General – Page 81

December 24, 2015 Tammy Axt General

Art in a Contained ASD class

This year as part of my teaching package, I was asked to teach art one period a week in a contained ASD class. Surprisingly, it has become one of my favourite periods of the week and something I look forward to. There are 6 students in the classroom with a variety of needs and challenges but we have somehow managed to create some really cute art during the first four months of school.

Let me be upfront and honest. I have very few artistic skills. Therefore, the thought of leading anyone in art was a little nerve racking. To combat this problem I relied on the knowledge of my student’s interests, Pintrest and amazingly supportive colleagues to come up with some fun projects.

Before we began every project, I showed them all the finished product and had step by step verbal instructions to complete the task. This highly structured environment enabled all of them to be successful and lowered stress levels for some of the students.

We all sat at the table together and the materials were placed in front of every students work station.

Some of the art we created was inspired by the students’ interests.

One of the students in the class loves animals. To inspire our art lesson, I made a prezi about my cat Harley https://prezi.com/vquishjdeok3/my-cat-harley/. We then made our own Harley kittens out of paper plates, paint and construction paper.

Another student in the class loved the book “A Soup Opera” that we read last year in music. I took one of the images from the book and we recreated it in another art lesson.

A song called “5 Little Pumpkins” was the inspiration for another art piece. After we learned the song, we made our own 5 little Pumpkins.

A colleague of mine lent me a book with a variety of art activities in it. We made teeth puppets out of paper plates and gloves. We then created tooth brushes out of recorder cleaners and tissues and sang the song “You brush your teeth”

Another helpful tool this term was Pintrest. I sure I am the last person in the teaching profession to find out about this great tool and the next two winter art pieces were inspired from art on Pintrest.

I have taught other contained classes the arts in the past and some further considerations to keep in mind before starting are:

In some classes scissors could be very dangerous if not probably monitored.
Oral fixations that result in consumption of glue, clay or art materials is a possibility for some students. Make sure to read the student’s IEP and speak with their classroom teacher before bringing these materials
Knowing your students’ triggers are important. I had a student in the past where holding a pencil caused them a lot of anxiety so I planned accordingly.
Have a very clear plan about the pairing of student with staff to create the best scenario for success.

December 21, 2015 Will Gourley Celebrating Success, General, Inspiring Students

The gift

It’s Monday.
I should be in the classroom right?
Nope, not this week, or the next one either (insert thoughts of appreciation here).

It’s the Winter break and millions of students and teachers are waking up to the first of 10 vacation days. WooHOO! My internal clock did not get that message. Neither did my clock radio alarm as it went off at 5:55 am as always. So as the chorus of Pat Benatar’s Love is a Battlefield blared, I pressed snooze for the first time since September.
15 minutes later I’m up, dressed, and drinking the first of the day’s many coffees. That’s enough sleeping in for one day.

It has been a hectic 4 months in the classroom.
The months have flown by at the speed of learning(my term).
Not that it’s a bad thing, but frenetic might be an apt single word descriptor.
With reports going home late this year, ongoing committees, teams and extra-curricular activities in full swing to accompany day to day instruction my schedule is full. Needless to say, free time is in short supply.

As the Christmas/Winter Holidays approached, students started hinting about gifts, our school concert, and ideas for class parties. Soon we were discussing clothing and toy drives and plans for the break.

1. “Mr G., I noticed you drink a lot of coffee. Would you like coffee for Christmas?”
2. “Can I volunteer to be an ambassador for the school concert?”
3. “Mr G., here are some toys I brought in for our toy drive. Can I bake some cookies for the class?”
4. “I don’t have a gift for you. I’m sorry.”

Here are my answers in order;

1. Yes please and that’s very thoughtful of you to ask.
2. Yes, you’d be a great ambassador. Thank you for stepping up.
3. What a kind gesture. Some cookies would be awesome as long as they are peanut free.
4. You do not need to apologize or give me a gift. Coming to class, everyday, willing to learn has been the best gift a teacher could receive, and you have been giving it since September. I should be giving you a present.

On the last day before the break we tidied the class, stacked desks, and arranged chairs in a circle for a social activity. Cookies, candy canes, and cheer were shared – along with fun draw prizes for every student. I was blessed with a number of thoughtfully worded cards and generous gifts including coffee(I can quit anytime).

