Elementary Ed SIG Update

By Angie Remigio

Thank you to everyone who attended the elementary education SIG meeting at our conference!

During the meeting, we discussed culturally responsive classrooms, ELL Models/Best Practices, and communication.

Some takeaways from discussing culturally responsive classrooms were that building on students' prior knowledge, recognizing students' assets, and valuing their first language supports planning and differentiation that leads to accessibility of grade level curriculum. We discussed instructional conversations (see Prompting Questions) as a strategy that builds on prior knowledge, focuses on students’ assets, and values their first language while helping students expand their academic language and grade level content (see Planning Template). Another strategy discussed which supports success during independent reading with our ELs is the use of bilingual books online (see multilingual books). We also discussed the inequity in assessment practices for ELs and offered the option of assessing ELs through performance based assessments and through their daily performance. As ELLs, our students benefit from performance based assessments where they can show their learning in a way that makes sense to them.

We discussed a variety of ELL Models and which are most effective based on a district’s population. We concluded that although the management is complicated, the best model is co-teaching in districts where Dual Language is not an option. Co-teaching provides opportunities for more individualized instruction; provides scaffolding to all who need it, not just ELs; makes instruction cohesive for EL students; and avoids stigmatizing EL students.

Lastly, we spoke about communication with all stakeholders, especially our bilingual families. In districts where the bilingual families are the least engaged in the educational process due to fear of an unfamiliar educational system or lack of English proficiency, we offered ideas on how to overcome these obstacles through an open line of communication using different avenues. We discussed the use of technology (phone calls, emails, applications such as Remind and WhatsApp) and parent meetings / academies / universities. Engaging parents through invitations to events where their children’s achievements are being recognized and celebrated is one way to get parents to attend meetings and other events. If possible, provide a light dinner and child care to make their attendance convenient. We also spoke about how to include teachers and administrators in these meetings. District 202 in Lisle has quarterly Parent Engagement meetings for Bilingual families which also serve as Academies for teachers. To learn more, please contact me aremigio@itbe.org. Through these meetings, the staff hopes to create strong relationships between parents and teachers as collaborators to optimize student engagement and learning.

During our meeting we decided to form a committee to support the Elementary SIG Chair through the poetry process. If you are interested in participating in this committee, please email me, Angie Remigio. I will contact you personally and share pertinent information with you.

We hope that this helps! If you have any questions that are not addressed in this issue, please feel free to email us. We will address any questions in future newsletters.

Don’t forget to visit the Google folders with all of our shared resources on these topics. Also, please feel free to share any information that you deem useful in our efforts to grow as English Language teachers. We want your voices to be heard!

Thank you,

Angie Remigio
Chair of the Elementary Education SIG (Special Interest Group).


Elementary Ed SIG Update By Angie Remigio Thank you to everyone who attended the elementary education SIG meeting at our conference! During the meeting, we discussed culturally responsive classrooms, ELL Models/Best Practices, and communication. Some takeaways from discussing culturally responsive classrooms were that building on students' prior knowledge, recognizing students' assets, and valuing their first language supports planning and differentiation that leads to accessibility of grade level curriculum. We discussed instructional conversations (see Prompting Questions) as a strategy that builds on prior knowledge, focuses on students’ assets, and values their first language while helping students expand their academic language and grade level content (see Planning Template). Another strategy discussed which supports success during independent reading with our ELs is the use of bilingual books online (see multilingual books). We also discussed the inequity in assessment practices for ELs and offered the option of assessing ELs through performance based assessments and through their daily performance. As ELLs, our students benefit from performance based assessments where they can show their learning in a way that makes sense to them. We discussed a variety of ELL Models and which are most effective based on a district’s population. We concluded that although the management is complicated, the best model is co-teaching in districts where Dual Language is not an option. Co-teaching provides opportunities for more individualized instruction; provides scaffolding to all who need it, not just ELs; makes instruction cohesive for EL students; and avoids stigmatizing EL students. Lastly, we spoke about communication with all stakeholders, especially our bilingual families. In districts where the bilingual families are the least engaged in the educational process due to fear of an unfamiliar educational system or lack of English proficiency, we offered ideas on how to overcome these obstacles through an open line of communication using different avenues. We discussed the use of technology (phone calls, emails, applications such as Remind and WhatsApp) and parent meetings / academies / universities. Engaging parents through invitations to events where their children’s achievements are being recognized and celebrated is one way to get parents to attend meetings and other events. If possible, provide a light dinner and child care to make their attendance convenient. We also spoke about how to include teachers and administrators in these meetings. District 202 in Lisle has quarterly Parent Engagement meetings for Bilingual families which also serve as Academies for teachers. To learn more, please contact me aremigio@itbe.org. Through these meetings, the staff hopes to create strong relationships between parents and teachers as collaborators to optimize student engagement and learning. During our meeting we decided to form a committee to support the Elementary SIG Chair through the poetry process. If you are interested in participating in this committee, please email me, Angie Remigio. I will contact you personally and share pertinent information with you. We hope that this helps! If you have any questions that are not addressed in this issue, please feel free to email us. We will address any questions in future newsletters. Don’t forget to visit the Google folders with all of our shared resources on these topics. Also, please feel free to share any information that you deem useful in our efforts to grow as English Language teachers. We want your voices to be heard! Thank you, Angie Remigio Chair of the Elementary Education SIG (Special Interest Group).
Spring 2019 - Spring 2019