Professional Development Workshop
Descriptions
Section M-N
Presenter: Karon Barroso
Contact Hours: 6
Audience: Teachers of ABE, ESL, EL Civics, Family Literacy
Activity Overview:
“Managing the Multi–Level ESL” workshop will assist ESL and Family Literacy instructors plan lessons that meet the needs of students who have widely varying language proficiencies. This workshop offers guidance in placing students into ability groups and designing lessons that balance the needs of each group with those of the whole group. In addition to equipping teachers to address the divergent needs of students, the workshop covers ways to provide a sense of class unity. At the end of this workshop participants will be able to design a multi–level ESL lesson.
Objectives:
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to:
- Identify characteristics of a multi–level class;
- Identify the six stages of a lesson and match them with appropriate activities and grouping strategies;
- Design whole group activities;
- Identify practice activities for like–ability groups and cross–ability groups;
- Reconstruct a lesson
- Create a lesson for a multi–level ESL class;
- Demonstrate a multi–level lesson;
- Problem solve solutions to the challenges facing multi–level class instruction
Reference Resources:
CALPRO, California Adult Literacy Professional Development Project, “Managing the Multi–Level ESL Class” American Institutes for Research, 2720 Gateway Oaks Drive, Suite 250, Sacramento, CA 95833
Bell, J. (1991). Teaching multilevel classes in ESL. San Diego, CA: Dominie Press.
Instructional Activities:
- Whole group will brainstorm advantages and disadvantages of teaching a multi–level ESL.
- In groups of 3–4 participants will read background information about multi–level ESL instruction, answer focus questions and then share answers with the whole group.
- Participants will review the six stages of a lesson by answering questions.
- Participants will watch a video demonstration of a multi–level lesson and in pairs use a feedback form to respond to what the instructor did in each stage of the lesson.
- Participants will reconstruct the video lesson to simplify it by using the cooperative learning strategy “Think/Pair/Share”.
- In groups of 3, design an intermediate lesson using a lesson plan grid with the resources supplied.
- Participants will conduct a mini demonstration of the lesson.
- Participants will develop solutions to the disadvantages of a multi–level class, brainstormed at the beginning of the workshop.
- Participants will complete an evaluation of the workshop.
Advanced study of principles and practices in Adult ESL is a series of seminars designed for experienced teachers who are interested in gaining a better understanding of effective practices but also the research and principles that form these practices. Participants are expected to conduct outside reading and research. 2 evening seminars are held 4 times a year. Participants engage in Web-based discussions and share information with their fellow participants. Participants are expected to participate in all four workshops. A stipend will be available based on the completion of workshop objectives. Books will be provided.
Learn new ways to engage your students in the learning process and increase their “stayability” in your adult education classroom.
Presenter: Barbara Baird
Contact Hours: 6
Audience: Experienced teachers selected to serve as mentors
to teachers participating in the New Teacher Academy
Activity Overview:
This mentoring initiative is designed
to train skillful and knowledgeable “veteran” teachers
in strategies to support new teachers participating in the New Teacher Academy.
The mentoring teachers will assist the new teachers in developing effective
teaching practices and completing individual learning projects.
Objectives:
Upon completion of the Mentoring New Teachers
Training, participants will be able to assist beginning teachers participating
in the New Teacher Academy with:
- implementing effective strategies/activities/lessons their classrooms;
- planning, implementing, and evaluating collaborative Action Learning Projects such as interviews, observations, or teaching demonstrations to conduct over five months and showcase at the last workshop session.
Reference Resources:
Sherman, R., Voight, J., Tibbets, J., Dobbins, D., Evans, A., & Weidler, D. (2000). Adult Educators’ Guide to Mentoring. Pelavin Research Institute/ Pro-Net.
Bloom, G., Castagna, C.L., Moir, E., & Warren, B. (2005). Blended Coaching: Skills and Strategies to Support Principal Development: Sage Publications.
The New Teacher Center (NTC) at the University of California, Santa Cruz
Becker, J.M. Peer Coaching for Improvement of Teaching and Learning
Instructional Activities:
Workshop facilitator will provide
three 2-hour professional development trainings to experienced teachers
selected to serve as mentors to beginning teachers participating in the
New Teacher Academy. Training topics will include:
- Goals and purposes of the mentoring program for new teachers
- Roles and responsibilities of the mentors
- Establishing relationships with new teachers
- Assessing the needs of new teachers
- Strategies for coaching and guiding new teachers
Mentoring teachers will
- Attend three 2-hour workshop trainings on serving as mentors to beginning teachers participating in the New Teacher Academy;
- Assist new teachers with identifying strategies/activities/lessons to implement in their classrooms;
- Assist new teachers with self-assessment activities and using computer technology to identify and research personal learning goals;
- Collaborate and assist new teachers with developing Action Learning Projects such as interviews, observations, or teaching demonstrations to conduct over five months and showcase at the last workshop session;
- Assist in the evaluation of the impact of the New Teacher Academy and mentoring activities on the new teachers’ and their own professional growth and instructional practice.
