Hello everyone!
The definition of quote is to repeat someone else’s statement, phrases or thoughts.
Here is today’s!
Happy Teaching!
Lori
from Fun To Teach – Grammar, Language, Math, ESL/ELD, Spanish, Reading, Writing, Centers and more! https://esleld.blogspot.com/2018/09/mondays-quote.html
from Fun To Teach – Grammar, Language, Math, ESL/ELD, Spanish, Reading, Writing, Centers and more! https://esleld.blogspot.com/2019/12/happy-new-year.html
I have been to TESOL Conventions before, and there are so many opportunities to connect to people, but as a shy person, those opportunities may seem daunting at first. With so much happening—from the continual book fair to the presentations to the Electronic Village—it is easy to think that TESOL is just too big to really engage in. However, here are five introvert-friendly ways to engage at TESOL 2020 that will help you connect.
Samantha Butler, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education Instructional Dean
1. ELT Leadership Management Certificate Program
Professional learning and development are goals of mine at TESOL, and the ELT Leadership Management Certificate Program enabled me to connect with people one-on-one. There are specific sessions you can choose from, and the sessions you choose have very like-minded individuals attending. It is an impersonal and professional setting that will allow you the opportunity to connect and help you grow professionally at the same time.
2. Visit the Electronic Village
The Electronic Village and Technology Showcase is a unique opportunity to see the growth of technology in the education field. Since most presenters want to give you this information, it is easy to tackle this task on your own, venturing in and out presentations/demonstrations, learning new ideas, and being able to gather a lot of takeaways that your educational institute can use.
3. Choose Presentations Wisely
There are so many presentations, from the graduate research to new developments happening all over the world. Before the day begins, map out a trajectory of the presentations you want to visit for that day, get to all presentations at least 5 minutes early to get a good seat, and take notes while in the presentation as many presenters leave their contact information for future communication and collaboration.
4. Tea With Distinguished TESOLers
Attending a Tea With Distinguished TESOLers session is a very light-hearted way to connect to Convention attendees where there are not so many people in one area. The teas make it personal and intimate to help you connect, ask questions, and have a better grasp of the distinguished TESOLers that are making great strides in education. Also, as an introvert, sometimes it is good to go and listen to what these professionals are doing while having a soothing cup of tea away from the crowds in the convention center.
5. Explore the City
As a current Denver resident, I know that there is so much to see in this city, especially around the convention center. You can take a walk to the 16th Street Mall, or you can explore Larimer Square and buy a slice of Spring Fling cake from The Market. There are not only places to shop, but small cafés to help rejuvenate you away from the TESOL crowds. If you want to explore further, there are bike tours, ghost tours, and bus tours of the city that can give you respite to really reflect on the information that TESOL is presenting.
TESOL is a great convention, and there are so many opportunities to connect or to do individualized learning. As people in the education industry, I find that TESOL has so many opportunities that lend itself to introverts like myself to either be in my comfort zone or step out of it a bit. I hope to see other fellow introverts at TESOL 2020 in Denver, Colorado this year.
Author Bio
Samantha Butler is a culturally and linguistically diverse education instructional dean for Aurora Public Schools who has taught in the United States and China, focusing on strategies that work with English second-language students. Throughout her career, she has had a passion for empowering students in their English ability and helping content teachers do the same.
from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/5-ways-to-get-the-most-out-of-tesol-2020-as-an-introvert/
In Denver, I am serving as a TESOL Ambassador, and the honor allows me to check a goal off my list before the TESOL Annual Convention even begins. Every time I attend TESOL, I try to do something new. The first time I attended, I was solely in reception mode (a collateral result was the invaluable motivation to submit proposals and participate more actively).
Since then, this secondary effort—to pursue different opportunities—has driven me to persistently explore and exploit the resources of the conference and to even move beyond my comfort zone. While it is both easy and sufficiently gratifying to attend as many sessions as possible and to focus on topic- and skill-specific professional development, there is much more on offer when so many TESOL professionals gather.
