Guest-Led Discussion on Increasing Rigor in ESL/ESOL Instruction with Betsy Parrish!

Welcome, Betsy Parrish!

We are pleased to have Betsy Parrish, professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN and lead developer of the LINCS ESL Pro materials on increasing the rigor of instruction in ESL/ESOL, to lead us in discussion this week. Betsy has been making the case for several years that we need to enhance the rigor of our teaching at all levels of ESL/ESOL in order to support adult English learners to achieve their important goals. This week Betsy will invite us to discuss what rigor means in our context and what rigorous instruction looks like in practical terms. She will also highlight the many practical resources in the LINCS ESL Pro suite on increasing rigor.

We look forward to members' participation in a lively discussion this week!

Betsy Parrish's Bio:

Betsy Parrish is a professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN in Second Language Teaching and Learning.  She has worked as an ESL/EFL teacher, teacher educator, writer, and consultant for over 30 years with language learners and language teachers in the US, Bangladesh, France, India, Russia, and Vietnam. Betsy is the author Teaching Adult ESL (McGraw Hill 2004) and Four Point: Advanced Listening and Speaking (University of Michigan Press 2014).  She was on the development team of the New American Horizons 12-part video series for adult ESL educators, Teaching ESL to Adults: Classroom Approaches in Action.

Betsy is particularly interested in the development of academic and career readiness skills at all levels of adult ESL. As a subject matter expert on the LINCS ESL Pro project, Betsy developed the online professional development module and issue brief on Meeting the Language Needs of Today’s Adult English Language Learner and she is also involved in the OCTAE-sponsored initiative for the new English Language Proficiency Standards. Betsy works closely with adult education programs in her state, where she observes and mentors new teachers.

Comments

Greetings, Colleagues!

Thank you, Susan, for the warm welcome! I am really looking forward to our discussion this week around rigorous instruction at all levels of adult ESL.  I will tell you all about the LINCS ESL Pro Suite of materials on Meeting the Language Needs of Today’s Adult English Language Learner, which includes an Issue Brief, Companion Learning Resource (developed by Patsy Egan, my colleague, and director of ATLAS in MN), and the online learning module.  I will share my thinking about rigor and demonstrate, with examples, what this can look like at all levels of instruction. You will all be invited to share questions, successful practices, ideas for professional development and more. Before we dig into the resources, though, let’s start off the discussion with a couple of questions:

1) What comes to mind when you hear the word “rigor” in the context of adult ESL instruction?

2) What are some of the language demands we all face in today’s world? Think about complex language demands you face at home, in your community, and at work. What are you currently doing in your classes to meet the language demands adult learners face in today’s world?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts as we kick off the discussion for the week. Thanks for participating!

Regards,

Betsy

Hi Betsy and all, We are delighted to have you join us this week to discuss why it is important to increase the rigor of our teaching and what rigorous instruction can look like in practice. I'm really interested in discussing how rigorous ESL instruction differs from what might be considered typical instruction.

When I think of the language demands in my life, many things come to mind. I need to be able to read a wide range of materials to stay up to date with the news and to continually deepen my understanding of issues I care about. I also write letters, cards and emails to friends and family. I facilitate online discussions such as this one, too! In addition, I regularly engage with friends and family through social media, and I love Twitter for the many links to substantive articles on topics of interest. When it comes to speaking and listening, there are contexts where an academic or formal register is indicated as well as many instances where an informal register is most appropriate.

I'm eager to hear how teachers are addressing complex language in their classrooms.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition CoP & Teaching & Learning CoP

 

 

Hi Susan and Colleagues,

Susan, your examples illustrate so well how language gives you access to information and allows you to be connected to others in your community. I think we would agree that this is what we want for all learners in our classes. For many years, the focus of adult ESL instruction has been on meeting the daily communicative needs of work, community, and home.  Often the focus has been on the language needed for common “life skills” situations (e.g. shopping, transportation, going to the doctor).  While these skills are important for newcomers, are they enough? Development of academic language (e.g. Susan's examples of varying academic registers), language strategies to access complex texts (print and digital), and critical thinking will allow students to thrive in all areas of life. At work, adults may need to read charts, forms, work instructions, which all require the use of different reading strategies.  They need language for interacting effectively with co-workers on teams (e.g. asking for clarification, asking others’ opinions) or for managing conflicts or misunderstandings. 

To succeed in any post-secondary setting or work-related training (or in courses leading to a high-school equivalency), students need to do extensive note-taking, ask clarifying questions, and employ multiple reading strategies. They need to read and comprehend complex non-fiction texts and write reports or research papers. Adult English language learners can be ill-prepared for this kind of reading and writing due to the fact that in basic literacy curricula, we often focus on short, personal narratives for reading and writing.

These skills are not only for work or school readiness, however. At home, adults need to read mail selectively, listen and take notes if they receive important phone messages, or assist their children with homework.  My husband and I recently did research on whether or not to buy a new car.  This involved reading consumer reports online, interpreting charts and graphs, and checking websites for used cars.  In the end, we decided that paying for a repair one or two times each year on our 2001 car was more economical than buying a newer model.  In this process, we interpreted complex informational texts, applied many numeracy skills, used our digital literacy skills, and critical thinking skills to make our final decision. 

These examples illustrate what “rigorous” instruction means to me, namely, addressing the real-world demands learners face in the 21st century.  How does this resonate with you? Does this mean throwing out what we have been doing for years?  Not at all!  In the next days, let’s explore how we can add a layer of rigor to any lesson we teach, and at all levels of instruction. In a separate post, I will share information about the ESL Pro Issue Brief on this week's topic.  If you have time for some reading, this brief helps to frame the issues for this week's discussion.

