Graduate School of Education and Human Development

Graduate School of Education and Human Development Cooperating Teachers’ Winter Institute

January 25, 2003

Sharing our Stories: Successes and Challenges in Educating English Language Learning (ELL) Students and Mentoring Teacher Interns

Institute Facilitators:

Mary Lou Henderson – Baileys’ Elementary – Fairfax County, VA

Sue Sherman – Bailey’s Elementary – Fairfax County, VA

Sandy Tevelin – Jefferson Middle – Arlington County, VA

Lisa Holm – Riverside Elementary – Fairfax County, VA

Marilyn Bart – Jeb Stuart High – Fairfax County, VA

Katy Pattarini – Cora Kelly Magnet – Alexandria, VA Markell Thorne – Cora Kelly Magnet – Alexandria, VA

GWU Institute Staff: Kristina Anstrom Patricio Sanchez Patricia Tate Nathalie Lahire

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Table of Contents

Introduction: You Too are a Teacher Educator! ................................................................ 3

Developing a Productive Relationship with your Teacher Intern – General Guidelines for

Laying a Foundation of Rapport and Trust......................................................................... 5

Teaching English Language Learning (ELL) Students – General Guidelines for

Mainstream Teachers .......................................................................................................... 7

Application Tools for SCHOOL-BASED TEACHER EDUCATORS.............................. 9

Tools for Developing a Relationship with Your Teacher Intern .................................. 10

Tools for Developing Trust with Your Teacher Intern................................................. 19

Tools for Preparing Your Intern for the Realities of Teaching..................................... 26

Tools for Working with an Intern Who is Struggling................................................... 37

Tools for Understanding University Expectations........................................................ 50

Tools for Developing Relationships with ELL Students’ Families .............................. 56

Tools for Assessing ELL Students................................................................................ 64

Tools for Instructing ELL Students .............................................................................. 71

Tools for Helping ELL Students Socialize and Adjust to the School........................... 80

Tools for Helping ELL Students with Special Needs................................................... 83

Suggested Readings .......................................................................................................... 89

Mentor Teacher Web Sites................................................................................................ 91

Websites for Teachers of English Language Learning (ELL) Students ........................... 92

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Introduction: You Too are a Teacher Educator!

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Dear Colleagues, Welcome to The George Washington University Cooperating Teacher Institute! This institute is sponsored by the Preparing All Administrators, Counselors, and Teachers to Work with Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students (PAACT) Project and the Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD), Office of Laboratory Experiences. We are fortunate to have funds to support school-based teacher educators who function as supervisors of teacher interns in collaboration with area universities to prepare teachers. This Institute will focus on areas that are currently problematic in the teacher education enterprise – challenges in mentoring/supervision of the teacher intern and challenges in teaching and mentoring new teachers to work with English language learning (ELL) students. With regard to mentoring and supervision, we recognize the inherent dilemmas of establishing a productive relationship with your intern. This requires that you both get something out of this experience that will help you be a better teacher. With regard to working with ELL students in the mainstream classroom, we recognize the dilemmas inherent in the multiple roles demanded of the teacher of mainstreamed ELL students. Managing these dilemmas requires an understanding of these various roles and the practices that will help you perform them. We offer the following frameworks for thinking about your various roles in mentoring and in working with ELL students: Framework for handling mentoring/supervision:

Focus on Learning – (your intern’s and your pupils) Orient Your Intern to the Context of your School and Classroom –

(Interns normally have UNREALISTIC expectations of what students in today’s classrooms are like. Interns need to be directed to focus on getting to know the pupils they will teach.) Take a Developmental Perspective – (Individuals process information at

different rates through different modalities. When learning something new for the first time it is best to proceed from CONCRETE TO ABSTRACT experience with a new phenomena or new area of learning.)

Framework for working with ELL students:

Facilitate content and language learning – (Effective mainstream teachers of ELL students plan and deliver content instruction that matches teaching strategies and materials with students’ language skills and content abilities.)

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Bridge the home and school’s cultures – (ELL students are not only learning a new language; they are also learning a new culture. Teachers who work with ELL students must take time to learn about their students’ cultural backgrounds and must attempt to understand the aspects of school/mainstream culture that differ from the students’ home cultures. Effective teachers of ELL students make use of the students’ language and cultural knowledge in the curriculum and instruction.) Advocate for ELL students – (Effective teachers of ELL students

collaborate with other teachers and administrators on ELL students' education. They make sure that ELL students’ needs are considered when new curricula are written and when new assessments are adopted.)

This booklet provides more specific guidelines for getting off to a good start. We hope that you find the topics and sample activities useful in assisting you with these very important roles. Sincerely, Patricia S. Tate Director, Office of Laboratory Experiences Kristina Anstrom Project PAACT – Project Director

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Developing a Productive Relationship with your Teacher Intern – General Guidelines for Laying a Foundation of Rapport and Trust

You Must BE Sensitive to Issues of Autonomy and Control: The dilemma inherent in the dynamic between you and your intern is that, as the supervising teacher, your intent is that your intern learns to teach effectively; however, you also need to be sure your pupils are not going to be shortchanged in the process. How will you know what your intern is ready to do so that you have trust that your pupils will engage in and learn the required curriculum? We suggest the following actions: Step One: Set aside TIME the first week your intern arrives to discuss the intern’s learning goals for the internship. Clarify what competencies and dispositions are to be documented for the university and assist the intern in aligning these to your own curriculum. This initial meeting should be focused on giving the intern ownership of their own learning within a framework of support and guidance that allows him/her to develop their teaching abilities and skills. Step Two: In planning a schedule of assignments with your intern proceed with GRADUAL assumption of responsibilities. Lay out the schedule in terms of weeks and the dates the intern will be taking on additional assignments, planning responsibilities and classes. The first assignments should focus your intern on getting to know your pupils and their development and academic needs. Please note that when the university supervisor visits, make sure the supervisor shares the plan developed with your intern. In addition, make sure that you confirm that it is acceptable. Step Three: Build in time to observe 20-30 minutes each week and have a post-observation conference to discuss what went well, what could be adapted or changed to better meet the learning goals for the pupils. Again focus on having the intern first reflect on what he/she thought about the lesson by asking first – What went well? What would you do differently? From this conversation take your cue to agree or add a different perspective or suggestion. Step Four: Keep notes of what competencies and dispositions you observe to help you to record and document your intern’s growth. Remember to relate these to the pre-defined learning goals for the experience. This will help you keep the internship focused as well as assure that you will have adequate data to write the final evaluation and recommendation letters. Step Five: At the midpoint mark of the internship ask your intern to self-assess his/her learning and professional growth in relation to his/her learning goals for the internship. Give the intern your perspective and judgment of how he/she is doing. If needed adjust the plan of activities and assignments to fit the intern’s learning needs. This may involve slowing the pace or giving the intern more challenge. Remember you want to find the right balance of challenge and continuity to keep the activities within the intern’s “zone

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of proximal development”. This is a “negotiated stance” between you, your intern, and your university supervisor. Note: If you have what is termed a “high maintenance intern” (i.e. see profile in website – www.gwu.edu/~cooptchr) and have great concerns regarding your intern’s progress and commitment to demonstrate agreed upon learning goals, a learning contract is recommended at the midpoint that specifies what the expectations will be for the intern to be recommended for teaching. This approach guards against surprises and misunderstanding about the final evaluation documents that must be prepared. Step Five: The final evaluation should be a time for self-reflection for you and your intern to identify what has been PRODUCTIVE FOR BOTH AS LEARNERS AND DEVELOPING PROFESSIONALS. Having an intern provides an opportunity for you to articulate your teaching practices and relate how these practices align with your knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning. Summarize strengths and needs of your intern supported with specific examples from data collected from your observations and discussions. Step Six: Begin a resource file of materials that will assist you in your role as a cooperating teacher. The appendix provides materials selected as samples of ideas, useful practice rubrics, and examples of how school based teacher educators can begin to develop a productive working relationship with their teacher interns.

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Teaching English Language Learning (ELL) Students – General Guidelines for Mainstream Teachers

You Must Learn New Roles: The dilemma in working with ELL students in a mainstream classroom is how to serve the needs of your ELL students, the needs of your native English-speaking students, and teach the curriculum of your grade level and/or content area. An additional dilemma is, as a cooperating teacher, you must also model and communicate these responsibilities to your teacher intern. A useful rubric for addressing these dilemmas, and one that can be shared with your teacher intern is offered below. In this rubric, roles of the mainstream teacher in working with ELL students are identified. They are also accompanied by questions that allow you and your teacher intern to self-assess your classroom practices as they relate to working with ELL students. Role One: Involve ELL Students in Content Learning.

Because ELL students have limited proficiency in English, they have difficulty learning in content area classes (e.g., math and science,) taught entirely in English. The most direct way of teaching content to ELL students would be through their native language, but that is not always a feasible option. Instead, you can use strategies that will help your ELL students learn content more successfully. Strategies, such as using graphic organizers and previewing vocabulary, prepare your ELL students for instruction. Avoiding the use of complex vocabulary and grammatical structures and slowing speech make instruction more comprehensible for ELL students. The consistent use of cooperative learning and a buddy system provides peer support for ELL students. Role Two: Facilitate English Language Learning.

All interactions between an ELL student and a native English speaker offer opportunities for the student to learn English. You can capitalize on these interactions by structuring them to help ELL students learn the English they need to function in your class. Many cooperative learning structures are excellent forums for ELL students to practice speaking, listening, and even reading and writing skills with their native English-

Do you specifically prepare your ELL students for content area lessons by introducing new concepts in a manner that is comprehensible to them? Do you modify your teaching so that your ELL students can understand the

content and complete assignments given to them? Do you provide peer support for your ELL students?

Do you provide structured opportunities for ELL students and native Englishspeaking students to speak English with one another? Do you avoid overt correction and replacement of your ELL students’ errors in

English and instead provide constructive feedback on the students’ use of English by expanding and extending what they say? Do you help students learn the language associated with the content you are

teaching?

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speaking peers. The teacher can also provide the ELL student with important feedback on the student's English usage in the classroom, the school hallway, or on the playground. For example, if the student says: "I think so he no come to school today," the teacher might respond: "Oh, you think he didn't come to school today.” In the classroom, you can help the ELL student learn the academic language related to literacy, particularly in the content areas you teach. Also teach ELL students the language that accompanies classroom routines so that they may become fully functioning participants in the classroom. Role Three: Help the ELL Student Socialize and Acculturate to the Mainstream School Community.

You can help ELL students adjust to school by making the school culture as explicit as possible, but in a non-threatening way. At the same time, students should be encouraged to maintain their home culture. Find opportunities for ELL students to compare and contrast their home country’s school culture with what they know about U.S. school culture. All teachers, administrators and counselors can also benefit from learning about the various cultures that ELL students represent. You can play an extremely valuable role in creating a truly multicultural environment in your school by giving a prominent place to ELL students' cultures in everyday school life. This means viewing every aspect of the curriculum from the perspective of other cultures. Role Four: Collaborate and Advocate for ELL Students.

All school personnel should focus on ELL students’ assets rather than just their problems. Advocacy is a collective effort to ensure that ELL students’ needs and rights are considered and integrated into all aspects of school life. Work closely with the ESL or bilingual teachers to find out as much as possible about your ESL students. Ask them for suggestions on working with particular students. When planning units and lessons, consider what your ELL students can offer to that unit or lesson. Are there items or resources they can bring from home that might enrich the material? In all aspects of your teaching be conscious of how what you do influences your ELL students.

Do you help ELL students understand the expectations of the mainstreamschool culture? Do you make use of your ELL students’ language and cultural knowledge in

your teaching? Do you find ways to involve ELL students’ parents in your school community?

Do you collaborate with teachers and administrators in your school to ensurethat ELL students’ needs are made a part of all curricular, instructional, andassessment decisions? Do you try to identify what ELL students bring to the classroom that can be

used in all students’ learning as well as their own learning?

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Application Tools for SCHOOL-BASED TEACHER EDUCATORS

Please consult our website: www.gwu.edu/~cooptcher for more information and guidelines related to mentoring, supervision, and teaching ELL Learners.

Cooperating Teacher/Mentor Roles:

Developing Relationships Developing Trust

Preparing the Teacher Intern for the Realities of Teaching

Assisting the Intern Who is Struggling

Understanding University Expectations

Roles in Working with ELL Students: Developing Relationships with ELL Students’ Families

Assessing ELL Students

Instructing ELL Students

Helping ELL Students Socialize and Adjust to the School

Helping ELL Students with Special Needs

Note: The examples presented are contributions of our Institute Facilitators. Where appropriate the sources of all materials are labeled. We are thankful to the many contributors including the school systems who are also supporting training and mentoring of school-based teacher educators.

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Tools for Developing a Relationship with Your Teacher Intern

One of the most important phases in developing a relationship with your intern involves how you start the experience. The process of starting the teaching internship experience requires that all participants acquaint themselves with the expectations of the university. It is wise to review materials sent out by the university that should provide information about your intern, their educational background, and the types of courses they have taken. Look over the internship handbook and target reading those areas that relate to expectations for your role as the cooperating teacher. This section provides ideas about the essential roles cooperating teachers perform in relating to the teacher intern and suggestions for developing a productive relationship with the intern.

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Developing a Relationship with Your Teacher Intern

Essential Roles of the Cooperating Teacher

• Prepare pupils for the intern’s arrival. It is suggested that cooperating teachers refer to their student teacher as a “teacher intern” or “helping teacher”. This term has more “clout” and legitimacy attributed to an adult who will be teaching your pupils rather than terms that use the words “student teacher”. Notes to parents should also be sent home informing parents that a teacher intern will be assisting in the classroom and teaching their children/adolescents.

• Create an atmosphere in which the intern has a definite feeling of belonging. Cooperating teachers should acquaint the intern with school policies and procedures and orient the intern to the school, faculty, staff, and the community.

• Plan a sequence of experiences that will ease the teacher intern from small group teaching to full responsibility for the classroom. Most university handbooks will have a suggested schedule for gradual immersion into teaching.

• Provide the intern with curriculum guides and instructional material; and access to student resources, audio-visual equipment and other materials; and, if possible, a desk or workspace.

• Acquaint the intern with the needs of the students, curriculum, and the various plans for instruction used in the school and classroom. This may require instruction in methods, techniques, and approaches used in your classroom or content area. Once interns have a grasp of the learning needs of your pupils allow him/her to experiment with teaching methods and classroom management techniques of their choosing.

• Provide feedback to the intern about their performance in formal conferences following an observation and in informal daily discussions. Notes or checklists reflecting what areas/competencies were addressed during feedback sessions should be kept as documentation of intern’s growth and used in writing the formal midpoint and final evaluations. Encourage the intern to reflect on their progress and participate in self-evaluation during post-observation conferences. Ask these questions first: “What went well for you? What did not go well? What will you do differently tomorrow?”

• Submit a copy of a progress report and final evaluation(s) to the university. Maintain communication with the university supervisor regarding the intern’s progress. Keep observation records and clarify how evaluation reports are to be done relative to documenting the intern’s progress. Participate in three-way conferences preferably at the mid-point and at the end of the internship experience. Address problems as soon as they arise.