Wendy McBride, Faculty Instructor
In Toronto (my first year as a presenter), I attended one of the many discussion group sessions. As a promotion of peer exchange, it brought together about a dozen attendees interested in sharing their experiences and ideas on reading. Novice teachers and veterans alike chimed in with their thoughts; it was one very productive respite from the more intense, organized sessions that often cover a lot of ground in 45 minutes.
I attended a Tea With Distinguished TESOLers event in Chicago. I was prompted to do so largely because one of the participants authored a text I have used—and have actually quite literally depended on—in my classroom for years. I could not imagine how the “tea” would proceed, and it took place at the end of the conference, when my energy was beginning to flag. It was beyond worth the time and energy that I mustered. The setting was as intimate as the title suggested, even though there were several tables in close proximity, each set for eight or 10 people. The food was lovely and abundant, and the conversation was inspiring and informative.
The exhibition hall tends to present me with conflicting reactions. I am NOT a shopper, and a loud, overwhelming environment like that can be off-putting. Since I generally have a textbook-related mission, last year I decided to enter a couple of the giveaways AND to be present to win. That is where I often fall down, especially the “win” part. In Atlanta, however, after two names were called and dismissed (absent, it seemed), my name was called and I left the exhibition hall with a free Fitbit. Incidentally, I also landed on a new grammar text, so my school, colleagues, and students gleaned a benefit as well.
Convention fatigue can result from exuberantly pursuing session after session. I have sometimes found myself intellectually numb and in need of intense processing time following a long, tightly scheduled day at TESOL. This reset can be achieved, and the overwhelming nature of the event can be mitigated by injecting an adventurous spirit into the experience.
Author Bio
Currently an instructor with Spring International Language Center at the University of Arkansas (Fayetteville), Wendy McBride brings experience as a language learner (French, Japanese, and Russian) as well as a teacher (at university and IEP levels, in workplace settings, in community education and at an eikaiwa gakkō/英会話学校 in Japan) to her TESOL ambassadorship. She has trained students from around the world in one-on-one, small group, and large group classroom situations.
from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/pursing-a-first-at-every-convention/
Racism is a pervasive problem in the United States that affects children at all grade levels. It can occur in ways teachers interact with their students and in the ways that students relate with each another. It can also be evident in the educational access and funding that our English learners (ELs) have in U.S. schools. This topic profoundly affects the lives of our students; teachers of ELs need to be aware of this so that they can properly advocate for their students.
Research by Mahzarin Banaji, a renowned Harvard University racism and prejudice expert, found that “even though they may not understand the ‘why’ of their feelings, children exposed to racism tend to accept and embrace it as young as age 3.” Teachers need to expose children to learning opportunities that acknowledge race and ethnicity, and prioritize preventing racism through social justice with culturally relevant teaching. Karen Nemeth, a U.S. expert on early childhood development, remarked in an email to me that “Parents and teachers have powerful influence over the ways children learn to express judgements about other people, and reading appropriate stories can help.”
Research on Using Books With Young Children to Combat the Growth of Race and Racism
Researcher Kristina R. Olson reported in Psychology Today (2013) that “nearly all White mothers in their research study adopted a ‘colormute/colorblind’ approach when discussing a book that was either directly or indirectly about race with their 4–5 year old children; most chose not to discuss race at all.” She added that research “has demonstrated that as opposed to White parents, parents of minority children in the U.S. do talk about race and ethnicity quite regularly.”
Introduce Books on Race and Racism
The introduction of books about racially and ethnically diverse global populations can help teachers support discussions in the classroom about prejudice and stereotypes. Educators of ELs often teach those children who are targets of discrimination. It is important for them to have a list of books to recommend to classroom and subject area teachers. I would suggest books and resources from the following lists for classroom libraries. Most are marked with the age range that is appropriate for the book.
31 Children’s Books to Support Conversation on Race, Racism and Resistance
This children’s reading list focuses on taking action. It highlights resistance, resilience, and activism and it seeks to empower youth to participate in the ongoing movement for racial justice. These books demonstrate the diverse ways people of all ages and races have engaged in antiracist activism and highlight how race intersects with other issues, such as capitalism, class, and colonization.
