Exploring the Possibilities for Institution-wide EAL PD

1. Exploring the Possibilities for Institution-wide EAL PD Antoinette Gagné OISE -- University of Toronto agagne@oise.utoronto.ca eslinfusion.oise.utoronto.ca

2. How well does each of these statements describe you as a teacher / teaching assistant ? • I enjoy working with my students • I have enough time to plan my lessons • I adapt my teaching easily to new situations • I like to stick to what works with my students • I know where to find resources to do my job • I have the opportunity to work / collaborate with other members of my community • I have recently done something to grow as a teacher / teaching assistant 1) really well 2) somewhat 3) not at all

3. How well does each of these statements describe you as a school/program administrator? • I enjoy working with my staff • I have enough time to plan PD for staff and evaluate their teaching • I adapt my leadership style as necessary in new situations • I like to stick to what works with my staff • I know where to find resources to do my job • I have recently done something to grow as a leader • I have the opportunity to work with other members of my community 1) really well 2) somewhat 3) not at all

4. Consider Moving From a Collection of Individuals to a Community of Practice • Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly • It has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people. • http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

5. Becoming a CoP • In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. They build relationships that enable them to learn from each other. • Members of a community of practice are practitioners. They develop a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems ,in short, a shared practice. This takes time and sustained interaction. • It is the combination of these three elements that constitutes a community of practice. And it is by developing these three elements in parallel that one cultivates such a community. • http://www.ewenger.com/theory/

6. More Concepts Related to Communities of Practice • Expert and novice members of the community • Participation and Alignment • Reification involves moving from the abstract to the concrete in order to ensure that fluid collaborative activity leads to mutual understanding and movement forward • Imagination • Wenger 1998

7. Structures Facilitating Participation and Alignment • Integrated teams • Committees • Distributed Leadership • Creative scheduling / timetabling • Shared online space • Retreats • Workshops • Celebrations • Socials • …

8. Examples of Community Activities Involving Participation, Allowing Imagination and Leading to Alignment and Reification As a community, • Assessing and welcoming new ELLs • Organizing and taking part in orientation programs for new ELLs • Designing new courses or redesigning existing ones • Adapting the curriculum for ELLs • Team teaching • Monitoring the progress of ELLs across courses • Participating in parent / community councils • Participating in various committees • Conducting action research • Contributing to and participating in an online community

9. Engaging in PD • Consider taking part in the following activities as an individual or as member of a community of practice • Your individual growth can feed the growth of the community of practice if you are a member of a community

10. Need more resources? • I feel like there are never enough resources to meet the varied needs of the students in my multi-level group. • I work at a centre where I have access to a computer lab. • Consider exploring the Internet to find out just how much there is to support the learners in your classroom.

11. ESL Corner settlement.org website • There are language tools for vocabulary development, a glossary and language exercises with audio and video files. • This webpage is also useful for ESL teachers, mentors and volunteers. • http://settlement.org/site/celebrate/esl.asp

12. Not sure how to communicate with the parents/caregivers of my young students? • I work at a centre where there is a child care program. • Newcomer parents drop their children off before heading to class. • I feel uncomfortable because I don’t know the best way to communicate with them. • Consider watching the Growing New Roots in the Community DVD

14. Parents from selected immigrant and refugee communities as well as teachers, school administrators and settlement workers involved with these communities including: the Mandarin-speaking community the Russian-speaking community the Somali-speaking community the Urdu-speaking community the Arabic-speaking community the Caribbean community A focus on: language cultural understanding communication relationship building the role of schools and families information for families and caregivers Growing New Roots in the community: The Voices of Immigrant Families and the Teachers of Their Children

15. Need to know more about teaching writing? • I work with intermediate to advanced students who expect that I will always know how to help them develop stronger written communication skills • In the TESL program I took, the instructor only spent about 6 hours focussing on how to teach writing. • I really don’t feel up to the challenge and I feel like I am failing my students • Consider watching a specially designed Internet video series on teaching writing

16. Instructional Video Series on the Internet • This instructional video series on English composition for college and high school classrooms and adult learners introduces basic principles and strategies for improving writing skills and communicating with a wide variety of audiences. • 26 half-hour video programs and coordinated books • http://www.learner.org/resources/series128.html#

17. Feel disconnected? • I work on my own in a small centre and feel disconnected from my colleagues. • Consider joining a professional association where you will have the chance to meet colleagues face-to-face at local meetings and workshops or meet virtually in a variety of spaces including chat rooms, blogs and more.

