many needs, many responses: designing professional development for leslla teachers patsy vinogradov,...

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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

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.

Workshops

General 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?