While were all sitting in our social circle I began reflecting more on the conversation with the student who said he had no gift to give. As I shared with him then, his gift to me arrived everyday in his hard work and positive attitude. I realized he had offered me another amazing gift – a chance to encourage my class; to let all of the students know how their hard work and desire to learn were the best gifts a teacher could ever receive. So before the bells rang and the best wishes wished that gift was shared with the class.

As I look back on the first four months it is clear to see that the holidays in our class started in September because we gathered, we shared, and gifts were given.

Christmas Card 2015 Merry Christmas Joyeux Noel
Happy Holidays Season’s Greetings
Happy Gregorian Calendar New Year

December 17, 2015 Tisha Nelson General, Professional Learning and Growth

Resolutions for the Year to Come

As elementary school teachers, we have the opportunity to celebrate the new year at least twice a year. The first happens in September with the start of a new school year and the second, in January, with the mark of the beginning of a new solar calendar year. As we approach the latter event, I take this moment to reflect on some of the things that I wish to continue to embrace as I move forward – some renewed new year’s resolutions of sorts.

1. Have fun. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Teaching is the best job on earth. Enjoy the opportunity to the fullest.

2. Make time to connect with your colleagues. Whether it be in the staff room at lunch or in the hall as you pass by, invests in professional relationships with your colleagues. You are on the same team and teamwork doesn’t simply happen by working in the same building.

3. Be okay with not knowing. In the spirit of inquiry, be willing to embrace the learning in the process as well as the learning at the end of it.

4. Focus on 1-2 professional learning goals at a time. There will always be new initiatives and ideas to grapple with. Be sure to feel comfortable with one new thing a year and you will not feel overwhelmed by trying to grapple with them all.

5. Enjoy recess duty. While ensuring the safety of your scholars, it is also a great opportunity to connect with them as well.

6. Know that things will get done. Every school night doesn’t have to be a late one.

7. Work smarter (not harder). You do not have to reinvent the wheel. Make effective use of the resources around you in order to accomplish what you are set out to do.

8. Be good to you. Find the time to engage in the things that (re)energize you.

9. Give yourself permission to not be the perfect teacher. The perfect teacher doesn’t exist. And if he/she did, who would want to walk around with all that pressure? Be the best version of yourself where you are at, while embracing opportunities to grow.

10. Be. Just be. Be grateful, loving, respectful, courageous…

December 16, 2015December 17, 2015 Beverly Papove General

Kindergarten at a Thousand Miles an Hour

As I slump in a chair at the end of a day teaching kindergarten, I remind myself that, although I feel overwhelmed at times and unsure at others, I am learning each day. I was placed in this position without having any previous training or experience as a kindergarten teacher. I remember feeling very intrigued at the time my principal and VP suggested the switch from grade 3. I could have refused but instead I accepted the challenge. Now I cannot imagine teaching anything else. I’ve been a teacher for over 25 years, but not a kindergarten teacher. Kindergarten is a whole new ball game. Did I mention that it is a fast game, too? It feels as if the school year has slammed into the Christmas holidays and will continue to gather speed in January.

After four months, I am beginning to feel a teensy weensy bit more confident with the planning and activities in the classroom. Although we share and co-plan, I like to ask my ECE counterparts for their opinions about something I have planned because they are the ones with the years of training and experience at this age level. I may have a general theoretical notion of how and what may work, combined with my personal experience as a mother of two boys, now grown up, but really, that does not amount to much compared to what the ECEs bring to the planning table and to the classroom. It takes a team that respects and effectively collaborates to make a kindergarten class run well, and I feel privileged to be part of such a team.

And the kinder classroom is so very different from the grade 3 classroom where movement and noise could regularly be brought to a minimum during a learning period. My English counterpart often uses the term, “Birthday party behaviour” to describe behaviour we seek to curb in the kindergarten classroom – the kind of free-for-all party atmosphere usually experienced at the end of a birthday party.

It is an apt description. All the more so since the set up for a well-run kinder classroom feels rather like hosting a birthday party as you plan and prepare enough activities to keep the attendees interested, focussed, and engaged, and you circulate to make sure everyone is happy. Imagine hosting a birthday party for 27 five year olds every day… no other grade quite fits that description.

As we gallop along, trying to tie up loose ends, follow through on planning, assessment, evaluation, meeting the curriculum, and contacting parents about behaviour, speech issues, and hearing problems, the only thing that remains constant is each young student – little beings who need to play and explore, and whose emotions are so immediate. They are going at their normal, five year old speed when they come to school each day and we are trying to keep up with them. No wonder I am exhausted at the end of the day.

