What is important and what is necessary? Are they the same?

I found out today that my brother-in-law has prostrate cancer. It is always a shock to hear of a loved one with something so drastic. We don't know what his next steps will be but at least the problem has been identified. Family illnesses have a way of putting other things in perspective, not diminishing the other important aspects of our lives but making them take their rightful place on our list of priorities.

One item on my list is to start implementing my personal professional development plan. Like in all good educational organizations, we are expected to participate in continuous professional development. I enjoy this when meeting with a group of colleagues but what I really, really struggle with is writing and carrying out my own personal professional development. On my own, by myself.

My plan this year includes reading articles and books on literacy and ELs. Right up my alley. Or it should be. With all the discussion and implementation of the Core Standards each of us should take a look at what we believe as teachers, what the research tells us, and how we apply our knowledge when exploring and accomplishing the expected results with our students. Somehow this has made me take a new look at old familiar things, truths I've known have to be addressed with a new slant. I'd like to say with "fresh eyes" but I think after so many years in the educational field, my eyes are anything but fresh. I have too many years of successful students, students who struggled, and students who failed to be able to look at research and recommendations without bringing all that with me. So as I read for new understanding, I will automatically apply my background knowledge and experiences to make this information meaningful, useful.

The first book I've chosen to dive into a book I've read before, using a different colored highlighter and post-it notes to mark those special sections that should be remembered. My book of choice is "Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners, A Teacher's Guide to Research-Based Practices" by Nancy Cloud, Fred Genesee, and Else Hamayan. This is a great book, one that makes sense to the ESL field.

You will enjoy messing with verb conjugation. Maybe

 I don't know about you but as a native English speaker I don't pay that much attention to conjugating verbs. Maybe I should now that I blog.  

Kenneth Beare does a great job explaining and supporting such things as verb conjugation on his website, http://esl.about.com/b/2012/05/16/verb-conjugation.htm?nl=1 This is just one of the many lessons that are great support to ESL and mainstream classroom teachers. 

I have copied a very helpful chart from this lesson on verbs just to give you an example of what you will find when you explore his work.

Verb Conjugation Grid

	Simple Tenses	Simple Tense Example	Progressive Tenses	Progressive Tense Example	Perfect Tenses	Perfect Tense Example	Perfect Progressive Tenses	Perfect Progressive Tense Example
Present	Present Simple	Jack usually takes a bus to work.	Present Progressive	Alice is writing her report at the moment.	Present Perfect	Bob has purchased three cars in his life.	Present Perfect Progressive	The students have been writing for twenty minutes.
Past	Past Simple	We drove to Yellowstone last	Past Progressive	Daniel was ironing at seven o'clock.	Past Perfect	They had completed the report by the time he requested to see it.	Past Perfect Progressive	My neighbors had been working outside for a few hours when their daughter telephoned with the news.
Future	Future Simple	I'll see you tomorrow afternoon.	Future Progressive	Tom will be making his presentation this time next week.	Future Perfect	We'll have the job finished by six o'clock.	Future Perfect Progressive	Mr. Jones will have been teaching for eight hour straight by the time he finishes.

Full of Hot Air

Today is hot! Very hot and dry. My yard looks like we have tried to kill the Queen Anne's lace but got the grass instead. Patches of white, long, scrawny,  plants cover my yard. The only thing I can do and still be positive is to admire how delicate and graceful they look. Find the beauty in the weeds, the good in the bad.

As I write this, I am working in the waiting room of the car dealership that is fixing the AC in my car. Thanks to the deer who thought it would be fun to crash into my car, I've had a slow leak in my AC that finally became a huge leak. No cool air during the hottest part of the summer. The good in the waiting is that I've been able to work on a grant report, answer emails, read articles on RTI and ESL, and write my first blog post in months.

Thank goodness for technology and the great new book I brought to read, "English Language Learners At School, A guide for Administrators", Else Hamayan and Rebecca Freeman, Caslon Publishing, Second Edition, 2012.