37 Children’s Books to Help Talk About Racism and Discrimination
These books focus on teaching young children about bias, diversity, and social justice. These multicultural children’s books are a selection of picture books and novels about the past and the present. They can be helpful for talking to children in elementary to high school about racism and its devastating consequences.
19 Global Young Adult Novels for Class Library
The selections on this list cover diverse settings, including India, Pakistan, Haiti, Cuba, and Japan. These books are excellent for middle school students and can help students discuss people from around the globe who are racially diverse.
Race Talk: Engage Young People in Conversations About Race and Racism
This is an interesting article from the Anti Defamation League (ADL) on 9 ways to have conversations with students on race and racism.
If you have resources that you use in your classroom with your students, either about racism or celebrating the diverse cultures of your students, please write about them in the comments, below.
from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/using-literature-to-combat-racism-in-young-children/
So if you’re anything like me, you’re busy—really busy—juggling lesson plans and staff meetings and research projects and grading. Meanwhile, journal articles stack up in the unread pile and emails flood in by the hundreds. Don’t even get me started on managing the rest of life! It can be overwhelming to add one more thing to the mix. But I’m here to make a case for attending the yearly TESOL International Convention.
Josiah Murphy
Each time I attend the Convention, I find myself leaving the daily grind behind. It’s invigorating to explore a new city, network with other professionals, and reconnect with old friends. The bookstore sells titles written by our fellow members, while the vendors showcase the latest tech and give away swag bags. There are hundreds of fascinating presentations on cutting-edge research, suggestions for supporting students, and practical class content like teaching tips and lesson plans. The plenary sessions remind me of just how important our work is, and encourage me to keep serving.
Brushing shoulders with thousands of other teachers illustrates just how large our field is. We gather from all over the globe, yes, but we also cooperate with other fields from technology to politics to literature and more. Whether you are tackling a world-changing issue or changing the life of one student, you need the support of others who get it. And you can find them at the TESOL International Convention!
A Helpful Checklist
If you want to attend the convention, here’s what you need to do:
Ask your supervisor for time off.
Apply for funding from your school.
(optional) Apply for Convention grants and scholarships.
Become (or renew as) a TESOL International Association member.
Register for the Convention.
Buy train/bus/airplane tickets, or map your driving route
Reserve lodging.
(optional) Arrange to carpool or room with friends.
(optional) Read the blog posts about Convention highlights and fun things to do in the host city.
Pack your bags.
(optional) Decide which presentations to attend.
Enjoy the conference!
Submit expense receipts.
Integrate new lesson plans/research information.
Ask you can see, this is a feasible process, and well worth it in the end. I hope to see you there!
Author Bio
Josiah Murphy, MA TESOL, recently graduated from Kent State University, where she served as president of the Graduate Organization for Teachers of ESL. She has taught EFL/ESP in China, Cambodia, and Ohio. Current research includes translanguaging in the writing of multilinguals, and contested language revitalization.
from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/make-time-for-the-convention-a-helpful-checklist/
Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest TESOL games and education blog! Using video games in the classroom can be highly engaging for students, but perhaps a more engaging activity is making games. Educators interested in task-based learning can leverage the game development process as a way to engage students in the four skills during an authentic task—creating a game that can be shared with and enjoyed by classmates.
This month’s blog highlights game development tools appropriate for all ages and skill levels of students. Each of these has their own strengths and weaknesses, and I encourage everyone to check out, and play with, a few to determine which tools best fit your students and classroom context. All of these tools are free for students.
1. Scratch
Scratch is a programming tool with a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface. Users can make a variety of side-scrolling games, making this a great option for younger learners. Where Scratch excels is introducing learners to coding through a simple drag-and-drop interface that teaches them the logic behind coding without the need to learn to code first.
2. Gamestar Mechanic
Gamestar Mechanic is targeted at middle and early high-school students who are interested in game design, but aren’t familiar with the basics. Gamestar Mechanic uses a game format to teach these basics. Users are given one mechanic at a time to explore before they level-up and gain more access to a wider set of tools. (Note: Free for first quest; varied costs for additional missions and courses; US$1.99–$249)
3. Aris
Aris is a location-based game development editor. Creators can place markers, objects, or plaques on a map of their local areas. These markers, objects, and plaques can be enhanced with audio or video to create story-based games that are geo-tagged. Players venture out into the real world, and when they reach an area that is geo-tagged in the game, information appears on their phones to move the story along.
