Professional Development Reponses to Growing Immigrant Populations

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Professional Development Reponses to Growing
Immigrant Populations

• Colloquium
• TESOL, Inc.
• March 24, 2007
• Seattle, Washington
• Overview of CAELA project
• South Dakota
• Colorado
• Arkansas
• Rhode Island
• Discussion

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Center for Adult English Language Acquisition
(CAELA)

• Established October 2004
• Funded by the Office of Vocational and Adult
  Education (OVAE), U.S. Department of Education
• www.cal.org/caela

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Needs of the Adult ESL Field

• Strong instructional programs to improve the
  English
• language proficiency and achievement of
  adult learning
• English, especially in newly impacted
  states
• Strong state infrastructure and systematic
  professional
• development for adult ESL educators
• Increased number and effectiveness of teachers,
  trainers, facilitators, and technical advisors to
  teachers and programs
• Strong, realistic professional development plans,
  reflective of the needs of field with leadership,
  systematic follow-up, and evaluation

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CAELAs Mission

• Help 24 states, including those that have
  recently begun serving adult English language
  learners, build their capacity to improve the
  skills of teachers and administrators in adult
  English as a second language (ESL) programs, in
  order to promote the success of adult English
  language learners
• Make research findings and research-based
  resources available to practitioners working with
  adult English language learners across the country

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CAELAs Tasks

• Collect, review, create, and disseminate
  research-
• based information and resources on effective
• adult ESL instruction
• Produce low-cost, easily accessible materials
  that synthesize research and make applications to
  practice
• Develop and maintain the CAELA Web site
• Moderate an electronic discussion list for adult
  ESL practitioners
• Conduct workshops for practitioners
• Develop a resource database

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Increase the ability of state teams to provide
professional development and build capacity in
their states

• Convene annual state capacity-building training
  meetings
• Develop a CAELA Guide for Adult ESL Trainers

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Provide ongoing technical assistance to state
teams

• Work with state teams on developing,
  implementing, documenting, and evaluating their
  plans
• Hold conference calls with state teams
• Identify needed information, materials, and tools
• Answer questions from state team members
• Provide trainings for teachers and trainers in
  CAELA states
• Collaborate with state teams on specific projects
• Develop a section of the CAELA Web site to
  provide information on state activities

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CAELA Professional Development Cycle
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CAELA Professional Development Planning Process

• Review previous years planned and actual
  professional development activities
• Analyze data from the federal, state, and local
  levels regarding adult English language learners
  and practitioners
• Examine current situations and contexts that may
  affect professional development planning
• Determine the target practitioner groups to work
  with and prioritize activities
• Identify resources to use for professional
  development
• Draft and finalize a professional development
  plan to address the needs of the target
  practitioner group(s)
• Institutionalize the professional development
  planning process

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CAELA Professional Development Processes

• Elements of Quality Professional Development
• Has multiple beneficiaries
• Should be driven by an analysis of teachers
  goals and needs, as related to learners goals
  and needs
• Is part of a comprehensive plan developed
  collaboratively
• Is offered through multiple approaches
• Encourages participants to reflect on the social,
  cultural, and linguistic issues of adult English
  Language Learners
• Provides participants with further expertise in
  subject content

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References

• Belzer, A. (2005). Improving professional
  development systems Recommendations from the
  Pennsylvania adult basic and literacy education
  professional development system evaluation. Adult
  basic education. 15(1), 33-55.
• Guskey, T. (2002). Does it make a difference?
  Evaluating professional development. Educational
  leadership. 59(6), 45-51.
• Mitchem, K. (2003). DATA DRIVES change Linking
  professional development to improved outcomes.
  Rural special education quarterly. Retrieved
  February 22, 2007, from
• http//findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4052/is_2
  00301/ai_n9223188
• Shields, P. M., Marsh, J. A., Adelman, N. E.
  (1998) Evaluation of NSFs statewide systemic
  initiatives (SSI) Program The SSIs impacts on
  classroom practice. Menlo Park, CA SRI.
• Smith, C., Hofer, J., Gillespie, M., Solomon, M.,
  Rowe, K. (2003) How teachers change A study of
  professional development in adult education.
  Cambridge, MA Harvard Graduate School of
  Education.
• Weiss, I. R., Montgomery, D. L., Ridgway, C. J.,
  Bond, Sl L. (1998) Local systemic change through
  teacher enhancement Year three cross-site
  report. Chapel Hill, NC Horizon Research.