December 13, 2015December 13, 2015 Tammy Axt General, Inspiring Students, Inspiring Teachers

The holiday assembly is this week. Help, I need an idea!

I got an e-mail last night from a friend of mine last which had the subject line “The holiday assembly is this week. Help, I need an idea!” As progress reports were just handed out in the last week or two, preparing for assemblies in December have been put on the back burner for many people. In case you need an idea for this coming week as well, below are some of the songs and features of our December assembly.

The goal of our December assembly is to promote community and have a great celebration before the break. Every student will be involved some way in the assembly either as a member of the whole group sing along or performing with their class.

I have been spending a small part of my music classes over the past couple of weeks getting the students ready for a sing along. Instead of Rudolph or Jingle Bells, I have decided to teach the students two new holiday songs both of which they are loving!! Both of the songs are from a resource produced by Music K-8 which can be downloaded from the internet. The resource is called “All Time Christmas Favorites“ and the two songs which have been very popular are “We Will Jingle” and “Have a Happy, Happy Holiday”. “We will Jingle” plays on the riff made famous by Queen and is going to sound just awesome when a gym load of students are all rocking out together next week! “Have a Happy, Happy Holiday” is a great song if you are trying to be sensitive to all cultural backgrounds and beliefs as it makes no references to any specific holiday. It is light and upbeat and energetic which is perfect for December.

Our holiday assembly is also going to include a great presentation by our Autism Spectrum Disorder Class. They have been practicing the song S A N T A. This song imitates the song B I N G O which removes a letter at a time and replaces them with a clap. Each student in the class is holding one of the letters in Santa and as the letter is replaced with the clap the sign that they are holding is placed on the ground in front of them. Of course, they have Santa hats to wear and believe it or not their therapy dog is going to make an appearance in the performance. Acer, the therapy dog, has a full Santa outfit that he has been waiting to show off.

Another easy to prepare idea is to have a Santa costume relay race. We have rounded up two Santa costumes and we will be inviting some teachers to the front to participate in the race. One teacher for each team will be at the front of the gym and each team will race to get their costume pieces on their person first! We will have each side of the gym cheering for the team on their side. You could easily have some members of your class lead this activity.

Is there anything simple and easy that you are doing with your students this week in an assembly?

December 9, 2015 Tisha Nelson Combined Grade Classes, Communication Tools, General, Integration, Math

Number Lines: A Game Changer in Math Class

This year, as in times past, planning my math program was filled with the usual excitement of clustering expectations and imagining ways in which I could creatively address the curriculum. Teaching a grade 3/4 combined grade for the first time, I was eager to be on top of my planning and ensure that I was creating parallel learning experiences by simultaneously addressing the curriculum expectations for both grades.

When planning the learning experiences, I colour code the strands, cut out each expectation and cluster them according to big ideas. This results in cross-strand learning experiences.

For my first series of learning experiences, I really wanted to invite my scholars to engage with number lines as a model that would help to make their thinking visible, but also as a tool for exploring many math concepts such as quantity and measurement. A number line is a line segment that can either be vertical or horizontal that represent a series of numbers that are marked at intervals. Re(introducing) number lines to my scholars early on in the year was important for me because I view number lines as an invaluable math model. Every day numbers lines are used to measure time – a clock; distance – a ruler; capacity – a measuring cup; temperature – a thermometer and mass – a scale. Number lines also allow students to model the strategies they use when adding and subtracting, as well as composing and decomposing numbers. Starting with the exploration of number lines proved to be an important first learning for my grade 3/4 math class.

Students were able to identify a variety of tools that have number lines embedded in their function.

