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K atie Novak explains why the implementation of universal design for learning (UDL) is best practice to increase engagement in all students

In 1922, my grandmother moved from Trois-Rivières, a city in Quebec, Canada, at the age of eleven. Speaking only French, and traveling with her older sister, she was determined to learn English once she arrived. Each day, after she finished her official au pair duties, she walked to the local market to teach herself English. Her textbooks? The handwritten signs posted above the food and day-old newspapers. Her teachers? The store owner and passersby completing their nightly shopping.

Before she died, she bragged that she was fluent in groceries long before she mastered conversational English. Her strategy was simple, she said. She befriended the store owner, who gave her the permission she needed to amble around the store, picking up fruits, vegetables, boxes of cereal, and newspapers. And if the signs did not exist?

She would pick up a shiny apple or a handful of walnuts and ask anyone who would listen, " Qu'est-ce que c'est? " She recalls the kindness of her strangers, always patient as they helped build her comprehension and provided her with feedback.

Without any formal education beyond third grade, Mémère became fluent in English because of her daily market visits. Knowing now what I know about education, it is clear that Mémère's "teachers" exemplified the principles of universal design for learning (UDL), a framework that provides options to ensure that all students have the opportunity to experience growth and success. Mémère got not just one way but a whole basket of tips and assistance to learn English.

The Building Blocks of UDL

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) urges states to adopt UDL in a number of areas. For example, it says assessments should be designed using the principles of UDL. It also requires schools to use the principles of UDL to support the learning needs of all students, including English learners (ESSA, 2015, Section 4104).

In a recent publication of WIDA Focus On, a series of bulletins on topics of interest to educators of English language learners, it notes, "Accessibility principles, including processes like Universal Design for Learning (CAST, 2008), can help educators rethink how they position language development support within activities." The building blocks of UDL include three core principles, which remind educators to provide options to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to access and engage with rigorous academic curriculum.

Provide Multiple Means of Representation

The first principle of UDL reminds educators to provide multiple means of representation to build knowledge and comprehension in all learners. In the case of my Mémère, she had manipulatives: pungent onions, stalks of celery, and newspapers that stamped her fingers with black ink. But that was not enough for her to develop and use English. In addition, she had options to build background knowledge by accessing visual support through pictures and words and accessing auditory support through conversations with individuals who encouraged her language expression.

She also had access to her native language, as the storeowner spoke French. We can foster multiple means of representation in the classroom by providing all students with access to visual support as well as the option to listen to texts in English via peer reading, audio books, and text-to-speech.

One of my colleagues, ELL teacher Cheney Harper, designed a lesson for her students on the rainforest and took them on a "virtual field trip." At the beginning of the lesson, Cheney welcomed all students at the door, which was decorated with a lush, green poster of the rain forest. She then opened up an "explorer backpack," from which she gave them each rain forest props to begin their rain forest scavenger hunt.

Each student received a scavenger hunt list, and they had to find twelve animals that live in the rain forest by searching around the classroom and in books. In the classroom, she had hidden twelve stuffed animals, each attached to informational text that provided details about the animals. As they found the animals, she identified the names of the animals (i.e., jaguar, caiman, speckled bear) and shared characteristics of the animals.

She then took them on a "rain forest tour" on the iPad so they could build more background knowledge on the rain forest. As they worked, they had access to translation software and dictionaries, so they had access to their native languages. Having access to the multiple means of representation allowed all students to actively participate in the activity, learn academic vocabulary, and engage with peers in a fun, meaningful way.

Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression

It is not enough to comprehend information if there is no way to express it. Students need numerous methods to express their understanding as they develop into writers and speakers.

When we examine the Common Core State Standards, teaching methods, materials, and assessments are not outlined. This provides us with an opportunity to create multiple pathways to meet the same destination by providing students with options.

This is no accident, as the Common Core endorses UDL as the framework to support all students as they reach for the standards. The standards are only the "what." UDL is the "how."

There are many different paths to reach the same destination. We, as educators, need to embrace the many possible journeys that our students can take in order to arrive at the same place. Traditional assessments are one-size-fits-all and expect the same product from all students (i.e., everyone is expected to write informative text as a five-paragraph essay).

UDL encourages multiple options for expression and multiple scaffolds to help all students reach the goal. Take the anchor standard, "Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly."