4. Twine
Twine is an interactive story development tool. Twine uses nodes, or individual web pages, that players can fill with text, images, audio, or video. These nodes can then be linked together to create a choose-your-own-adventure style game. A great choice for students who enjoy writing and story creation.
5. Ink
Ink is another text-based game development tool. Developers can create narrative stories with extensive choices for the player to make and have those choices be recursive—the choices can refer back to earlier choices in the game.
6. Unity
Unity is a powerful game engine used by many developers in both the independent and studio production games industry. Unity is free for students, but its technical requirements make it a better choice for older students.
7. Unreal
Unreal is another incredibly powerful game engine used by professionals across the games industry and is recommended for older students interested in game development. Like Unity, it is free for students to use and has a number of tutorials than to introduce new users to all aspects of the software.
Do you have a favorite or reliable game development platform for your ELs? Share with us, in the comments below!
Until next month, make more games!
from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/7-game-design-tools-for-the-classroom/
This blog post is a guest post by Gerriet Janssen, associate professor at Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
Last year, when I was a Fulbright Scholar in Chile, I visited Colombia and facilitated several workshops on academic writing for graduate students and instructors in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. Like academics almost everywhere, participants were under pressure to publish their research in peer-reviewed, indexed academic journals, so some of my workshops addressed these issues. In this month’s post, Associate Professor Gerriet Janssen, my connection at los Andes, writes about second language (L2) writers in Colombia and beyond.
Pressing Concerns for L2 Graduate Students and New Academics in Professional Written Communication
One of the biggest challenges I see L2 scholars having is related to “connecting into” their scholarly community of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and gaining traction with their work inside this research community. The biggest problem with getting their ideas published is principally sociocultural in nature and then linguistic. In Colombia, some L2 scholars experience a relative silence in their research community compared to their peers in North America or Europe; that silence doesn’t help with generating research ideas or understanding what ideas are interesting to editors and readers…and what is less interesting.
Concerning this topic, my los Andes colleague Kelley Crites and I interviewed six L2 scholars for a forthcoming article. These scholars described how during internships or postdocs in North America or Europe, they tend to be surrounded by vibrant research communities. Conferences are easier to attend (no expensive, long-distance travel required), and their labs have frequent visitors. Because of these visitors, the Colombian scholars are in regular contact with current conversations in their fields. One of our interviewees, “Eli,” described how this contact helps him when he is writing. Through these constant conversations, he can digest his various ideas (i.e., ideas in a developing paper) and then distill and set forth in his paper his main points. Eli explained that it is one thing to understand or apply key concepts in the lab, but quite another to describe these concepts clearly to another person in a publication! For him, discussion cuts through the layers of understanding to get to an idea’s core.
Eli also commented that in Colombia, his research area is much less developed, with comparatively few scholars working on his topic, so the conversation is less invigorating. As a result of this silence, he found that his writing projects in Colombia stagnate and his work remains unpublished. Happily, our research also indicates that you don’t have to go to North America or Europe to be involved in an active research network. Several interviewees described very productive Colombian research networks in scholarly fields related to Colombia’s agricultural and biological wealth. These experiences, to Crites and me, indicate that energized social experiences help people enter and gain traction within their scholarly community; not having these communities is a critical concern.
Challenging Genres
Challenges arise especially when writers need to create a specific relationship with their readers—establishing their position in front of field knowledge and experts—and establish the appropriate tone. In research papers, intros and discussions are difficult, as writers have to synthesize the field’s conversations and position their contribution “just so” in relation to that conversation. This requires lots of mitigation strategies, which is done differently in different cultures. In terms of more occluded genres, I’d say job cover letters may be the toughest, because it is difficult to strike the best tone: confident, knowledgeable, productive, and a nice colleague, all the while “still being you.”