Beginning the year this way was exciting but it was even more invigorating when I realized how many authentic, cross-strand connections that actually took place by centring the learning around investigating the use of a simple tool. The following are a few reflections from the journey:

1. Once the orientation of a number line was solidified, scholars were able to make connections between the number line drawn on the board with the number lines embedded in everyday objects.
The most prominent feature in my class at the start of the school year were the quantity number lines hanging from my classroom ceiling. These were made by cutting pool noodles into two-inch disk and placing them on rope. One was counting by twos (two-coloured pool noodles) and grouped by twenties to hang on the ceiling. The other was counting by fives with alternating colours and grouped by 25s. Students were invited to inquire about the quantity of pool noodles, the groupings, the skip counting, etc. and this became the introduction to number lines for the year. Using the quantity number line along with an actual number line that marked the perimeter of the front of my class, we explored the nuances of number lines by describing their directionality of increasing and decreasing quantity. We also explore the ways in which intervals could be marked on an open number line so that users didn’t necessarily have to always count by ones, but skip counting was made possible by using appropriate quantity intervals. We then named all the number lines that were present in the classroom. They noticed the clock on the wall to be a circular number line and the “How Much are Your Growing” height chart as a vertical number line. Excitement bubbled as scholars scrutinized the number lines we named by the elements of number lines that we had previously defined. They were set and ready to continue their investigation of how number lines could truly enhance their learning experiences as young mathematicians.

Quantity number lines hanging from the ceiling of my classroom.

2. Counting on a number line allowed number patterns and relationships to jump out at scholars.
Once scholars were comfortable describing the orientation and use of number lines, we began exploring quantity by representing skip counting on an open number line. We counted forward by tens by modeling jumps of +10 on an open number line and then later by nines. Scholars were able to name the relationships between counting by tens and nines by creating expressions that named the pattern (i.e. 10-1). We then explored counting forward by 100s, 50s, 20, and 11 to explore the other number patterns and relationships. Once scholars we comfortable counting forwards, we then counted backwards. They noticed relationships around place value, odd, and even numbers, what happens when counting by numbers with specific digits, and the nuances of increasing and decreasing values. The grade 4 scholars were then invited to apply their understanding of skip counting by whole numbers and moved deeper into counting by fractional amounts and decimal numbers up to tenths. Students were taught to use the number line to keep track of their thinking by using it as a thinking tool and not a picture. Hence, numbers and jumps were added in sequence as the counting progressed and not merely by drawing the elements of the number line and labelling them afterwards.

Counting forward by 9 using a quantity number line. Student notice and described patterns.

3. Using number lines as a tool for measurement invited scholars to apply their understanding of number concepts.
Measuring mass using a triple balance scale, capacity with graduated cylinders and time with a clock were all the more meaningful when scholars were able to apply their understandings of using number lines as a tool for mathematical thinking. This is how our Number Sense learning experiences married Measurement. When scholars measured mass using the triple balance scales, they applied their understanding of decomposing numbers into place value (including tenths for grade 4s) in order to calculate the mass of the item they were measuring. Similarly, when measuring capacity using a graduated cylinder, scholars needed to apply their understanding of skip counting in order to accurately represent the capacity using a variety of differently shaped and sized graduated cylinders that each increased by differently valued intervals. Given their prior knowledge of skip counting, and composing and decomposing numbers using number line, measurement became a context to continue to expand their understanding of quantity.

4. Counting on a number line open up the way to modelling mental math strategies for addition and subtraction.
Once scholars were comfortable skip counting, composing numbers and measuring different units of measure using number lines, adding and subtracting was a natural next step and application of their previous understanding. Using addition and subtraction strings (intentionally crafted equations to be solved using mental math strategies), I modelled scholars’ mental math strategies visibly on a number line. Scholars articulated strategies such as adding on, counting, back, compensation and even decomposing numbers in order to add and subtract. The application went through the roof when grade 4 scholars were able to demonstrate their understanding of elapsed time using these same strategies. This was especially helpful because scholars could be fluid with the units of time they were adding or subtracting (i.e. hours and minutes) and could avoid the complexities of the base-60 system of time (i.e. 60 seconds in 1 minute, 60 minutes in 1 hour) when it came to calculating time that involved “regrouping” which uses a base-10 number system.

Students articulated mental strategies while I modelled them on an open number line.

Student calculating elapsed time using strategies for addition and subtraction.

During these first months of school,not only was I able to introduce scholars to an invaluable learning tool, the number line, but I was also able to seamlessly integrate two strands of math and a multiplicity of essential number concepts. The number line has truly been a game changer in my class. I am already seeing the connections for moving forward with experiences that explore data management (scales on a graph) and geometry (side length attributes of polygons). …the journey continues…

December 5, 2015 Mike Beetham Challenging Topics, General, Mentorship, Professional Learning and Growth, Wellness

Tortoise Brained Learning

“ Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better”. This quote from Maya Angelou holds true no matter what stage of teaching you are at. Too often teachers feel pressured to constantly be moving their best practice forward before the last component has been consolidated into their everyday practice.