18. Founded in 1966, Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL), is a global education association. • Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States, TESOL has approximately 13,000 members in over 120 countries, and is recognized as a nongovernmental organization (NGO) of the United Nations Department of Public Information. • Its mission is to ensure excellence in English language teaching to speakers of other languages. • TESOL values professionalism in language education; individual language rights; accessible, high quality education; collaboration in a global community; interaction of research and reflective practice for educational improvement; and respect for diversity and multiculturalism.

19. Welcome to TESL Canada • TESL CANADA is a national organization dedicated to advancing communication and coordinating awareness of issues for those concerned with English as a second language and English skills development. • The organization promotes advocacy for ESL learners, unifies teachers and learners by providing a forum and network capabilities, supports the sharing of knowledge and experiences across Canada, and represents diverse needs and interests in TESL nationally and internationally.

20. TEAL Manitoba • Since you are here today, you already know the advantage of belonging to this community!

21. Consider being a mentor for a beginning teacher • "The easiest and fastest way to learn is from other people. Without other people, the old wheel must be re-invented again and again and again." (Feiman-Nemser, 1996) • The mentor-mentee learning is bidirectional and rewarding for both mentor and mentee.

22. Need to refine your online teaching skills? • I have been asked to teach a course with an online component. Although this really interests me, I don’t feel ready to take on this responsibility yet. • Consider taking an online course sponsored by one of your professional associations or local universities.

23. Principles and Practices of Online Teaching Certificate • TESOL's "Principles and Practices of Online Teaching" certificate program is designed for the experienced and the inexperienced online English language teacher and course designer. • Whether you design and deliver courses that are fully or partially run online, the "Principles and Practices of Online Teaching" program will help develop the skills you need to effectively teach English language courses online or blend online segments with your traditional face-to-face courses. • "Principles and Practices of Online Teaching" consists of certificate foundation and completion courses, and ten courses in general and content-specific topics.

24. Need to know more about where your students are from? • Although I work with fairly young children, I feel like I need to know more about their families and what life was like before they came to Canada. • Consider browsing the Cultural Profiles site to learn more about the home countries of the families you spend time with.

25. Cultural Profiles - Countries of the World • Each cultural profile provides an overview of life and customs in the profiled country. • While the profile provides insight into some customs, it does not cover all facets of life, and the customs described may not apply in equal measure to all newcomers from the profiled country. Nor should these profiles be considered the final word on describing life and customs of people from these countries. http://www.cp-pc.ca/

26. Want some new strategies to help you get to know your students better? • Although I give my students a short survey to find out about their needs and interests at the beginning of the course, I would like to find new ways to get information on their backgrounds, current interests and preferences as the semester goes by. • Consider using an entry or an exit ticket at the beginning of class once a week.

27. Entry Tickets An entry ticket is a student’s response to a question posed at the end of the last class. • Entry tickets are handed in at the beginning of class. • Entry tickets should provide information that will enable you to get to know your students better. Possible questions • Tell me something about yourself that will help me to be a better teacher for you. • What goal(s) have you set for yourself in this class (or for today)? • What are some topics of particular interest to you? • What has occupied most of your time this past week?

28. Exit Tickets An exit ticket is a student’s response to a question posed at the end of the class. • Exit tickets are handed in at the end of class. • Exit tickets should provide information that will enable you to plan your next lesson effectively. Possible questions • Which of today’s activities did you prefer? Why? • Was there anything in today’s class that made you feel uncomfortable? If so what? • What was the most important thing you learned today?

29. Need some fresh and relevant resources? • I have been using the same materials to teach for the last while and I am getting somewhat bored. I think my students are picking up on my lack of excitement about these materials. • Take the time to make a call so that you can get your free copy of the many resources listed on the Settlement.org website.