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Negotiating Expectations – Steps in the Process

Negotiating Expectations - A model for how this process can be facilitated is included here as a reference. It provides a platform for delineating role expectations for each triad participant as supported by the literature on best practices in clinical supervision of the preservice student. (see some suggested references below that are available on our website – www.gwu.edu/~cooptcher) Step One: Focused conservation about the pupils that the intern will be working

with; curriculum to be taught; areas of strengths & needs regarding growth of intern

Step Two: Using information about the intern’s strengths and needs to assign specific content/ and pupils intern is to begin working with

Step Three: Plot out gradual assumption of responsibility for intern’s work schedule/ tasks/ assignments

Step Four: Discuss “nitty gritty” of how best tp work together to accomplish goals/ tasks/ assignments

Consider issues of Professionalism that include: a) giving the intern a sense of belonging in the classroom through involvement in

planning and teaching children with the cooperating teacher. b) providing a legitimate space where intern can operate effectively in their assigned

tasks. c) consideration of setting aside time for planning and talking together as well as

time to give each other the life-space to think/reflect and get ready for the children.

d) honesty and integrity in fulfilling responsibilities of a supervised internship. Step Five: Revisit this process again when ready to add a new task or assignment. Constructing a Professional Growth Plan – your overall goal here is to plan a productive experience from which you and your intern will feel rewarded because you both have learned new things. Your intern needs to understand what your classroom is like and what you expect him/her to teach. The growth plan is a way of assuring that you will be able to monitor progress and make adjustments when things need to change. To begin to assist your intern in construction of his/her plan begin with an informal conversation:

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• Discuss the nature of your classroom – your pupils, their needs, and your plans for what content areas you are responsible for covering during the period the intern is with you.

• Find out what content or curriculum your intern feels most comfortable with and start there.

• Learn about any previous experiences your intern has had in teaching, assessing learning, and conducting lessons.

• Consult the final evaluation formats for the university so that the intern can set goals that are related both to the curriculum to be covered and to the competencies the university expects an intern to apply.

• Plan for the intern to gradually start taking responsibility for one area. • Plan on adding additional areas each week until the intern has full

responsibility for planning and teaching your scheduled classes. • Use a blocked calendar to plot out general time frames within the period

that the intern will be with you.

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Template for a PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PLAN FOR THE TEACHER INTERN

(Developed by the Office of Laboratory Experiences – George Washington University) Name of University Program: _____________________________________________ Name of Intern: ________________________________________________________ School Placement Information: – School name, grade level, subject(s), dates of placement ______________________________________________________________ Cooperating Teacher (s): __________________________________________________ University Supervisor (s): _________________________________________________ Description of Responsibilities of the Intern for meeting school expectations: (Include whatever applies for your program) • school profile • class profile • other special assignments not related to teaching • collaborative teaching/working with other professionals in the classroom Description of Responsibilities of the Intern for meeting university assignments: (Include whatever applies for your program) • seminar meetings • portfolio • video taping • unit planning • other required assignments or courses University Expectations for completion of supervised internships: • professional growth plan negotiated with school/ cooperating teacher • university supervisor focused formal observations and conferences schedule • lesson / unit planning schedule • assessment and evaluation procedures • reflective writing • mentor/ cooperating teacher supervision commitments and documentation of their

observations/assessments/evaluations. Signature of Agreement between all participants in the internship, both university and school-based professionals.

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Developing a Relationship with Your Teacher Intern The following list provides you with ideas that will be helpful in developing a positive relationship with your teacher intern.

1. Establish attitude and enthusiastic willingness to work together and set goals; i.e.

open communication. 2. Encourage your teacher intern to experiment with a wide range of instructional

techniques.

3. Plan a program of experience covering all important phases of your teacher

intern’s responsibilities. 4. Plan opportunities to observe a variety of teaching styles and methods.

5. Provide cooperative help in planning the beginning teacher intern’s lessons early

in the program. A) How can a cooperating teacher assist? B) What format will be used?

6. Provide the teacher intern with cooperative, continuous, and specific feedback. 7. Provide the teacher intern with continuous practice in self-evaluation.

8. Provide continuous encouragement and support. 9. Establish a climate in which the teacher intern will develop a positive perception

of the profession and a commitment to lifelong learning.

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Role Expectations for Cooperating Teachers

The following table lists possible role expectations for cooperating teachers. Indicate in the Rank column, the ten job functions you think are most significant. Rank Job Function

Participate actively in seminars and in-service training for cooperating teachers. Develop a well-balanced program of teacher intern activities for the teacher-intern. Provide the teacher intern with suggestions for parent conference. Observe the teacher intern and give feedback as requested. Take the teacher intern for a tour of the community. Introduce the teacher intern to members of the administrative staff, co-teachers,

and other school employees. Encourage the teacher intern to attend one or two faculty meetings. Explain all school routines, rules, and policies. Show the teacher intern the physical set-up of the classroom, the school building,

and the school grounds. Inform the teacher intern of the aims and objectives of teaching in the school

district. Explain the overall plan of the course of study for each subject. Explain the principles related to certain teaching techniques. Show the teacher intern how daily or unit plans are prepared. Demonstrate for the teacher intern, the different methods or procedures of

teaching. Share with the teacher intern the information about the interests and abilities of the

pupils. Share with the teacher intern, teacher proven techniques of classroom

management. Instruct the teacher intern how to establish “close” rapport with pupils. Give precise guidance on how different types of teacher-made tests are prepared. Give the teacher intern detailed information as to how report cards, attendance

forms, and permanent records are prepared, used, and kept. Demonstrate operation and use of the different audio-visual equipment and office

machines. Recommend reference books, professional magazines. Share with the teacher intern the ideas, discoveries, and innovations in education. Assist the teacher intern in searching for valid principles that would support

his/her activities or teaching methods. Counsel the teacher intern about “proper” grooming and decorum in the classroom

(if necessary). Make the teacher intern aware of his/her voice, pronunciation, and level of

vocabulary. Evaluate the progress of the teacher intern. Hold scheduled conference periods with the teacher intern.

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Arrange for the teacher intern to observe other classrooms in the school building or district.

Help the teacher intern interpret and analyze his/her observation notes of other classrooms.

Keep a comprehensive record of the activities and progress of the teacher intern. Discuss the activities and progress of the teacher intern with the instructional

supervisor at regular intervals. Involve the teacher intern in extra-curricular activities that are sponsored jointly by

the school and the community. Explain to the beginning teachers the merits and demerits of the unsolved issues of

the profession (e.g., salary, scale, certification requirements, or grouping of pupils).

Clarify for the teacher intern the provisions of the teachers’ “code of ethics”. Encourage the teacher intern to join and participate in professional organization

conventions Encourage teacher intern to observe children at age levels above and below that to

which he/she is assigned. Assist teacher intern in arranging a field trip. Assist the teacher intern in constructing, giving, and interpreting tests. Explain to the teacher intern how to work with consultants and special teachers

(LD, ESL, and bilingual teachers, social workers, etc.) Accompany the teacher intern to home visits Show the teacher intern the best way to collect money for such purposes as lunch,

community activities, school pictures, etc. Be available before or after school. Act as liaison between teacher intern and administrative staff. Teach a demonstration lesson

Adapted in August 2002 from Garland, G., (1982). “Guiding Clinical Experiences in Teacher Education”.

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Providing Feedback to Students

Research has shown that children and adolescents are responsive to positive reinforcement and positive feedback when given in a timely way and connected to observed behavior. This means “on the spot”-catch them “being good” feedback that gives support, encouragement, and validation that they are doing something right. Beginning teachers may need to acquire some “scripts” for what to say during those “teachable” moments with groups and individual students. Here are some examples of appropriate words teachers can use in giving positive reinforcement. 1 We advise that specific examples describing the appropriate behavior be used in conjunction with these phrases to make the feedback authentic.2 The following examples are phrases to use in giving positive reinforcement for desired behavior. Fantastic! I’m happy to see you

working like that. You’re really improving.

Terrific! Keep working on it, you’re getting better.

I think you’ve got it now.

Tremendous! I’m proud of the way you worked today.

One more time and you’ll have it.

Super! That’s the right way to do it.

Wonderful!

You did that very well! You’re really learning a lot. I knew you could do it. Good remembering! Now you’ve figured it out. That’s the way to do it. It’s a pleasure to teach you when you work like that.

You’ve got your brain in gear today.

You’re doing beautifully.

You’re getting better every day.

You figured it out fast. That’s the way to do it.

You’re doing much better today.

You remembered!

Keep on trying!

Now that’s what I call a fine job.

Congratulations! Right on!

Congratulations! You got__ right.

You’ve just about mastered that!

You haven’t missed a thing.

1 Charles. Classroom Management & Discipline. 2 99 Ways to say “Very Good”. Report of the Faculty Workshop. Onondoga Central School System. Syracuse, New York, 1975.

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Tools for Developing Trust with Your Teacher Intern

It is recognized that the key to developing trust lies in communication. This is why it is important to do this effectively for “without clear, direct communication, the cooperating teacher cannot build a “non-threatening, healthy, and fruitful relationship” necessary to facilitate the intern’s growth as a professional (adapted from lectures by John L. Wallen, 1970). In the field of communication we recognize that the listener does not always hear the intended message of the speaker. Listeners and speakers can learn how to communicate by soliciting confirmation that the intended message is understood. In this section, you will find communication and feedback strategies and ideas for collecting objective data about the progress of your intern. An equally important facet of establishing trust with your teacher intern is being open about your beliefs about teaching. Added to this challenge is the process of uncovering how these beliefs relate to your teaching and learning. It will make a difference in your relationship if you can unearth these early, so that each of you will have an understanding of how you approach your teaching responsibilities. Included in this section are some activities to facilitate the mutual sharing of beliefs.

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Developing Trust

Giving Effective Feedback Wallen, (1970) specified five modes of response that facilitate good communication: 1. Asking Clarifying Questions – You may not be certain about the meaning of your teacher intern’s message. It may be unclear or have multiple meanings. You may respond to such a message by asking the intern to restate what she/he has said. For example: I’m not sure I understand…What was it you just said? 2. Paraphrasing – Do not assume you understand what the intern has communicated. Use paraphrasing to test out what you think the intern has said. For example: Do you mean that…? 3. Perception Checking – Remember people communicate feelings too. A percepton check should not express approval or disapproval of the intern’s feeling; but rather should convey how the feelings are understood. Again you need to check with the intern before assuming that they are feeling a certain way. For example: Cooperating Teacher – “I get the impression that you are bored. Am I

correct?” Teacher Intern – “No, it’s very hot in here and I’m uncomfortable. It really doesn’t have anything to do with you.”

Instead of: Cooperating Teacher – “Why are you so bored with me?” or “Why do

you get bored so easily?” In this example, you are assuming something before you have checked it out with the intern. And if the intern is bored it will give him/her an opportunity to let you know and help the two of you plan for ways to keep the intern more engaged. 4. Offering Information – The intern can respond to you by offering relevant information. Then you can relate this, clarifying the intended message. It is important when offering information that value judgments are not made. It is best to give possibilities for the intern to weigh and evaluate for him/herself. For example: “The situation you are concerned about might have been caused by one or two things…. First, the student might not be…. Second, the class may not have enough experience with…. So their behavior is natural in this instance.” 5. Active, Attentive Listening – this takes practice and is an essential communication skill. The key to active listening is to be responsive to your intern through facial expression, eye contact and responses that acknowledge your interest – “I see,” “Yes,” “Interesting” etc.

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Developing Trust

Developing trust with your intern requires good communication and effective feedback on their work. The chart below describes and provides examples of different ways to provide feedback on your intern’s work in the classroom. Remember that the most effective feedback provides objective data that supports evidence of effective teaching practices. Questions and inquiry also encourage reflection on teaching practices that were or were not effective for student learning.

Kinds of Feedback

Judgments/Advice Information about the Observer

Objective Data “Just the Facts Ma’am”

Questions Inquiring

The ending was really fun…. You presented yourself well. You did a great job representing your feeling with your body language. Don’t you think you should tell them what you want…? The story was captivating. You should have paused more for the punch line. It wouldn’t seem so long with more animation. You weren’t loud enough.

I thought it was believable. The way you explained that really got me hooked. You confused me when… I believed it because… I like the way you… I found a glitch in your directions. I liked the suspense.

You walked to the side of the room each time you mentioned the store detective. You stayed in one corner of the room—with Fran, Andy, and Greg’s group—from 9:10 to 9:17. You asked the students to “raise their left hand” if they could explain the intro. Karen and Phil raised their hands. Justin just called out, “He was crazy!” As I scanned the students’ faces all were looking right at you—but Margaret and Bill had a sort of frowning, puzzled look.

Was your position in the story a key part of telling the story? How do you decide which groups you need to get to first or stay with? What did you make of that? When you say you thought students were inattentive, what were you noticing? What were you hoping to see that would be evidence for you that students were really engaged?

Adapted from the Fairfax County Public Schools Great Beginnings Mentoring Course

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Developing Trust

Collecting Data in the Teacher Intern Observation

When you are the observer you have to think of yourself as Jack Webb from Dragnet-your job is to collect “the facts, Ma’am, just the facts.” Be sure to take the time in the planning conference to talk this through with your teacher intern so that the data will be matched to what the teacher intern wants to analyze after the observation. Here are several examples of the kinds of questions one might be interested in analyzing about his/her lesson and how the data might be recorded to support that analysis.

What the Teacher Intern Wants Data About

Method of Recording the Data

The teacher intern wants to examine: Are my directions

clear? What kind of

questions do I ask? Which attention

moves do I use? How do I check for

understanding? How do I respond

when students answer?

1. Literal Notes ….capturing in exact words or phrases what the teacher intern says…

“_________________”

Which students do I call on and/or how often do I call on each?

2. Seating or Floor Plan

xx x xx

xx x x x

Summary of Data Student name # of times

called on Mary 2 Jose 0

With whom do I spend time?

3. Seating or Floor Plan Number might be used in

1 4 9 6 8 2

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place of (x) to track sequence of who is called on or where teacher intern goes in what order.

3 11 12

Where am I checking in and/or where do I provide support while students are working?

….with Time 1 8:27 2 8:30 3 8:36 ….or Literal Notes

1. “Why should I put # here?”

2 “What should happen next?”

3 “What happens if…?”

How long do I wait after I ask a question?

4. Literal Notes & Slash Marks /= 1 second

“When did R cry for help?” / // Fiona “Why do you suppose…?” // Robin

How is time allocated in this period?

How long does the transition take?

Am I using 10-2 regularly?

How long do I teach before I check?

5. Literal Notes Time Notation in Margin

1: 37 “OK. Put books away.” “Yesterday…” “There are 3 things you

need…” 1:42 “The purpose of this activity….” “ Here is how to do it….” 1:44 (All students writing.)

Taken from Fairfax County Public Schools’ Great Beginnings Mentoring Course

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Developing Trust

Developing trust between the cooperating teacher and the intern requires that both discuss their beliefs about classroom practice and be open to differences. Discussing the kinds of classroom practices that might be associated with each of the beliefs below and your perspectives on these beliefs and practices is one way of opening the lines of communication and developing trust.

What Do You Believe?

Belief What classroom practices would we see to support this belief?

• Mistakes are a sign of weakness.

• Mistakes are an opportunity to learn.

• Speed is what counts. Smarter is faster.

• Care and perseverance count more than speed.

• Competition is necessary to motivate students and bring out their best.

• We learn best cooperating with others.

• Only the few bright students can achieve at a high level.

• Most students are capable of high achievement.

• Inborn intelligence is the main cause of success.

• Effort is the main cause of success.

Belief statements adapted from Jon Saphier, Research for Better Teaching.

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Developing Trust

Developing trust between yourself and your intern requires understanding each other’s beliefs about teaching and learning. The chart below compares traditional and brain-based teaching, and can serve as a starting point for examining and discussing differences in beliefs about teaching.

Which is Your Classroom? Elements of Orchestration Traditional Teaching Brain-based Teaching Source of Information Simple. Two-way from

teacher to book, worksheet, or file to student.

Complex social interactions, group discovery, individual search and reflection, role playing, integrated subject matter.

Classroom Organization Linear. Individual work or teacher directed.

Complex. Thematic, integrative, cooperative, work stations, individualized projects.

Classroom Management Hierarchical. Teacher controlled.

Complex. Designated status and responsibilities, delegated to students and monitored by teacher.

Outcomes Specified and convergent. Emphasis on memorized concepts, vocabulary and skills.