Over the course of my career I have evolved from a Hare Brained Learner to a Tortoise Brained Learner. A Hare Brained Learner is one who is constantly delving into new areas without going through the process needed to implement theory into best practice. I attended multiple workshops, almost everyone our board offered. I would see so many good ideas in practice, take notes on them, put them in a file, give them a try for a week or two and then most often let them fizzle out in that file. I was off to the next workshop, new idea or teaching practice.

My life as a Tortoise Brained Learner is much more manageable and is producing a far greater change in my day-to-day pedagogical practice. I have learned that my personal learning cycle is about two years. From the initial exposure to a new idea (e.g. mind mapping) through further research, personal experimentation, classroom experimentation and finally a part of my practice where I no longer even think about it as a new idea it takes me about two years. Thus my shift from quantity to quality professional learning has resulted in me being a much more pedagogically sound teacher.

It is not possible, nor reasonable for teachers to be constantly in a state of change. My advice is to develop an Annual Learning Plan that focuses in on one or two key areas that you are both interested in and know will enhance your journey toward best practice.

November 30, 2015November 30, 2015 Tammy Axt Classroom Management, Diverse Learning Needs, General, Professional Learning and Growth

“I Don’t Know” and “I Need Help”

“I don’t know” and “I need help” are two statements that I have uttered this week. I have said both of these statements while discussing two students that I am struggling to teach. After the conversations, I felt really down and defeated that I am at a complete and total loss on how to help these students and manage their behaviour. My usual management strategies are just not working and I have tried at least a half dozen new strategies with no success. I have analyzed every word, interaction and problem that has happened but cannot figure out the puzzle of these students.

After a couple of weeks of really beating myself up over not having all the answers, I realized this morning that I am not supposed to have all the answers. It is unreasonable to expect that I am an expert in ADHD, Autism, learning disabilities and communication disabilities which both of these students are identified as having. In addition, I also do not have a degree in child phycology or training in dealing with trauma. I want to help these students more than anything in the world, as I do with all of my students, but some of these students needs are greater than my training. In short, I needed to remind myself today that it is okay to ask for help and that my learning is an ongoing process!

So now that I have picked myself up from my downtrodden state, I have made a plan to be proactive in trying to change the patterns of learning in my classroom with these two students.

Plan #1

Re-read their IEPs.

My first task will be to re-read the IEPs for both of these students with a focus on their strengths. I know what the challenges are for these students. I have been focused on nothing but their challenges for the past month. It is time now to try and capitalize on their strengths.

Plan #2

Meet again with the classroom teachers

My plan is to go through my next lesson with their classroom teachers and let them see if they can add any insight into shaping an environment that will promote success for these students. Both classroom teachers have had moderate success with their students so I want to build upon the things that are working for them.

Plan #3

Get suggestions of resources and articles to read

My behaviour specialist has told me that the student I am struggling with has the most severe case of ADHD she has ever seen in 30 years of doing her job. This tells me that I need to learn more about ADHD by doing some further research. I will be asking my special education team and behaviour specialist for recommendations on resources and articles to read.

Hopefully, my plan of improvement will start the ball rolling in the right direction for these students. However, if the first three ideas that I try do not yield positive results, the most important part of the plan is…

PLAN #4

Do not beat myself up if things don’t go perfectly!!!

I admit that this is SO hard for me. If I have a problem with one of my classes or students, I will spend so much time thinking about how to solve the problem. I am trying hard to accept that challenges exist that I might not have answer to right away and that it is okay for me to be in a constant state of professional learning and growth.

November 24, 2015 Tisha Nelson Challenging Topics, General, Inspiring Students, Inspiring Teachers, Making a Difference Through Education, Professional Learning and Growth

The Heart of Teaching – Teaching with Your Heart

I have always known that I wanted to be a teacher. I’m not exactly sure when to pinpoint the start of my journey, but from as young as five years old, I knew that teaching was my calling. Throughout my educational career I had some amazing teachers who provided me with invigorating learning experiences that were creative, challenging and fun. I also encountered “the other guys”. Needless to say, I’m sure my experiences aren’t unique to those who have encountered a public education in Ontario over the past thirty years. Although I can bashfully say that I don’t remember most of what I learned from my ten years of elementary school, even as an enthusiastic and engaged learner, the two resounding life lessons that I continue to embrace are: to never settle for mediocrity and to always go beyond the call of duty. Thanks to my grade 7 and 8 teachers, I continue to strive to apply these key learnings in my life.