Best-

Betsy

 

Hello-

The word rigor use to generate feelings of anxiety and stress because I often related this word to something difficult. After participating in the WI ESl Pro training, I can now look at that word with excitement! I have come to learn that we are already providing our students with some sort of rigor to take learning to that next level however we now have specific tools to accomplish our rigor goals. 

My biggest challenge yet in the classroom is to be comfortable when my students are uncomfortable. Meaning, I need to be patient and perhaps repetitious with my learning activities. Students appreciate the challenge, maybe not right away, but the benefits of rigor are so worth the wait.

One area I have been focusing on with my Career Pathway ESL students is academic language. To be more specific, on the language of assessments. Many of my students are enrolled in a Healthcare Program that will require a certification test in addition to all content exams.  I absolutely agree that academic language is the language of power.

Hi Shawn,

I really appreciate when you say, "be comfortable when my students are uncomfortable."  That productive struggle can really lead to deeper thinking and learning; we just need to provide the right scaffolds for students so that struggle doesn't turn into a frustration.  You're also right that when using many typical ESL activities, we are already building academic and career readiness.  For example, if we use the right graphic organizer for students to fill in while reading a text, we can help learners recognize text structure.  Filling in a graphic organizer also gives practice with note-taking and organizing information.  Each content area can have its own academic language challenges, so it's great that you are tackling that with your students in the Healthcare Program.

Thanks so much for sharing, and congrats to the WI ESL Pro team's successes! I've great things about the work you did there, neighbor!

Betsy

Betsy, what an honor and pleasure to “speak” with you. Thank you for this discussion.

First, I should say that I was one of the very fortunate teachers in Wisconsin to have been selected to participate in the ESL Pro CoP. These past two years have been an incredible journey learning about rigor. Under Jayme Adelson-Goldstein’s inspirational guidance, I have grown so much as a teacher and have been able to work with such amazing colleagues.

Thinking back to the first time I heard the word ‘rigor’ in the context of ESL, I had this somewhat vague idea that it meant making lessons more difficult for my students. I kept thinking about my absolute beginners who had never been in the classroom before. Wasn’t learning about school and English challenging enough for them? How could I possibly add rigor to what they were doing? Boy, have I changed my thinking!

Regarding your second question, just in the last week at work, I had one student whose car was stolen and another who wanted help obtaining and filling out paperwork to lease her upstairs apartment to her brother-in-law. Another student’s mother-in-law flew in from Iraq to live with them. Yesterday, a student needed to leave class early to speak with his mortgage company about escrow money that was returned to him rather than applied to the principal. Talk about complex language demands! I think these situations are even difficult for native speakers.

What am I doing to meet the demands that adult learners face? I’ve applied some of the activities from the LINCS website to my classroom. My absolute favorite is categorizing tasks. Who knew that I could add critical thinking with level one students?! I encourage everyone to try it. It’s not difficult to do and it doesn’t require a lot of preparation, but the results are amazing.

I’m looking forward to hearing what others think about rigor.

Carolyn

 

Hi Carolyn,

Glad another member of the WI ESL Pro cohort is joining us!  Those examples of what your students have faced just this week are so compelling.  Just imagine the language demands those encompass! I have heard through Jayme how successful you all have been in WI at readily applying new ideas in your classes.  This speaks to your openness to teacher growth and change, all in service of what learners in your classes need.  I imagine others would love to hear an example of how you have used categorizing with students.

Thanks so much for sharing!

Betsy

Hello colleagues, I'm posting a link to a document that Carolyn Nason created which illustrates some of the categorization tasks she has used with learners at the beginning level.

Thanks so much for sharing these teaching ideas and for encouraging all of us to work on enhancing the rigor of our teaching, Carolyn!

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition and Teaching & Learning CoPs

If you have time to do some background reading for this week, please see the ESL Issue Brief on this week's topic.  Here's some background on the Brief:

This Issue Brief addresses the gaps that exist between what is offered in adult English language acquisition programming with regard to academic and work readiness (academic language, analytical and reasoning skills, organizational skills, strong oral and written communication skills) and the expectations in employment and postsecondary training. It also reminds us that these skills are equally important for access to information that we need at home and as community members. These increased demands are reflected in the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), which represent the real-world demands of postsecondary training and employment, as well as in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).

This Issue Brief provides a synthesis of the research supporting the need for increased rigor in Adult ESL programming. It delineates the elements that should be integrated systematically into instruction, including academic language (e.g., complex texts, expressing cause and effect, academic and professional discourse), language strategies (e.g., listening or reading for different purposes, inferring meaning from context, recognizing attitude, finding evidence to support a claim), and critical thinking, all of which have been shown to be critical for full access to academic and work opportunities. There are brief examples of the principles in practice with links to videos or other resources that illustrate the points. Suggestions for how administrators can support these efforts are provided. Finally, I think the Brief provides talking points for administrators and policy makers as well. 

The Issue Brief can serve as a good introduction to the other ESL Pro resources, the Companion Learning Resource or online learning module, which I will tell you more about this week. It also works as a stand-alone overview of the topic. Here are some ways I have used the Brief in technical assistance with teachers, in workshops, and in my own classes as a teacher educator at Hamline:

  • Study circles (with guiding questions)
  • Jigsaws with Communities of Practice (CoPs) or Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), looking at sections of the Issue Brief, or using all three of the ESL Pro Briefs.
  • Exploration of links and resources in the Brief
  • Pre-reading before the Module or Companion Learning Resource (CLR)
  • Pre-reading before professional development on this topic
  • It could be used for new-teacher orientation and I am about to use it for some volunteer workshops as well.

Let's use this thread for:

1) Questions the Issue Brief raises for you.

2) Successes you have had or inspirations from the brief that you would like to try in your own setting.

