Teaching Learning Collaborative (TLC) Classroom Teacher Project

1. Teaching Learning Collaborative (TLC) Classroom Teacher Project Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

2. Teaching Learning Collaborative (TLC) Classroom Teacher Project • Teachers and principals from two Title 1, K-5 schools in Los Angeles Unified School District • Predominantly English learners • Combined faculty of 60 teachers: monthly meetings at schools for TLC professional development • Self-selected sub-group with teachers from both schools: monthly workshops, coaching, etc. from one to two years • Sub-days funded by OELA grant allowed teachers to participate Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

3. Classroom Teacher ProjectCollaborative and Constructivist • University faculty provide a framework for teachers to conduct classroom inquiry into their instruction of English learners. • Classroom teachers identify a specific area of their instruction to study and improve. • Faculty and teachers would support the teacher’s inquiry over a long term period. Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

4. Classroom Teacher ProjectTeachers’ Voices “The thing I really appreciated about the TLC project is that for the first time we weren’t being told what to do. It started with us.” Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

5. Classroom Teacher ProjectSample of Community Building: Overlapping narratives • Modeled strategies for use with ELs • Allowed teachers from 2 schools to get to know each other • Provided vehicle to discuss ideas Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

6. Classroom Teacher ProjectSample Community Building: Overlapping narratives • Identified salient events in their lives as teachers • Organized into themes • Identified a shared narrative in themselves and students • Reflected on using this process with their English learners. Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

7. Classroom Teacher ProjectSample Community Building: “Salvador Late and Early” • Read story together • Individually “retold” the narrative with symbols • Modeled narrative symbol exercise for use with Els Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

8. Classroom Teacher ProjectSample Community Building: Salvador Late and Early • Built relationships between teachers • Provided vehicle to discuss school experience of ELs • Modeled narrative symbol exercise for use with Els Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

9. Classroom Teacher ProjectTeachers’ Voices Like Salvador, many students come “to school where teachers do not understand their language, don’t understand their background, don’t understand where they come from.” -- TLC teacher Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

10. Classroom Teacher ProjectGetting to Know Students • To assess prior knowledge. • To foster authentic relationships • Seek out students’ interests in order to know how best to teach them Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

11. Classroom Teacher ProjectGetting to Know Students • Two 4th grade teachers visited all 35 students in their homes. • Photography project in which students created photo journals Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

12. She used Spanish to set children at ease: Qué pasó mi hijo? Classroom Teacher ProjectGetting to Know StudentsOne teacher learned Spanish • In classroom management: Sientate por favor! • And to teach new words in English: • content - contento • library - libro Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

13. Classroom Teacher ProjectCurrent theory and research • At annual retreats and regular meetings, teachers read, “jig-sawed” and summarized articles in pairs • “I liked the readings and discussing with peers.” • The most beneficial activity was “time to read articles and reflect with our fellow teachers” Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

14. Classroom Teacher ProjectInquiry-Based Teaching & Learning • Individual inquiry projects to improve instruction of English learners. • Faculty consulted on unit & lesson design • Classroom observations • Review videos of lessons with faculty and peers, sometimes with whole group Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

15. Classroom Teacher ProjectInquiry-Based Teaching & Learning • Challenges included: • Time to plan and implement inquiry projects • Mandated curriculum content is often not culturally relevant to students • The mandated curriculum is not designed for English learners • Therefore, we focused on inquiry projects that could supplement the district-mandated curriculum Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

16. Classroom Teacher Project Inquiry-Based Teaching & Learning • One 4th grade teacher read “The Algebra Project” and implemented math conferences that were similar to the writing and language arts conferences she had used for many years. Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

17. Classroom Teacher Project How Did the Project Affect Instruction? Teachers’ Voices • “Thank you for the theory, interesting topics, and not dumbing things down.” • “The only model [that works] is the inquiry model where teachers are reflecting and thinking and changing their practice on their own, not being told to implement another program, but an authentic questioning amongst teachers.” Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

18. Classroom Teacher Project Teachers’ Voices “It’s about self-study, where you study yourself and … see how you want to change… It is great professional development because it allows teachers to go into their practice and say, ‘You know what, I would like to see this change.  I want to better myself in this teaching aspect.  How can I do it? What can I do to change myself as an educator and to change my practice to better reach those students.’” Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”

19. Teaching Learning Collaborative: Learning How to Make Professional Development Meaningful in Any Group • Demonstrate mutual respect by engaging participants in the planning • Build trust by getting to know one another • Find out what participants know, need to know, and want to know • Make opportunities for creative, collaborative work • Provide consistent follow up Celebrate Our Rising Stars Summit VI “Preparing ELLs to Succeed in the 21st Century”