Sentence frames, graphic organizers, collaborative work, exemplars, and the use of the WIDA English Language Development Standards provide necessary supports that allow all students to express what they know in inclusive, diverse classrooms while working toward the same standard. Additionally, since students master speaking before writing, educators may provide English learners the option to audio record their learning, supplement with visuals, or use voice-recognition software to scaffold the language process as they continue to develop into writers.

Provide Multiple Means of Engagement

Engagement is at the core of all learning experiences. If we want students to learn, we have to foster both attention and commitment by providing students with authentic, meaningful experiences in learning. All students need access to options that help them connect their own cultural backgrounds to new learning activities, as well as access to their peers to foster collaboration and community. In order to master a skill, one needs practice.

A lot of practice. Peers provide an amazing opportunity for English learners to practice speaking in the classroom. Just as my Mémère befriended countless customers at the market, our students need to interact with their peers.

From "do-nows" to brainstorming sessions to collaborative discussions, authentic opportunities to build language with others are what build a solid foundation to learn academic English. Teachers can observe these collaborative conversations, informally assess students, and give feedback on their language structures and use of vocabulary to provide additional means for action and expression in authentic settings.

These three principles of UDL-provide multiple means of representation, provide multiple means of action and expression, and provide multiple means of engagement-remind all educators to ensure that English language learners always have the option to build background knowledge, interact with information visually and auditorily, access rich scaffolds and supports to help highlight the patterns of language, and have numerous opportunities to express what they know in ways that are authentic and meaningful, all while experiencing the value of collaboration and feedback.

Of course, in the early 1900s, my grandmother had no concept of universal design for learning, nor did her teachers. David Rose, Anne Meyer, and their colleagues at CAST would not articulate the UDL principles until the very end of the century. But something happened in that marketplace which exemplifies what we want teaching and learning to look like today.

Now that we have a framework that is intertwined with our Common Core State Standards, WIDA briefs, and federal legislation, it is time to optimize and scale the framework in all classrooms. Let us make that happen so our students can experience the same magic that my Mémère did, as she learned to appreciate the power of language.

Katie Novak, EdD, is the assistant superintendent of the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District in Massachusetts and a leading expert on universal design for learning implementation. She is the author of four books, including UDL Now! (CAST Professional Publishing, 2016), Universally Designed Leadership (CAST, 2016), and Let Them Thrive (CAST, 2017). Learn more at http://www.katienovakudl.com.

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Why UDL Matters for English Language Learners - Language Magazine

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Katie Novak explains why the implementation of universal design for learning (UDL) is best practice to increase engagement in all students In 1922, my grandmother moved from Trois-Rivières, a city in Quebec, Canada, at the age of eleven. Speaking only French, and traveling with her older sister, she was determined to learn English once she [...]

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ExtraOrdinary Districts: Ordinary school districts that get extraordinary results - The Education Trust

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School districts ask, "What can we do to better serve low-income and students of color?" Ed Trust's podcast, ExtraOrdinary Districts visits ordinary school districts that get extraordinary results

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Newsela

Getting free access takes just one-step. Simply visit our COVID-19 resource center , click "Get instant access", and you'll immediately see Newsela ELA , Newsela Science , Newsela Social Studies , and The Newsela Social-Emotional Learning Collection in your Newsela account. If you don't have a Newsela account, you'll be able to set one up in minutes. We've received many, many calls from educators like you asking for help. Fortunately, we're not the only ones offering help: you can find a list of other education technology products providing varying degrees free access here .
English Learner Update
Coronavirus links, resources & tools for teachers and Families
https://www.smore.com/8hf9m-tools-resources-for-ells-more
Four Weeks Tech Free
ESL at Home PDF/ K-8 by span

Scholastic PreK-K
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome/grades-prek-k.html

Scholastic Grades 1-2
https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome/grades-1-2.html
Remote Learning Resources for ELLs Padlet
Created by Patricia Mendoza, TOSA with Rowland Unified School District
Topics include:

Professional Learning Websites and Blogs

Online Resources to Practice English & Interactive Learning Platforms

Examples of recorded lessons

Newcomer Resources

Reading & Flipgrid Resources

Videos and Pictures as Text

Tech Free Tasks

Virtual Field trips & News and Digital Magazines

Chrome Extensions for Students with Special Needs

Using Shows and Movies for Learning

Online activities www.funbrain.com www.kids.nationalgeographic.com www.starfall.com www.seussville.com www.storylineonline.net www.abcya.com www.highlightskids.com https://www.getepic.com/

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Newsela Getting free access takes just one-step. Simply visit our COVID-19 resource center , click "Get instant access", and you'll immediately see Newsela ELA , Newsela Science , Newsela Social Studies , and The Newsela Social-Emotional Learning Collection in your Newsela account. If you don't have a Newsela account, you'll be able to set one up in minutes.