30. This 12 minute video features two students, Purvai and Ashane, who learn how easy it is to get a library card, participate in storytelling, join a Summer Reading Club and get information for their school projects. • The video also has explains how adults can get career information at the library. • For more information on the full video or to order a free copy please send an email to info@cicswis.ca. • These videos are each available in 9 languages • http://www.settlement.org/site/ed/guide/videos/english.asp

31. Need to know more about the history of Canadian immigration? • My major in college was business. I came to into teaching ESL as a second career. As a result I know very little about Canadian history. The last time I studied history was in Grade 9 I think. • Consider reading a book on the history of Canadian immigration that is available for free on the Internet.

32. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/legacy/

33. Chapter 6 (continued)Trail-Blazing Initiatives • Refugees • Refugees from Tibet • The Ugandan Asians • Draft-age Americans in Canada • Refugees from Chile • The boat people • http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/legacy/chap-6a.html

34. Want to make the curriculum more relevant? • I teach intermediate level students and would like to find a few special topics to explore that go above and beyond to core curriculum. I would like to give my students the opportunity to read or hear about other immigrants and talk or write about their own experiences. • Consider adapting a lesson or unit plan from the internet to suit your particular context.

35. Immigrant Experience Resources • Federation for Immigrant Reform http://www.fairus.org/ • Immigrants Who Have Benefited America http://www.ailf.org/notable/notable.htm • A tenth-grade class project on American Immigration http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/Immigration/ • National Park Service, "Ellis Island" http://www.ellisisland.org/ • A lesson plan entitled, "Worlds Apart: Investigating Differences Among the Experiences of Immigrants" http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/000606tuesday.html • Immigration stories from first person interviews and autobiographical statements from recently emigrated young people. http://www.otan.dni.us/webfarm/emailproject/grace.htm • A lesson plan entitled, "Home Away from Home: Investigating Your City's Immigration History." A template lesson that may be importable to local cities and regions. http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/lessons/991227monday.html

36. Curious about what is really happening in your class? • Since there is only one of me and 20 of them, I often wonder what is happening in my classroom when I focus my attention on my lesson plan or the particular needs of one student or a small group. • Consider asking a colleague, a volunteer or even one of your students to use a simple strategy to help you learn about how your are relating to your students and how they relate to each other.

37. Revealing Interaction Patterns in the Classroom • Verbal Flow-Trace interactions between the teacher and students. Who responds? Who is included? Who is excluded? Is there a pattern? Use a seating chart to keep track of the interactions. You can use an arrow away from the teacher if the question is directed to the entire class. Use an up arrow to indicate a student’s response to the teacher and a down arrow to record the teacher’s direct interaction with the student. You may also want to use horizontal arrows to record student-to-student interaction. • Class Traffic or teacher use of classroom space-You will need a class map to track the teaches movement and to note with whom the teacher interacts.

38. Revealing Interaction Patterns in the Classroom • Interaction Analysis-Establish what kind of interaction the teacher has with his/her students i.e. A=when a teacher praised an idea, E=encouraged idea, A=acknowledged, L=lectured, etc. You will need a seating chart and it is helpful to keep track of time, so that a graph can be constructed with time on the x-axis and interactions on the y-axis. • Selective Verbatim-Listen and record-teacher questions or answers. Focus on selective verbatim clear and unbiased information to discuss. Audio or Video can help with this evaluation.

39. Want to see what is happening elsewhere? • Make arrangements to spend a class period, a half day or a full day in another classroom or school. • Observe how another teacher, teaching assistant, program coordinator or school administrator does things

40. Ever wanted to try team teaching? • Start with something small and, if all goes well, move onto more shared planning and increase the amount of team teaching • Take advantage of each other’s strengths such as knowledge of students’ L1 or a particular artistic ability

41. Need to learn the lingo? • I am new to community-based Adult EAL. Till recently I was working in a private language school with visiting students. • Sometimes I feel as disoriented as my students because I am not sure what my colleagues are talking about. • Consider learning the jargon using a webpage designed for newcomers.