3)  Other ideas about how you might use the Issue Brief for professional learning.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Cheers!

Betsy

 

Thank you, Betsy and all, for starting this conversation.  Looking forward to reading the brief, but wanting to pose a couple of questions (with apologies if they've already been addressed and I've been reading too quickly).    

 1) As I asked during the webinar, what is rigor and who decides?  This morning I was working a beginning level group of ESOL learners who are wanting to be able to communicate in English on the telephone.  We sat back to back to not have face-to-face access to one another as they asked questions and I answered; they couldn't use non-verbal cues. Many of the learners are literate in Spanish but are unlikely to pursue academic studies in this country.  Can we tease apart, please, what it is we mean when we talk about an additional layer of rigor?  For me it's not about 'school' as such, so much as working harder to address contextualized learning as meets learners' needs and goals (e.g. to communicate effectively and independently in the world).   It is about support learners and helping them use the knowledge and strategies they have, to fill gaps to increase ability, but I worry that we privilege those who are going on to academic study (as we privilege those who are in the workforce) while losing sight of the need for language/literacy and independence for those who support those who work/go to college (e.g. moms, grandparents and others who enable workers to work and college students to study).

2, I recently wrote a letter to the editor that was published in a local paper.  Comments and responses to the letter (which was responding to a series of interviews with undocumented immigrants in R; I was speaking out against anti-immigrant legislation) were vitriolic and did not reflect particularly critical thinking.  While not wanting at all to enter into politics or opinion, I think this element of reading critically (sources I cited re: how immigrants do pay taxes) were dismissed out of hand.  Surely, partisan bickering and fake news avoid critical reasoning; my question here is how to support our own learning and that of our students (without politicizing ); how to sort out fact from opinion using the rhetorical tools at hand and also realize that critical thinking is not only something to try to support amongst adult learners and educators.  

thoughts? thanks - and apologies if I stray too far afield.  looking forward, as ever, to learning from/with Betsy and all of you  

Janet Isserlis

 

 

 

 

Hi Janet,

Thanks for posting these very essential questions.  I love your example of a highly relevant, interactive task on using the telephone.  I absolutely agree that adding that layer of rigor encompasses what you said: “For me it's not about 'school' as such, so much as working harder to address contextualized learning as meets learners' needs and goals (e.g. to communicate effectively and independently in the world).”  For those whose needs/goals are school or work, curricula have fallen short of preparing learners for that.  I also think that some materials, curricula, and programs have fallen short of meeting the needs of learners without career or academic goals, which is why I include a focus on home and community so that we don’t lose sight of the needs of all learners. You’ll see that a lot of what I address in the materials is about the way we teach that makes instruction rigorous- “rigorous” instruction includes meaty, relevant topics (based on who the students are); it includes opportunities to analyze information; in includes a variety of text types (print, digital, graphic, informational as well as fiction); it creates genuine opportunities to interact with others, and more. I invite you to review the Sample Lesson Enhancement from Unit 1 of the online learning module to give a glimpse of what I’m thinking.  I shared a small piece of that in the webinar, where learners decide which reading activities they do in English or in their first language and why? That sample addresses how to embed practice in academic language, reading strategies and critical thinking, with a "before" and "after" view of the lesson. So, in answer to “What is rigor and who decides?,” I think we can decide based on learners' circumstances, and you are so right that we need to keep the needs of all learners central to this discussion.

While not in the ESL Pro materials, I use the New American Horizons video on working with emergent readers to illustrate what rigorous instruction can look like with literacy-level learners.  Andrea Echelberger in St Paul, MN uses the Language Experience Approach, taking learners to the hardware store to learn about and/or buy pest control products. This is a critical issue in their housing complex. What makes the lesson rigorous? In addition to all the great literacy development work:

  • A real and critical issue for the learners (I’ve yet to see this one addressed in published materials)

  • A visual on the wall shows what the learners did another day- interviewing and graphing in a pie chart the percentage of students with each problem.

  • Practice using a grid/interview to call the landlord, starting with a co-constructed dialogue to use.

Regarding your second point, I think it’s very hard to put politics aside. It’s more important than ever that we give learners the language they need to support their claims and to refute others’ arguments (I know you are saying much more than that here).  Here’s where I want to highlight what I mean by “critical thinking” in the materials.  The adult learners I have worked with are highly critical thinkers- they have navigated new systems, settled in a new place (by choice or not), made their way into adult ESL classes, enrolled kids in schools.  Where might they be at a disadvantage in this regard?  1) They may not have the language to make their critical thoughts visible to others. What are the actual words they need to point others to evidence to support their ideas or to build on someone else’s ideas in English? and, 2) They may come from a background where one is not expected or allowed to challenge authority (human or text based) in a classroom setting.  Even those without prior formal schooling may see their role as passive recipients of knowledge in a classroom setting, right? Tasks that promote critical thinking also serve to engage learners for real, communicative purposes. 

I really look forward to others’ ideas on what rigor can look like from the very beginning. Also, how do you encourage the critical reading skills that Janet addresses among yourselves and with learners, and how can we support/encourage these skills beyond our classrooms? Thanks, Janet, for taking us in these directions right away!

Regards,

Betsy

 

Hi Betsy,

Participating in an academic discussion such as this is a perfect example of RIGOR at work. Our academic language and critical thinking are stretched as instructors when we consider contributing to a discussion such as this, Betsy. I guess what I am admitting is that I am also a Student of Rigor when put in my students’ shoes.

Here goes my rigor though…I know that engaging my ELL adults is vital for retention and student progress toward goals. Retention is naturally built when we recognize our adults’ prior experiences, knowledge, and skills.  Adding Rigor, through techniques in ESL Pro on LINCS, recognizes these! It assures adults ELLs that we know they are intelligent and can handle complexity which results in confidence, retention, and progress.