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To support local educational agencies transition to virtual learning, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) is partnering with technical assistance providers and expert practitioners to provide resources, guidance, training, and ongoing professional learning for schools and districts.

Available Modules

Distance Learning Resource Calendar

View upcoming professional learning opportunities around distance learning. Sign up to receive emails about upcoming events!

Guidance and training to support initial set-up

Unsure of where to start? These resources will guide teachers, administrators, school site and district leaders in developing a Distance Learning Plan, setting up a virtual learning system, and/or getting started with Canvas or Google Classroom.

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Maximizing the System of Support to support Equity

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Resources to support teaching and learning

Learn best practices for integrating online tools to enhance classroom instruction and deepen family engagement! These resources will provide educators with tools and strategies to support students in virtual classrooms. Specific tools will be tailored to meet the unique challenges of supporting highly mobile students, students with limited access to connectivity and devices, English learners, and students with disabilities. "Office hours" with experts provide additional guidance around specific grade-level and subject matter content, technology, and pedagogical needs.

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Targeted assistance and coaching

Ongoing professional learning opportunities in the form of distance learning consortia and networks, coaching, and targeted technical assistance support high-need districts and districts serving at-risk students.

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Distance Learning Resources - California Collaborative for Educational Excellence

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To support local educational agencies transition to virtual learning, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) is partnering with technical assistance providers and expert practitioners to provide resources, guidance, training, and ongoing professional learning for schools and districts. View upcoming professional learning opportunities around distance learning. Sign up to receive emails about upcoming events!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To support local educational agencies transition to virtual learning, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) is partnering with technical assistance providers and expert practitioners to provide resources, guidance, training, and ongoing professional learning for schools and districts.

Available Modules

Distance Learning Resource Calendar

View upcoming professional learning opportunities around distance learning. Sign up to receive emails about upcoming events!

Guidance and training to support initial set-up

Unsure of where to start? These resources will guide teachers, administrators, school site and district leaders in developing a Distance Learning Plan, setting up a virtual learning system, and/or getting started with Canvas or Google Classroom.

Expand to view toolkit resources

Collapse toolkit

Maximizing the System of Support to support Equity

Expand to view toolkit resources

Resources to support teaching and learning

Learn best practices for integrating online tools to enhance classroom instruction and deepen family engagement! These resources will provide educators with tools and strategies to support students in virtual classrooms. Specific tools will be tailored to meet the unique challenges of supporting highly mobile students, students with limited access to connectivity and devices, English learners, and students with disabilities. "Office hours" with experts provide additional guidance around specific grade-level and subject matter content, technology, and pedagogical needs.

Expand to view toolkit resources

Collapse toolkit

Targeted assistance and coaching

Ongoing professional learning opportunities in the form of distance learning consortia and networks, coaching, and targeted technical assistance support high-need districts and districts serving at-risk students.

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Distance Learning Resources - California Collaborative for Educational Excellence

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To support local educational agencies transition to virtual learning, the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE) is partnering with technical assistance providers and expert practitioners to provide resources, guidance, training, and ongoing professional learning for schools and districts. View upcoming professional learning opportunities around distance learning. Sign up to receive emails about upcoming events!

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A Teacher Appreciation Week for the Ages

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When schools abruptly closed due to Covid-19, teachers figured out how to make remote learning work. This week, as the nation expresses its gratitude, we recap the emotional journey.

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Informizely customer feedback surveys

It's Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you, teachers everywhere!

Field Trip

Stonehenge Street View

Get up close and personal with this mysterious landmark. Then, read about some of the theories about why it was built. What do you think?

The Guggenheim

Take a walk through the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York featuring contemporary art. (Warning: some art pieces contain mature content)

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Informizely customer feedback surveys It's Teacher Appreciation Week. Thank you, teachers everywhere! Stonehenge Street View Get up close and personal with this mysterious landmark. Then, read about some of the theories about why it was built. What do you think? The Guggenheim Take a walk through the Solomon R.

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ELA.RI.9-10.10

Common core State Standards

ELA: English Language Arts

RI: Reading Standards for Informational Text 6-\x80\x9312

9-10: 9th & 10th Grades

10:
By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades
9â-10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high
end of the range.