71 contributors have answered many questions that need short, direct answers. A book like this is important for every school administrator who has ESL students in their building. In Iowa that should be about every district in the state.

Have a Little Whine with your Wine!

Well, I've done it. Today I've turned 60. Something about that number has me a little upset. No longer does it give the impression of being young.  59 still sounded sexy, youthful, energetic, exciting. But 60, the BIG 6-0! Ick! No sexy overtones there, no spring in your step visions, no wait let me do it for you vibes. If you can't tell, I'm not handling this birthday well. I had the same problem the year I turned 29. I felt old and worn out. Tears came without warning. And grumpy! It was not a pretty sight. But what happened after all the emotion? Nothing earth shattering, just life, and a happy one at that. So, I need to get a grip in my attitude and enjoy the fact that I have been blessed with another year to enjoy those I love, dislike those I don't, eat what I should or not, exercise and enjoy physical activities that I know will make me hurt tomorrow. All just because I can. 

Oh yeah, you came here looking for an educational nugget. Well, don't worry, I haven't lost all of my memory yet.

Take a moment to read the report, English Language Learner Resource Guide: Top Ten Instructional Tips for Schools With a Low Incidence of ELLS, prepared by Jane D. Hill and Heather Hoak from Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning, April 30, 2012. The five state region of the McREL's North Central Comprehensive Center includes the states of Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. These five states have experienced an increase in the number of schools who have a low number of English Language Learners. Giving support to these schools is very important because even having one ELL is reason to examine teaching practices. This guide gives some good, basic strategies.

Developed for ALL? Does that mean ESL, too?

Several things should be considered when selecting a reading program for classrooms that include ESL students. Even though I do not recommend a particular company or specific series, I do recommend the following list of considerations when investing in our students reading program of study.

Authors

Do the authors have ESL background experience?

Multicultural considerations

Home Language considerations

Teachers Guide

Does the guide give information on second language acquisition?

Language Objectives are clearly indicated for each lesson

Vocabulary is introduced in a meaningful way before, revisited during, reviewed after

Graphic organizers are used to help support comprehension

Background development activity ideas are listed

Do lessons focus on comprehension while building phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency?

Provides running record opportunities

Formative assessment provided for content and skills as well as language acquisition?

Does not consider ELL instruction as an add-on, something extra.

Differentiation supports provided

Supports and acknowledges home language importance

Writing activities

Oral language, interactive activities included

Provides across curricular opportunities or tie in 

Use sheltered instruction models

Student Text

Colorful

Picture support

Graphs and Charts

Focus on Vocabulary-academic language and content

Leveled Books/reading with age appropriate content

Different genre

Print is appropriate for grade level

Higher level thinking required

Reflective opportunities

Students can find themselves in the stories

Meaningful and interesting stories

Narrative and expository genres are included

I’m sure there are other considerations when choosing a new reading series or program and I would be very interested in hearing what others think. I know that teachers will adapt, add to, subtract from whatever is in their teacher guides based on the needs of their students but I feel it is important for the developers to give as much appropriate support as possible. Is there one particular series or program out there that includes all of these? I don't know, I haven't been in the position to look at different publisher for awhile. More research to be done...is it ever done. Nope.

Have you thanked a teacher today?

My favorite, most memorable teacher?
It would be a toss up between Mrs. Stevens, 3rd grade and Mrs. Duffy, 6th grade.
Mrs. Stevens was a short woman not much taller than her students. She would laugh, listen, and was quick with hugs and praises. She was the first teacher that made me feel as if I was valued as a student. Mrs. Duffy was her opposite: tall with red long fingernails, perfect hair, and beautiful clothes. A woman of elegant stature and grace. She allowed us to write and perform plays until our creative minds could produce no longer, in other words, we had plays all year. I will never forget her standing at the window in that old 3-story school house, speechless, tears on her cheek. All of us sitting quietly in our seats for what seemed like an eternity. In her kind elegant way she was trying to figure out how she could tell us about the death of President Kennedy. A task that deserved all the power words can instill in a young heart.
I have had many teachers, many mentors, many friends who have guided my educational life. However, these two women always come first in my cobweb filled memories. I can see them on the playground of a building that no longer stands. I can hear their voices as if they are whispering in my ear even now. I don't remember any subject or specific topic of study, just their presence. I wonder what they would think if they knew that skinny, quiet, shy little girl followed their footsteps into education.
I wish I could tell these two wonderful women how much I appreciate the impact they had on my life. They modeled my future. It's too late, they are both gone now. I waited too long to say thank you.