Complex. Emphasis on reorganization of information in unique ways, with both predictable and unpredictable outcomes, divergent and convergent, increase in natural knowledge demonstrated through ability to use learned skills in variable contexts.

Adapted from Bailey’s Elementary School, Fairfax County School District, Virginia Staff Development Handout.

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Tools for Preparing Your Intern for the Realities of Teaching

Once your intern begins, there will be many surprises for him/her regarding what students and schools are like. Every school has its individual culture and dynamic. Students also have diverse needs for which the teacher intern may not be prepared. Some supportive information is provided here to help you mentor your intern concerning common problems associated with learning to teach. These include classroom management, effective communication with students, understanding learning styles and reading strategies. In addition, interns often need strategies for learning about students (i.e., how they learn, individual needs and interests, etc.). This section provides resources and strategies for acculturating your intern to the school and the students they will teach.

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Preparing Interns for the Realities of Teaching Classroom Management: Most cooperating teachers pinpoint classroom management as a normal problem for teacher interns. It is also normal for your intern to try to copy or emulate your management style. Your intern should be encouraged to experiment and find a style of management that feels right. You can encourage your intern to integrate ideas from you and other colleagues; but ultimately your intern must go through a process of adapting these to fit their personality and comfort level. What is important is that your intern understands that this is what he/she should be doing. Interns may be afraid to take risks and do things differently or he/she may think that by doing things differently it would offend you. Please be open and assure your intern that they can try on different ways of approaching management of classes. Be clear also about the rules etc. that must be maintained so that behavioral expectations in your classes are consistent We often receive this question from cooperating teachers - What does the university expect? The university does provide curriculum that addresses the different theories of classroom management and does assist the teacher candidate in synthesizing these to develop a personal system that meets their needs and aligns with their teaching philosophy. In general, most teacher preparation programs emphasize “proactive” rather than “reactive” approaches to classroom management. However, it can be argued that the development of these “personal proactive classroom management systems” occurs before a teacher candidate has had enough experiences in real classrooms. We know too, from the extensive research in this area, that expertise in managing classrooms develops overtime in a teacher’s career and is dependent on many contextual, situational factors inherent in a particular classroom, school, and community. Thomas Lasley (1994) identifies the limitations of university programs that introduce teacher candidates to eclectic, exclusive, and ecological approaches to classroom management. Thomas Lasley (1994) maintains: New teachers enter classrooms and face a multitude of complex instructional dynamics. One of the most perplexing and difficult dimensions of classroom teaching focuses on how teachers learn to manage classroom behavior. All too often preservice teachers learn more “knowledge about” classroom management than they do “knowledge how” to actually deal with classroom problems. The reason for this circumstance is simple: preservice teachers experience an information overload without concomitant experiential opportunity to use what they know. Lasley emphasizes that teacher candidates need mediated experiences in order to synthesize and develop their own proactive plans. He maintains, that it is unrealistic to expect the novice to handle all the complexities of a classroom. Time and experience with real life in schools is necessary for the development of what an experienced teacher can do in deciding quickly how to respond to a particular misbehavior of a student or a class of students. Lasley recommends starting with “concrete” application experiences to assist the intern in learning how to manage a class. He proposes that classroom management training focus on the following skills:

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Skill #1 – An ability to develop and implement specific classroom rules – This is where a cooperating teacher can model and explain how she/he taught specific rules. Teacher interns need to learn how to explain, rehearse, and provide feedback to students about student compliance with both workable rules like “sitting in your seat” and more abstract ones like “showing respect.” Skill #2 – An understanding of when and how to use both low and high profile desists in dealing with student misbehavior. Low profile desists (e.g. proximity control) address student misbehavior without drawing attention to the misbehavior (Rhine, 1985, as cited in Lasley, 1994). High profile desists are teacher responses that focus on stopping misbehavior. (e.g. in calling name of misbehaving student, other students are distracted off-task). Experienced teachers know how to balance these desists so that they are “situationally appropriate” (p. 15). The teacher intern may need some concrete window that shows how he/she is dealing with classroom management. Lasley proposes that the cooperating teacher observe using an observational framework developed by Good and Brophy (1994) that captures low profile and high profile desists. This framework helps the cooperating teacher code – the type of teaching situation, type of misbehavior, type of teacher response, and type of student response. Giving an intern concrete data helps them grasp what they need to do in order to improve their handling of classroom behavior. The framework is included in the article referenced below and is available on our website. Skill #3 – An ability to use parents as a resource in dealing with chronic severe misbehavior. Lasley contends that preservice teachers need to understand that “misbehavior is a student response to a teacher-defined situations and to a school-based context (p.17)”. Lasley contends that student misbehavior is purposeful; misbehavior is based on a need usually for attention, power, or revenge. With extreme behavior problems parents should be seen as a positive option, rather than the “last resort”. Lasley provides a guideline to use with a teacher intern in developing a parent contact strategy including how to phrase their concerns. As an experienced teacher you can add your own “scripts” and tips to how you handle parent contacts. You can also model by letting an intern be with you when you need to contact a parent about a student’s classroom behavior. A form for directing parent contact is provided in the article.

*Reference: Lasley, T.J. (1994). Teacher technicians: A new metaphor for new teachers. Action in Teacher Education, XVI (1), 11-19. Rapport with students: Be aware that having an intern will affect the relationships you have established with your class. Establish good rapport with your intern and take initiative in helping your intern establish appropriate relationships with your pupils. Here are some tips:

Establishing rapport between an intern and your pupils begins with the intern learning about the pupils they will be teaching and about the “big picture” of the school in which they are working (i.e. demographics and how these influence adaptation and focus of the curriculum). Providing information about your school

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and opportunities to learn about the community and your individual students are essential.

Making suggestions to the intern for how they can begin to interact with, assess,

and help your students can be a specific assignment given to your intern the first week. Don’t be afraid to model for your intern how you assess needs and the types of data you collect everyday that inform your grading decisions. Let your intern observe you while you do informal assessments or watch how you grade papers using a rubric. Think out loud as you do this so your intern can observe and process how teachers think when they assess and evaluate. This will help your intern when he/she confers with pupils and assists them with their assignments.

How you introduce your intern to your class is very important in helping them

achieve a good rapport. We recommend introducing the individual as a teacher intern rather than using an out dated term – “student teacher”. Once your pupils hear the word “student” they may perceive that this person has limited status and authority because they are called students not teachers. “Teacher intern” provides “teacher” in the attributes associated with this new individual in the classroom. Providing a special time for students to introduce themselves to your intern is also invaluable as a way of introduction. You can use this time for each pupil to share something about himself/herself and give your intern an opportunity to do the same.

We suggest also that you attend to how you interact with your intern in front of

your pupils. How you address them and solicit their assistance is key. It is recommended that each day you discuss and clarify your understandings of what the intern will do that day as the intern assumes more responsibility for the activities of your class. Again it is wise to initiate some “true” team teaching as you transition your intern to taking over your class. This means each of you are taking equal responsibilities in teaching a lesson and assisting one another.

This dynamic feeds into a healthy productive learning climate for you and your pupils; however, it requires preplanning and time to discuss what each of you will be responsible for.

What follows are guidelines and prompts you can use in mentoring your intern to work effectively with the pupils in your classroom(s).

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Preparing Interns for the Realities of Teaching

The beginning of the school year can be a time of confusion for the teacher intern. You may want to discuss the suggestions below with your intern to give him/her a sense of what he/she would need to know as a new teacher. You may also advise your intern to follow some of these procedures during the first week at school.

Off to a Good Start Adaptation of George W. Grube’s guidelines. 1. Briefly review the school’s guide or handbook. 2. Learn fire-drill procedures and post the permanent directions for evacuation in your classroom. 3. Learn the details of recording attendance, sending reports to the office and filing student excuses. Review the school calendar for the upcoming year. 4. Learn the class schedule and “tardiness procedures.” 5. Find out what auxiliary personnel are available, e.g. nurse, psychologist, speech, or hearing specialists. 6. Become familiar with the school library and texts available to your students. 7. Learn the AV and computer equipment/materials to which you have access, and their location in the school. 8. Learn the disciplinary philosophy of the school and procedures to follow for severe discipline problems, expulsion, suspension, and willful destruction of property. 9. Find out where you obtain supplies and what is available to teachers. 10. Learn procedures, such as lunch, recess, etc. 11. Check-out policies concerning hall traffic, playground rules, and assembly procedures. 12. Get acquainted with the school secretary. Learn the policies for copying materials and whether staff will assist teachers with their copying. 13. Check what professional periodicals are available to you. 14. Learn the procedures for having repair work done. Become acquainted with custodial staff.

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15. Examine the curriculum guides for your teaching area. Check their content with regard to the texts you are using, e.g. continuity, age levels, etc. 16. Learn the homework policies of the school. 17. Check on policies regarding substitute teachers and the responsibilities you have in preparing lessons for them. 18. Ask about policies regarding lesson plans and submitting plan books. 19. Find out the procedures for when you are ill and unable to report to work. 20. Investigate school record forms including report cards, student folders and filing tests throughout the year. 21. Find out the policies for school parties, field trips, and securing of parental permission forms for these activities. 22. Learn what enrichment or remedial materials are available to students. 23. Check the school’s policy concerning workbooks, how they are obtained, and whether they are expendable items or not. 24. Become acquainted with the teachers in adjacent rooms and those teaching on the same level. 25. Learn the procedures for requesting “personal days,” and other pertinent practices as regards personnel matters in your school system. 26. Learn the faculty evaluation procedures of the school and what will be expected of you during the course of the year in this regard. 27. Determine what is required of faculty: re: attendance at PTA meetings, playground/hall duties bus monitoring, school assignments, or extra curricular activities. 28. Review the class list(s)—check on names, phone numbers, addresses, special family problems. 29. Learn the students’ abilities by checking standardized test results and permanent record card notations. 30. Tour the school to become familiar with its facilities and equipment. Sometimes simple walking tours will give a “feel” for the school and acquaint you with much you would not otherwise observe.

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Preparing Interns for the Realities of Teaching

Communication Techniques for Teachers

Interns should learn that effective instruction begins with effective communication skills. Discuss these techniques with your intern.

• Know names of students within the first few weeks of school. • Greet all students with a friendly hello. • Send a note during the summer to parents of your new students, or make a

telephone call. Introduce yourself, extend an invitation to call or email questions, and indicate you are looking forward to having the student in your class.

• During the year, send “happy grams”, email, or make telephone calls to note a student’s improvement in academics, behavior, or attitude.

• Don’t use old or unclear handouts/worksheets. Parents are not impressed with a student’s work they can’t read.

• Keep parents informed about anything new or different in the classroom, i.e. projects with extra homework, long-term assignments requiring special work and techniques such as contract teaching.

• At the end of the class day, review with students what they have done. This helps them respond to parent’s questions about “What did you do in school today?”

• Communicate in simple language, not educational jargon. • Treat all classroom aides and volunteers with respect and appreciation. Make

certain there is a real need for help and that any job is clearly defined before asking for a volunteer.

• Be alert to special classroom projects that warrant newspaper activity. • If a student is absent for two consecutive days, call the home. • Correct papers with comments and correction marks that can be understood. • Never discuss other students with parents or students. • Extend yourself to students who need extra help with a flexible schedule for after-

school or before-school meetings. This is particularly important on the high school level.

• Don’t “pass the buck.” Accept responsibility of the teacher’s role as a representative of the school district and don’t blame procedures, policies, etc., on administration or the school board.

• Be informed about school issues. • Contact parents whenever there is a problem. Contact with a spirit of cooperation

to work on the problem together, not with anger and disgust. • In meeting with parents, focus on solutions, not problems. • Have a convenient suggestion box for parents and students. • Arrange displays of student work in the community-banks, libraries, etc. • Start a monthly class newsletter to parents. • Return all phone calls and respond to all notes promptly! Prepared by: Shirley M. Clement, community information coordinator, Madison Public Schools, Madison, Wisconsin.

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Preparing Interns for the Realities of Teaching This activity will help your intern understand and observe students’ individual styles of learning based on Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. It is important to encourage children to explore and exercise all of their intelligences. Creating a rich, nurturing, and stimulating environment filled with interesting materials, toys, games, and books lays the foundation for healthier, happier, and brighter children. Below you will find a chart outlining some characteristics of the different intelligences and ways to exercise them and develop them. Characteristics Examples of activities Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence

Involves reading, writing, speaking, and conversing in one's own or foreign languages.

It may be exercised through reading interesting books, playing word board or card games, listening to recordings, using various kinds of computer technology, and participating in conversation and discussions.

Logical/Mathematical Intelligence

Involves number and computing skills, recognizing patterns and relationships, timeliness and order, and the ability to solve different kinds of problems through logic.

It may be exercised through classifying and sequencing activities, playing number and logic games, and solving various kinds of puzzles.

Visual/Spatial Intelligence Involves visual perception of the environment, the ability to create and manipulate mental images, and the orientation of the body in space.

It may be developed through experiences in the graphic and plastic arts, sharpening observation skills, solving mazes and other spatial tasks, and exercises in imagery and active imagination.

Bodily/Kinesthetic Intelligence

Involves physical coordination and dexterity, using fine and gross motor skills, and expressing oneself or learning through physical activities.

It may be exercised by playing with blocks and other construction materials, dancing, playing various active sports and games, participating in plays or make-believe, and using various kinds of manipulatives to solve problems or to learn.

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Musical Intelligence Involves understanding and expressing oneself through music and rhythmic movements or dance, or composing, playing, or conducting music.

It may be exercised by listening to a variety of recordings, engaging in rhythmic games and activities, and singing, dancing, or playing various instruments

Interpersonal Intelligence Involves understanding how to communicate with and understand other people and how to work collaboratively.

It may be exercised through cooperative games, group projects and discussions, multicultural books and materials, and dramatic activities or role-playing.

Intrapersonal Intelligence Involves understanding one's inner world of emotions and thoughts, and growing in the ability to control them and work with them consciously.

It may be exercised through participating in independent projects, reading illuminating books, journal-writing, imaginative activities and games, and finding quiet places for reflection.

Naturalist Intelligence Involves understanding the natural world of plants and animals, noticing their characteristics, and categorizing them; it generally involves keen observation and the ability to classify other things as well.

It may be exercised by exploring nature, making collections of objects, studying them, and grouping them.

Taken from: Dickinson, D. (1999). Learning Through Many Kinds of Intelligence. Available [online] http://www.newhorizons.org/art_lrnthrumi.html

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Preparing Interns for the Realities of Teaching The following activity can help your teacher intern to observe and evaluate a student’s reading. After the checklist has been completed, discuss it with your teacher intern.

Students’ Reading Strategies Assessment Teacher:____________ Student:____________ Date:______________

Strategies Observable Behaviors ▲ Searching Looks at picture, heading, or graphics Reads on to gain message or language structure Rereads to gather the message/language

structure

Forms with the mouth or says the initial letter sound

Looks for letters, chunks, familiar or known words

Looks for familiar word in previously read text Makes another attempt Predicting Tries a word that makes sense, is structurally

correct, and/or is visually similar

Self-Monitoring Matches voice to print (1 to 1) Notices something is wrong---Comments or

stops

Appeals to help by asking or looking at teacher Crosschecks one source of information with

another

Makes another attempt Looks back Repeats word Self-Correcting Tries a different word Substitutes the correct word for an error Self corrects at a rate of 1:5 or better Confirming Rereads a word, phrase, sentence, or page to

check on self

Looks at the picture after reading Rereads a word slowly

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Preparing Interns for the Realities of Teaching The following suggested activities would be a valuable part of the teaching internship experience. A cooperating teacher may choose to check off each activity as it is completed.

Instructional Responsibilities for Early Childhood Education • Plan and assemble a bulletin Board • Read a story aloud • Teach a new indoor game in a

content area to a small group (i.e., spelling, math, reading, etc.)

• Teach a new indoor game in a content area to a large group (i.e., spelling, music, social studies, science, etc.)