By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high
end of the grades 9-10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

Download Common Core State Standards (PDF 1.2 MB)

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Discussion and Supporting Materials

Thought starters

1. How are students building literacy skills throughout the lesson?

2. |How does Mr. Maldonado encourage students to use visual representations and gestures to communicate ideas?

3. How does Mr. Maldonado use formative assessment throughout the lesson?

School Details

S.F. International High School
1050 York Street
San Francisco CA 94110

Data Provided By:

Teachers

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Foundational Literacy Skills with Newcomers

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Christopher Maldonado teaches a high school literacy class for ELL students with interrupted education. In this lesson, students are working on phonics, fluency practice, and a reading guide focused on a text about Frida Kahlo. Christopher begins the class with an opening question related to the text they've been reading.

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Many teachers, students, and parents are proving to be remarkably resilient during this time when it comes to the effects of the pandemic on school, education, and student learning. It is not easy to teach in a physical classroom one day and turn it into a virtual classroom the next. Most college and university teacher prep programs do not have a course focusing on virtual teaching and learning (something they may consider doing soon).

Many teachers are still trying to replicate what they do in a classroom, with what they are doing online. It's important to shift that way of thinking and continue to adapt. Most of us will never feel as confident or competent about how we teach virtually as we do when the students are in front of us. This adaptation is not easy, but we have to start looking at the parts of virtual teaching that are not working and let them go, and begin looking at the places where we can go a little bit deeper.

As I comb through the countless teacher Facebook pages that have been created due to the pandemic, I have learned a great deal about new tools and ways to engage students, at the same time I am constantly reminded of just how much work teaching is, and it's even more complicated when it all has to be done virtually. When it comes to how teachers are meeting the needs of their students, there are a few important aspects to keep in mind.

Did you know:

Teachers have their own children at the same time they are teaching students? And yes, I realize parents have their own virtual working conditions at the same time their children are required to virtually learn.

Some teachers live in a studio apartment with no space to work and questionable Wi-Fi.

Even in areas where the Wi-Fi is usually strong, there are interruptions.

There are teachers who have roommates and have to teach from their bedroom, which is beyond awkward. How comfortable would you be having your students see into your bedroom?

Many of the free online sources that students are using were not free a few weeks ago, so teachers are learning those at the same time they are using them to teach virtually.

Teaching During the Pandemic: Over the last few days, I have collected over 120 comments from a few different pandemic pages on Facebook. There were numerous reasons why I started reviewing them. First and foremost, I wanted to get a feel for how teachers were accomplishing the art and science of remote teaching. Secondly, I wanted to be able to code the comments under categories like social-emotional learning, student engagement, instructional strategies, efficacy, and leadership. The interesting part of the coding activity is that many of the same questions for virtual teaching come up with teaching in physical classrooms. For example:

How do I use that tool?

My students are not handing in assignments.

I cannot get parents to call me back.

How is your administrator involved in your classroom?

How often are you having faculty meetings?

What is the required workday?

What does grading look like in your school?

One of the posts that appeared time and time again, and created the most responses, had to do with student accountability. There were numerous posts that highlighted the fact that students are not necessarily signing on to get assignments and certainly not handing in assignments, either.

The piece that is a bit different between teaching in the physical classroom and the virtual classroom is the amount of "control" the teacher has over student engagement. Teachers can use:

Their physical proximity to engage students

The promise of a good or bad grade

The threat of a loss of some privilege

The promise of an incentive, or one of their other positive social-emotional tricks of the trade.

Most of those actions are gone because of new school policies that prevent teachers from giving grades or repercussions. There is a lot less "control" on the part of the teacher right now, and that can make us uncomfortable. Especially when teachers are being held accountable as teachers.

So many posts focus on student engagement, and there are others that are meant to get people to laugh and breathe, while other posts are examples of venting. It's a frustrating time in our world, so all of these posts are natural expressions of that frustration, anger, and sadness.

Why Aren't Students Signing On? When looking at the idea of why students are not engaging with teachers in virtual learning, I wanted to provide a list of a few reasons why that may not be happening. Some of the reasons are issues we know and understand, while one seems to be a reason no one is talking about on any of the pages. It's not an exhaustive list, and just like any list, it is based on data I have collected. If there is one you feel is missing, please feel free to add it in the comment section.

The 6 reasons are:
No access
- Some students are living in homes that may not have access to Wi-Fi or limited access at best. Many of those students may not have a "device" to use for schoolwork. Yes, schools hand out devices to students, which is extremely helpful, but not all families are experts at devices and Wi-Fi. Common Sense Media reports (Today Show. 04/21/20) that over 10 million students in the US do not have devices. If teachers and leaders are struggling with technology, perhaps it's probable that families are struggling with technology, too? Not everyone works for the Geek Squad.