Never Too Young

I am amazed with a young man, Jacob Barnett, who has some outstanding credientials already at a tender age of 12. I suggest taking a few minutes to watch as this young man giving us all solid advise. Stop learning, start thinking, then create.

http://edupln.ning.com/video/tedxteen-jacob-barnett-forget-what-you-know?xg_source=shorten_twitter

I'm Impressed

I just watched a short film clip called "Caine's Arcade". This is a testimony to the creativity of our children when they are left to their own devices. I'm going to direct you to "Caine's Arcade" through one of my favorite blogs, CareerTech Testing Center. CareerTech is worth your time to explore but do that after you've spent 11 minutes of your life marveling at Caine's many skills.

http://careertechtesting.blogspot.com/

Caine has the "something" that we try to instill in our students; common sense which leads to productive problem solving.

"Smackdown"

I just watched a session on EduVision of the 2012 Iowa One-to-One Institute (i11i) called Web 2.0 Smackdown with Dr. Scott McLeod. In this session, participants from the audience had two minutes to share a website that they use either with their students or to make their teaching lives easier. It was so much fun to see all the really great sites, ones that I have never heard of and ones I use, being demonstrated. One demonstrated by Dr. McLeod holds great promise for teachers of ESL students:

www.dotsub.com

This site provides translation of videos with the use of subtitles. You can also add your own videos and translations. This will be great for the ELs who can read in their L1.

If you are not familiar with Eduvision it is worth your time to take a look. It's a fantastic way to share knowledge, opening so many avenues for communication to the masses. Online professional development can be accessed whenever the need arises. Wonderful way to make sure statewide trainings are given with reliability and consistency or to open up conferences for those of us who can only attend an hour here, an hour there. Not to mention, you can session hop without interruption, not that I would ever do such a thing.
 
educateiowa-EduVision

https://educateiowa.eduvision.tv

Flapjacks? Flip me a few!

My husband of 37, almost 38, years made me pancakes the other night for supper. They were delicious, blueberry, hot and buttery. Yummy! What possessed him I'll never know, it was truly an unexpected treat.  Maybe he finally got tired of my cooking.

Hey teachers, isn't it time we got tired of the same old thing we've been cooking up year after year? Stand and deliver, sage on the stage? Homework assigned and excuses made for not having it done?  Enough is enough, don't you think? How about cooking up an unexpected treat for our students?

Flipped classroom is a term that refers to a philosophy on delivery of instruction. When we think of assignments to be done at home the term "homework" comes to mind. Let's take the word "work" out of learning accomplished at home, or at least away from school. Try thinking of activities completed or engaged in at home as initial learning, the instruction. Before the students enter the classroom they have already engaged in the learning needed to participate in the day's activities. The classroom becomes a place for discussion, invention, interaction, and innovation. It becomes a place where students work together towards the goal of using what they have learned.

I like this idea, I think it is the next step in taking education beyond the four walls of the school. It opens up the opportunity to take knowledge into practice, it creates the need to learn with a reason or goal in mind. But how do our second language learners fit into this philosophy? I have been rolling this around in my mind all day. The need to build background and develop vocabulary before approaching a lesson is essential for ELs to understand and learn, but how do we do that if the first encounter with a  topic is at home away from teacher support? How do we create the level of language needed to comprehend the lesson?

I don't think it is impossible, and not terribly difficult. However, it will require planning and creativity. Teachers are good at that. As teachers prepare their students to participate in the new learning of an at-home activity they must remember to incorporate background knowledge and vocabulary development into the process.  Choosing home activities must engage as well as educate.