After working with the ESL Pro Rigor materials on LINCS and participating with the Wisconsin group (Go WI), I find myself incorporating the use of graphic organizers, project-based learning, academic language and discourse, language strategies and digital literacy more often than not. It has me thinking creatively and critically when I consider how I’m going to deliver my lessons (which are also engaging for me).

At our college, we’ve also made it a goal to incorporate collaborative learning (cooperative learning) which has added in opportunities for more interaction among students. We now have a vibrant, noisy, and supportive ELL community at our school.

To conclude my Rigor…our ELL program has undergone a total remodel with the knowledge I gained at the state and national level in being a part of the ESL Pro Rigor group. Yesterday (at an individual student conference) a student said it best when she said, “This year school feels more like school! I wanted to come because of this.”

Jodi Koller

Hi Jodi,

Thanks for sharing how the ESL Pro project has positively impacted the learners in your program!  With the amazing guidance I know you received from Jayme Adelson-Goldstein, and the dedication of the teachers and leadership in your State, I have been hearing about your successes (and your team TESOL Presentation). Thanks for highlighting the connection between engaging students and student retention. That last statement speaks volumes about how that one student felt. You provide several examples of what I was referring to earlier today about this being about ways of teaching (e.g. recognizing our adults’ prior experiences, knowledge, and skills), which can happen at all levels and with any content/topics.  

As Jodi, Shawn, and Carolyn mentioned, the ESL Pro Project included technical assistance to 10 states from September '15- June '16, including WI.  I was privileged to work with teachers in Louisiana last year and they are currently leading their own Communities of Practice using the ESL Pro materials this year.  I will share some of our outcomes in the coming days. If anyone from other ESL Pro cohorts is joining us this week, please share your successes and experiences as well.

Best-

Betsy

Hi Jodi, Carolyn, and all, Thank you for your valuable contributions to our discussion.  It's good to hear from you Wisconsin teachers since you have actual experience applying some of the ESL Pro materials and concepts in practice.

Jodi, the list of complex language demands you shared from learners' everyday lives says so much. In addition, you wrote,"I know that engaging my ELL adults is vital for retention and student progress toward goals. Retention is naturally built when we recognize our adults’ prior experiences, knowledge, and skills.  Adding Rigor, through techniques in ESL Pro on LINCS, recognizes these! It assures adults ELLs that we know they are intelligent and can handle complexity which results in confidence, retention, and progress.Adding Rigor, through techniques in ESL Pro on LINCS, recognizes these! It assures adults ELLs that we know they are intelligent and can handle complexity which results in confidence, retention, and progress."

In the last line, you acknowledge the starting point. Rigor really is about raising our expectations and recognizing that the adults we work with are smart and capable. Finding ways to support learners to grapple with more complex concepts and the English language required is what we are talking about. This is exactly what the ESL Pro rigor materials are designed to do.

You both mention several tools and strategies that you regularly implement in your class. Might you be able to offer a concrete example or two-- especially at the beginning level?

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition

 

Hi Betsy and all, You've been talking about "adding a layer of rigor to a lesson." What are your thoughts about ESL textbooks? Given that many teachers use ESL textbooks, what recommendations do you have for how to work with a textbook to add a layer of rigor? Are there concrete examples in the ESL Pro materials that show how to do this?

Members, especially those who have been drawing upon and implementing the ideas promoted by the ESL Pro resources, please weigh in with your thoughts on this as well.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition and Teaching & Learning CoPs

Hi all,

It's nice to "meet" you Betsy and to hear from others I met in the WI ESL Pro cohort.  I welcome the chance to review the material and get new ideas from everyone here.  

I struggle with the textbook issue because both our department and our students can often view finishing the textbook as the ultimate goal.  It seems nearly impossible to finish the textbook and include rigorous activities in one semester.  Interestingly, before going through the ESL Pro materials, I didn't fully understand how to use the Ventures series, but now I can see the benefits of the series.  Many of the WIOA requirements are addressed in the series and other activities are easily adapted to more rigorous ones.  For example, today my level 3 students surveyed each other using questions with superlatives and then created a pie chart and bar graph with their data.  Even more exciting is that it was actually successful this time!  :) I have previously tried to do similar survey activities, but adding rigor has a bigger learning curve for the teachers than I think it does for the students.

I have also learned to adapt my questioning techniques for pictures in any textbooks that I use.  The questions that I have found most useful are "How do you know?" and "Why?" for critical thinking - or finding evidence as mentioned in the brief - even at the lower levels.  

"Does the woman like the chair?" (Yes.)

"How do you know?" (She is smiling.  She is relaxed.  etc.)

These are small changes, but the more I read - and discuss with people like you - the more I feel like I can incorporate into my lessons!  I look forward to reading more ideas here.  

Kristi

Hi Kristi,

You are right that there can be expectations of "finishing the textbook," or providing coverage, rather than really engaging learners with materials. Surveying students and creating a bar graph with their data is a task type that can be added to virtually any lesson.  You've shown how that provides a more vivid context for working on superlatives as a grammar point, while also working on graphic literacy (that a chart or graphic depicts information that can be spoken or written), analysis of information, numeracy, and meaningful interactions among learners!  

Thanks for sharing your insights!

Betsy

Hi Kristi and all, In your post, Kristi, you acknowledge that there is a learning curve for teachers in enhancing the rigor of instruction. I have found this to be true for myself as well. When we try something new and it doesn't work out well, we are sometimes tempted to avoid trying it again. However, I firmly believe we learn the most about how to improve our practice when things do NOT go well. Reflecting on what happened and why is fertile ground for revising the approach when we try again. Good for you for doing just that, Kristi!