• Facilitate a transition of subjects • Incorporate manipulatives into a

lesson • Demonstrate the use of simulation • Develop the use of simulation • Organize a field trip, if possible • Participate in a team teaching

experience • Assume total planning and teaching

for at least two weeks

Instructional Responsibilities in Middle Grades • Plan and assemble a bulletin board • Conduct a new learning activity or

game in a small group • Conduct a new learning activity or

game in a large group • Facilitate a transition of subjects • Maintain individual anecdotal

records • Incorporate manipulatives into a

lesson • Demonstrate the use of simulation

• Develop a complete unit in a specific subject area

• Organize a field trip, if possible • Participate in a team teaching

experience • Assume complete responsibility for

planning and teaching at least two weeks

• Monitor and guide individual (and group) behavior

• Observe mainstream setting, if possible

• Implement effective group problem-solving

Instructional Responsibilities in Secondary Education • Facilitate a transition of subjects • Incorporate manipulatives into a

lesson • Demonstrate the use of simulation

• Develop a complete unit in a specific area

• Assume total planning and teaching at least two weeks

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Tools for Working with an Intern Who is Struggling

As you engage in mentoring and supporting the developing teacher you will find that each one is an individual with varying needs and each one brings a different personality and perspective to your classroom dynamic. These interns do not pose insurmountable challenges. They only require careful attention to surfacing of philosophical differences and preferred ways of responding and interacting with you and your students. Some interns however, pose more serious problems that can raise concerns about their suitability to a teaching career as well as their real commitment to the profession. High maintenance students/teacher interns are those who experience extreme difficulties in satisfactorily meeting the criteria for successful completion of field experiences or teaching internship requirements. Many from this group have to complete individualized remediation plans designed in collaboration with the teacher intern, cooperating teacher, and university supervisor before being able to continue in the program or be recommended for licensure. Sometimes referred to as operating in a “marginal” capacity these interns need to know early in their placement about any concerns that their experience is not progressing at a rate that will allow for successful completion. The remediation plan should build on the original professional growth plan laid at the beginning of the internship and focus on no more than three areas in which the intern needs to show better progress. General areas where HMI may need assistance include: acquiring new content knowledge; working on better communication skills and professional dispositions; and attending to health issues that may be impeding ability to assume full responsibilities of a teacher (Benson, Larson, and Nierenberg, 1997). These characteristics are also aligned with the research on those at risk for failure (Knowles & Sudzina, 1992 & 1994). The demarcation between failure and remediation lies in making the high maintenance intern aware of the areas where he/she needs to show growth and initiative. This section describes the characteristics of an HMI and provides concrete suggestions for helping the struggling intern plan and carry out instruction, complete administrative tasks, and work with parents.

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Working with the Intern Who is Struggling

Characteristics of and Tips for Working with the Intern Who is Struggling

We use some general rules of thumb in deciding whether an intern is “salvageable” or whether some serious counseling guidance is needed and actions taken to lay a foundation for assisting the intern’s choice of a more suitable career option. Salvageable as a term means the “act of saving something (e.g. in this case the intern) from destruction or waste.” In our case, we refer to this type of intern as a “high maintenance intern” or what we call HMI. High maintenance interns need more intense mentoring and focus on specific areas where improvement is warranted in order for professionals to feel confident that intern is progressing appropriately in their development as a novice. The second type of struggling intern is one where there are serious doubts about whether the intern has the qualities and contextual supports deemed essential for a teacher in training including personal commitment, specific teaching skills – such as planning and classroom management, teaching presence, medical issues and family responsibilities. These interns are deemed “at risk for failure” and may begin as high maintenance types who are not inclined or able to make it through the remediation process. Information about some defining characteristics of these types of students and ways to address their difficulties follow. The chart below summarizes these identified characteristics that have been found to relate to types of high maintenance interns/student teachers. List of Common Characteristics of Potential High Maintenance Students (Benson & Larson, 1995) Intellectual Qualities Below average basic skills Inadequate content knowledge Poor written and oral communication skills Lack of ability to demonstrate reflective

thinking Inability for independent problem solving Low ability to express realistic self-

analysis Inability to express thoughts Personality Traits Lack of self-confidence Non-assertive behaviors & lack of initiativeApathy Low display of energy Lack of sense of humor Unwilling to take risks Unrealistic perceptions of self-efficacy Lack of enthusiasm & motivation Negative attitude Inability to manage mood swings Immaturity Inflexibility Self-centeredness Frequent procrastination Frequent sarcasm

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Health Conditions Medical concerns: medication, illness, fatigue

Emotional instability or depression

Inability to deal with stress Substance abuse Poor hygiene Teaching Skills Lack of organization Poor time management Ineffective classroom management Inability to stimulate & maintain discussionDifficulties in planning & evaluation/assessment

Inadequate pacing of lessons

Low ability to create and/or implement instructional activities

Inability to identify & seek out resources for professional development

Failure to internalize complex demands of teaching –not able to see “the big picture”

Insensitive to the academic and/or affective needs of students

Inability to stimulate students’ high level thinking

Rarely uses educational technology

Unwilling to vary teaching methods Materials unprofessionally prepared Inability to understand interdisciplinary planning

Inadequate pedagogical content knowledge

Professional Dispositions Lack of perception of self in teacher role Lack of commitment Irregular attendance to seminars, methods courses, and practicum

Poor interpersonal relations with students and other professionals

Inappropriate professional judgment Unprofessional ethics Unaware of and/or resistant to similarities and differences amount various ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and economic groups

Lack of persona educational philosophy

Inability to create a functional learning community

Little conceptual framework to make connections between theory & practice

Insensitive to current issues of special education and special needs students

Not collaborative or collegial

Does not realistically self evaluate Inability or unwillingness to change Unprofessional language Some tips to make your job easier when working with an intern of this sort follow. These are adapted from an ATE workshop (1997) given by Benson, Larson and Nierenberg – titled “Working with High Maintenance Clinical Experience Students: Cutting Edge Strategies to Support Success”.

Document every thing in writing – a journal is recommended for this Let the intern know early about your concerns and give intern a chance to respond

in terms of how they expect to show evidence of growth in these “concern” areas. Give specific guidelines for what intern needs to do first, second, third etc. Consult with university supervisor – request more visits & time to meet alone and

with the intern. Remediation plans should be developed collaboratively.

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Be very direct with feedback to the intern (focus on giving “concrete” ideas and experiences through modeling and through thinking out loud as you plan for and reflect on your teaching). Build trust by being consistent and working on a few realistic areas at a time. Monitor and provide feedback daily to the intern regarding their progress. Try not to overburden intern with too many things to attend to – set limit of no

more than three areas. If these are achieved, than move on to another set. Do not add more goals until the most serious areas have been addressed.

There are many types of “remediation plans”. These should build on and extend in more focused ways on the original professional growth plan started when you began this experience with your intern.

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Working with an Intern Who is Struggling

Planning

• Assist the teacher intern in developing a teacher intern action plan indicating specific goals to reach throughout the year.

• Listen to the instructional concerns of the teacher intern.

• Meet weekly (regularly) for planning sessions.

• Share sample yearly personal goals.

• Review school system expectations as outlined in the program of studies and state

and local standards.

• Review procedures for writing lesson plans.

• Assist in adapting plans for instruction to meet individual needs of students.

• Explain the Language Arts Program and how it is integrated into daily plans. (elementary)

• Review teacher technology standards and the technology plan for your school.

• Give a tour of the computer lab.

• Review a sample daily schedule for your school. Explain the master schedule as

it relates to planning and delivering instruction.

• Review teacher intern lesson plans and student assessments.

• Share materials, lesson plans, and learning activities.

Managing Instruction

• Observe a teacher intern teaching. • Videotape a lesson for reflection and self-evaluation.

• Help with pacing.

• Provide tips on grouping of students.

• Model teaching strategies that would be helpful.

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• Set-up observations with outstanding teachers who reflect a variety of teaching styles.

Providing Assistance/Modeling

• Suggest routines and procedures that would help teacher interns during the year. • Make time to share teaching ideas.

• Suggest materials appropriate for use with students.

• Help teacher intern prepare an emergency kit for a substitute.

• Share projects that relate to objectives that have been successful in your

classroom. Let teacher interns use them as a model (i.e. book reports, science projects, pre-made centers).

• Share resource files.

• Co-teach with the teacher intern a lesson that you have planned together. Debrief

the lesson and the impact that it made on students.

• Set up mutual observations and conference together. Reflect on the lesson and determine good ideas to apply in the teacher intern’s classroom.

• Serve as a sounding board for their ideas. Encourage some risk taking.

• Engage in conversations about teaching and solicit teacher intern’s questions.

Help teachers reflect on the impact of their lessons. Assessment

• Help teacher intern locate student records and discuss their contents.

• Explain county grading policies and give specific information on grading system or software used in your school.

• Show ways of assessing work without pencil and paper.

• Share assessments techniques and record keeping strategies.

• Provide tips on how to keep a grade book and (if applicable) how to use a

computerized grade book.

• Help with evaluation of student material and rubric development.

• Assist new teacher in preparing progress reports.

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Getting to Know the School

• Provide: School profile, map of building, important schedules, key people in the building, location of materials, school procedures, rules, etc

• Assist teacher intern in locating needed supplies.

• Show teacher intern where to park.

• Inform teacher intern of telephone usage rules.

• Discuss “unwritten” important school policies, and make the teacher intern aware

of the administrative philosophy of the school.

• Protect teacher interns from the sole responsibility of club sponsorship.

• Introduce teacher interns to key people in the building and explain the roles of specialists and how they support teachers.

• Explain the system’s teacher evaluation system.

• Review staff handbook.

• Make up a school calendar to alert the teacher intern to important dates and

events.

• Interpret school policies and regulations.

• Help teacher intern prioritize his/her needs

• Tour the school and show teacher intern how to use equipment and get supplies.

• Assist teacher intern in planning for Open House and Back-to-School Night. Getting to Know the Community

• Take teacher intern on tour of the neighborhood to help him/her get a perspective on student home environment.

• Share demographic information about your school as published in School Profile.

• Include biographical sketch of the teacher intern in the first edition of the

school/community newsletter.

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Networking With Colleagues

• Include teacher intern in the social network of the school.

• Accompany teacher intern to social functions.

• Introduce teacher intern to other faculty members.

• Include teacher intern in conversations at faculty and team meetings; asking for their opinions and suggestions

• Encourage team members to assist teacher interns in room set up.

• Encourage teacher intern to join organizations and to participate in professional

growth opportunities.

• Take teacher intern to the professional library and Teacher Material Preparation Center.

Helping Teacher Interns as They Accomplish Administrative Tasks

• Put reminders of important administrative tasks on their desk a day or two before they are due.

• Help set up an administrative file. Make the intern aware of administrative duties

so that he/she feels comfortable addressing the issue but does not devote excessive time to these tasks.

• Show how to order supplies and films.

• Give a checklist of how to plan and organize for field trips for the year.

• Go over all nitty-gritty details associated with teaching. Attendance procedures,

monitoring halls between classes, administrators’ expectations, discipline procedures, and fire drills.

• Share with them any organizing “systems.”

• Explain acronyms and jargon.

• Show them how to set up a substitute folder.

• Help develop organizational systems and routines.

• Work with them on prioritizing duties and responsibilities.

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• Explain curriculum/plan of study guides.

• Help them with bulletin boards.

• Show how to do housekeeping tasks.

• Provide information on standardized testing.

Helping Teacher Interns as They Work with Parents

• Support the teacher in working with parent concerns. • Share ideas on how to make a positive impression with parents at Open House

and Back-to-School Night.

• Talk about unique features of parent conferences with special needs studtns (ESL, G/T, LD).

• Suggest ways to handle difficult parent conferences.

• Show teacher intern how to document a problem situation before bringing it to the

attention of a parent.

• Share examples of letters to parents.

• Work with teacher intern on how to write a note home to parents.

• Encourage teacher intern to invite an administrator or specialist to attend difficult parent conferences.

• Encourage the teacher intern to communicate with parents early in the school year

to establish a positive partnership (phone call or introductory letter). Helping Teacher Interns as They Gain Student Cooperation

• Suggest strategies for establishing a successful, positive learning environment. • Share behavioral strategies for starting the school year.

• Discuss various behavior management techniques.

• Give teacher intern time to discuss problems and think through classroom

management decisions.

• Help teacher intern establish classroom rules.

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• Help teacher intern develop a plan for working with difficult students.

• Stress flexibility when a problem occurs-advise to go back and take another look.

• Relate behavioral problems you’ve had and how you’ve solved them.

• Encourage them to seek help early before problem snowballs.

• Comment on positive behavior situations noted in hall, lunchroom, library, and recess.

• Encourage teachers to keep anecdotal records on difficult students. Document

behavior problems and strategies the teacher has implemented to alleviate the problem.

• Discuss referral procedures for special needs students.

Adapted in August 2002 from the Fairfax County Public Schools’ Great Beginnings Mentor Program Guidebook.

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Working with an Intern Who is Struggling

Interns who are struggling often have difficulty seeing beyond the challenges of the immediate situation. All interns, but particularly those who are struggling, need to be reminded that good teaching is more than just implementing certain techniques and practices. Good teaching is supported by sound beliefs that guide practice. The staff at Bailey’s Elementary School have provided some of the beliefs they view as important and examples of the practices that support those beliefs. In your work with interns who are struggling, you may want to discuss with them one of these beliefs each week and some of the practices that occur in your school to support it.

A. We Believe and Honor Parents as Children’s First Teachers. We Strive to Build

Strong Home, School, and Community Partnerships. How are We Practicing this Belief?

• Encouraging parent participation

in curricular activities—walk for the homeless, field days, etc.

• Having teachers that speak more than one language

• Home visits • Walking kids home • Newsletter • Family nights—Family stories,

family math, family literacy, Back-to-school night

• Parenting classes • Spanish Reading Club

• Parent volunteers in classrooms • Formal and informal parent

conferences • Parent interviews/their roles in

the community • Parent breakfast with individual

teacher—families • Monthly parent meetings • Cultural artifacts contributed by

parents • Positive first phone calls • Family stories • Children teaching

parents/siblings • Student publishing parties

B. We Believe Learning Occurs All the Time, For All of Us. We Respect All Learning, and Understand that Everything We Do Promotes Learning of One Kind or Another. How are We Practicing this Belief?

• Teachable moments • Teachers as Readers,

Wednesday Workshop, Team Meeting

• You’re a role model every second

• Let them learn things not in the curriculum—time exploration, hands-on opportunity, conflict

• Interacting as people—social skills

• Thinking and talking about our own learning

• Share with students what we are learning/reading/ learning of our own children

• Exploration time before instruction

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resolution, organization/study skills

• Learning logs—kids make sense of what they’ve learned in their own way

• Addressing student questions • Supporting students to follow

their own interests • Class meetings • Let kids see our mistakes and

discuss them—we’re human too

• Student choice • Museums • Multi-sensory approach to

teaching • Give kids downtime as

opportunity to discover new interests

• Communicate with parents about what motivates their children

• Listen to your students!! Observe them

C. We Believe that Learning Environments Must Be Positive, Supportive, and

Offer Success For All. How are We Practicing this Belief?

• Recognizing democratic behavior • Accentuating positive

achievement • Take time to listen • Guiding students to help one

another • Model considerate behavior • Risk free environment • Patience • Tolerance—understanding

• Kindness—manners, thoughtful acts

• Respect • Focus on process • Teach kids to listen to each other • Humor • Teachers modeling appropriate

behaviors • Mutual expectations • Watching and observing

D. We Believe That We Learn By Doing and By Experiencing. How are We

Practicing This Belief? • Field trips • Science, math, and communications

labs • Using technology • Drama in the class • Nature walks • Reading—personal connections

• Math tool boxes/manipulatives • Writing—sharing our life

experiences • Inquiry based science (experiments

designed by students) • Journals, writers notebooks, dialog

journals • Museums • Sharing traditions and customs

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E. We Believe We All Learn in Different Ways. We Have Different Styles,

Different Needs, and Different Talents, and We Learn at Different Paces. How are We Practicing this Belief?

