Common Core, ELLs, and the Changing Role of ESL Educators

1 10/26/14

John Segota, CAE

Associate Executive Director for Public Policy & Professional Relations TESOL International Association

WIDA 2014 National Conference

Overview

•  CCSS/NGSS and English Language Proficiency

•  The Role of the ESL Educator – TESOL findings

•  New Roles in the New Paradigm •  Key Challenges for ESL Educators •  Redefining Preparation

TESOL International Association

•  More than 13,000 members in over 150 countries

•  100+ affiliates worldwide

TESOL International Association

Resources

Prof. Devel.

Standards Advocacy

Research

Paradigm shift

•  Common Core State Standards (CCSS) / college- and career-ready standards

•  Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

•  New content assessments (PARCC and Smarter Balanced)

•  New English language proficiency (ELP) assessments (ACCESS and ELPA 21)

Major Instructional Shifts

ELA Math Science •  Regular practice with

complex text and its vocabulary

•  Building knowledge

through content-rich informational texts

•  Emphasis on reading,

writing, and speaking that is grounded in evidence from the text

•  Provide opportunities for student access to the different mathematical (discourse) practices described in the CCSS

•  Support mathematical

discussions and use a variety of participation structures

•  Focus on students’

mathematical reasoning, NOT on students’ flawed or developing language

•  Developing and using models

•  Constructing explanations (for science) and developing solutions (for engineering)

•  Engaging in argument

from evidence •  Obtaining, evaluating, and

communicating information

Stanford, University. April 19, 2012. Language, Literacy and the Common Core.

Old Paradigm

Content Language

Mostly

vocabulary,

Gram

mar


New Paradigm

Discourse Text (complex text)

ExplanaDon ArgumentaDon

Purpose Typical structure of text Sentence structures

ΔVocabulary pracDces

Conten

t Language


Success for ELLs

Content Development Language Development

Content Area Teacher

•  Subject area knowledge & experDse

•  Academic objecDve wriDng skills

ESL Teacher •  Language development

knowledge & experDse •  Language objecDve wriDng skills

Implementation of CCSS: Systemic Approach

The triangle of interacDon: CriDcal components for effecDve EL educaDon Staehr Fenner and Segota, 2012

Convening Questions

1.   What are ESL educators’ current roles in implementing the CCSS for ELs?

2.   What should ESL educators’ roles be to ensure that ELLs achieve with the CCSS?

3.   What are the most promising strategies to support ESL educators as they teach the CCSS?

TESOL Findings

•  Most ESL Educators – Understand the importance of academic language

– Are experts in language development

– Lack recogniDon and uniformity in the TESOL field

TESOL Findings

•  Most ESL Educators – Work with content area teachers in an open-‐ended way – Maintain various roles and status in schools – Have no clear role in the school’s CCSS implementa4on

New Roles in the New Paradigm

•  ESL Educators – Experts – Advocates – Consultants

•  Principals and Administrators – Supporters – Buffers – Pedagogical leaders

New Roles for ESL Educators

•  Co-teaching or closer collaboration with content-area teachers

•  Professional development providers for content-area teachers

•  Developing push-in models in which ESL teachers are in the classroom with content-area teachers

Language practices requiredby CCSS/NGSS

Disciplinary Prac9ces

disciplinary pracDces related to conceptual

understanding

disciplinary pracDces related to analyDcal

tasks

disciplinary language pracDces

Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

Disciplinary Practices in CCSS

CCSS Key Standards for Mathematical Practice

Key CCSS English Language Arts Practices

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

2.  Reason abstractly and quantitatively 3.  Construct viable arguments and critique

the reasoning of others 4. Model with mathematics 5.  Use appropriate tools strategically 6.  Attend to precision 7.  Look for and make use of structure 8.  Look for and express regularity in

repeated reasoning.

1.  Support analyses of a range of grade-level complex texts with evidence

2.  Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task purpose, and audience

3.  Construct valid arguments from evidence and critique the reasoning of others

4.  Build and present knowledge through research by integrating, comparing, and synthesizing ideas from texts

5.  Build upon the ideas of others and articulate their own when working collaboratively

6.  Use English structure to communicate context-specific messages Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

Disciplinary Practices in NGSS

NGSS Scientific and Engineering Practices

1.  Ask questions (for science and defining problems (for engineering)

2. Develop and use models

3.  Plan and carry out investigations

4.  Analyze and interpret data

5.  Use mathematics and computational thinking

6.  Construct explanations (for science) and design solutions (for engineering)

7.  Engage in argument from evidence

8. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information


Sample Embedded Analytical Tasks

•  Key CCSS Mathematical Practice 3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others – Understand and use stated assumpDons, definiDons, and previously established results

– Make conjectures and build logical progression of statements to explore truth of conjectures

–  JusDfy conclusions, communicate them to others, and respond to counterarguments

Sample Embedded Receptive Language Practices •  Key CCSS Mathematical Practice 3:

Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others –  Comprehend oral and wriUen concepts, procedures, or strategies used in arguments and reasoning, including •  QuesDons and criDques using words or other representaDons

•  ExplanaDons offered using word or other representaDons by others

•  ExplanaDons offered by wriUen texts using words or other representaDons

Sample Embedded Productive Language Practices

•  Key CCSS Mathematical Practice 3: Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others –  Communicate (orally and in wriDng) about concepts, procedures, strategies, claims, arguments, and other informaDon related to construcDng arguments and criDquing reasoning: •  JusDfy conclusions and respond to counterarguments

•  Recognize and use counterexamples

•  Respond to quesDon by amplifying explanaDons

Inclusion of ELLs in NewStandards-Aligned Instruction

•  How much (and what kind) of language do students need to be placed in an inclusive Standards-based classroom environment?

•  What criteria should be used to make such decisions?

•  What should classrooms look like? •  What curricula can best facilitate linguistic

and intellectual/academic development? Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

Advancing Professional Expertise

•  ESL educators must –  Be conscious of the theories that underline pracDces, and re-‐examine both to arrive at a richer and more thorough understanding of possibiliDes, opportuniDes, and challenges

– Address what pedagogical scaffolding needs to be provided for students so that they can parDcipate in pracDces that are beyond their current levels of development


Redefining Preparation

•  Teacher preparation must be re-conceptualized for the new paradigm so that ESL educators are able to: –  Understand how and why language is used in

various disciplines –  Create opportuniDes for learners to engage in

language-‐rich disciplinary PracDces in both ESL and content-‐area classroom seYngs

–  Engage in effecDve collaboraDon with other educators (and vice-‐versa)


What’s next?

•  2014 TESOL Research Agenda

•  What’s needed in teacher education and preparation?

•  What tools and resources are needed by ESL educators in this new paradigm?

•  What else?

More information

http://www.tesol.org/CommonCore

John Segota, CAE [email protected]

Twitter: @JohnSegota

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Common Core, ELLs, and the Changing Role of ESL Educators

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