Essential Workers - Some students are working full time. Whether they are working the fields in California or at grocery stores in the Midwest, it's plausible that our students have had to take on jobs to help their families put food on the table. Their work, and the contributions they make monetarily at home, is essential.

No Grade Incentive - Many school districts in many states have gone to a no grading policy because they don't want to punish students who cannot attend all classes or hand in all of their work due to equity of access to virtual learning. The interesting thing happening here is that there are students who find that the incentive for showing up is not there, so they no longer need to attend the class. Is there a way that we can use a no grading policy to our advantage? Can we continue to provide students with the flexibility to do project-based learning around topics they find interesting to get a sense of their interests and creativity?

Taking care of their siblings - If parents or caregivers are still working because they are essential workers, it is possible that our students are caregiving for their siblings and helping those siblings do their classwork ... or keeping siblings from tearing things apart. These students may attend only half of the classes they are "required" to attend.

Bedlam but No Bedroom - Not everyone has a bedroom to themselves. In fact, I work in many schools where multiple families live in the same apartment or house. If there isn't a quiet space where they are able to focus, perhaps it's just easier to not connect with their teacher at all.

Student - Teacher Relationships - Some students are not connecting because they felt invisible while they were in the physical classroom, so they feel that they will not be missed in the virtual one. Additionally, some students just didn't find their teachers very engaging in person, so they aren't really concerned about engaging with those particular teachers online.

In the End

There are students not attending all of their classes because of a lack of accountability at the same time their teachers are being held accountable. Let's face it though, most teachers are less worried about the kind of accountability that comes from their school leaders, and more of the accountability they are concerned about comes from the pressure they put on themselves as teachers. So many teachers care deeply about their students and worry about their social-emotional and academic growth during this pandemic.

In one of the pages I explored, someone posed the question, " Knowing what you know now, would you have done anything differently when the students were in front of you? " I thought it was a great question, and apparently so did others because there were 79 responses at the time I began writing this blog.

Most of the responses focused on how they would have used different tools, or they would have assigned at least one virtual assignment every week. All of these responses are important. However, very few of the comments focused on how teachers would have built better relationships with students so those students would show up to the virtual classroom. If we find ourselves in a situation where we are teaching online for the first month of school, knowing we have the same restraints we do now (i.e. no grading, access, etc.) student teacher relationships is the first place we must start, and we need to take some time soon to think about what that may look like in a virtual setting.

Questions I have been pondering:

We know that virtual teaching during a pandemic is hard, and takes a lot of work. However, what is working for your school/classroom right now that can continue to be used again in the fall?

What is one way you have communicated during this time that brought in the most attention by the community (i.e. teachers, students, families, etc.)? Many years ago, we went from just sending home paper newsletters to parents (we went from a 5 pager to a 1 page), and I began flipping communication through our parent portal. I was amazed at how well it went the first time around. Are there any similar changes you have made that have worked well, and it surprised you?

As school leaders, what do you need to do during the summer to continue to connect with families? With my PTA we would have at least one summer meeting, and one summer event. If social distancing is still in place, is there a virtual event that you can create?

As school leaders, how are you supporting teachers and students socially-emotionally and academically? For example, are you engaging in their live classroom chats with students?

As school leaders, what incentives are cable companies offering that may help put more hot spots in the community? I coach with a high school principal that contacted those companies and got them to compete with each other a bit, and his high poverty community ended up with a few more hot spots set up.

Check out the new Vlog addition to Finding Common Ground below. If you're interested in a newsletter that focuses on all aspects of instructional leadership, sign up for DeWitt's Collective Conversations newsletter. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

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6 Reasons Students Aren't Showing Up for Virtual Learning (Opinion)

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Many teachers, students, and parents are proving to be remarkably resilient during this time when it comes to the effects of the pandemic on school, education, and student learning. It is not easy to teach in a physical classroom one day and turn it into a virtual classroom the next.

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Chicken Little

A modern adaptation of the classic tale: What happens when a completely normal chicken believes everything he reads on the internet? This story is written in the present tense, because it's a good thing to learn.

The Bird and the Whale

Our first ever original story, about a bird and a whale and their shared love of little fish. Inspired by a song by Tom Waits, and an episode of Adventure Time.