My next concern is the availability of the devices to access content at home. Will our EL families have the internet connection, the space for viewing the evening lessons, the knowledge to operate and maintain a computer or iPad?

Using this approach to classroom organization isn't something you can decided to do overnight. Research and logistics must be explored. Every detail must be taken care of.

And where do these online lessons come from? Does the teacher have to create everything on their own? Some of it yes, but one great resource that has great possibilities of providing what you'll need is the Kahn Academy. Take time to explore

 http://www.khanacademy.org/

Another site, one that is brand new and evolving, is TED-ED

http://education.ted.com/

Is a flipped classroom something that will work for you and your students? I think it has great possibilities but I know I need more research. I'm keeping my mind open to it's possibilities.

Sticks and stones may hurt my bones, but words and hitting hurt too!

 When I was a young child I remember riding the school bus and being terribly afraid of the high school kids that sat in the back. One time an older boy was hit and teased all the way to the front of the bus. I remember seeing blood, not sure where but it was there just the same. This is my first memory of someone being hurt by others. I don't remember why he was being hurt, and I don't remember him ever riding the bus again. I just remember being afraid of something like that happening to me.

I wonder what happened on that bus that made me comfortable as a passenger after that. Did we get rid of the bullies, did we get a stricter bus driver, did the absence of that one particular boy make the others calm down and act like decent kids? I don't remember. All I know is I can see that boy as clearly today as I did all those years ago. Bullying does touch everyone, not just the child being bullied.

I read an interesting blog today on ELLs and Bullying and it made me think back to my teaching days. Did I ever allow this bad behavior to exist in my classroom? Did I ever make sure that my ELLs were free of bullying at recess or on the way to and from school? Or was I just clueless, thinking that nothing terrible like this ever happens in my school.

 Take a few minutes to read this blog and see what memories come back to you. Think about what you see everyday around you. There's 8 really helpful hints that I hope you will take to heart and use.

http://blog.languagelizard.com/2011/09/19/protecting-ells-against-bullying/

I wish I could go back to that school bus and watch that scenario again. Put it into slow motion, rewind to before that boy tried to get off the bus. Rewind it to a point that something could be changed.

"In like a lamb, out like a lion", or "In like a lion, out like a lamb", only the weatherman knows for sure

February 29th, Leap Day. It's funny how a number can make people go a little crazy. I've been listening to radio personalities complain that they are working an extra day, how everyone in the world should have the day off. Celebrations for weddings and birthdays that only happen every four years are all around us. But why and what is the purpose of Leap Year? It surly isn't just for the chance of females asking males to get married. To find out more just Google and you will have more information than you'll ever need.

So what should I write about on this extra day of the year? My mind is racing to all the things I could be doing and not wanting to do any of them. An extra day should give me a chance to finish up all those little projects that just never get done or even a chance to start something new.

But my focus seems to keep coming back to a two day meeting I have with co workers from across the state tomorrow and Friday. We are a mixed bunch of dedicated people with various personalities. We all get along and are of common mind and spirit, most of the time. I really do look forward to meeting with all of them. The problem is we have lost some of our excitement. We have fallen into that depressed state that many of our teachers have found themselves. We are downtrodden, broken almost. Our moral is shot.

And here's me, the person who thinks she has to fix everything. I have been taxing my brain for something fun, exciting to do that would just lift our spirits a bit while we tackle the work at hand. I've thought of lambs, you know, March in like a lamb, out like a lion. White, fluffy, soft lambs. Just don't know where to get 25 of them and I don't think the Marriott would allow them in anyway. So here's my thought, food, there has to be something that we could eat that would take us to a soft, cozy, happy place. And chocolate, has to have some element of chocolate.

The only idea I have so far is to find the cute little lamb I bought after Easter last year. Take Easter grass, put the lamb in the middle and place a bowl of chocolate candies directly behind him. Gross or funny? I don't know. I chuckled. Maybe just a little bit of foolishness is all we need to make the day go smoother.