• Project choices • Ongoing assessments • Differentiation of assignments • Music/drama integration • Students show what they know in

different ways (differentiated assessment)

• Students set their own goals

• Choosing spaces to sit and work • Spiraling curriculum • Fair is not always the same • Private space in classroom and

student choosing to go on their own

• Multi-sensory • Flexibility with time • Word wall

F. We Believe Challenging Work That Engages Us Over Time Increases Our Ability To Learn. How are We Practicing This Belief? • Writing workshop—focus lessons • Challenging books • Art portfolios—making choices,

reflecting on work • Reading logs, writing journals,

math journals • Teaching students to ask

questions and investigate

• Personal timelines • Ongoing projects • Improvisation • Essential questions • Word problems • Read alouds—above independent

level • Inquiry-based learning

G. We Believe Reflection Can Help Us Understand How and What We Learn.

How are We Practicing This Belief? • In all subjects—“news of the

day,” learning logs, teacher personal journal, student journals—sketchbooks, class discussions—small groups (artists and writers)

• Making connections and asking questions (i.e., literature, movies, life, and experiences)

• Class meeting/real world issues—drama

• Art reflection—write and share • Debrief time—compare/contrast,

what went well?

• Time to meet and talk in faculty meeting

• A student choosing a piece of work for their portfolio and asking, “why?”

• Lunch bunch with counselors and/or teachers

• End of the day reflection • Goal setting (quarterly or by

subject) • Student led conferences • Continuously asking

metacognitive questions

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Tools for Understanding University Expectations

Regardless of whether this is an elementary, secondary, English as a second language, or special education intern, your candidate will need to practice applying pedagogical techniques during the internship. These include content related strategies as well as classroom management and motivational strategies. Most often, interns want to apply these strategies without regard to the school contexts, your needs, and your pupils’ needs. Teacher interns just want to do what they need to do to pass this important portion of their training. Universities expect that they will demonstrate thoughtful practices that undergo constant analysis and refinement. Universities expect that their candidates will show areas where they can function as competent professionals among their peers. Take care to lay out the process for documenting your intern’s growth. Guidelines for how to do this are provided here. Also provided are some suggestions and a framework for gradually immersing your intern in teaching, and information on evaluating your intern.

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The Assessment Framework for Documenting Growth As you work with your intern to develop his/her professional growth plan for the internship experience keep in mind that the university will want to document specific competencies and dispositions. One cannot make judgments or perform authentic evaluation without appropriate evidence or data to support these. Therefore, it is wise to know what the evaluation categories are so that the data that supports these is collected during the internship. It is a matter of crosschecking and aligning what you chose to focus on and take note of during the course of this experience. Most university programs expect that evaluations attest to competencies in the following areas:

Planning Instruction Teaching Strategies Classroom Management Skills Knowledge of Content Application of Educational Theory Interpersonal Relationships Professional Qualities Special Strengths/Needs: Overall

Reaction to Total Performance of the Intern

Keep in mind these parameters regarding the relationship of assessment and evaluation in supervision:

• Assessment is the process of collecting data and artifacts that are based on theoretical frameworks for teaching and learning or standards of performance. Assessments are tools used in the process of evaluation of one person’s growth and development.

• Evaluation is the process of synthesizing the assessment data to render a judgment of quality or value. It starts by identifying a group of stakeholders, their norms and values, and the agreements held about the focus of the evaluation. Thus evaluation should focus on what will be valued during the supervisory experience and should be based on beliefs held about the expectations for the intern’s performance.

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Gradual Immersion into Teaching

One thing we know about novice teachers regardless of age is they are taking on a very complex role that requires independent problem solving and ethical thinking. Acquiring the knowledge, skills, and dispositions of an “accomplished teacher” takes time; therefore we take a developmental perspective in envisioning the internship experience. Each intern, like your pupils, is in a different place in their development as a teacher as well as an adult. This requires attention to several domains of development including cognitive, ego, and moral. By taking a gradual approach to immersion in your classroom, you can adjust and monitor what is working or not working with your intern. It allows time for you to focus on specific problem areas before they get out of control and leads to major “blow-ups” or ego-deflating experiences. The rule of thumb is “build on strengths first” – start with what your intern feels comfortable doing or taking responsibility for. Continue to add new things and identify areas that need work as you go. Take on no more than one to three skills or teaching strategies at a time. Once your intern can do these it is safe to move on to another area in which your intern needs to show growth. If necessary, pinpoint specific things you would expect to see the next day as a follow-up to a lesson. This is when it is wise to be direct and tell the intern you will be observing for a specific teaching behavior or response. Remember that during the gradual immersion you can team-teach. Team-teaching will allow you multiple opportunities to collect evidence of intern growth as well as afford opportunities for feedback and discussion about what went well in team taught lesson, what did not go well and what you can adapt or change to make it better. This way you are modeling the art of teaching as a lifelong learning process. A template for gradual immersion is provided here. As a framework it shows how a cooperating teacher can move an intern from a dependent to an independent stance regarding their teaching.

Suggested Planning/Observation/Feedback Cycles (Rows reflect time blocks: days/weeks)

PLANNING TEACHING OBSERVING FEEDBACK

DEPENDENCE ⇓

Example: week 1

Teacher (plans aloud)

Teacher Teaches

Intern Observes

Teacher (reflects aloud about the observed lesson)

Example: week 2

⇓

Teacher + Intern (plan together)

Teacher Teaches

Intern Observes

Teacher + Intern (reflect together)

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Example: week 3

⇓


Teacher + Intern (team-teach)

(if time each take short notes)

Teacher + Intern (reflect together)

Example: week 4

⇓


Intern Teaches

Teacher Observes

Teacher leads feedback session

Example: wks 5-6

⇓

Intern leads planning session (solicits feedback from teacher)

Intern Teaches

Teacher Observes

Teacher leads feedback session and encourages intern self-reflection

INDEPENDENCE* Example: wks 7-8

Intern plans Intern teaches Teacher observes

Intern reflects aloud with teacher

TRANSITION BACK TO TEACHER

Intern + Teacher (plan together)

Intern + Teacher (team teach)

If time each takes short notes related to pupil needs

Teacher and intern debrief the experience and plan for completing final assignments and grading of pupils’ work

*Note: During the independence phase teacher withdraws from classroom, shifting authority and responsibility to the teacher intern.

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Putting Together the Final Evaluation

To begin this process, review each of your data sources (e.g. journals, observation notes, anecdotal notes, mid-point progress report) and highlight what evidence can be used to document growth for a particular university competency or goal outlined in the student’s plan. Write about a paragraph on each using examples from your notes to justify your final judgments. Here is a four paragraph format guide developed by Dr. Janet Schiavone – Co-Project Director of the Fairfax Transition to Teaching Program at The George Washington University: Paragraph 1 Sentence summarizing teacher intern assignment Sentences describing characteristics and traits such as enthusiasm, creativity, willingness to work hard, rapport with students, staff, and parents Paragraph 2 Sentences describing planning and organizational skills, ability to evaluate effectively, ability to use a variety of methods and strategies, develop and implement appropriate instructional objectives Paragraph 3 Sentences describing ability to motivate and manage intern’s ability to keep pupils interested and involved. How intern provided for individual student differences Paragraph 4 Overall summary of the intern’s teaching assignment and prediction for success as a first- year teacher. Descriptive words to assist you in writing include: Excellent Performance – extraordinary, excellent, distinguished, superb, exceptional, special, superior, noteworthy, notable, extensive, outstanding

Good Performance – good, capable, competent, effective, appropriate, proper, favorable, above average, positive, productive

Fair Performance – adequate, sufficient, suitable, fair, satisfactory, acceptable, average, passable, ordinary

Poor Performance – below standard, unprepared, inadequate, weak, unqualified, unacceptable, unfit, inappropriate

Qualifiers – that help you be professionally honest You may use words like: usually, often, sometimes, occasionally, may with (conditions), probable, shows the potential to…

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Grading Rubric for a Teaching Internship Experience

The final grade is an assessment of the teacher intern’s abilities and dispositions at the end of the internship. It is not an average of performance throughout the period. The following criteria for assigning final grades is excerpted from the Student Teaching Handbook developed by Marymount University (1994): A final grade of “A” indicates the teacher intern:

• is ready for full-time teaching and is expected to succeed independently, • has achieved a high level of teaching performance, • is able to teach well in all content/grade levels observed, • is recommended for any teaching vacancy in his/her field without reservation, and • effectively interacts with both students and colleagues.

A final grade of “B” indicates the student teacher:

• has potential to succeed in teaching with continued growth, but at least one area of evaluation was rated “needs improvement”,

• demonstrates evidence of independent teaching ability in some content/grade levels, but not all,

• does not demonstrate a consistent level of quality teaching at the conclusion of student teaching, and

• should be considered among a group of other candidates for any teaching vacancy in his/her teaching field.

A final grade of “C” indicates the student teacher:

• is questionable in the ability to perform in the classroom independently, even with continued growth, and is expected to need additional support,

• has at least two areas of evaluation rated as “needs improvement”, or at least one area rated “ineffective”,

• is able to provide quality teaching but not on a regular basis, or in some but not all content/grade levels, and

• would only be recommended for a teaching vacancy with substantial reservations. A final grade below “C” indicates the student teacher:

• is not yet fit to perform in the classroom independently, • has at least two areas of evaluation rated as “ineffective”, • is not yet able to provide quality teaching on a regular basis, and • would not be recommended for a teaching vacancy.

A plus or minus may be added to a letter grade to define further its meaning. Reference: Haynes, R.M. (personal communication, February 26,1992)

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Tools for Developing Relationships with ELL Students’ Families

Teachers need to be able to draw parents of ELL students into their children’s education. They must be able to tap into parents’ cultural and personal background knowledge to enhance their teaching of ELL students. Involving parents in the teaching process can benefit students, families, and the school community in general. Lack of parental involvement may be attributed to (a) work interference, (b) cultural and/or language barriers, (c) lack of confidence, and (d) lack of understanding of the home-school partnership.

A first step in overcoming these barriers is to learn about the family’s culture, their experiences prior to and since arriving in the United States, their religious beliefs and practices, parenting practices, and the roles of family members and friends. Without an understanding of the family’s background and experiences, misunderstandings occur that impact the ELL student’s educational experience.

This section provides information on cultural areas teachers should understand in order to work more effectively with ELL families and students. It also includes background information on Middle Eastern, Asian, and Latino cultures as points of departure in developing sound relationships with ELL students’ families who come from these backgrounds. Share and discuss these elements with your teacher intern. You and your intern may want to work together to find out more about how these elements play out in the cultures represented in your classroom.

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Developing Relationships with ELL Students’ Families

Deep and Surface Culture Most people are aware of surface differences among cultures—differences in food, clothing, and celebrations. These are the aspects of culture that teachers and students often enjoy exploring in the classroom. However, the hidden elements of culture-the “deep culture”-cause the most serious misunderstandings. It is important to be aware of those hidden values, beliefs, and attitudes as they can interfere with your ability to develop relationships with ELL students and their families. The following item sheet provides you with information on some of the more important elements of deep culture that vary across cultures. Ceremony

What a person is to say and do on particular occasions. In some cultures, people commonly greet each other with kisses. American forms may seem cold and uncaring. On the other hand, in other cultures people almost never touch each other and may find even pats of approval unusual and upsetting. Gesture and kinesics

Forms of nonverbal communication or reinforced speech, such as the use of the eyes, the hands, and the body. For example, insulting hand gestures differ from culture to culture. The “OK” sign in America, with thumb and forefinger forming a circle, is a very bad gesture in some Middle Eastern cultures. Pointing at people is taboo in many cultures. Grooming and presence

Cultural differences in personal behavior and appearance, such as laughter, smile, voice quality, gait, poise, cosmetics, dress, etc., may seem superficial, but they are the most immediately noticeable features when members of cultures meet. Members of some cultures seem loud and boisterous to members of quieter, more sedate cultures. This also explains some differences in amount and kind of class participation. In most Asian cultures, for example, people wait for a pause in conversation before entering it. Many Americans, however, “overlap”-that is, one starts speaking as the other finishes. In group work, then, Asian students may rarely see an opportunity to enter the discussion. Precedence

What are accepted manners toward older persons, peers, and younger persons. Many other cultures show great respect to teachers, but that respect may be reflected in different ways. For example, in many cultures, students look down when addressed by a teacher as a sign of respect. Most Americans expect young people to look directly at them and many see the downward look as disrespectful. Rewards and privileges

Attitudes toward motivation, merit, achievement, service, social position, etc. In many cultures, there is less emphasis on individual achievement and success with more importance given to the good of the group. Members of these cultures may respond poorly to the kinds of incentives often offered in U.S society but may be motivated by group work and group goals. Space and proxemics

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Attitudes toward self and land; the accepted distances between individuals within a culture. Americans generally require more personal space than members of other cultures and become uncomfortable when someone moves into that space. Backing away from members of other cultures signals rejection and may set off a chain of cultural misunderstandings. Concepts of time

Attitudes toward being early, on time, or late. The rules for time in any culture are complex and hard to determine. For example, while North Americans think of themselves as always being “on time”, in fact we have different rules that apply to various events such as dinner parties, cocktail parties, meetings, and other events.

Adapted from: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubs/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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Middle Eastern Cultures

The next few pages provide you with information on Middle Eastern cultures. It is important to note that “Middle Eastern” includes a broad spectrum of peoples, countries, and religions. While general principles can provide insight into the values, beliefs, views, and practices of Middle Easterners, differences based on religion, country of origin, language, ethnicity, etc. are also profound. The information provided below serves as a starting point for understanding Middle Eastern students and their families.

General Background • Histories are rooted in ancient origins and a diversity of cultures. • Birthplace of 3 great Western religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. • Ethnic loyalties may be more important than national or political allegiances.

Basic Values and Beliefs • Religion is extremely important—it often defines one’s identity; most are Muslim. • Most seek to demonstrate their belief in God (Al-lah) daily and with great fervor. • Issues of ‘pride’ and ‘shame’ are of utmost importance; one must avoid being in a

position of ‘shame’. • A person’s dignity and honor are of paramount importance since these values are seen

to reflect on the whole extended family/clan. • Loyalty to one’s family group takes precedence over personal needs and interests. • Piety is one of the most admirable traits of human character; it is important to behave

at all times so as to create a good impression on others. • Extreme courtesy, generosity, and hospitality are among the highest values.

Cultural Worldviews • Strong belief in fate; humans cannot control all events and must depend on God

(“Ensha-Al-lah!” – “If God wills!”) (“Masha-Al-lah” – “It’s a blessing of God!). • Cultural beliefs about destiny are rooted in the past; therefore, tradition is honored

and the future is viewed with less certainty or importance. • Tribal histories contribute to strong loyalties toward “insiders” of a group; “outsiders”

may be viewed with suspicion (some people cannot be trusted). • Social class and family background are major determiners of one’s personal status;

who one is may be more important than what one does.

Family and Child Rearing Practices • Extended families often live together; younger members show deference to elders. • Fathers tend to be very authoritarian with their children; mothers are the nurturers and

provide emotional support for the family. • Gender roles are clearly defined and taught from birth; generally, boys enjoy a great

deal more freedom and attention than girls. • Males are expected to protect the honor of females at all times.

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• Children are generally seen as belonging to their fathers; mothers are seldom given custody in cases of divorce (fathers are responsible and accountable to Al-lah for the rearing of their children).

• It is the role of parents, not the school, to teach values to the children • Parents seek to instill in their children a strong sense of trust, pride, and loyalty to the

family’s heritage. • The family’s dignity and honor must be preserved at all cost.

