Learning from our ESOL partners

Our school's ESOL teacher and I have partnered to work together to build language and literacy skills in an ESOL student.This experience is opening my eyes regarding the process of language acquisition with teens who have zero target language exposure. I understand that every child is different and that students bring a range of prior knowledge and experiences. However, since this child speaks no English, we are building on a blank slate.

This what I have observed from the ESOL teacher:

• She lowers the students' affective filter 
• She creates community in her classroom
• She gives the students time to adjust and to familiarize themselves with English and their environment
• She is the biggest advocate for her students
• Her ultimate goal is proficiency in the language
• She encourages the student's efforts at language production at every step of the process
• She does not focus on their mistakes
• She doesn't rush language production before students are ready
• She doesn't give quizzes and tests on the material taught
• She uses children's books 
• Comprehensible input is her biggest strategy
• The more advanced students help the new beginner students
• The curriculum is applicable to what students need at the time
• Testing is only used to measure proficiency and adjust instructional goals

There are obvious differences between ESOL and World Language students. The biggest difference is the fact that students are surrounded by English and what the teacher does in the classroom gets reinforced all day long at school. There is also an urgency and survival instinct that kicks in (particularly in states where people don't speak Spanish) where they  need to learn English in order to survive in their environment.


However, I still think there are so many great lessons that I can learn from my ESOL colleague. During the next few weeks, as I work with this precious child who gives me the best hugs and who sees me as her anchor at school, I want to spread some of that nurturing spirit to my Spanish  students as well. I want to work on lowering the affective filter and furthering the spirit of community in my classroom. I want to use children's books. When someone is learning a new language, beginning readers can be a wonderful tool to teach literacy skills. I need to give them time to adjust to new concepts and not overwhelm them. I need to keep it positive and focus on what they CAN do, not on what they can NOT do. The biggest and most challenging of all tasks will be to use tests only for the purpose of measuring proficiency so that I can adjust my instructional goals.


I think that ESOL teachers are living examples of this saying "They don't care what you know until they know that you care". They are the master teachers of care.

Death and Burial of The Old Country Project

I've discovered that the road to proficiency-teaching has many potholes and that it is not a straight line. I will blog about that another day. There is so much to learn and know that I feel as if my head is going to explode with information overload. In order to keep alive my vision to continue on the path to proficiency-teaching and not go crazy, I am doing more of a process of elimination rather than adding too much right now. So, several things have been put to rest such as the grammar based assessments and the vocabulary quizzes (words in isolation).

However, there was one thing that has been a highlight of my years and the favorite of my students every year that I  have taught, The Country Project. I like teaching with a PBL (project and problem) approach. I think it is good for students and everyone has a clear sense of direction at all times. In terms of content and culture, my students learn a lot about the facts and customs of specific countries and people. In the past, I always felt a wave or pride surging when they presented their final projects to the rest of the class or to guests who came in to observe them. They would have snazzy, glossy digital presentations and were speaking in Spanish for 5-8 minutes in fluid language.

But, But, But.... this year when my students were working on their country project, I felt conflicted and uncomfortable every step of the way. It was almost as if for 1 month, I halted the proficiency bandwagon we were on to work on the project. So, I will dissect it here so that I can clarify in my head about why the Old Country Project is NOT compatible with a proficiency based approach.Even though I insisted that they find some Spanish sources and that the discussions be in Spanish as much as possible, the reality was the following:

Research: was done in English and translated by students.
Discussions: Done in English
Digital presentations: Took entirely too much class time
Writing out the project: Translated from English to Spanish with feedback from me. Corrections were probably where most learning took place.
Learning process: A lot of memorization
Final presentation: Students memorized very well but as I looked around the room, not a single student was truly engaged and understanding what was being said. The entire presentation was strictly for my benefit. Even the students themselves didn't know what they were saying completely.

When the month was over, we were all disoriented and trying to regain our footing. Students asked me if we were ever going to do songs, El Internado, homework choice and blogging again. We had set aside all of those things during the very long month that we were working on THE COUNTRY PROJECT! The news to me was that they missed those much simpler activities that we were doing which were proficiency based.

By the way, one of my life's mottos is "It's feedback, not failure". So, I have no regrets about the country projects of my teaching past. They served their purpose but it's time to put them to rest.

I am not saying that I won't do country projects again, but I will never again ask Novice High to (some) Intermediate Low students to deliver a country project at the same level that I would expect them to do it in English. These are my new guidelines:

• In order for proficiency to be the main goal, the tasks must be at their level of proficiency. 
• I won't attempt to prioritize technology over language. Having students spend 2 class periods Photoshopping themselves unto important sites and monuments in Spain or  Mexico, cool as it may be, does NOT advance their proficiency in the language. 
• I will streamline content so that it is compatible with proficiency goals. Less width and more depth. 
• Pinterest, info-graphics and short authentic readings in the target language will be the main sources for the next projects. 
• I will answer the following essential question for the next project: "How does this activity/project further the students' proficiency goals?"

Would love feedback from anyone who has found a great way to do PBL or projects with a proficiency based approach.