Presenter: Barbara Baird
Contact Hours: 24
Audience: Teachers new to the field of adult education
Activity Overview:
This 24-hour academy is designed to support
new teachers in providing quality classroom instruction. The activities will
guide beginning teachers as they develop effective teaching practices, habits,
and skills. Participants will:
- Attend four professional development workshops addressing theory, research, and resources that support engaged teaching and meaningful learning;
- Implement strategies/activities/lessons in their own classrooms;
- Plan, conduct, and evaluate a collaborative Action Learning Project with a mentoring teacher;
- Reflect on their experiences and practices by identifying accomplishments, challenges, and next steps;
- Articulate their experiences and views by reporting to the group, and;
- Form a supportive network of teacher mentors and other beginning teachers.
Components will include active and collaborative cycles of instruction in adult education principles; planning, designing, and assessing teacher and student learning experiences, and; reflecting and reporting on instructional practice.
Objectives:
This academy will provide on-going professional
development opportunities for new teachers to:
- Develop professional knowledge and skill in the field of literacy and adult education;
- Plan, implement, and assess learning experiences with students;
- Identify personal learning goals and conduct collaborative Action Learning Projects with experienced mentoring teachers;
- Reflect upon and articulate success and challenges, and;
- Form professional networks based on collaboration and collegiality.
Reference Resources:
Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning (TCALL)
National Institute for Literacy (NIFL)
Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL)
Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA)
ESOL Starter Kit Virginia Learning Resource Center [PDF document. *Please download the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader (free) to view, or convert PDF to HTML via Adobe's conversion form.]
Instructional Activities:
The academy will use a variety
of interactive instructional activities including content knowledge presentations,
teaching demonstrations, on-line research inquiry, group discussions, mentoring
assistance, small group work, and teacher presentations.
At the initial workshop session:
- The workshop facilitator will provide information on theory, research, and resources that support engaged teaching and meaningful learning;
- The workshop facilitator will present and demonstrate a variety of strategies/activities/lessons to be tried out in the classroom by the participating teachers;
- Teachers will identifying strategies/activities/lessons to implement in their classrooms;
- Teachers will participate in self-assessment activities and use computer technology to identify and research personal learning goals;
- Teachers will meet with mentors to develop collaborative Action Learning Projects such as interviews, observations, or teaching demonstrations to conduct over the next five months and showcase at the last workshop session, and;
- Teachers will determine topics, activities, times, dates, and locations for follow-up activities.
Between workshop sessions:
- Teachers will implement strategies/activities/lessons discussed at the workshop sessions in their own classrooms and write reflections identifying accomplishments, challenges, and impact on learners and themselves as teachers;
- With the assistance of collaborating teacher mentors, participating teachers will plan, initiate, and complete the steps of their Action Learning Projects, and;
- Teachers will participate in the follow-up activities determined by the group.
At the two follow-up workshop sessions:
- Teachers will use their reflections to report to the group on their experiences implementing the strategies/activities/lessons discussed at the last workshop session;
- Teachers and mentors will report on their Action Learning Project by discussing:
- What has been accomplished to date
- What’s left to do and next steps
- Revisions made to the action plan
- Resources needed to complete the action plan
- Lessons learned
- Additional information on theory, research, resources, and strategies/activities/lessons will be provided and demonstrated by the workshop facilitator, and;
- Teachers will identify strategies/activities/lessons to implement in their classrooms and report on at the next workshop session.
At the final workshop session:
- Teachers will use their reflections to report to the group on their experiences implementing the strategies/activities/lessons discussed at the last workshop session;
- Teachers and mentors will make final presentations on their Action Learning Projects by describing their:
- Project
- Methodology
- Outcomes and results
- Resources
- Ideas for future projects
- Teachers and mentors will evaluate and discuss the impact of New Teacher Academy activities on their professional growth and instructional practice.
Objectives:
1. Participants will be able to identify:
- Components of the Texas Indicators of Program Quality
- Characteristics of portfolio assessment
- Portfolio content and materials
- Portfolio evaluation strategies
- Phases of portfolio development
- Resources available on portfolio assessment
2. Participants will develop and present Personal Portfolios containing a Table of Contents, Introduction, Portfolio Plan, Sample Lesson(s) using portfolio assessment, and a KWLH worksheet.
Reference Resources:
MacKillop, J. (1994). Whole Language for Adults: a Guide to Portfolio Assessment, Syracuse, NY: New Readers Press.
Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Educators
Guidelines for Portfolio Assessment in Teaching English
Alaska Department of Education & Early Development: A Collection of Assessment Strategies
Portfolio Assessment Hot Topic Packet: What is Portfolio Assessment? - Texas Adult and Family Literacy Clearinghouse
Instructional Activities:
- Bio-Poem and KWLH activities
- Texas Indicators of Program Quality - IPQ’s – mini-lecture and review, handout, worksheet, and rubric
- PowerPoint Presentation on Portfolio Assessment
- Individual Portfolio Development
- Individual Portfolio Presentations
- Evaluation