Views on Education

• “Wisdom” is often seen as a massive accumulation of existing knowledge; therefore, rote memorization and extremely difficult testing are typical practices.

• “Cheating” may not be perceived as morally wrong since helping one’s brother may be a higher value than one’s individual achievement.

Possible Self-Perceptions of Middle Easterners

• Most are fiercely proud of who they are. • There are clearly defined perceptions among Arabs and non-Arabs, as well as

between the Arab and non-Arab world. • Most see themselves as generous, hospitable, and extremely kind—characteristics

which distinguish them from other groups around the world. • They often feel they are misunderstood and often exploited by the West. • Their personalities are passionate, creative, and outgoing; they sometimes tend to

view others as bland or uninteresting.

Tips for Communication • When greeting, most Middle Easterners avoid physical contact with the opposite sex;

men or women may shake hands or embrace each other, but offer only verbal acknowledgements across genders.

• Formality rather than informality is a good rule of thumb. • Family matters are considered to be private; therefore, wishing someone well is better

than inquiring about a family matter. • In many cultures, something needs to be said two or three times before it is taken

literally; for example, if offered tea, one should thank the host but decline unless asked a second or third time.

• Be careful when admiring someone’s possession; he/she may be culturally obliged to offer it to you! If this happens, refuse politely, however many times it takes.

• Be careful of hand and finger gestures. The “thumbs up” has a very different meaning in the Middle East than it has in the West.

• Always use the right hand to eat or hand someone something. The left hand is used for other purposes and is considered unclean by many cultures.

Hicks, J. (2002). VAILL-ESL 2002 Conference on Civics Communities, and Cultures. Cultures of West Asia and the Middle East.

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Developing Relationships ELL Students’ Families

Asian Cultures There are three general ethnicities within the Asian and Pacific Islanders (API) community: (1) Pacific Islanders, mostly Hawaiians, Samoans, and Guamanians; (2) Southeast Asians, largely comprised of Indochinese from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Burmese and Philippinos; and (3) East Asians, including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (Trueba, Cheng, & Ima 1993). Not only do these three large groups differ in sociocultural traits, but subgroups within each group often differ as well (Trueba et al., 1993; Cheng, 1989; Rumbaut & Ima, 1988). It is important not to generalize an understanding of one group to another. For example, the Vietnamese and Hmong, though both Indochinese, differ in their basic cultural patterns. The Vietnamese, many with a Chinese ancestry, have a sophisticated literate culture and strong abilities to adapt to the market society; the Hmong have no written language, nor skills that are easily applicable to American labor needs. Educators must identify such differences to devise appropriate communication strategies for teaching and counseling APIs. The following information on API cultures are broken down according to overt and covert dimensions. The overt or open culture refers to clearly identifiable cultural components such as religion, formal language, and values and norms explicated in philosophy or folklore. Covert or hidden culture, on the other hand, is defined by the unconscious behavioral and perceptual patterns resulting from daily social learning.

Overt Culture Values and norms embedded in language, religion, philosophy, custom, and social

organization forms, such as family, are important variables affecting APIs' behavior.

APIs think about social institutions such as school quite differently from

American educators. APIs see teachers as professionals with authority over their children's schooling.

East Asians, particularly Chinese, highly value formal education. They often

consider their children's schooling directly related to the family's integrity: high achievement brings honor and prestige to the family, failure brings shame (Shen & Mo, 1990; Lee, 1989).

Hidden Culture

Unconscious culture also involves the conception of time. Southeast Asians and

Pacific Islanders have a polychronic time (P-time) framework, in contrast to Western monochronic time (Hall, 1977). P-time allows different social

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interactions to happen at the same time. M-time demands a linear scheduling of events. some APIs, such as the Hmong, believe time per se can solve problems better than human intervention. They reason that one should not push hard in haste, but, rather, let events run their own course (Trueba et al., 1993).

API cultures are more high-contextual, and Anglo American society is more low-

contextual. High-context communication does not require clear, explicit verbal articulation. It relies on presumptions shared by people, non-verbal signals (e.g., body movement), and the very situation in which the interaction occurs. Low-context communication, on the other hand, involves intensively elaborate expressions that do not need much situational interpretation.

Excerpted from Huang, G. (1993). Beyond culture: Communicating with Asian American children and families. ERIC Digest, 94. Available [online]. http: http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/ed366673.html

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Latino Cultures One approach to understanding Latino families is to start with general characteristics of this group. As with any group, there is diversity among Latinos. Meeting the parenting information needs of Latino parents in the United States requires more than Spanish translations of existing materials. The following sheet provides general information on Latino cultures.

Suggestions for working with Latino cultures

The important value of collectivism and familism. Collectivism is a value in loyalty to, and the contribution of, the group-as opposed to focusing on a particular individual (Toro, 1996). Familism is a value that underlies the strong Latino identification with members of the extended family (Toro, 1996). Latino families have a strong sense of family identification and structure as well as support for extended family. The extended family often includes not only blood relatives but also non-blood relatives such as the best man (padrino), maid of honor (madrina), and godparents (compadre and comadre). "Hierarchical regard," or respect toward those with power and positions of authority within the home, state, and church. The level of respect paid and the type of relationship developed depend on the person's age, gender, and social class (Saracho & Hancock, 1986).

Being is valued more than doing. Latino families may give more importance to human interaction rather than to time and its control. Related to this, the patterns of communication focus more clearly on non-verbal communication including the social setting, the use of phrasing, gestures, tone of voice, and posture as opposed to direct communication in which words alone carry much of the meaning. Religion has a major influence in Latino families. They believe strongly in the importance of prayer and going to church. Latino families believe that sacrifice leads to salvation. As a result of their religious beliefs, they tend to consider problems or events as something that is meant to be and cannot be changed (fate vs. personal control over environment). Spanish language, family structures, and general customs are enhanced among Latinos. Latino parents often show the desire to provide their children with the best moral, spiritual, educational and material means. Adapted from DeBord, K., & Ferrer, M. (1997). Working with Latino parents/families. Accessible [online]. http://www.cyfernet.org/parent/latinofam.html

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Tools for Assessing ELL Students

ELL students’ progress should be measured by rich and varied types of assessments. These assessments should demonstrate "progress over time in a variety of contexts." Assessment procedures must show how ELL students are progressing in the three areas of academic content, academic language, and social adjustment to schooling in the U.S. Although current educational laws and policies favor standardized assessments, new types of assessment have emerged that are also helpful in measuring ELL students’ academic development. These alternative assessments acknowledge the importance of incorporating the student’s unique strengths and weaknesses into the evaluation process. One of the most important features of alternative assessment for ELL students is their use in informing instruction. Alternative assessments allow teachers to receive immediate feedback on ELL students' understanding and use of what they are learning. Alternative assessments also supplement the results of formal testing, which often occur infrequently during the school year. Finally, they allow teachers to assess whether ELL students can creatively apply complex knowledge and procedures. In addition to incorporating different types of assessment into your instruction, it is also important to assess ELL students on both their content and their language proficiency development. When used with ELL students, many assessments designed for native English speakers become language proficiency tests for ELL students. Though it is often difficult to separate language and content assessment, carefully crafted alternative assessments can provide you with a better understanding of ELL students’ academic content development. This section gives you information on the use of alternative assessment with ELL students. Share and discuss this information with your teacher intern. Provide your intern with opportunities to use alternative assessments with your ELL students.

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Assessing Students in Content –Specific Language Proficiency

Before assessing students’ language proficiency, you should find out as much as possible about the educational history of ELL students. In many districts, the special ESL or bilingual program designed for ELL students is kept isolated from the other programs in the school. This is not only ineffective for students in the special program, but also makes it quite difficult to ensure the continuity between the special program and the mainstream. Programs for language minority students vary tremendously from district to district; in fact, they even vary from school to school. It is important to find out what instructional components were given to the student, and in what context. Here are some pertinent questions that might help you to gauge your students’ experience:

1. How much content area instruction was integrated with ESL? 2. Was the ESL instruction based upon content-based thematic units, or was it

guided by language units? 3. What content area textbooks were the students exposed to? In what language? 4. If the student was in a bilingual program, what content area of the curriculum was

covered in the student’s native language?

Adapted from Hamayan, E.V. and Perlman, R. (1990). Helping Language Minority Students After They Exit From Bilingual/ESL Programs: A Handbook For Teachers. National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition: Washington, D.C.

Additional information on this research can be found in the NCELA Program Information Guide Series, Number 1, Spring 1990. www.ncela.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/pigs/pig1.htm

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You may wish to complete an informal assessment of your ELL students’ abilities to use content-specific language functions, such as those listed in the table below. This can be done by developing a simple rating scale based on selected language functions, which could be observed by any teacher who knows the student. For example, the third linguistic function under listening can be transformed into an assessment instrument by rating the student’s ability to understand explanations without concrete referents (without reference to nonlinguistic aids such as pictures, etc.). As an illustration of this, one might try to determine if the student is able to understand an explanation of the rules of a simple card game (where the cards are not utilized during the explanation). The assessment scale would extend from “not at all” to “very well, most of the time.” A sample assessment instrument based on some of the more observable items from the table below is also provided. This sample instrument can be modified by adding items that are important in your own context and by omitting others that are not.

Predominant Language Functions Required in Selected Content Areas

Science Math Social Studies

LISTENING 1. Understanding explanations. * * 2. Listening for specific information. * * 3. Understanding explanations without concrete referents. * * * 4. Following directions for experiments. * * 5. Understanding oral numbers. * 6. Understanding oral word problems. * SPEAKING 1. Answering questions. * * * 2. Asking for clarification. * * * 3. Participating in discussions. * * 4. Explaining and demonstrating a process. * * 5. Presenting oral reports. * 6. Explaining how an answer was derived. * READING 1. Understanding specialized vocabulary. * * 2. Understanding information/explanations in textbooks. * * * 3. Finding information from graphs, charts, and tables. * * * 4.Following directions for experiments * * * 5. Finding information in reference materials * * *

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Science Math Social Studies

6. Reading at varied rates (skimming and scanning) * 7. Reading mathematical notations and equations * 8. Understanding written word problems * WRITING 1. Writing answers to questions * 2. Noting Observations * * 3. Describing experiments * 4. Writing reports * 5. Labeling maps, graphs, and charts * 6. Writing verbal input numerically *

Sample Assessment Instrument for Content-Specific Language Functions

Student ________________ Date _______________ Teacher ________________ Subject Taught ____________ LISTENING: The student is able to

1. Understand explanations without concrete referents.

Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

2. Follow directions for experiments. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

3. Understand oral numbers.


4. Understand oral word problems.


SPEAKING: The student is able to

1. Answer questions. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

2. Ask for clarification. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

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3. Participate in discussions. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

4. Explain and demonstrate a process. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

5. Present oral reports. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

6. Explain how an answer was derived. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

READING: The student is able to

1. Understand specialized vocabulary. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

2. Understand information/explanations in textbooks.


3. Find information from graphs, charts, and tables.


4. Follow directions for experiments.


5. Find information in reference materials.


6. Read at varied rates (skimming and scanning).


7. Read mathematical notations and equations.


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8. Understand written word problems. Not at all some of the time very well most of the time

WRITING: The student is able to

1. Write answers to questions.


2. Note observations.


3. Describe experiments.


4. Write reports.


5. Label maps, graphs, and charts.


6. Write verbal input numerically.


Adapted from Hamayan, E.V. and Perlman, R. (1990). Helping Language Minority Students After They Exit From Bilingual/ESL Programs: A Handbook For Teachers. National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition: Washington, D.C.

Additional information on this document can be found in the NCELA Program Information Guide Series, Number 1, Spring 1990. www.ncela.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/pigs/pig1.htm

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Assessing ELL Students The series of checklists below have been developed as suggested assessment techniques for use with ELL students. They are organized by the English language proficiency level of the ELL student. Beginning Students (Up to two years in an English-speaking classroom with ESL/bilingual support) Assessment Modifications All Students __ Have student point to the picture of a correct answer (limited choices) __ Have student circle a correct answer (limited choices) __ Instruct student to draw a picture illustrating a concept __ Reduce choices on multiple-choice tests __ Instruct student to match items __ Have student complete fill-in-the blank exercises with the word list provided __ Give open-book tests __ Ask student to retell/restate (orally and in writing) __ Instruct student to define/explain/summarize orally in English or the native language __ Have student compare and contrast (orally and in writing) __ Use cloze procedure with outlines, charts, timelines, etc. Students with adequate literacy in their native language (if bilingual person is available) __ Instruct student to write what he or she has learned in the native language Intermediate Students (Up to five years in an English-speaking classroom with ESL/bilingual support) Assessment Modifications All Students __ Instruct student to explain how an answer was achieved (orally and in writing) __ Have student complete fill-in-the-blank exercises __ Ask student to retell/restate (orally and in writing) __ Instruct student to define/explain/summarize (orally and in writing) __ Have student compare and contrast (orally and in writing) __ Use cloze procedure with outlines, charts, timelines, etc. __ Have student analyze and explain data (orally and in writing) __ Instruct student to express opinions and judgments (orally and in writing) __ Have student write essays Adapted from: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubls/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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Tools for Instructing ELL Students

Teachers should use a variety of instructional strategies and learning activities that provide ELL students with opportunities to learn in ways that are responsive to their own communication styles, cognitive styles, and aptitudes. In addition, variety helps teachers develop and strengthen other approaches to learning. Some of the most fundamental instructional strategies that can be used with ELL students include:

• Consider students' cultures and language skills when developing learning objectives and instructional activities.

• Incorporate objectives for affective and personal development. • Facilitate independence in thinking and action. Monitor students' academic progress during lessons and independent

work. Include the use of collaborative learning. Use thematic integration of content across subject areas.

This section provides you with information on how to instruct ELL students using best practices, and how to adapt teaching strategies to meet students’ individual needs. Share and discuss these strategies with your teacher intern. Provide structured opportunities for your intern to observe you using these strategies and for him/her to practice them with your ELL students.

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Ways to Help ELL Students Survive in the Classroom Through Listening Record lectures on tape as you teach. Lend the cassettes to your ELL students so they can listen to your presentation more than once. Have native English speakers record the main points of a lesson which provides them with an opportunity to review and synthesize what they have learned. Use advanced organizers when lecturing so that students will know the lesson's focus in advance. Recap the important points at the end. As you lecture, write down key words on the chalkboard or overhead projector so that your ELL students can both see and hear what you are saying. Through Speaking Read aloud selected passages from your content area textbook. Ask your ELL students to summarize what was read. Re-read the passage to verify accuracy and details. Plan some activities in which ELL students are placed in groups with English-speaking students. When the groups are small (2 or 3), the ELL student is more likely to be involved in the discussion.

Ask your ELL students to verbalize how the information learned in your class will be useful in their lives or why they need to learn it. Set up specific purposes prior to reading a textbook selection. Discuss the purposes after the material is read. Through Reading Use culturally familiar texts when possible. Emphasize reading fluency and word recognition skills. Teach students how to resolve unknown vocabulary, ask questions, and make inferences. Choose native English speaking students who take effective, comprehensible notes and provide them to your ELL students as study aids. Encourage your students to use bilingual dictionaries when necessary or to ask questions when they don't understand important concepts. Help them guess meanings first by using context. Assure them that they don't have to understand every word to comprehend the main idea. Introduce them to a thesaurus. Request that appropriate content-area books be ordered for the library in the students' native languages. These can be useful to your students in comprehending concepts while English is being mastered. They also provide your students with a means of maintaining and developing skills in their native languages. However, first make sure that your student in literate in his/her native language.

Adapted from: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubs/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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No two students learn in exactly the same ways. Your ELL students as well as your students with varying learning styles will benefit from your efforts to ensure that the essential elements of your lessons are understood. The following item sheet includes a series of checklists, which are suggested instructional strategies for use with beginning to intermediate ELL students. Students will benefit from efforts to focus on the key concepts of a lesson by using more visual aids, planning cooperative learning activities, building on prior knowledge, utilizing graphic organizers, and other recommended strategies.

