Many needs, many responses: Designing professional development for LESLLA teachers
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Many needs, many responses: Designing professional development for LESLLA teachers Patsy Vinogradov, University of Minnesota
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Many needs, many responses: Designing professional development for LESLLA teachers. Patsy Vinogradov, University of Minnesota. Our Context: Minnesota. Minnesota. Minnesota’s LESLLA learners. Minnesota has: the highest proportion of refugees of any state in the US - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Transcript of Many needs, many responses: Designing professional development for LESLLA teachers
Many needs, many responses:
Designing professional development
for LESLLA teachers
Patsy Vinogradov, University of Minnesota
Our Context: Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota’s LESLLA learners
Minnesota has: the highest proportion
of refugees of any state in the US
the largest population of Somali immigrants in the country
the second largest population of Hmong and the largest urban Hmong population in the country
Adult Basic Education teachers:
Majority are part-time Those working in school
districts have a teaching license but may not have experience & training in working with adults and or ESL
Many volunteer instructors in community-based organizations
Most have not had formal training on working with LESLLA students
In St. Paul, Minnesota, Hamline University and the Minnesota Department of Education have formed ATLAS, ABE Teaching and Learning Advancement System.
ATLAS Mission: to provide resources and professional development to advance adult education throughout Minnesota.
Professional development needs?
A survey of nearly 700 Adult Basic Education workers in Minnesota in 2009 revealed a great deal about programs, learners, teachers, and professional development needs.
One major finding was a need for more professional development for LESLLA instructors.
Our PD ‘package’ for LESLLA teachers
1. Introductory workshops
2. Focused, more ‘advanced’ workshops
3. Materials distribution via website (forthcoming)
4. 2010 PD initiative includes the development of a Study Circle for more focused, in-depth professional growth.
WorkshopsGeneral workshops: Instruction for
low-literacy learners
Using learner-generated texts
These workshops are typically 2-3 hours, presented at state and national conferences, regional events, and in-service professional development days.
Contents of Introductory Workshops
Characteristics of LESLLA learners
Importance of contextualized, meaningful instruction
Balanced literacy: combining top-down and bottom-up instruction
Capitalizing on oral skills Language Experience
Approach (LEA) Resources, teaching tips
2010: More specific, in depth workshops:
1. Phonemic awareness
2010: More specific, in depth workshops:
2. Emergent reading in early childhood; connections to adult instruction
Lesson Planning workshop
This workshop focuses on planning successful lessons: determining objectives, planning appropriate activities, and assessing learner progress.
Workshop begins by viewing the New American Horizons video:Building Literacy with Emergent
Readers
Video available at:www.newamericanhorizons.org
This video nicely illustrates Whole-Part-Whole instruction, using learner-generated texts, contextualizing phonics…
Building Basic Skills workshop
This 2-hour session is organized into 7 “learning stations” for teachers to explore and discussion different areas of basic literacy skills and teaching LESLLA learners.
7 Learning stations for teachersin Building Basic Skills workshop
Stations:
1. phonemic awareness
2. phonics
3. extensive reading
4. narrative skills
5. LEA follow-up
6. print motivation
7. automaticity & journaling
Why aren’t workshops sufficient?
Professional Development for teachers is most effective when it includes:
1. Content focus2. Collective participation3. Duration4. Coherence5. Active learning
Desimone, L.M. (2009). Improving impact studies of teachers’ professional development: Toward better conceptualizations and measures. Educational Researcher 38(3), 181-199
Study Circle
What is a study circle?
8-12 participants 3 meetings over 6-8 weeks Readings and tasks between
meetings Constant opportunities to
discuss research and its implications for the classroom
Low-literacy Teachers’ Study Circle
Study Circle Facilitator’s Guide developed summer 2010, to be piloted fall 2010.
3 meetings, 2.75 hours each
meeting
Study Circle: Meeting One
Characteristics of emergent
adult ESL readers Research Findings: What do we
know for sure? Orality and Literacy
Study Circle: Meeting Two
Unraveling Reading: Components of emergent reading development
Emergent reading instruction, Part I: What can we learn from early childhood instructors?
(Classroom practices to create literacy-rich environments and meaningful literacy experiences for learners.)
Study Circle: Meeting Three
Emergent reading instruction, Part II: further reporting on our classroom-tasks, using authentic materials, extensive reading, etc.
Planning for progress in a 0-1 class: lesson planning, managing multiple levels and mismatched oral and literacy skills, assessment
Resources, Next Steps
Discussion
What types of professional development are you providing in your contexts?
What else can LESLLA scholars be doing to better prepare teachers?