One of my very favorite activities is to have students interview each other. They then create graphs and present their data to the class. I had been doing this activity with higher level learners for some time, but when I started teaching a beginning class, I wondered if I could have them do something similar.

I decided to try this on the topic of gardening. Since I knew that many people lived in apartments with no garden space, I shared with the students that they could rent a garden plot in town for only $25. This activity is the one-question interview that Betsy includes in the ESL Pro module. Students in my class were assigned one question in pairs or groups of three. The questions included: 1) Did your family have a garden in your country? 2) Do you have a garden now? 3) Do you enjoy growing flowers? 4) Do you enjoy growing vegetables? 5) Are you looking forward to spring? The students were highly engaged, and it was so interesting to learn about their experiences with gardening and what they liked to grow. It was no surprise that many are master gardeners!

From implementing similar activities several times, I learned that it is helpful to create a tool for students to collect their data. (See the sample tool here -- and, yes, I do teach the words "Data Collection Tool." This is a perfect opportunity to embed this more complex language.) You will notice that there is a column to write students' names. So, we first fill in all the names of the students in the class together. That way we are assured students collect data from every individual and that the data is accurate -- which, of course, is important when reporting data outside the classroom in the "real world," too!

Having students create graphs is also a great way to incorporate math. Many students have a strong foundation in math, and I've seen that they are very eager to report their results in mathematical terms. They also are more than willing to help their classmates, who may have limited mathematical understanding, with the math concepts.

I'm eager to hear more about ways to add a layer of rigor to instruction!

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition and Teaching & Learning CoPs

 

 


 

Hi Susan and Colleagues,

What I love about your gardening example is that it shows how these principles apply to any topic/content area.  This gets back to Janet's earlier question, too, about not privileging the students who are currently working, preparing for work, or post-secondary work. The data gathering/analysis task provides scaffolds for talking about any topic that might be in the news.  It helps learners to understand what charts and graphs around them represent. With regard to the academic language, we can provide sentence frames like these to talk about the data gathered:

  • Most of the class...
  • The majority of colleagues...
  • Two-thirds of the group...
  • Very few people...

We can provide paragraph frames as well to write a report about the class! 

Thanks for sharing, Susan!

Betsy

The question about how this all applies to using textbooks is a great one, Susan!  Kristi's example shows how just a small change in questioning techniques can promote much deeper thinking by always having learners provide evidence to support their ideas. In the ESL Pro materials, we don’t draw on specific published materials or name them since this is a government-funded project.  However, we do show samples that replicate what you might see in a textbook.  The examples I include show how you can look for or add any of the following types of tasks or activities to any materials:

  • One-question interviews and data collection (assigning one question per student on the topic of the lesson/unit, gathering answers and analyzing the results)
  • Creating graphs and charts
  • Jigsaw tasks
  • Line-ups and ordering activities
  • Quality questions
  • Grid activities
  • Graphic organizers for a variety of purposes (pre-reading/listening; while-reading listening; note-taking; pre-writing/planning; organizing ideas for a discussion
  • Focus on academic language

As an example (from Unit 4 in the online learning module), suppose you come across a text like this in your beginning-level textbook and it is accompanied by the questions that follow:

Choua's New Job

Choua Vang has a new job. Now Choua works at Family Mart. She works part time from 7:00 in the morning to noon. Now she can be with her two younger sisters and brother in the afternoon and then go to school to work on her English in the evening.

Choua usually helps her sister with homework in the afternoon. Sometimes they go to the playground near their house. They often help their mother. They wash clothes and help clean the house. Choua enjoys her new schedule.

  • Where does Choua work?
  • What are her hours?
  • How many brothers and sisters does she have?
  • How does she help her mother?

As it stands, the material doesn’t promote anything more than answering display questions.  It doesn’t promote any critical thinking.

Adding a Layer of Rigor

What happens if you have students read and fill in a graphic organizer like this:

Morning

·       _______________________

 

Afternoon

·       _______________________

·       _______________________

·       _______________________

·       _______________________

 

Evening

·       _______________________

What critical thinking skills were added?
  • Organizing information
  • Categorizing information
  • Sequencing
  • Recognizing a chronology

Adding the Linear String Graphic Organizer also provides practice with

  • Reading for specific information
  • Information transfer—text to visual representation
  • Note-taking (linear string serving as a precursor to note-taking)

 Modification 2—Lineup Task

 

Go to school

Wash clothes

   

Work at Family Mart

Be with sister and brother

   

Clean house

Go to the playground

   

Help her mother

Steps:

  1. Distribute cards like these with Choua's activities
  2. Learners with cards come to front of class
  3. Organize themselves according to:
  •  Morning
  • Afternoon
  • Evening

 

Is there a particular order to the afternoon activities? Let's see what questions we can ask to get learners really thinking about the text.

Modification 3—Asking the right questions

Once students organize themselves, ask the whole class:

  • When does Choua take her brother and sister to the playground?
  • Do they do homework before going to the playground? Why?
  • When do you think they wash clothes? Is it every day? Every other day? Once a week?
  • How is Choua's life different? How do we know?
  • Why do you think she likes her new schedule

These kinds of questions require that students:

  • Analyze the relationship between ideas
  • Categorize and sequence information
  • Find evidence to support a claim
  • Recognize a chronology

These questions draw students attention to words that signal a change (so academic language): How is Choua's life different? How do we know? The words "new job" and "now" signal the change. The questions also get students noticing the meaning or the various adverbs of frequency (sometimes, usually) to determine how/when Choua and her family take part in activities.

 I hope this gives you some ideas of what could be added to any text, or what to look for in a text: Does the text go beyond tasks that require only reading to answer display questions, or do the tasks require students to work with the text more deeply?  Do the tasks in the book promote practice with higher order and critical thinking  Do they call attention to academic and professional language?