Beginning and Intermediate Students Instructional Modifications All Students __ Use visuals/”hands-on” manipulatives __ Use gestures to convey meaning nonverbally __ Provide concrete “real” examples and experiences __ Build on the known (e.g., make connections with students’ culture, experiences, interests, and skills) __ Simplify vocabulary/change slang and idioms to simpler language __ Highlight/review/repeat key points and vocabulary frequently __ Establish consistent classroom routines/list steps for competing assignments __ Use yes/no, either/or, and why/how questions (Allow wait time for response) __ Check for comprehension on a regular basis (“Do you understand?” is not detailed enough) __ Create story and semantic maps __ Use “Language Experience Approach” __ Plan ways for ESL students to participate in class and in cooperative learning groups __ Make outlines/use graphic organizers __ Use audio tapes to reinforce learning __ Use simplified books/texts that cover content-area concepts __ Translate key concepts into a student’s native language Students with adequate literacy in their native language (if bilingual person is available) __ Use textbooks/books in the native language that cover key concepts being taught __ Encourage student to use a bilingual dictionary as a learning tool __ Have student write essays/journal write essays/journal entries in the native language From: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubs/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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Selected Cooperative Learning Structures Cooperative learning is a key instructional strategy for working with ELL students. It provides ELL students with more opportunities to learn academic content and English language proficiency. The following list provides some of the more common and more useful cooperative learning structures for ELL students. They are organized by their functions. Team Building Roundrobin Each student, in turn, shares something with his or her teammates. Appropriate for: Expressing ideas and opinions, creating, stories, equal participation, getting acquainted with teammates. Class Building Corners Each student moves to a corner of the room representing a teacher-determined alternative. Students discuss within corners, then listen to an paraphrase ideas from other corners. Appropriate for: Seeing alternative hypotheses, values, problem-solving approaches, knowing and respecting different points of view, meeting classmates. Communication Building Paraphrase Passport Students correctly paraphrase the person who has just spoken and then contribute their own ideas. Appropriate for: Checking comprehension, giving feedback, sharing ideas. Spend-a-Buck Each student is given four quarters to spend any way he or she wishes on the items to be decided. The team tallies the results to determine its decision. Appropriate for: Decision making, consensus building, conflict resolution. Group Processing Students evaluate their ability to work together as a group and each member’s participation, with an aim to improving how the group works together. Appropriate for: Communication skills, role-taking ability Mastery Numbered Heads Together The teacher asks a question: Students consult to make sure everyone knows the answer. Then one student is called upon to answer. Appropriate for: Review, checking for knowledge, comprehension. Send-a-Problem Each student writes a review problem on a flash card and asks teammates to answer or solve it. Review questions are passed to another group. Review Checking for comprehension Cooperative Review

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Students engage in a variety of games to review the week’s material. Appropriate for: Review, checking for comprehension. Concept Development Three-Step Interview Students interview each other in pairs, first one way, then the other. Students share with the group information they learned in the interview. Appropriate for: Sharing personal information such as hypotheses, reactions to a poem, conclusions formed from a unit; participation, listening. Brainstorming Students encourage each other to generate ideas regarding a particular topic or problem and build upon each other’s ideas. Appropriate for: Generating and relating ideas, participation, involvement. Group Discussion The teacher asks a low-consensus question. Students talk it over in groups and share their ideas. Appropriate for: Sharing ideas, reaching group consensus. Multifunctional Roundtable Students pass a paper and pencil around the group. Each student, in turn, writes an answer. (In Simultaneous Roundtable, more than one pencil and paper are used at once.) Appropriate for: Assessing prior knowledge, practicing skills, recalling information, creative cooperative art, teambuilding, participation of all. Partners Students work in pairs to create or master content. They consult with partners from other teams. They then share their products or understanding with the other partner pair in their team. Appropriate for: Mastery and presentation of new material, concept development, presentation and communication skills. Co-op Students work in groups to produces a particular group product to share with the whole class; each student makes a particular contribution to the group. Appropriate for: Learning and sharing complex material (often with multiple sources), evaluation, application, analysis, synthesis, conflict resolution, presentation skills, planning, group decision making. Group Investigation Students identify a topic and organize into research groups to plan learning tasks or subtopics for investigation. Individual students gather and evaluate data and synthesize findings in a group report. Appropriate for: Application, analysis, inference, synthesis, evaluation, planning, group decision making. Excerpted from: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubs/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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Linguistically-Controlled Content Area Lesson One way to ensure that the lesson you are teaching is comprehensible to your ELL students is to focus on communicating the key vocabulary and essential concepts. In the linguistically controlled lesson, language is taught and/or developed incidentally through the teaching of content. This is done by “controlling”, to some degree, the language used in presenting the lesson. However, the teacher does not simplify the concepts to be learned, but rather the language in which these concepts are presented. Even then, rather than simplifying the language, the aim should be to structure it in order to help the students visualize and comprehend the concepts it is intended to represent.

Strategies Related to the Use of Language Maintain the natural rhythm and intonation patterns of English. Control the vocabulary and grammatical structures used. Try to be consistent in

your use of language patterns. The language patterns you select to develop the content of the lesson should be

those that lend themselves to multiple substitutions. Vary the form of questions you ask to allow for different levels of comprehension

and participation. Accept small units of language as responses (words and phrases) initially and

build towards the use of longer units (sentences). The vocabulary you select to develop should capitalize on cognates (if you have

Spanish-speaking ELL students) to promote comprehension. It should also include high frequency, high interest, and highly useful words. Generally, new words should be used within the context of familiar structures. Known words should be used to introduce new structures.

Sequence language skills so as to capitalize on the fact that comprehension generally exceeds production, speech usually exceeds one’s ability to read, and reading usually (but not always) takes precedence over writing. Some of these axioms may not be true for ELL students who are literate in their native language and/or who may have studied English in their native country.

Essential Components of a Linguistically-Controlled Content Area Lesson

1. Content area of lesson 2. Content objectives of lesson 3. Vocabulary that is key to the comprehension of the lesson 4. Introduction/check of background knowledge 5. Manipulative materials used (e.g. real objects) 6. Graphic organizers used (e.g. outlines, semantic mapping) 7. Language patterns/structures emphasized 8. Learning check/evaluation Adapted from: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubs/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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Notes on Content Area Reading On Teacher Preparation Analyze the text, linguistically and cognitively, in order to anticipate

comprehension problems. Select simpler reading materials on the same subject. Identify ways of simplifying the key concepts to be taught and present them in the

most concrete manner possible. Identify students’ background knowledge and experiences that relate to the new

information. Plan to draw on those experiences in order to facilitate comprehension. Select appropriate pre-reading and reading strategies for use with content area

texts. On Text Analysis Linguistic Analysis involves identifying Pivotal vocabulary and technical terms needed in order to understand and discuss

content; Dominant grammatical structures found in the text; Implied relationship between clauses within sentences, between sentences

themselves, and between paragraphs; Rhetorical structure and organization of paragraphs.

Conceptual Analysis involves identifying Key concepts to be taught, restating them, and using language the students

comprehend; Prior knowledge required in order to understand new concepts; Tools, experiences, knowledge, and skills—related to the new concepts—that

students already possess. Adapting Materials Sometimes, written materials need to be adapted before students can comprehend them. Make sure each paragraph begins with a topic sentence to help students orient to the subject matter. Use shorter paragraphs that eliminate relative clauses and the passive voice, if possible. Replace potentially ambiguous pronouns, (“it”, “he/she”) with the noun to which they refer (“Plymouth Rock”, “President Roosevelt”). Below are some guidelines for rewriting and adapting.

Put the topic sentence first, with supporting details in the following sentences. Reduce the number of words in a sentence and the number of sentences in a

paragraph. Consider word order. Use simple positioning of clauses and phrases. Use the

subject-verb-object pattern for most sentences. Simplify the vocabulary, but retain the key concepts and technical terms.

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Avoid excessive use of synonyms in the body of the text. Introduce new vocabulary with clear definitions and repeat new words as

frequently as possible within the text page. Help students connect new vocabulary with known vocabulary.

Use the simpler verb tenses, such as the present, simple past, and simple future. Use imperatives in materials that require following directions, such as a

laboratory assignment. Write in active voice, not passive. For example, instead of writing “The

Declaration of Independence was signed by John Hancock”, write, “John Hancock signed the Declaration of Independence”.

Use pronouns judiciously, only in cases where their antecedents are obvious. Avoid using indefinite words like “it”, “there”, and “that” are the beginning of

sentences. Instead of writing, “There are many children working on computers”, simply write, “Many children are working on computers.”

Eliminate relative clauses with “who”, “which, or “whom” wherever possible. Make the clause into a separate sentence.

Minimize the use of negatives especially in test questions (e.g., “Which of the following is not an example of…”). If negation is necessary, use the negative with verbs (e.g., “don’t go”), rather than negations like “no longer” or “hardly”.

Preserve the features of the text that convey meaning. For example, it is important to familiarize students with sequence markers (e.g., first, second), transition words (e.g., although, however), and prioritizing terms (e.g., most important), since they need to learn how to recognize and use them. The degree of sophistication for those features, however, should reflect students’ language proficiency.

Prepared by Migdalia Romero, Hunter College, New York City

Sample Adaptation—Upper Elementary Social Studies The following are adapted passages from United States History 1600-1987 (INS, 1987: 6). Virginia The first permanent colony was Jamestown, Virginia (1607). These colonists came from England to try to make money by trading with Europe. They believed they would find gold and silver as the Spanish had done in South America, and then they would be rich. When they got to Jamestown, most of the men tired to find gold. They did not want to do the difficult jobs of building, planting food crops, and cutting firewood. One of the colonists, Jon Smith, saw how dangerous this could be. He took charge and mage everyone work to survive. He is remembered for his good, practical leadership. Still, less than half of the colonists survived the first few years. Only new settlers and supplies from England made it possible for the colony to survive. The discovery of tobacco as a cash crop to be traded in Europe guaranteed that the colony would do well. Massachusetts Many of the colonists came to America looking for religious freedom. The Catholics had troubles in England and other parts of Europe. The rulers of these countries told their citizens that they must go to a specific church and worship in a certain

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way. Some people’s beliefs were different from their rulers, and they wanted to have their own churches. The first group to come to America for religious freedom was the Pilgrims in 1620.Tthey sailed across the ocean on the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts. Before landing at Plymouth, the Pilgrims agreed on the type of government they wanted. The agreement was called the Mayflower Compact. It had two important principles: The people would vote on the government and laws. The people would accept whatever the majority chose.

(The adaptation of the above passage was developed for advanced-beginner to low intermediate-level ELL students.)

Adapted from: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubls/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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Tools for Helping ELL Students Socialize and Adjust to the School

Many ELL students come from vastly different cultural backgrounds. Classroom teachers must develop and maintain cultural bridges between the students' home culture and that of the school. They should make the norms of the school explicit in a non-threatening way. Furthermore, they must understand that learning a new culture, like learning a new language, need not occur at the expense of the native culture. Mediation between the home and school culture should be multidirectional. Classroom teachers who work with ELL students must create opportunities for all teachers and students to learn about and from the various cultures of the ESL students. They should attempt to incorporate ELL students' cultures into everyday school life by learning to view every aspect of the curriculum from different cultural perspectives. They must find ways to give status to their ELL students' cultures This section provides tips on helping ELL students adjust to the norms of the school and classroom. It also provides insights on how to develop and maintain “cultural bridges” between the students’ home culture and that of the school by using ELL students and their families as cultural and linguistic resources. Discuss these tips with your teacher intern. Allow him/her time to investigate and learn about the various cultures present in your classroom. Then provide your intern with opportunities to put that learning to use by developing activities that integrate your students’ cultures with your instructional goals and objectives. Carrasquillo, A.L. & Rodriguez, V. (1996). Language Minority Students in the Mainstream Classrom. Bristol, PA: Multilingual Matters Ltd.

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Helping LEP Students Adjust to the Classroom ELL students are faced with the challenge of learning English as well as the school culture. You can help them adjust to their new language and environment in the following ways. Announce the lesson’s objectives and activities It is important to write the objectives on the board and review them orally before the class begins. It is also helpful to place the lesson in the context of its broader theme and preview upcoming lessons. Write legibly Remember that some students have low levels of literacy or are unaccustomed to the Roman alphabet. Develop and maintain routines Routines will help ELL students anticipate what will happen (e.g., types of assignments, ways of giving instructions) without relying solely on language cues. List and review instruction step-by-step Before students begin an activity, familiarize them with the entire list of instructions. Then, have students work on each step individually before moving on to the next step. This procedure is ideal for teaching students to solve math and science word problems. Present frequent summations of the salient points of lesson Use visual reviews with lists and charts, paraphrase the salient points where appropriate, and have students provide oral summaries. Present information in varied ways By using multiple media in the classroom, you can reduce reliance on language and place the information in a context that is more comprehensible to the students. Adapted from: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubls/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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Using ELL Students as Resources in Your Classroom You can use these strategies to help ELL students adjust to the classroom. Make use of your students’ language and cultural knowledge. Create a supportive environment in the classroom so that ELL students feel they

have a lot to offer and feel comfortable sharing with classmates. Consider anthropological topics that move beyond geography and general history

of students’ countries (although these have a role, too). Focus at times on human behavior: family structures, housing arrangements, fuel/food gathering, etc.

Have students bring in traditional handicrafts, art work, and other locally produced products from their countries.

Ask students to compare and contrast aspects of American culture with aspects of their own culture.

Since many ELL students may have little experience and/or knowledge about their native countries, give them the opportunity to include their parents and relatives as resources for the classroom. Invite parents to talk about such topics as language, culture, family structure, customs, or agricultural products in their country. Assign students to conduct oral interviews of family members or community members from their ethnic group to get first-person accounts of, for example, what it was like in Vietnam during the Vietnam War or what life is like for an agricultural worker in rural Guatemala. You can follow the Foxfire interviewing model. The Foxfire approach to teaching and learning links course content to the community in which the learners live (www.foxfire.org).

Encourage native speakers of other languages to serve as language resources for you and the other students. Your students’ multilingual skills can be a real asset to the class. For example, when teaching a unit about agricultural crops, find out how to say corn, wheat, rice, and coffee in the languages of your students. Are any of the words similar to English? You can use your students as “native informants” if you want to teach an “introduction to language” unit where students are introduces to all the languages spoken in the class.

Have students work on research reports in heterogeneous, cooperative groups so that language-minority students serve as resources in each group.

From: The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners. http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubs/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html

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Tools for Helping ELL Students with Special Needs

When working with ELL students, you have the challenge of determining whether a specific student behavior is the result of cultural/language differences or evidence of a learning or behavior problem. You need to be especially sensitive to the possibility that what at first appears to be a learning or behavior problem may actually be a difference in the beliefs or customs of the student. The problem may also be related to their English language development. You need to be aware of these factors in order to minimize the inappropriate placement of ELL students into special education. However, you also need to realize that some ELL students may have learning disabilities.

Two successful strategies when working with ELL students with disabilities are to make the curriculum relevant and to draw upon students’ strengths. Student learning is enhanced when opportunities to learn new skills in meaningful contexts are provided. ELL students respond positively to curricula that draw upon their own experiences and celebrate their heritages and cultures. When motivation is high, students tend to be more actively involved in learning. In addition, building on students’ strengths is a fundamental principle in helping ELL students with special needs make progress in their school achievement.

This section will help you gain insight into variables that must be considered when determining whether an ELL student has special needs. It also provides you with teaching strategies for working with ELL students with special needs. It is also important to seek out resources in your school, such as the ESL/bilingual teacher and the special education teacher, to help you better understand ELL students with special needs. Share this information with your teacher intern. Be sure to include your intern in meetings with the ESL/bilingual or special education teachers. To stimulate his/her thinking about ELL students with special needs, ask him/her to prepare some questions about ELL students with learning disabilities.

