
Please tell me the following personal information about yourself:
female/male
age: 20-30, 30-40, 40-50, 50-60, 60-70, 70+
How many years teaching in Texas?
Bilingual teacher? ESL teacher? Mainstream teacher? Middle School or High School–subjects taught?
Certified through–
University degree with teaching certification?
Alternative certification, university degree in another field?
Alternative certification after teaching in another state or country?
Out of State/Out of Country certification based on testing only?
Other program:___________________?
PLEASE PUT YOUR RESPONSE DIRECTLY INTO AN EMAIL (NO ATTACHMENTS PLEASE) AND MAIL IT TO ME AT MY NEW EMAIL: maestrostexas@gmail.com
Unfortunately, I cannot reward you with anything but my intense gratitude, but I will send up a prayer that none of the bad experiences I listed in question one ever threaten your pedagogical bliss!
Also, I will respond to your email with a copy of the poem “Invictus”, and maybe some other bit of inspiration.
Also, in the next blog, I will share links to free newsletters that may be useful to you, and I will pass on information about professional conferences, listservs that provide professional opportunities, as well as what I learn from research about ways to become and remain successful in the teaching profession.
Cheers,
Rita
Incidentally, in case you received this as a forward from someone, my blog address is
http://maestrostexas.edublogs.org
Hello world!
Welcome to my blog! I will be learning to use this technology to keep in touch with former/current students and colleagues on topics of mutual interest, primarily relating to education in general, bilingual and ESL instruction in particular, and teaching experiences, insights and resources.
Uncategorized | Comment (0)Updating contact information…
FYI–My main website is http://www.maestrostexas.com, which provides information in Spanish on teacher certification in this state (by clicking on the headings at the top of the page) and details in English about private TExES tutoring I do occasionally on the main page. The other website I own points to the same information, but is accessed as http://www.texestutor.com. This weekend I learned how to update the website myself using the new iLife, iWeb software I installed a couple of months ago. I hadn’t been able to properly update the website for about four years, so if you fail to type in www, you will access the older version of the site where many links no longer work although much of the general information is still reasonably accurate. Now that we have shifted the hosting to Apple, I hope to find time to include additional information in the near future as I will be able to use iWeb to edit and update the site myself instead of waiting for my son to find time to use his HTML skills to do it for me. The current version now has my new email for purposes connected to the website listed maestrostexas@gmail.com, although I continue to receive mail sent to older accounts that appear on the site that is still being hosted by the previous company. Maybe one of these days I’ll have time to contact the appropriate entities to take down the old site!
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