In a separate post today, I will delineate what else you can expect to find in the online learning modules and the ways you could use those. I look forward to hearing more ideas about how you are applying rigor to published materials.

Thanks! 

Betsy

 

Hello Betsy, Susan and everyone 

I am coming to this conversation a bit late but wanted to add my two cents worth. I think having students line up with cards that  contain parts of a sequence is a great way to get students thinking, talking, and moving. I've used similar line up with processes and instructions (students line up according to the steps in a sequence). 

One of my new favorite example for doing this analysis are the How To videos on the web. Here is one on how to cut up a pineapple - http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/food-recipes/cooking/tips/g1935/cut-whole-pineapple/ Students can line up with ideas related to Before You Start, While you work, and after you finish. The video does not have to be followed exactly of course. Different groups can work on the a common topic  (how to make pico de gallo (fresh salsa), for example) and then all the students line up - negotiating (ok arguing about) the right steps. 

BTW, I really like the way Betsy highlights the underlying skills and competencies in these tasks (I'm not fond of the word "activity" for adults - but that term is certainly the most commonly used and understood

Hi Heide-

Thanks for sharing this great idea and link to the sample how-to video! The skills of sequencing can work for so many different contexts, communicative tasks, and text types- steps in a process, instructions, parts of a story. As you say, there's great benefit to getting learners thinking, talking, negotiating, and moving. The possibilities are endless!

Let's hear some more ideas!

Betsy

 

 

 

Greetings!

Susan wanted to make sure that I shared an overview of the online learning Module 1: Meeting the Language Needs of Today's Adult ELL.

The LINCS ESL Pro Online module is for teachers at all levels of experience.  This self-paced professional development module addresses the increasingly complex language and critical thinking skills adult English language learners (ELLs) need to succeed in today's world. The overarching goal of this module is to give professionals who work with adult ELLs the tools to provide rigorous instruction that will help all learners transition to new opportunities. This module contains four units. Estimated completion time for each unit is 2-3 hours. While they can be completed individually, it’s ideal to use the materials as part of a community of practice or professional learning community. The reflection and application tasks are ways that it can meet the needs of those with varying levels of teaching experience.  Ideally, teachers would work through these materials with others, which we have found encourages a lot of co-learning among teachers with varying levels of experience and credentials. The units always direct users to current resources and research to support this work (and the Brief does that as well). LINCS issues a certificate of completion at the end of each unit in the module.

Each unit in the module includes:

  • Learner vignettes/analysis (vignettes of 3 learners are introduced in Unit 1 and are woven throughout the other units)
  • Lesson enhancements (showing how even small adjustments in the way we teach can have a powerful impact on learning)
  • Video observations with tasks
  • Materials/activities analysis (Where is the academic language? Is there sufficient focus on finding evidence to support claims, or information transfer)
  • Exploration of online materials
  • Readings
  • Discussions and reflection tasks

There are online resources, readings, discussions and reflection tasks woven throughout the module. There are differentiated tasks for instructors and administrators.

Here is a description of the 4 units in Module 1: Meeting the Language Needs of Today’s Adult English Language Learner

Unit 1 Increasing Rigor of Adult English Language Instruction

This unit presents the rationale for increasing the rigor of instruction at all levels of adult English language instruction. Through a series of learner vignettes, participants explore the language demands adult ELLs encounter in today’s world.  This unit introduces some ways to weave more complex language skills (academic language, language strategies, and critical thinking) into instruction early and often, while at the same time addressing the basic communication and life skills needs of learners. This unit grounds the work of all of the other units.

Unit 2 Incorporating Language for Success at All Levels

This unit focuses on the academic and professional language adult ELLs need for success in today’s world.  Features of academic and professional language are presented, and tools and resources for analyzing the complexity of language adult ELLs encounter in today’s world are provided as well so that instructors can break that language down and make it more accessible to adult ELLs. Video and sample lessons demonstrate strategies for helping adult ELLs understand more complex oral and written language at work, school, and in their communities.

Unit 3 Language Strategies for Success at All Levels

This unit focuses on instruction of listening and reading strategies that are essential for comprehending oral and written texts.  Participants explore different purposes for listening and reading, the strategies learners can employ, and the use of nonfiction and informational texts. There are videos, sample lessons, and activities that demonstrate how to promote higher order listening and reading strategies. The use of graphic organizers is explored as well. 

Unit 4 Critical Thinking at all Levels of English Language Acquisition

This unit focuses on critical thinking skills adult ELLs need to make decisions, solve problems, and fully engage with others in work, school and community settings. Participants develop their own definition of critical thinking and explore models of critical thinking that are useful for planning instruction for adult ELLs. Strategies and resources for teaching critical thinking, as well as the actual language needed to make critical thinking visible, are presented as well.   

In our technical assistance with states, we have had online and in-person communities of practice work through a unit over a 3-4 week cycle, sharing the classroom applications tried and the successes. We have asked teachers to really focus on the impact changes they have had on student learning.  I think this quote from one of our Lousiana participants, Mark Hux, showcases this practice:

The students have created bar charts with classroom data and used a paragraph frame to discuss the information gathered. Some students commented that they had never known a chart presented the same information as a reading (or an interview) but after creating a chart for themselves, they were able to see and interpret information presented in charts with more success than they were able to do before.

(Mark Hux, Shreveport, Louisiana, Bossier Area Community College; participant in ESL Pro State Technical Assistance)

Have any of you dipped into the learning module (or others in the ESL Project) yet?  What has been most helpful for you?  As you read the descriptions here, what are some things you are currently doing around these 4 themes in the module that you could share with others here?  

Cheers!