As I reflect on my key learnings, I wonder what key learnings I might share with my students. The experience of school in the 21st century is so much different than being a student in the 80s and 90s. The over emphasis on consumerism, the pervasiveness of social inequities and the advancements of technology which birthed the unvaulted access to information definitely add layers to make the schooling experience even more dynamic than when I was a child. How did my teachers prepare me for my future? How might I prepare students for theirs? These are essential questions I continue to grapple with and is the essence of what the heart of teaching is for me.

I believe that at the heart of teaching is the desire to help students be the best version of themselves so that they can be contributing members of society. This may seem like a long-term goal but really, at its core is my desire to prepare students to be their best self now, in order to continue to be their best self in the future. Teaching the curriculum definitely addresses many of the content that students need to know in order to achieve success in their future academic and social experiences. But what might be absent from the curriculum that proves to be essential life lessons that students might benefit from having guidance over? Throughout the past 7 years I have come to realize that more than the curriculum, there are essential life lessons students need to be exposed to. Supporting students as people first and learners second is how we can help them navigate some of the challenges they face in their day to day experiences of schooling. It is not just about the curriculum. We need to reach both the student’s heart and their mind.

Everyday I am constantly wondering about how my students are navigating the world while I address curriculum expectations. These are the reflective questions that arise from my interactions with them:

How might we support my students in seeing themselves as capable?
How might we support my students to be motivated from within themselves and not based on grades or the need for validation?
How might we encourage my students to take risks and try new things when realistically when we evaluate their understanding of curriculum and the consequences of risk taking may not garnish the reward they desired?
How might we teach the value of perseverance and that dedication to a task may cause improvement and denounce the rhetoric that practice make perfect.
How might we support my students in navigating the social hierarchies in school knowing that creating a respectful learning environment does not guarantee the kind of friend relationships that students are looking for from their peers?
How might we support my students in navigating a competitive world while yet embracing the benchmark of their own personal best?
How might we support my students in navigating the reality that particular aspects of their social identities (race, accents, culture, etc.) will grant them access into some opportunities but also bar them from others simply because of the ways societal systems are structured and not necessarily based on personal attacks?
How might we nurture confidence in our students?
How might we make students accountable for their choices?
How might we support students in embracing self-love in a society that values constant validation from others?
How might we support to identify their emotions beyond happy, mad and sad and how to effectively navigate them?

Like many of the questions that I pose, I don’t always have the answers. As I continue to reflect deeply, I can only hope that my pedagogical choices can address some of these concerns. As I teach to the minds of my students, what I hope for is to reach their hearts. Teaching from my heart, I pull back the curtains of curriculum and instruction and see the person and not just the learner. This unveils the weight of the task set before me.

November 23, 2015 Tisha Nelson Building Inclusion, Communication with Parents and Guardians, Differentiated Instruction, Diverse Learning Needs, English As Second Language (ESL), English Language Learners (ELLs), Equity, General, Integration, Literacy, Math, Use of Technology

Suggestions for Making Your Classroom ELL Friendly

This year I have the opportunity to serve my school as an English as Second Language (ESL) teacher for the first time. This privilege allows me to support students in Primary, Junior and Intermediate grades as they navigate the landscape of school and English language acquisition. But to be honest, I have alway been an ESL teacher. Since my very first year of teaching, my classes have always had students for whom English was not their first language. In this way, we are all ESL teachers regardless of if we have the designation or not. Similarly, if we take the notion of learning English literally, all of our students are English Language learners because they are constantly being introduced to new vocabulary and are learning the nuances of academic language for oral communication, reading and writing. In Ontario, however, the term English Language Learner or ELL, is defined as a student “born in Canada or newcomers whose first language is other than English or is a variety of English significantly different from that used for instruction in Ontario schools” (Many Roots, p. 51). Knowing this, how might classroom teachers tweak their practice to make their classrooms ELL friendly? I offer 4 easy teacher practices that will support ELLs in any classroom.

