What do New York State classroom teachers, specialists, school leaders, and pre-service teachers need to know about teaching English learners? This was the question we carefully considered as we developed the ALL4ELs professional development program. We decided to focus on several research-based frameworks so that teachers and school leaders would have more than strategies; instead, we wanted them to have a set of principles to implement in their unique contexts. As our first summer session comes to an end, and a new one begins, we reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going with ALL4ELs.
In the spring semester we focused on the Knowledge Building Instructional Cycle (Lesaux & Harris, 2015), and in the summer semester we adjusted our focus to the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2017). With Knowledge Building, our TESOL Scholars learned about integrating academic language and literacy across the curriculum; with SIOP, they learned specific lesson planning strategies to support integrated content and language development for English learners. The Knowledge Building framework encouraged a macro-level focus on curriculum and unit planning, while the SIOP framework brought a micro-level focus on each daily lesson and on lesson segments. We asked our TESOL Scholars to develop one SIOP lesson plan and classroom-ready instructional materials over the course of 4 weeks with attention to continuous improvement and revision to reflect new learning and understanding. In addition, we asked them to analyze this Topic Brief and articulate the ways the lesson they designed is aligned to the principles of Integrated ENL instruction from the Blueprint for ELL/MLL Success.
This diverse group of educational professionals rose to the challenge and responded to the new ideas we presented with inspiring enthusiasm and creativity. One new idea supported by the SIOP Model is spending time and energy developing both content and language objectives, presenting those to students at the start of class, returning to them during class to keep students focused, and then repeating them again at the end of class to assess students’ progress. For many of our TESOL Scholars, this changed their thinking on planning and instruction. In their reflective essay, one wrote, “I have always had content objectives. This was drilled into me throughout my undergrad and masters education programming. Yet the idea of language objectives was not approached. Yes, it is obvious that English language learners benefit from direct instruction in language but every student would benefit from language objectives in every content subject area because content-related vocabulary and well-developed literacy practices are a must for every child.” Another TESOL Scholar reflected, “Content and language objectives are not simply classroom decoration; however, they are a valuable tool that should be revisited often during a lesson to help keep instruction on track, remind students of expectations, and also serve as a tool towards students’ self-regulation and assessment of their own learning.”
Another SIOP feature that had our TESOL Scholars talking and thinking relates to engagement. Echavarria et al. (2017) propose that SIOP teachers should aim for students to be engaged, or actively learning, for at least 90% of the lesson. When we consider the consistent finding in research literature that teachers are still doing most of the talking in daily lessons (maybe more than 80% of the talking in some cases) this can be a major change for many teachers. One TESOL Scholar reflected on how the goal of 90% engagement affects the outcome of a lesson: “If my kids are engaged 90-100% of the time, I am not doing the talking. This allows me to circulate around the room – my co-teacher as well- and we can listen and see how our students are progressing.”
Our TESOL Scholars have also recognized the importance of culturally responsive teaching practices, which include four principles from NYSED’s Culturally Responsive Sustaining Education (CR-S) framework including Welcoming and Affirming Environment, High Expectations and Rigorous Instruction, Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment, and Ongoing Professional Learning and Support.
Their lesson plans and materials reflected these principles and demonstrated that they know how to apply them to their teaching practice. One TESOL Scholar wrote in their reflective essay, “I will hold fast to the knowledge that with strong supports, we can hold ELLs/MLLs to standards of high rigor and bear witness to their success. I had fallen victim to the idea that students need easier work, and that if they aren’t engaged it is because they just don’t want to do it. I know now – it is challenge they seek – and I can provide it and help them attain newfound success while encouraging their native cultural and linguistic growth.”
The ALL4ELs program is fortunate to have a learning community that includes elementary classroom teachers, middle and high school teachers of science, math, social studies, and ELA, specialists in special education, reading and literacy, speech pathology, and ENL, instructional leaders and district-level leaders, and also pre-service teachers just entering the field. This diverse group of educators benefits from the experiences of their peers as they learn with and from one another. One instructional leader of ENL and World Languages demonstrated how her experience benefits all as she succinctly explained what ENL instruction should look like: “ENL support is dynamic. It is not a simple translation of materials or homework help. It is a concerted effort made by a specialized teacher or through collaboration with a content area teacher and an ENL teacher to deliver lessons and support that are grade-level appropriate and foster language development.”
By bringing together Knowledge Building, SIOP CR-S, and, in the upcoming fall semester, Understanding by Design, we hope to integrate these frameworks so that all educators can support ELLs/MLLs (and all students) with rigorous, grade-level, and engaging instruction in grades K-12. We look ahead with great excitement to see what new understandings and insights our TESOL Scholars will bring to the table in this second summer session and in the upcoming school year.