Betsy

Dear Colleagues,

The third product in the ESL Pro suite of materials on rigor is the Companion Learning Resource (CLR). Today I want to introduce the CLR, authored by Patsy Egan. Patsy and I presented on the rigor materials at TESOL and here’s what Patsy shared there about the CLR. The CLR is a digital magazine that is a practical, comprehensive instructional resource written specifically for teachers and with a focus on concepts in action.  It is highly dynamic and provides:

  • Additional instructional suggestions and examples for teachers, including links to classroom videos, sample lesson plans, audio tips from experts in field
  • Targeted to specific instructional needs within a theme (I’ll show in a moment)
  • Links to other related resources
  • Voices from the field - brief audio segments from teachers around the country
  • Take a tip - teacher tips and further reading

One feature (a great reason to both use for your own use and consider using in staff development!) about the CLR is how closely it’s tied to CCRS - College & Career Readiness for Adult Education - standards.  Many states (such as MN) have adopted the CCRS as its content standards for ALL of adult basic education, including ESL learners.  It can be difficult to see how our work as adult ESL teachers is reflected in the very academic focus of CCRS, and this Companion Learning Resource can help!  Written with an ESL lens for ESL teachers, we see how what’s emphasized in CCRS looks in an ESL setting.

The resource is organized around these 5 themes, and as you can see, they very closely relate to CCRS.  1) Academic Language is a second language for everyone, and this is the language of ACCESS - language that accesses meaningful academic content, that accesses community resources and empowers learners to navigate their very complex lives in a new culture and language. 2) Project-based learning is one way to really bring standards, lifeskills, and active learning together.  The context can be work/community/academic related, and projects offer unique opportunities for interaction, research, and meaningful problem-solving work in class.

The final three themes directly correspond to the CCRS key instructional advances for English Language Arts.  We know that in order to meet the CCRS, students need to be able to read closely texts that are challenging.  They need to be able to evaluate evidence, identify bias in a text, and use evidence to support a claim in speaking and writing.  This is no easy feat and has not previously been emphasized in lifeskills-focused ESL curricula.  But it is critical to move beyond lifeskills to fully participate in communities, engage in career pathways, and perhaps enter post-secondary education, all of which are goals of WIOA.  Finally, the 5th theme allows teachers to consider how we are ‘building knowledge’ in ESL classes, beyond daily needs to include meatier topics, lines of inquiry, and connections to work and academic content.  All of these pieces work to up the rigor of instruction and meet CCR standards!

Do you have questions about the CLR?  Patsy has highlighted project-based learning in the CLR.  She also makes reference to "meaty" topics. That is something addressed in the other materials as well.  When we are doing a unit on transportation, why not talk about the benefits of a new light rail system?  The sample lesson enhancement I shared the other day gets at first language maintenance (in very accessible linguistic terms- What I read in English and in my first language and why). Have you used project-based learning as means of integrating meaty topics along with rich language development? What are some topics you have included that go beyond lifeskills topics, and that have really engaged learners in your classes?

Look forward to hearing your ideas?

Betsy

Hello Betsy and colleagues, Thanks for this rich description of the ESL Pro companion learning resource on increasing the rigor of ESL instruction. This resource is, indeed, chock full of wonderful, practical ideas and suggestions that can enhance our teaching. I really like the suggestion to draw upon this resource for a professional development activity.

You asked us to share examples of project-based learning, and I can share an example from the beginning class I taught recently. Before the presidential election last fall, I decided to focus a lesson on the electoral college so that learners would understand what the terms "red state" and "blue state" meant. As a first step, I explained the make up of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate. The electoral college has the same number of electors as there are members of Congress, i.e., 535, plus 3 more for the city of Washington DC -- resulting in a total of 538 electors. I had to explain that the electoral "college" is not a college the way we usually think of the word college, i.e., similar to a university.

We then looked at electoral results from previous elections on the National Archive and Records Administration website.  We compared the electoral college results and the popular vote results for several elections, including the 2000 election in which George W. Bush won the electoral college but lost the popular vote to Al Gore. Students learned that it is possible in the United States for a presidential candidate to lose an election even when he or she wins the popular vote. The winner needs to get at least 270 electoral votes.

Next, we formed five small groups and assigned the groups to conduct research on 10 states each. Everyone was given a worksheet for collecting their information, a larger version of which was created as a class poster. They were to find information online including:

  • the abbreviation for the assigned states
  • where in the US the states are located (students had to be able to identify their assigned states on a map)
  • the number of electors for each state
  • the results from the 2012 election -- red or blue?

Each group presented their findings to their classmates, and everyone took notes on their worksheet. One member of the presenting group added the details to the class poster, while other members took turns reporting the information.

The worksheet for this activity also included a column for the 2016 election results, and I encouraged the students to take the worksheet home and fill in the results of the election as they were reported. Needless to say, we were all surprised by the election results. On November 9, we filled in the results for each state on our class poster, which showed, of course, that Donald Trump had won the election because he had the most electoral college votes.

On that day, many students were worried about immigration and wondered aloud what might happen. We talked about the peaceful transition of power, but also acknowledged that we would have to wait to see what President Trump would do regarding immigration.

This turned out to be a successful civics lesson with real life consequences for the immigrants in my beginning level class.

For another example of a project with more advanced students, we used the My Next Move website to have students discover their work personality, based on the O*Net Interest Profiler. Students then created line graphs which illustrated their work personality profiles according to the following Holland Code characteristics: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. Students then presented their graphs to the class. It was so fascinating to hear about each individual's interests and strengths.

I know many teachers have great project-based lessons to share!