Setting the Appropriate Tone in Genres: The Stakes
Without adequate positioning of one’s research, writing can sound overconfident or maybe even obnoxious; most research is adding a small piece to a very big conversation, not solving an age-old mystery! So, awkward positioning or tone can be interpreted as “sounding amateur,” which can alienate journal editors. While in applied linguistics, editors or peer reviewers may provide more instruction about achieving a more justifiable positioning (see Cárdenas & Rainey, 2018, for interesting work on this topic), other fields may be less forgiving.
Supporting L2 English Writers in Developing Their Abilities to Write in These Genres
Los Andes has two programs that support L2 English scholars and their writing for publication. The first is the Inglés para doctorados [IPD; English for PhD students] program. The main thrust of this EAP program is to develop genre-related writing tasks across four course levels. While lower levels develop academic genres like literature reviews and annotated bibliographies from the students’ areas of study, the last course focuses specifically on writing for publication, using Swales and Feak (2012).
Los Andes also has a tutoring program, TIPPs (Tutorías de inglés para propósitos profesionales), which supports graduate students, professors, and administrators in the production of professional texts. The program is staffed by language professors, with most tutoring time focused on developing publications in English, though TIPPs also supports development of occluded genres such as CVs, cover letters, statements of purpose, or PowerPoint presentations. Key in both of these programs is the ongoing support of the los Andes vice-chancellor of research, Dr. Silvia Restrepo, who is interested in understanding and supporting our university’s scholars when publishing.
Improving Your Writing for Professional Communication: Advice
Be an active member of your research community! Go to conferences, meet people, collaborate in others’ research, invite people to help you in yours, participate in reading or writing groups. Reading and writing groups are important for ongoing consideration of the literature and providing support when writing: to remember who your target audience is, how this target audience is best addressed; how to frame or organize concepts, to see whether or not your ideas are clearly written. I really enjoy coauthoring, as I get to think about and describe the content with other interested people.
Recommendations for L2 Writing Instructors Who Want to Support Their Students or Colleagues in Writing These Genres
In terms of noticing genre features, I ask students to find texts from their field of study that develop the genre or rhetorical feature at hand. I then ask students to compare their text samples with their partners and then produce a similar text (see Curry & Lillis, 2013, for the complete process).
In terms of production, I like collaborative writing. In my classes, student teams write on the whiteboard, followed by a “rotating peer review.” Students thus practice producing genre features, they get and give feedback about these genre features, and they also move around and interact, which I think they find energizing. Recently, in light of comments from my interviewee “Lina,” I have considered collaborative writing for larger text sections. She commented that she never writes alone in her field, so why should she write alone in a writing course? I think Lina is on to something.
References
Cárdenas, M. L., & Rainey, I. (2018). Publishing from the ELT periphery: The Profile journal experience in Colombia. In M. J. Curry & T. Lillis (Eds.), Global academic publishing: Policies, perspectives and pedagogies (pp. 151–165). Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters.
Curry, M. J., & Lillis, T. (2013). A scholar’s guide to getting published in English: Critical choices and practical strategies. Bristol, England: Multilingual Matters.
Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2012). Academic writing for graduate students: Essential tasks and skills (3rd ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Gerriet Janssen is associate professor in the Department of Languages and Culture at Universidad de los Andes–Colombia. While his PhD is in second language evaluation, Gerriet has developed much of his practical and research work on academic writing, building language programs focused on academic writing, or writing for publication purposes.
from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/professional-written-communication-positioning-yourself-for-maximum-effect/
What’s the plan for participation? This time of year, we begin to make plans for all kinds of things. Holiday events and end of the year celebrations are just a few things we are planning for. We are also planning for the New Year and all that comes with it. This blog is dedicated to the intentional planning for English learners (ELs) to be fully included in school-wide programs, including extracurricular activities. Schools may be culturally and linguistically diverse, but that does not mean they are inclusive by design.
“Why would they not be included?”, one might ask. The answer is not why, but how: easily and unintentionally.
Scenario: Overlooking Schedules
A group of middle school ELs advocated for themselves by writing a letter to their principal. They argued for a schedule that would permit them to participate in extracurricular activities that were being offered during their ESL block class. The students became aware of what they were scheduled to do while other students had a choice of extension courses. The same could happen with sports programs, school-based clubs, and field trips.