1. Keep expectations developmentally appropriate.
The ways we view our students determines the kind of learning we invite them to. This sentiment is particularly important to understand when designing programs that address the learning needs of students for whom English is a new language. Learning a new language, by any account, is a task of both perseverance and determination. As such, we need to be mindful that our English language learners have a multitasked learning situation. Focusing on the skills they bring from their native language as opposed to the limitations they have as they acquire English nurtures an asset based approach to engaging students as capable learners. When we embrace this mindset towards teaching English language learners, we can maintain high expectations for all students. Valuing the prior learning of all students, including ELLs in imperative in building upward to new understandings. Inviting students to share what they already know about a topic is always a great starting point for learning. Students who are English language learners have prior knowledge and this knowledge may or may not exist in their native Language. Regardless, valuing students’ prior knowledge solidifies the difference between cognition and language acquisition as two separate and distinct processes. For the most part, English language learners are developmentally ready for the learning that their peers are engaged in – they simply need to acquire the English skills to make the thinking that is already taking place in their minds visible in English.

2. Value students’ first language.
Nurturing an inclusive classroom community lets students know that they are both valued and respected as learners. Inviting students to continue to use and develop their native language is another way not only to accommodate ELLs but also to keep the learning expectations high. When students are able to use their native language to demonstrate their understanding and thinking in tasks that invite cognitive demand, the transition to English does not lower the expectation but rather accommodate the student’s opportunity for engaging deeply with ideas. The English language is further acquired when students translate their thoughts into English rather than the other way around. Valuing students’ first language can also be demonstrated by creating dual language or multilingual learning resources. With the partnership of students who are also native speakers of additional languages, parent volunteers, colleges and community partnerships, teachers can prepare translated learning resources for all students to use.

Students are invited to participate in collaborative learning experiences by expressing their ideas using their first language

Dual Language posters translated in traditional Chinese to support English Language learners in my class.

3. Develop new vocabulary in context with the help of online resources.
When students are invited to continue to use and development their fluency of their native languages, teachers can employ many new technologies that can support English acquisition while yet maintaining native language fluency. Using tools such as Google Translate can serve as a bridge between a student’s first language and English. Similarly, introducing new vocabulary in context makes both social academic learning more meaningful in English. An idea or word may not be unfamiliar to a student learning English in that they may already have an understanding of the concept in their native language. When this happens, using tools such as Google Images and YouTube can serve as a bridge to comprehension of and acquiring English words. Word walls are also useful resources for students in all grade levels and for all subject areas. It is a tool to support students as they acquire new vocabulary in the context of their learning. In this way, all students can be viewed as English language learners as they engage in expanding their academic vocabulary. The inclusion of students’ native language on word walls is a simple accommodation that goes a long way to supporting student learning. The gesture speaks to the value for the student’s native language and a respect for the process of learning English. Native English speakers can also benefit from the dual language approach in that they can be exposed to the languages of the world and additional ways of knowing.

I asked my students to add Chinese translations to our Math word wall. This highlighted the relationships between numbers, as the ideas of addition and multiplication are embedded in the ways Chinese numerals are written.

This is a screenshot of what a Grade 2 student, a stage 1 ELL, wrote as she was communicating an idea with me. I used Google Translate to take a picture of her writing and was able to translate and further communicate with her.

4. Embrace inclusive practices when communicating with parents.
When a student is an English language learner, it is important to also be aware of their parent or guardian’s experience with English as well. Whenever possible, supporting parents in the journey of their child’s language acquisition should be considered. Using resources mentioned above in addition to school-board translators and parent volunteers when communicating with parents is also crucial when English is also being acquired by parents. Ensuring that partnerships between students, teachers and parents is essential for the success of all children. We should be mindful to support parents who are English language learners in the context of the kind of communication that goes home, the necessary accommodations in place for parent-teacher meetings and the information needed for navigating the Ontario school system are essential in order to leverage the playing field for success.

The first page of a presentation to the parents of my students during Curriculum Night.

An assessment report sent home as communication to parents about student achievement.

Teachers in Ontario school are all ESL teachers and our students all, English language learners. Designing classroom spaces and learning opportunities with the principles of universal design will support English language learners but also enhance the learning experience of native English speakers. Keeping learning expectations high for all students, valuing students native languages and inviting parents as partners are essential ingredients to providing an enriched learning experience for English language learners. For more information check out the ministry document Many Roots Many Voices:Supporting English Language Learners in Every Classroom A Practical Guide for Ontario Educators https://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/document/manyroots/manyroots.pdf.