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition and Teaching & Learning CoPs

Hi Betsy, As we head into the last day of our discussion, I'm wondering if you could talk about using the ESL Pro resources for professional development. Could you share a bit about what was learned from the 10 states that piloted the ESL Pro resources last year and how these materials can be drawn upon by states and programs for professional development? What are some professional development activities that worked well?

In addition, could you discuss the role of administrators? The ESL Pro module focuses on both teachers and administrators. What do you see as an administrator’s role in supporting teachers to increase the rigor of instruction? What supports are available to administrators?

If members have questions and comments related to these themes, please let us know.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition and Teaching & Learning CoPs

Thanks so much for asking, Susan, because working with teachers around the country was the highlight of the ESL Pro Project for all of us.  I hope that my colleagues who worked with the 10 states will chime in.  I can speak for Lousiana first-hand, as well as what my colleagues have shared with me.  I am also better acquainted with what we did in LA, WI, MA and AR, the four states that chose this week's theme, Suite 1: Meeting the Language Needs of Today's Adult ELL for the pilot PD. 

-Online Communities of Practice: We learned that the CoP model is very powerful for teachers. These took a variety of forms, but in most cases, small groups of teachers worked collaboratively together to pose questions, explore the materials, try things out in their classes, and report back with others. These were facilitated by a subject matter expert (but I always say the teachers in the classroom are the experts). In some states, groups of administrators worked as teams, or there were some combined groups. We learned that staying focused on one theme (or unit) at a time was best and we also found that having 3-4 week cycles was best for keeping everyone engaged. 

-Bringing in Administrators: We learned that it's essential to bring administrator into the fold from the start. In LA, we started the year off by working with the administrators, doing a study circle with the Issue Brief, the New American Horizons video on Critical Thinking and Learning from the Start, results from an Alignment Survey we conducted in MN (identifying gaps between what we teach in adult ESL and what is needed for success in community and technical college), and the 2010 Parrish and Johnson CAELA Brief. Different groups worked through guiding questions to identify how the state was doing and to determine goals for the project overall. This really got administrators on board throughout the process! The Module has an administrator path, so the materials can serve as the basis for discussion of state-wide issues, state plans, or in the LA, admin were looking at how to weave the themes in the ESL Pro materials into observation tools. As to your question about how they can support teachers?  Give teachers time to do this important work!  Give them release time to visit colleagues' classrooms and share experiences and successes.

-Pre-tasks: We found pre-tasks before digging into the Module or CLR be essential and those took the form of reflecting on current practices, identifying strengths, and goal-setting.   There are often tasks like that built right into the Module units. We also did some pre-reading using the Issue Brief and also the Parrish and Johnson CAELA Brief

- Face-to-face or a blended approach: We found that having face-to-face kick-off meetings was best.  If you plan to work through the materials with groups of teachers at your sites, or teachers in a region or state, having some face-to-face time to get things started is really helpful. 

-Stay connected! -We all agreed that teachers had the most success when they could stay connected. Many of us used virtual meeting spaces to meet with teachers, and they used those among themselves-Google Hangouts and Zoom, for example. Also, find a easy playform for collaboration- perhpas your already familiar webspace (e.g. CANVAS) or Schoology (I'd love for Kathy Harris to Weigh in here!).

-Teacher-led PD: In LA, our CoP was a train-the-trainer model.  For the first few months, we had 4-week cycles where we worked through one unit in the module at a time.  We had 2 touchpoints during each cycle through online discussion and a couple of times we had virtual meetings using Google Hangouts or Zoom. Regional teams then led their own CoPs with great success.  I just received an announcement from Chyna Andrews and Evan Long, participants in the LA cohort 15-16, that they were launching ESL Pro Phase II in Louisiana.  You can only imagine how happy the made us all! 

-Lesson-studies- I'll ask Susan to share how she used lesson studies as part of the CoP in Arizona!

This reflects just some of things we tried in the pilot PD and the lessons learned.  I hope that other ESLPro facilitators or participants can share an idea or two as well! Let me know if you have questions.  How might you envision using the ESLPro materials in your program or state?

Thanks for your continued participation!!

Betsy

Greetings Colleagues,

This week I have shared the ESL Pro materials on Meeting the Language Demands of Today's Adult ELL with you and have had the privilege to hear your ideas on how you are meeting the needs of learners in your programs. Throughout the week we have heard wonderful ideas from Shawn, Carolyn, Jodi and Kristi of the Wisconsin ESL Pro cohort about how they are using classroom techniques such as line-ups, categorizing, or graphic organizers to promote higher-order and critical thinking, as well as adjusting your questioning techniques to get learners to provide evidence to support their claims. Susan showed us how project-based learning can be used with any content that is most relevant for a group of learners, whether that be gardening or understanding the electoral college in the US. Heide shared ideas on sequencing using engaging how-to videos, and Janet reminded us how important it is that this discussion of rigor not exclude any group of learners. Each of the overviews of the ESL Pro materials ends with a question and our week isn't finished yet, so please continue to reply as we wrap up this discussion.  I'll be checking in this evening and beyond!

Let me know what final questions you have and also let us know what has inspired you this week! 

Betsy

 

 

 

Dear Betsy, Thank you for sharing your time, talent and expertise with all of us over the past week. I am certain that many teachers will be eager to check out the excellent ESL Pro resources on increasing the rigor of instruction. You have shown us that it is not difficult to add a layer of rigor to our teaching, even with students at the lowest levels and that it is important to do so. Adding rigor does not mean changing everything about the way we teach. It is about raising our expectations and supporting learners to achieve their important goals including those related to involvement in the community, education for themselves and their children, as well as work and career.

Members, we can certainly continue this discussion, so feel free to share your thoughts and your questions on enhancing the rigor of instruction.

Cheers, Susan Finn Miller

Moderator, English Language Acquisition and Teaching & Learning CoPs