Thankfully, the principal was responsive and was able to make adjustments that afforded the students access to both their language support class and elective courses. Regardless of how their original schedule was set up, what’s important is that the principal was immediately responsive to the students’ request.
If we are not intentional, we could potentially further marginalize certain subgroups of students.
Questions to Think About
Providing Meaningful Access
The guidance around Providing Meaningful Access to All Curricular and Extracurricular Programs for ELs essentially describes the dual responsibility of district leaders:
In addition to ensuring EL students have access to the core curriculum, SEAs and school districts must provide EL students equal opportunities to meaningfully participate in all programs and activities of the SEA or school district–whether curricular, co-curricular, or extracurricular. (U.S. Department of Justice & U.S. Department of Education, 2015, p. 18)
Think about how core program models are designed to help or hinder ELs’ participation. We will continue to have low numbers of ELs in STEM programs and in advanced classes if they are not being afforded the opportunity to be part of the science, math, or engineering clubs. (See a TESOL Blog post by Judie Haynes, titled, “Do ELs Lack Access to Education in STEM?”)
Questions to Think About
What You Can Do
I once started a book club for girls at an elementary school where I taught as the ESL teacher. We’d meet in the morning, before classes started. My colleague and friend, a speech and language pathologist, cofacilitated the club with me. We didn’t have a strict criteria based on reading level or anything, students just had to be fifth-grade girls who wanted to participate. We set it up very Oprah style, with refreshments and chairs arranged in a circle. I remember us reading parts of the book aloud and having conversations around what the characters were experiencing while we sipped tea or hot cocoa. For just 20 minutes two times per week, we engaged as a community of readers. The EL members were thrilled to be in a book club—and not a remedial reading group; this kind of inclusion not only builds confidence and motivation, but it is a right. The takeaway here is about working within your sphere of influence.
What opportunities can you create to assure your students, especially ELs, have the opportunity to participate? We cannot rely simply on translating newsletters and permission slips, because sometimes the message is lost in translation. There are instances where documents are not translated into less common languages that may be represented within a school. But here is what we can do:
We can continue to develop our skills around advocacy and creating more equitable learning communities.
We can inquire with educators who teach elective courses and/or run school clubs to become more informed about recruitment and participation efforts.
We can make sure that ELs know about and share ideas they have around their own interests, like the middle schoolers did when they advocated for themselves regarding more participation in elective courses.
Without intentional planning, these issues, especially participation in district and school-wide offerings, will continue to perpetuate the myth that diversity equates to inclusivity.
My next blog will focus on students whose parents/guardians waive or opt-out of language support services altogether. We will discuss what that decision means for both the students and their teachers.
Reference
U.S. Department of Justice & U.S. Department of Education. (2015). Dear colleague letter. English learner students and limited English proficient parents. Retrieved from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-el-201501.pdf
from TESOL Blog http://blog.tesol.org/avoiding-civil-rights-violations-planning-for-participation/
Hi to everyone!
I just put this lesson plan together for a fellowship I am applying for and thought I would share it with you! It follows my Reflexive Pronoun Unit that I give as a sub plan for all of you who have taken one of the Fun To Teach workshops. This alternate form can be used by anyone using their own picture cards.
Hope it is something you can use this year!
Happy Teaching!
Teacher and student roles and activities
Teachers Pay Teachers is having their Cyber Sale December 2nd and 3rd and you can save up to 25%!
Happy Teaching! //downloads.mailchimp.com/js/signup-forms/popup/unique-methods/embed.jswindow.dojoRequire([“mojo/signup-forms/Loader”], function(L) { L.start({“baseUrl”:”mc.us2.list-manage.com”,”uuid”:”cbf24935a27cb5f458ad62415″,”lid”:”418f1f8b09″,”uniqueMethods”:true}) })
from Fun To Teach – Grammar, Language, Math, ESL/ELD, Spanish, Reading, Writing, Centers and more! https://esleld.blogspot.com/2019/12/reflexive-pronouns-and-time-for-sale.html
Joel Jackson 