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Helping ELL Students with Special Needs The following ERIC Digest is a good place to start in understanding ELL students with special needs.

The Art of Teaching Bilingual Education Published by the Council for Exceptional Children

ERIC EC Digest #E496, Authors: Leonard M. Baca and Hermes T. Cervantes ED333618, 1991. How Many Students Are Both Disabled and Bilingual?

Based on Census and Immigration and Naturalization Services records, it is estimated that there are 79 million school-age language minority children in the United States. This bilingual population is distributed throughout the United States with heavier concentrations in the southwest and northeast. The highest concentration is in the large urban areas.

Considering the overall population with limited English proficiency (LEP) in the United States, a critical question for bilingual special educators is how many of these students also have disabilities. According to the U.S. Office of Special Education, an estimated 948,000 children may be both linguistically different and have disabilities – a substantial population who could benefit from bilingual special education services.

Although overrepresentation is an issue in some school districts, a new problem of underrepresentation has also emerged in some areas because many LEP students with disabilities are being placed in bilingual education as an alternative to special education.

How Can Special Education and Bilingual Education Be Combined?

Developers of bilingual special education programs need to weigh three factors for each student:

• degree of disability • level of language proficiency in both English and the primary language • intellectual capacity

The student's placement on each of these three continuums will determine the nature of instruction and the educational placement. Students' degree of disability must be considered for program design, along with their intellectual capacities and their proficiencies in English and their other languages. For example, a student of average intelligence who has a high level of language proficiency in Spanish, a minimal level of ability in English, and limited visual acuity will require curricular services and placement different from those of a student who is linguistically

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limited in both languages, exhibits lower intellectual performance, and is severely language delayed. What Variables Should Influence Placement Decisions? Program placement should be the best fit between the student's needs and the available resources. Placement decisions for the bilingual exceptional student should reflect the type and nature of instruction to be provided, the language of instruction, the conveyor of instruction, the duration of instruction, and the student's learning needs and style. The following special education variables and bilingual factors should be addressed in identifying placement:

• Student's age. • Type and degree of impairment or disability. • Age at which disability occurred. • Level of language involvement because of the disability. • Level of academic achievement. • Entry level language skills (upon entering school). • Measured intellectual ability. • Method and language used in measuring academic achievement and intellectual

ability. • Level of adaptive behavior. • Time spent in United States. • Current cultural home setting. • Social maturity. • Level of language proficiency in English and other language. • Amount and type of language input received in the home environment. • Speech and language capabilities in both languages. • Presence of multiple handicaps. • Ambulation or mobility. • Success in past and present placements. • Wishes of students and parents.

What Is Needed to Get Started? Operationalizing bilingual special education requires the creation of an instructional social system that involves active teaching of cognitive skills and includes the development of language skills while focusing on the acquisition of English. All instruction is prescribed in a manner that accommodates and remediates the student's exceptionality. Students must understand the directions and the nature of the tasks. Instruction must be provided within a relevant cultural context so that expectations can be understood by the student. Because language is the primary conveyor of instruction, the student's stronger language must be employed. Based on the assumption that students learn best in their preferred language, bilingual special education is operationalized at each local level with each individual student in mind. The common thread is to provide for all students educational experiences that develop lifelong learning skills.

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What Are the Basic Elements of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) for These Children? IEPs for exceptional bilingual students should include the following elements:

1. The child's current educational status, including all service programs the child is receiving.

2. Goals, including adaptation to acculturation and growth in both the first and second language. The goals must be realistic in regard to the time necessary; years could be involved.

3. The sequence of short-term instructional objectives leading up to each goal. 4. A list of instructional and service requirements including a balance between

the first and second language, as well as delineation of who will assist with acculturation needs.

5. An indication of how much and what aspects of the program will be in the mainstream.

6. The program's duration. 7. IEP's realistic criteria and a schedule for evaluation of the IEP's effectiveness. 8. A statement of the role of the parents. 9. Specification of changes to be made in the physical, social, and instructional

realms, including the first and second languages and cross-cultural adaptation.

What Are the Steps in Developing a Comprehensive Curriculum? The four major partners in bilingual special education curriculum development are the parents, the mainstream teacher, the bilingual teacher, and the special education teacher. The following steps should be undertaken by this team:

1. Meet as a team to begin the planning process. Outline planning steps. 2. Become familiar with the culture and language background of the child. 3. Become familiar with the special learning style and education needs of the child. 4. Prepare an individual instructional plan with short- and long-term goals (in

some cases this may be an IEP). 5. Develop individualized lessons and materials appropriate to the child's

exceptionality. 6. Modify individualized lessons and materials using a cultural screen and

sensitivity. 7. Refer to resource people for assistance and cooperation in instruction;

coordinate services. 8. Evaluate the child's ongoing progress and develop a new individual plan (IEP),

materials, and so forth, as needed. 9. Start the cycle over.

What Should Be Considered in Selecting Materials for Bilingual Exceptional Children? The following guidelines represent some of the many considerations teachers should bear in mind when evaluating, selecting, adapting, or developing materials:

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1. Know the specific language abilities of each student. 2. Include appropriate cultural experiences in material adapted or developed. 3. Ensure that material progresses at a rate commensurate with student needs and

abilities. 4. Document the success of selected materials. 5. Adapt only specific materials requiring modifications, and do not attempt to

change too much at one time. 6. Try out different materials and adaptations until an appropriate education for

each student is achieved. 7. Strategically implement materials adaptations to ensure smooth transitions into

the new materials. 8. Follow some consistent format or guide when evaluating materials. 9. Be knowledgeable about particular cultures and heritages and their

compatibility with selected materials. 10. Follow a well-developed process for evaluating the success of adapted or

developed materials as the individual language and cultural needs of students are addressed.

How Can Materials Be Adapted? The following list is not designed to be all inclusive; variations may be required in order to meet individual needs.

• Adjust the method of presentation or content. • Develop supplemental material. • Tape-record directions for the material. • Provide alternatives for responding to questions. • Rewrite brief sections to lower the reading level. • Outline the material for the student before reading a selection. • Reduce the number of pages or items on a page to be completed by the student. • Break tasks into smaller subtasks. • Provide additional practice to ensure mastery. • Substitute a similar, less complex task for a particular assignment. • Develop simple study guides to complement required materials.

References Baca, L. M., & Cervantes H. T. (Eds.). (1989). The bilingual special education interface (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Merrill. Baca, L. M., & Payon, R. M. (1989). Development of the bilingual special education interface. In L. M. Baca & H. T. Cervantes (Eds.), The bilingual special education interface (pp. 79-99). Columbus, OH: Merrill. Collier, C. (1989). Mainstreaming and bilingual exceptional children. In L. M. Baca & H. T. Cervantes (Eds.), The bilingual special education interface (pp. 257-290). Columbus, OH: Merrill. Collier, C., & Kalk, M.(1989). Bilingual special education curriculum development. In L. M. Baca & H. T. Cervantes (Eds.), The bilingual special education interface (pp. 205-229). Columbus, OH: Merrill.

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Harris, W. J., & Shultz, P. N. B. (1986). The special education resource program: Rationale and implementation. Columbus, OH: Merrill. Hoover, J. J., & Collier, C. (1989). Methods and materials for bilingual special education. In L. M. Baca & H. T. Cervantes (Eds.), The bilingual special education interface (pp. 231-255). Columbus, OH: Merrill. Lewis, R. B., & Doorlag, D. H. (1987). Teaching special students in the mainstream. Columbus, OH: Merrill. Mandell, C. J., & Gold, V. (1984). Teaching handicapped students. St. Paul, MN: West. Ovando, C., & Collier, V. (1985). Bilingual and ESL classrooms: Teaching in multicultural contexts. New York: McGraw-Hill.

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Suggested Readings

Beyer, L.E. (2001). The Value of Critical Perspectives in Teacher Education. Journal of Teacher Education, 52, (2),151-163. Denmark, V.M. (2000). What It Takes to Make This Relationship Work For All. Journal of Staff Development, 21, (4), 19-22. ERIC Digest (1999). Promoting Successful Transition to the Mainstream: Effective Instructional Strategies for Bilingual Students. [Online]www.cal.org/ericcll/digest/promoting.html ESCORT (1998). Help! They Don’t Speak English: Starter Kit for Primary Teacher. [Online] http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/library/curriculum/index.htm#mainstream. ESCORT (2001). The Help! Kit: A Resource Guide for Secondary Teachers of Migrant English Language Learners. [Online] http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/miscpubs/escort/secondaryhelpkit.html.

Feiman-Nemser, S. (2001). Helping Novices Learn To Teach: Lessons From An Exemplary Support Teacher. Journal Of Teacher Education 52,(1), 17-30.

Hamayan, E.V. & Perlman, R. (1990). Helping Language Minority Students After They Exit From Bilingual/ESL Programs: A Handbook For Teachers. NCBE Program Information Guide Series, (1) 1-13. [Online] http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/ncbepubs/pigs/pig1.htm

Hamilton, A.C. & Riley, J.F. (1999). Shared Perceptions: How Interns and Their Cooperating Teachers View Concerns Facing Interns. Action In Teacher Education, 21, (1), 97-107.

Husu, J. (2001). Teachers At Cross-Purposes: A Case-Report Approach to the Study of Ethical Dilemmas In Teaching. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 17,(1)67-89.

Koerner, M.E. (1992). The Cooperating Teacher: An Ambivalent Participant in Student Teaching. Journal Of Teacher Education,43, (1), 46-56.

Nodie Oja, S. (1990-1991). The Dynamics of Collaboration: A Collaborative Approach To Supervision In A Five Year Teacher Education Program. Action in Teacher Education, 12,(4), 11-20.

Ramanathan, H. & Wilkins-Canter, E.A. (2000). Preparation of Cooperating Teachers As Evaluators in Early Field Experiences. Action In Teacher Education,22, (1), 101-111.

Sakash, K. & Rodrigues-Brown, F.V. (1995). Teamworks: Mainstream and Bilingual ESL Teacher Collaboration. Program Information Guide Series (24). NCELA. [Online] www.ncela.gwu/ncbepubs/pigs/pig24.htm.

Schall, J. Unbeatable Ways to Reach Your LEP Students: Strategies for Teaching Second Language Learners. (Via Scholastic). [Online] http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/specialneeds/lepstudents.htm.

Schumm, J.S., et al. (1994). Planning Pyramid: A Framework for Planning for Diverse Student Needs During Content Area Instruction. The Reading Teacher, 47,(8), 608-615.

Simich-Dudgeon, C. et al. (1989). Helping Limited English Proficient Children Communicate in the Classroom: A Handbook for Teachers. Program Information Guide Series No. 9, 1-22. NCELA. [Online] www.ncela.gwu.ed/ncbepubs/classics/pig/09helping.htm.

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Sudzina, M. et al. (1997). Mentor or Tormentor: The Role of The Cooperating Teacher in Student Teacher Success or Failure. Action in Teacher Education,18,(4), 23-55.

Terrill, M.M. & Mark, D.L.H. (2000). Preservice Teachers’ Expectations for Schools With Children of Color and Second-Language Learners. Journal of Teacher Education, 51,(2),149-155.

Walqui, A. (2000). Access and Engagement: Program Design and Instructional Approaches for Immigrant Students in Secondary School. ERIC Center for Applied Linguistics. Delta Systems Co. Inc. McHenry, IL.

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Mentor Teacher Web Sites www.teachermentors.com A Best Practices resource site that provides excellent resources on mentoring new teachers, and peer coaching. www.inspiringteachers.com Assimilates a wide variety of tools, links and resources for the benefit of beginning teachers. www.mightymedia.com/mentors Uses email to connect teachers who want to improve their teaching technique, troubleshoot problems, and address other classroom issues. www.coled.mankato.msus.edu/dept/labdist/mentor/Mentorship/mentorl.stm A great site for mentors of beginning teachers. It includes resources to establish and build effective mentoring relationships. www.ed.gov/insts/teachers/teach.html. Provides resources and research for people interested in becoming teachers. It also has information on preparing teachers, professional development, and teaching standards. www.pacificnet.net/~mandel. Provides classroom strategies to beginning teachers, lesson plans, a teacher chatroom, and a registry of mentor teachers. www.teacher.net. Provides chat centers, lesson plan exchanges, a regularly scheduled meeting for beginning and experienced teachers. www.teacher.org. Provides classroom resources and teacher discussions areas such as New Teachers On-Line. www.glef.org/edutopia/newsletters/7.1/indexhtml. A publication of the George Lucas Educational Foundation.

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Websites for Teachers of English Language Learning (ELL) Students Center for Applied Linguisitics (CAL) www.cal.org. CAL is a private, non-profit organization: a group of scholars and educators who use the findings of linguistics and related sciences in identifying and addressing language-related problems. CAL carries out a wide range of activities including research, teacher education, analysis and dissemination of information, design and development of instructional materials, technical assistance, conference planning, program evaluation, and policy analysis. Center for Multilingual/Multicultural Research www.bcf.usc.edu/%7Ecmmr/ The Center provides a base for those interested in multilingual education, English-as-a second language, and foreign language instruction, multicultural education and related areas; and the opportunity to come together for research and program collaboration. Center for Research on Education, Diversity and Excellence (CREDE) www.crede.ucsc.edu/ CREDE is a federally funded research and development program focused on improving the education of students whose ability to reach their potential is challenged by language or cultural barriers, race, geographic location, or poverty. Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk (CRESPAR) http://scov.csos.jhu.edu/crespar/CreSPaR.html. The mission of the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk (CRESPAR) is to conduct the research, development, evaluation, and dissemination needed to transform schooling for students placed at risk.

Clearinghouse for Multicultural/Bilingual Education http://departments.weber.edu/mbe/htmls/mbe.html. The purpose of this site is to provide educators with commercial and non-commercial resources on multicultural and bilingual/ESL education. National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Education Programs (formerly NCBE) www.ncela.gwu.edu NCELA, the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs (formerly NCBE, the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education). It’s purpose is to collect, analyze, and disseminate information relating to the effective education of linguistically and culturally diverse learners in the U.S.

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We are Responsible for Children By Ina M. Hughes

We are responsible for children Who put chocolate fingers everywhere, Who like to be tickled, Who stomp in puddles and ruin their new pants, Who sneak Popsicles before dinner, Who erase holes in their math workbooks, Who can never find their shoes. But we are also responsible for those Who stare at photographers from behind broken windows, Who can’t bound down the street in a new pair of sneakers, Who never “counted potatoes,” Who were born in places we wouldn’t be caught dead, Who live in an x-rated world. We are responsible for children Who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions, Who sleep with the dog and bury goldfish, Who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money, Who cover themselves with band-aids and sign off-key, Who squeeze toothpaste all over the sink, Who slurp their soup. But we are also responsible for those Who never get dessert Who have no safe blanket to drag behind them, Who watch their parents watch them suffer, Who can’t find any bread to steal, Who don’t have rooms to clean up, Whose pictures aren’t on anybody’s dresser, Whose monsters are real.

We are responsible for children Who spend their allowance before Tuesday, Who throw tantrums in the grocery store and who Pick at their food, Who like ghost stories, Who shove dirty clothing under the bed and never Rinse the tub, Who get visits from the tooth fairy, Who don’t like to be kissed in front of the carpool, Who squirm in church and scream on the phone, Whose tears sometimes make us laugh and whose Smiles can make us cry. And we are responsible for those Whose nightmares come in the daytime, Who will eat anything, Who never have seen a dentist, Who aren’t spoiled by anybody, Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep, Who live and move, but have no being. We are responsible for children Who want to be carried and for those who must, For those we will never give up on and For those who don’t get a second chance, And for those we smother and For those who will grab the hand of anybody Kind enough to offer it. Source: School Psychology, IL, October, 1990.

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