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There are many expert speakers within communities who can help teachers in the classroom discuss topics that the teacher themselves may not be familiar with. Specifically in terms of the Indigenous community, there are many resources provided by the school boards in the GTA to help get resources and speakers for the classroom. For example, TDSB there are many resources available from the TDSB Urban Indigenous Education Centre to help teach topics related to the Indigenous identities in the classroom. Furthermore, through the board websites, you can find board approved speakers who can bring in various ways of teaching the curriculum. Students are able to engage in a different way which helps ELL students be part of the community they live in which helps with their social development.

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Student Engagement

When students are engaged, student achievement and well-being improves.

Hearing directly from students is critical. The more we can engage students and the more culturally aware and responsive to their lived realities, the more likely we are t understand and effectively respond to their voices and needs.

Students can be engaged in a number of ways, including: when curriculum is relevant and meaningful to them; when they are asked to share their experiences, ideas and input; and when they are involved in their own learning and the decisions made about their learning.

Great work is underway across the system to increase student engagement at both the school and system level. We are committed to hearing from all students, and are working to further to connect directly with students whose voices have been left out or discounted.

Get Involved

Parent and Community Engagement

Parent involvement plays a significant role in student achievement and well-being. When schools, families and communities work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer, and enjoy school more.

When parents are actively engaged in supporting their child's success in school, students are more likely to be motivated, earn higher grades, have better behavioural and social skills and continue their education to a higher level.

There are a variety of ways that you can get involved and contribute to your school community. From volunteering in your local school to participating in school councils or advisory committees, you can make a difference and have your voice heard.

Get Involved

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When students are engaged, student achievement and well-being improves. Hearing directly from students is critical. The more we can engage students and the more culturally aware and responsive to their lived realities, the more likely we are t understand and effectively respond to their voices and needs.

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Classroom newsletters are a great way to inform parents/guardians of what is going on in the classroom on a monthly/yearly basis. It keeps the parents in the loop and can be translated into different languages (if necessary).
Things you can include in the newsletter:

Breakdown of what each month is (roughly) going to look like in terms of units

Reading list of books that will be read during the year

Apps that can help with translations and other resources for ELL students (and other students)

The newsletter can have any information that needs to be conveyed to the parents. This helps with decreasing any surprises for the parents and the students. In addition, parents can explore the resources themselves as well.

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Many schools provide translators who work with parents and teachers in order to make sure that they can communicate. It is important to be in touch with the translator to ensure that when communicating with parents that the information about their child is being relayed clearly. The communication is important to make sure that parents are aware of the needs of the student, so that the necessary resources can be put in place. It is important to not assume that a translator is necessary when speaking to the parents of an ELL student. Getting to know the parents and students in your classroom is most important because that allows you as a teacher to figure out what resources each individual student needs.

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This step requires research of the particular community your school is based. Many communities have websites that outline many events and workshops going on in the area. On the websites for the area, find some events/workshops that are relevant to things that are being taught in the classroom. If students are interested, they can attend with their families as a way to incorporate their families into their learning. One thing to understand is that these events and workshops take up time. Therefore, getting to know the family dynamic of the students is very important as some might not have parents who have time to take the students to these events/workshops. In that case, maps can be created solely for resources such as libraries, city initiatives that coordinate with community partners to help parents of ELL students.

URL: https://www.gettingsmart.com/2018/04/promoting-family-engagement-5-ways-to-foster-a-more-meaningful-connection/

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Clear communication with parents/guardians is vital for ELL students learning to be consistent at school and at home. By using tools such as Google Classroom, parents/guardians can be involved in the students' learning and seek out the appropriate resources that are necessary to help with what being taught in class. As a teacher, you can adjust the due dates and post clear instructions for assignments. In addition, teachers can post helpful resources for students. Furthermore, parents can have direct access by getting notifications sent to them on their devices to keep up with what is happening in the classroom.

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In order to engage the ELL students with the community, teachers can bring together curriculum and community. One way to bring these aspects together is by organizing field trips within the community that relate to the units being taught. Students are able to get hands-on experiences which can help with creating meaning behind what they are learning. This correlates with the hypothesis put forth by Stephen Krashen. In addition, field trips can be a fun and engaging way for all students to learn in a different environment.

URL: https://www.edutopia.org/blog/school-community-collaboration-brendan-okeefe

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The school board websites are very useful tools in figuring out what community services are available in your region. Getting to know these websites will help teachers find important resources that can be given to parents and/or used in the classroom.