That takes me to years gone by with my ELLs. When they started to "get the joke" I knew we were on our way to understanding English. Getting the hidden humor in a language takes skill and knowledge.

I guess this extra day has made me extra windy myself. Long blog without much power, unlike the windy day we are experiencing today. Hope your extra day gives you power to get things going. An extra day to enjoy the humor around you.

Happines=Positive Outcomes, Positive Outcomes=Happiness, Chicken or the Egg?

I just finished watching a TED Talk with Shawn Achor, "the happy secret to better work". So entertaining yet so thought provoking. 

Dr Achor gives us 6 things we can do to change our outlook.
 

• Spend two minutes a day to write down three new things you are grateful for - for 21 days in a row.
• Journal about one positive experience you’ve had every 24 hours.
• Exercise.
• Meditate to allow your brain to focus on one thing at a time.
• Perform random acts of kindness.
• Write one positive email to someone you know every time you open up your inbox.

I recommend taking 12:21 mins of your day to listen to this TED Talk,

http://www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html

It could change how you approach your students. It could change how they learn.

The Write Topic

A month has past and have I blogged? Yes, but did I post any of them? No. Sometimes I just write to get frustration or crazy thoughts out of my head. I've never been a writer,  never in my wildest dreams have I thought myself a writer. I know that I miss punctuation in vital places and the grammar police should have arrested me years ago. But I plunge on, expressing myself for all or no one else but me to read. Sometimes I re-read my posts and think, ugh, what were you thinking? Or I find tons of mistakes. And I grew up speaking and writing in English!

The act of writing in English for an English  Learner, EL for short, is a daunting task. Not because they have nothing to say, but because putting thoughts into words that feel like gravel in your mouth is hard, very hard. It is important to think of writing as an extension of reading, speaking, listening and comprehending. It isn't a product all by itself, it's a way of reflecting on what is read, what is said, what is heard and what is known and felt and putting it all together in written form. Writing is part of learning content, it should be a daily part of every lesson or activity.

Two books that are helpful when thinking of writing in this way were suggested by one of the many teachers who work so diligently in our state to meet all the needs of our ELs. Thank you, Lindsey.

Check out:
Making Sense, Small-Group comprehension Lessons for English Language Learners, K-8, by Juli Kendall and Outey Khuon, Stenhouse Publishers, Portland, Maine, 2005.


101 Activities for English Language Learning, Content-based Ideas with Easy Internet RE-sources, by Charles F. Hirsch and Deborah Lazarus, Grades 1-4, Rigby, 2002.

So thank you to all of you who struggle through my blogs just to get the resource nugget at the end. Maybe if I keep practicing I'll finally get a post without errors and one that is easy to read.

This is the year!

A new year has started and along with it new opportunities for success. That is what I'm going with, "opportunities for success". These are promising words, challenging words, words to hang your hat on. In order for me to realize success, I first have to get a clear picture at what I want to be successful at. So, I created my success list for 2012. Some may call it a resolution list but resolutions are too easily broken.

My Upcoming Successes In 2012

1. organizing personal belongings, alleviate clutter
2. read at least one fun book a month
3. read at least two professional books/articles/blogs all the way through each month
4. job reevaluation; keep what is working, change what is not
5. connect more often with family and friends
6. love, laugh, enjoy life more
7. cry and regret less
8. exercise the body, mind, and spirit daily
9. to blog or not to blog without guilt
10. realize that some things are not in my control; but the ones that are, control with wisdom, kindness, fairness, and perfection
11. learn something new each day
12. realize that success can be measured in many ways and that finding success is a never ending process

Do you have your own list by now?  I know mine is not finished, I plan to be successful over and over again this year. Just like our ESL students and their families plan to be successful providers and learners. The stages of acculturation they go through make it difficult to always keep that positive goal and attitude. Sometimes living and surviving in a new country or with new language barriers make that daily struggle almost impossible. As educators we need to realize what our students go through stages of adjustment (Gergory Trivonovitch). It is important that we realize that these stages can last for various time periods and return or cycle back around depending on the cultural demands. 

