OFFICE OF LANGUAGE LEARNING

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OFFICE OF LANGUAGE LEARNING SUPPORT
SERVICES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT VISION 2003-2006
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FEDERAL STATE CHALLENGES

•  No Child Left Behind and Question 2 transform
  the education of English Language Learners.
• Accountability the academic achievement of
  English Language Learners in all programs must be
  measured and reported.
• Programmatic Question 2 requires the
  introduction of Sheltered English Instruction as
  a program model.
• As a result of federal and state changes, the
  education of English Language Learners comes
  front and center requiring more attention and
  therefore more time.

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THE BPS CHALLENGE

• How does a district engaged in Whole School
  Reform with its sets of initiatives, priorities,
  timelines and evaluation tools, implement the
  Sheltered English Instruction model?

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THE OLLSS CHALLENGE

• Define a Professional Development Plan that takes
  into consideration
• Reform efforts currently in place
• Establish clear connections between second
  language learning and Whole School Reform, Six
  Essentials and curricular initiatives such as
  Readers and Writers Workshop.
• Time Constraints
• Offer an array of opportunities for professional
  development with principals/headmasters
  determining the timeframe.
• Existing Knowledge Base on Second Language
  Teaching and Learning.
• Determine knowledge base at school (teaching
  staff, resources, programs) and define plan
  according to schools needs.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

• The Office of Language Learning Support
  Services (OLLSS) puts forward a multi-year (3
  years) action research and professional
  development plan with the objective of creating
  in the BPS a shared knowledge base on second
  language acquisition.
• The OLLSS Professional Development Plan will be
  a collaborative one seeking to complement rather
  than replace or duplicate existing professional
  development initiatives in the district.

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GOALS

• Infusing instruction (pedagogy and content) in
  all classrooms with second language acquisition
  theories and practices.
• Implementing the Sheltered Instruction Model and
  Observation Protocol (SIOP).
• Disaggregating existing data on English Language
  Learners to inform instruction.
• Using school-based action research to inform
  professional development plan.

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ACTION RESEARCH

• District as Learning Organization
• Conceptualize district and schools as learning
  sites through which we examine programs and
  instruction to make changes in real time.
• Learning Sites
• Schools that have prepared plans and implemented
  effective practices that create the conditions to
  succeed academically. These are schools that
  learn from their own practice and from which we
  as a district can learn.
• Cohorts
• Schools that have chosen to collaborate with
  OLLSS in the implementation and analysis of the
  Sheltered Instruction Model. These schools will
  be invited to become Learning Sites next year.

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LANGUAGE ACQUISITION COACHES

• Demonstrate and assist in the implementation of
  the Sheltered English Instruction model in
  assigned schools as well as in workshops
  district-wide.
• Provide instructional leadership to literacy
  coaches district-wide focused on second language
  teaching-learning.
• Participate in the on-going OLLSS inquiry group
  focused on developing a cohesive professional
  development model, conducting action research and
  through research findings, modifying the
  professional development model to adjust and
  improve its effectiveness.
• Conduct special projects focused on areas such as
  articulating the interface among Readers and
  Writers Workshop, second language acquisition and
  Sheltered English Instruction. Projects involve a
  research component as well as an implementation
  proposal.

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Delivery Model 2003-2006

• Creation of Three School Cohorts Schools invited
  to participate
• Criteria for selection of cohorts schools which
  have a combination of high percentage and high
  numbers of English Language Learners (of total
  school population).
• Cohorts are balanced by levels elementary,
  middle and high school and by programs (for
  example, all Two-Way Bilingual Programs as well
  as SEI Multilingual will participate in the same
  cohort).

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SCHOOLS NOT IN COHORT I

• Principals and headmasters will be invited to
  participate in three training sessions on second
  language teaching and learning.
• When November 2003 February 2004 May 2004
• Principals and headmasters will receive Research
  Briefs which will disseminate findings from
  Learning Sites, First Cohort Schools and other
  sources.
• When Monthly

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DISTRICTS USE OF NATIVE LANGUAGE

• English acquisition and content instruction are
  the primary goals of Sheltered English
  Instruction.
• Native Language may be used as a tool to
  accelerate the learning of English as follows
• By Teachers
• Clarification of concepts and ideas
• Explanation of directions and instructions to
  guide instructional task
• Discipline and classroom related matters
• By Teachers Administrators
• Health, safety and welfare of students
• Communication with families
• By Students
• In class for instructional purposes
• In playgrounds and hallways

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Year I FocusContent Language Objectives

• Defining Content Language Objectives for ELLs
  Chapter 2
• Content Objectives need to be stated simply,
  orally and in writing, and they need to be tied
  to specific grade-level content standards.
• Language Objectives may focus on developing
  students vocabulary, reading comprehension
  skills, writing process, helping students to
  brainstorm, draft, revise, edit, and complete a
  text, functional skills (justifying opinions,
  negotiating meaning, providing detailed
  explanations) and higher order thinking skills
  (articulating predictions or hypotheses, stating
  conclusions, summarizing information and making
  comparisons).
• J. Echevarria, M. Vogt, D. Short. (2000).
  Making Content Comprehensible for English
  Language Learners. Boston Allyn and Bacon.
  (Chapters 1-4).

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Building Background Comprehensible Input

• Building Background Concepts Linked to Students
  Background
• Readers schema knowledge of the world
  provides a basis for understanding, learning, and
  remembering facts and ideas found in stories and
  texts. Children from culturally diverse
  backgrounds may struggle with comprehending a
  text or concept because their schemata do not
  match those of the culture for which the text was
  written. Chapter 3
• Comprehensible Input Appropriate Speech for ELLs
  
• Comprehensible Input should be measured to ensure
  that students are taking in and understanding
  what is being communicated. Chapter 4
• The teacher should
• enunciate and speak more slowly.
• repeat as needed particularly for beginners.
• avoid jargon and idiomatic expressions
• use gestures, body language, pictures, real
  objects to accompany their words.