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South Dakota
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Some background

• South Dakota is a sparsely populated state -
  754,000 with great distances between towns.
• The Adult Education and Literacy Program is
  administered by the SD Department of Labor.
• ESL makes up 13 of our total adult ed population
  (450 out of 3,432).
• We have 33 part-time ESL instructors and 13
  full-time.
• One large urban area, Sioux Falls, has several
  larger sites, and the remaining small to middle
  sized centers are spread across the state.

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SD CAELA Project Building ESL PD Infrastructure
from scratch

• Where did we start?
• Teacher Survey in Fall 2005
• Teacher background, previous ESL experience,
  preferences for mode of delivery of PD, teaching
  settings, stated need for PD topics, etc.
• NRS data
• Showed needs in every ESL level

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The next steps

• Research
• What do other states do?
• What would work in South Dakota?
• PD structures already in place
• AEL Summer Institute
• AEL New Teacher Training

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Within that framework, we chose to work on

• ESL New Teacher Training
• ESL Track at Summer Institute
• Update and utilize SD ESL Manual
• Method of disseminating information to and
  fostering communication among ESL teachers
• Training on specific topics
• Multi-level classes
• EL/Civics
• BEST Plus Refresher
• Program/Administrative issues

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Successes

• SD ESL New Teacher Training Module
• Revised and updated SD ESL Manual
• SD ESL Listserv
• ESL Track at Summer Institute 2005 and 2006.
• Yearly spring workshops geared specifically for
  ESL teachers

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Topics covered in training

• EL/Civics objectives and assessment
• Multi-level classes
• Program/administrative issues
• Best Plus Refresher

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Outcomes

• Better trained teachers
• A stronger sense of community among teachers
• Clear and useful state ESL resources
• More reliable ESL program data

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Lessons learned

• Address basic program issues and training first.
• Strengthen programs from the ground up.
• Once is not enough.
• For BEST Plus, for program issues, for New
  Teacher Training, etc.
• Follow-up and support is critical.
• Need to build in more follow-up to avoid the
  one-shot workshop trap.

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• Teachers are busy.
• They will not blog but they might read the
  messages from the listserv that come to their
  inbox.
• Teachers wear many hats
• Plan for multiple methods of delivering critical
  program information.

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Colorado

• Training of Trainers
• Jane C. Miller, Colorado Dept. of Education
  Adult Education
• Connie Davis, Northern Colorado Professional
  Development Center

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Colorados PD System

• Professional Development system includes two
  tracks - credentialed and non-credentialed
• Literacy Instruction Authorization (LIA) a
  state credential earned through coursework or
  portfolio
• LIA requires renewal every 5 years
• PD Point system for non-credentialed teachers
• Point system incorporates an annual point target

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PD Self-Assessment for Teachers

• Web-based self-assessment
• 110 Skill and Knowledge Descriptors in nine
  categories
• Undeveloped, Learning, Proficient, Advanced
• Select top 10 interests from descriptors ranked
  Undeveloped or Learning
• Reports used at four levels to plan PD
• Individual, Program, Regional, State
• 300 teachers completed the PDSA by Oct. 2006

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Conclusions What Colorado Needs

• additional trainers to provide trainings
• trainers in distant regions of the state
• training modules on topics of need

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Colorados 2006-2007 Goal

• To prepare four experienced ESL teachers to
  become teacher trainers who could
• Design trainings
• locate training resources
• manage training logistics locally
• deliver face-to-face trainings

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Training the New Trainers

• Recruited new trainers from outlying regions
• Conducted a 4-part Training of Trainers
• Part 1 Fundamentals of Training (6-hours)
• Part 2 - Observing experienced trainers
  delivering a training and completing an extensive
  observation form. (6 hours)
• Part 3 - Delivering a 30-minute training to our
  experienced training team. (6 hours)
• Part 4 - Co-training with an experienced trainer
  (4 hours)

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Preparing Training Modules

• Original team of four designed several modules
• ESL SPL6 Steps to Success (6 hours)
• Teaching the Writing Process to Adult Learners
  (6 hours)
• Making SLA Principles Come Alive in the ESL
  Classroom (2-part Study Circle, 6 hours)

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Successes

• 4-part ToT process has been very successful
• 106 teachers trained on Teaching the Writing
  Process
• 5 regional SLA Study Circles have been scheduled

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Lessons Learned

• Recruiting new teacher-trainers is challenging.
• Designing trainings and delivering trainings take
  different skill sets and interests.
• We have high expectations of training materials.
• We have our training philosophy and style.