Honeymoon Stage-Everything is wonderful, new and exciting.

The Hostility Stage-Everything is hard, different, impossible to understand. Anger and resentment can pose real issues in school settings.

The Integration/Acceptance Stage-Things become more manageable and more normal feeling. This is the way it is.

Stages of Acculturation or Adjustment (whatever you may call it) must be taken in consideration just as equally as the stages of language acquisition our ELs travel through. Don't dismiss bad behavior as normal bad behavior. It may be a child reaching or searching to come to grips to his new life.

One tool that is very helpful was designed by Dr. Catherine Collier. Her Acculturation Quick Screen will give great insight. For more about her work visit her website, http://crosscultured.com.

As for me, I will keep my list of successes handy so I can remind myself of what I want to accomplish this year. I have high hopes and have promised myself that I won't become discouraged when I don't reach the height of success I want. Baby steps at 59. Good grief! I forgot to add to my list-Don't freak out in May when I have to start saying 60 instead of 59! That may be one success I fail!!!

RTI: Run To IT, no, Rethink your Thoughts and be Insightful, no, Response To Intervention, yes, that's it!

 Rats! I just checked back at posts that I have written, saved for editing, but never posted. It wouldn't be a big deal, I could re-write them and add them as new ones but the one I really liked was my New Year's post. It is written and has all my wonderful plans for success in 2012.  I wonder if the second week of January is too late to add it? I guess if I am going to follow my own targets of success for 2012, I should post it and not think it odd. But the 2011 me is embarrassed that I forgot it and would like to hide the fact that I messed up.

Our ESL students face that same problem every time they open their mouths or try to read. Do they try to hide the fact that they might mess up or do they plow on, making all sorts of mistakes but learning every step of the way? Many times they will appear as if they need special education services, making so many mistakes that teachers feel that they must have that extra help from a SPED teacher. With implementation of the RTI model in many of our schools, teachers have been able to focus on our ELs needs without going to that Tier 3 intervention (SPED).

If you're interested in reading more about ELs and RTI you will find that more and more books are starting to appear on the topic. For years, Dr. Catherine Collier and Dr. Alba Ortiz have been the names I think of first when considering ESL and SPED. However, we are seeing other names enter the mix of experts in the field. A recent book that I have added to my library is titled, " How to Teach English Language Learners, Effective Strategies from Outstanding Educators". This book highlights scenarios from classrooms that provide instruction to ELs with the RTI model. This is a practical resource that is an interesting read with strategies that can be used in your classroom tomorrow.


"How to Teach English Language Learners, Effective Strategies from Outstanding Educators", Diane Haager, Janette K. Klingner, Teresa C. Aceves. Published by Jossey-Bass, www.josseybass.com, 2010.

Well, I guess I'll bite the bullet and post my old post next. If I am going to continue to teach this old dog new tricks, I must carry on.

When things reach the boiling point, make tea.

Okay, I give up. Simple as that. I have tried to register for TESOL several times and each attempt has been unsuccessful. It isn't their website, it's me. First, my membership had expired, so had to stop and renew that. Then, I didn't know which hotel would be the best, had to stop and research that. Now, I can't pay for anything! My credit card expires before the conference and because no payment will be made until the stay is complete, they won't take my card. Frustration is reaching the boiling point and this is really a minor deal. I still have a place to live, my family is safe, we have food, we have freedoms, we are not fearing anything or anyone. So, my advice to me is to GET A GRIP! This is no big deal.

Speaking of big deals, TESOL is. Have you ever checked them out? You should. Not only do they put on an international conference with all the big names in the ESL field,  they offer so much more. Online learning, publications, webinars, etc. Membership is $95 for basic but there are several other membership options available.

To find out more visit Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. at www.tesol.org.

As for me, tomorrow is another day. So maybe I won't get a room at the Marriott, the one that is attached to the Conference Center with easy access to everything and with a great view of the city. I guess walking is good for me. Hmm,  looks like I'll have to go buy a great pair of walking shoes. Such a hardship. ☺