42. Settlement A to Z The words you need to know • Settling in a new place can be confusing. You may see many unfamiliar words and titles. • Settlement A to Z will help you learn the words and terms you will see while you settle in Ontario. You will see these words when you apply for government programs, look for a job, get healthcare, and in many other places. • Each word or title is followed by a definition and related articles to give you more information. • This list has been adapted from the glossary at OntarioImmigration.ca, with their permission. • If you do not see the word or term that you need, please tell us by sending us feedback. http://www.settlement.org/settlement_a_to_z.asp

43. Want a guide? • I love attending workshops but I rarely remember as much as I would like to. I am a real “book” person and like to collect useful reference books that I can reach for when I feel the need to. • Consider purchasing one of these 6 books which all focus on the endless possibilities for PD.

44. Pursuing Professional Development: The Self a Source K. Bailey, A. Curtis, D. Nunan Heinle Publishers 1. Why Bother with Professional Development?2. Self-awareness and Self-observation: Cornerstones3. Reflective Teaching: Looking Closely4. Teaching Journals: Pieces of the Puzzle5. Using Cases: Stories in the Air6. Langauge Learning Experience: Role Reversal7. Video: Seeing Ourselves as Others See Us8. Action Research: In-class Investigations9. Peer Observation: Someone Else's Shoes10. Team Teaching: Learning to Dance11. Mentoring and Coaching: Helping Hands12. Teaching Portfolios: Cogent Collages13. Conclusion: The Heart of the Paradox

45. This books is a practical introduction for teachers, administrators, and coordinators, who wish to implement a coherent and strategic approach to teacher development. • 1. The nature of teacher development • 2. Workshops • 3. Self-monitoring • 4. Teacher support groups • 5. Keeping a teaching journal • 6. Peer observation • 7. Teaching portfolios • 8. Analyzing critical incidents • 9. Case analysis • 10. Peer coaching • 11. Team teaching • 12. Action research Cambridge University Press

46. Professional Development in Language Education Series (PDLE), Becoming Contributing Professionals edited by J. Egbert This volume inspires new teachers to build on the excitement of initial education. The text includes descriptive accounts of professional development opportunities that are particularly appropriate for language teachers during the first few years of teaching and continually throughout their careers. This volume encourages teachers to embark on professional adventures, resulting in increased enjoyment of their careers and professional effectiveness. TESOL Publications

47. Becoming Contributing Professionals Edited by Joy Egbert Making New Friends: Becoming Involved in a TESOL Organization Crossing Borders: Volunteering OverseasIn the Limelight: Presenting to Your PeersHaving Dessert First: Writing Book ReviewsSounding Your Singing Voice: Publishing in Forum Sections Turning Survival Notes Into Textbook Manuals: Saving and Sharing Our Work Student Organizations for Teacher Learners

48. Learning From Our Students: Using Students to Develop Curricula In Your Students' Shoes: Learning a Foreign Language as Professional Development "Oh! That's Why My Students Didn't Get It!": Videotaping as a Reective Teaching Tool Priceless Peer-Mentor Observation Developing Through E-Mail Discussion Lists The Web of Professional Development Professional Development on Cloud Nine: Online Conferencing

49. Extending Professional Contributions Volume 2 edited by Tim Murphey Focusing on midcareer professionals, this second volume includes descriptive accounts of professional development opportunities designed specifically so that language teachers can reinvigorate their teaching and remain on the path of lifelong learning. Due to the amount of development that comes from collaboration with other professionals, this volume offers you ways to join the conversation and the excitement of ongoing professional development. TESOL Publications

50. Extending Professional Contributions • Volume 2 edited by Tim Murphey • Long-Distance Collaboration: Rescuing Each Other From the Desert Island • The "Dead Hand" Project: Intercultural Collaboration and Professional Development • Professional Development Through Student and Teacher Reection Journals • Fostering Graduate School Teacher Development Through Peer Interviewing • Pulp Fiction? The Research Journal and Professional Development • How Would PhD Feel After Your Name?