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Next Steps for Colorado

• Finish delivering the SLA Study Circles at all
  five sites state-wide
• Design/revise a study circle on teaching
  literacy-level learners
• Continue to utilize the new trainers to develop
  their confidence and skills
• Design more follow up methods and materials for
  each training module or study circle
• Bring program directors into the cycle follow up

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Arkansas The Natural State

• The 41st TESOL Annual Convention Exhibit
• Seattle, Washington
• March 21-24, 2007

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Needs the CAELA Plan Addresses

• Based on statewide ESL Teacher Surveys
• Teachers prefer interactive, small group
  workshops and observation with feedback for prof.
  development
• Teachers wanted more training on managing
  multilevel classes, using communicative
  strategies, and teaching reading
• Based on a survey of new ESL teachers at the ESL
• Basics training
• New teachers wanted more training in lesson
  planning
• Teachers need a support network with other
  teachers

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Goals of CAELA Initiative

• The state will develop a cadre of experienced ESL
  teachers who can support each other and also
  serve as mentors for new ESL teachers
• New teachers will learn to use a variety of
  strategies to manage multilevel classes
• New teachers will develop skills in planning
  effective lessons based on promising practices
• New teachers will learn the foundations of
  reading in L2 and increase their skills in
  developing comprehensive and appropriate reading
  lessons

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CAELA Successes 1
Spring 2006 CAELA Study Circle on teaching
multilevel classes Outcomes 17 new teachers
attended the study circle discussed CAELA Brief
and Hess (2001) Teaching Large Multilevel
Classes Follow-up The teachers incorporated the
new strategies into their classes they were
observed by an experienced teacher who provided
feedback on the lesson the teachers and mentors
met for a follow-up session to discuss the
process, the observations, and directions for
future activities Summer 2006 ESL Summer
Institute with Dr. Natalie Hess Outcomes 50
teachers attended an intensive four-day workshop,
including 10 of the 17 new teachers from the
study circle group teachers learned a variety of
strategies to use in multilevel
classes Follow-up Teachers expressed the need to
continue to have the ESL Institute, and schedule
it just before fall classes begin
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CAELA Successes 2
Fall 2006 CAELA Workshop on Creating Effective
Lesson Plans Outcomes 12 new ESL teachers (11
from the study circle group) attended two
half-day workshops and learned how to plan
lessons and develop activities for each component
of a lesson Follow-up New teachers were observed
by mentor teachers and given feedback on their
lesson plans Spring 2007 CAELA Workshop on
Teaching Reading Outcomes 35 teachers attended a
six-hour workshop they created lesson plans that
developed the four skills important to reading
and learned several differences between teaching
reading to ABE and ESL students (4 from first
study circle group and 12 new ones ) Follow-up
The next ESL Institute will have more focus on
teaching reading
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Lessons Learned

• For Arkansas, a state that has been experiencing
  a continuous growth in Hispanic residents who
  need ESL, adult basic education teachers and GED
  teachers can make the transition from ABE/GED
  classes to ESL classes, with good training and
  support
• Experienced teachers are willing to be mentors if
  they are given release time and specific
  directions on expectations (workshops and
  follow-up meetings to attend, classroom
  observations to conduct, feedback forms to fill
  in)

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Next Steps

• Continue to offer workshops that involve Peer
  Mentoring two teachers from the same program
  will attend and support each other with follow-up
  observations and feedback
• Based on 2005-2006 enrollment data 47 percent of
  enrolled ESL students in Arkansas are in ESL
  Beginning Literacy level, the completions for
  this level are at 36 percent, and only 40 percent
  in this level are being post-tested therefore,
  future trainings will focus on Teaching Beginning
  Levels

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ARKANSAS CAELA Contact Information

• Philip Less philip.less_at_arkansas.gov
• Marsha Taylor marsha_at_aalrc.org
• Nancy Loftis nancy_at_aalrc.org
• Christi Barnard cbarnard_at_conwaycorp.net
• Toll Free 1-800-832-6242

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Rhode Island Needs the Plan Addresses
Needs

• Build Infrastructure during Reform Year
• Statewide PD System
• Standards Based Instruction
• Practitioner Constituency Maintenance and
  Expansion
• Support Reading, ESOL, Math Instruction
• 5 year Sequence of Necessary Reforms
• NRS Data
• Teacher Survey Data
• RI State NRS Report 04 -05
• 2 year process of Task Force Subcommittees
  engaging practitioners, other state
• agencies (Department of Labor and Training,
  Department of Human Services,
• Department of Corrections), and learners

Determined by
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Goals

• Establish Professional Development Center
• Develop RI Content Standards
• Support Practitioners and build collaboration

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For more information, contact

• Miriam Burt
• Center for Adult English Language Acquisition
• Center for Applied Linguistics
• Washington, DC 20016
• miriam_at_cal.org
• www.cal.org/caela