The Three Little Pigs

The classic tale of shoddy building materials, DIY folly, and the perils of emparedados de tocino (a.k.a bacon sandwiches). No pigs or wolves were harmed in the making of this story.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Why you should probably lock your door when you go out for a walk, even if you live en medio de un gran bosque. Why are the three bowls of sopa different temperatures when they were poured at the same time? Science, is why.

Little Red Riding Hood

A deeply troubling investigation into what happens when you let your children walk somewhere alone: Caperucita Roja eats fresas, picks margaritas and talks to el Gran Lobo Feroz on the way to Grandma's house. (Warning: Contains highly improbable medical scenes.)

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Spanish Children's Stories - The Spanish Experiment

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Well-known childrens stories translated into Spanish and spoken by a native Spanish speaker. Read along in Spanish or English. Great for adults too!

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Boosting Your English Listening Skills

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab has been providing online English listening comprehension activities for ESL and EFL learners since 1998. Visit Randall's other Web sites at DailyESL.com, EZslang.com, and Trainyouraccent.com for more language practice.

General ESL Listening Quizzes

Activities focus on everyday English comprehension skills at three levels based on content, voices, vocabulary, and natural speed. A combination of adult, teenage, and children's voices are included.

Explore More English Listening Activities

Randall has created a variety of other ESL listening activities to improve your comprehension, speaking, vocabulary, and cultural awareness.

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Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab - English Listening

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Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab helps ESL and EFL learners improve their English listening comprehension skills through conversations.

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Online Text Book with tests for placement, ALL Subjects

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Online Text Book with tests for placement, ALL Subjects

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infinite hope | the national equity project blog

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To understand how this happens, it is important to understand that our brain is like an iceberg with the conscious part of our brain being the smaller part of the iceberg that we can see above the water line, while the larger part of the iceberg, where our unconscious processing takes place, is below the water line. Research shows that the unconscious mind absorbs millions of bits of sensory information through the nervous system per second. Our conscious minds are processing only a small fraction of this information and doing so much more slowly and less efficiently than our unconscious minds. This means that we have a lot going on in our brains that we are not consciously aware of. Have you ever driven all the way home from work, but not had any memory of doing so? Your brain was processing all of the information needed and guiding your decision making for your safe arrival home even when your conscious mind was not active. In order to process all of the information needed to survive, our brain creates shortcuts to quickly assess our environment and respond in ways that keep us safe from danger. For example, if you were walking down a path or on a street and heard a strange noise or a rustling in the bushes, your amygdala would immediately send a danger alert which would activate your fight, flight, or freeze response. This would all happen before you had consciously processed the danger. If we were to count on the much slower processing of our conscious brain in these instances of perceived danger, the human race wouldn't have survived very long.

How does all of this connect to implicit bias and structural racism? Let's start with a definition of implicit bias:

Implicit Bias is the process of associating stereotypes or attitudes towards categories of people without conscious awareness.

Note that this is not the same as explicit, conscious racism and other forms of conscious bias which still exist and need to be addressed. Here, we are talking about people who consciously and genuinely believe in fairness, equity, and equality, but despite these stated beliefs, hold unconscious biases that can lead us to react in ways that are at odds with our values. These unconscious biases can play out in our decision making regarding who we hire for a job or select for a promotion, which students we place in honors classes and who we send out of the classroom for behavior infractions, and which treatment options we make available to patients. We know from extensive research that this kind of biased decision making plays out all the time in our schools, in hospitals, in policing, and in places of employment. The question is not if it is happening, it is when is it happening and what can we do about it.

Implicit bias and its effects play out through three keys processes: Priming, Associations, and Assumptions. Priming is a psychological phenomena in which a word, image, sound, or any other stimulus is used to elicit an associated response. Some of the best examples of priming are in product advertising in which advertisers prime us to feel an affinity or emotional connection to a particular brand that leads us to choose that brand over others even when there is actually no difference between the products. We buy Nikes because we are compelled to "Just do it." We think we are consciously choosing, but our unconscious mind is doing the shopping. But product selection is not the only thing influenced by priming - so are our beliefs, views and feelings about others.

The Associations we hold about groups of people are created and reinforced through priming. Associations occur without conscious guidance or intention. For example, the word NURSE is recognized more quickly following the word DOCTOR than following the word BREAD. We associate two words together because our unconscious mind has been wired to do so. Quick - what do cows drink? Not milk! But we have a strong association in our brain between cows and milk. (Cows drink water.)

When it comes to people, the associations our brain makes works the same way, creating shortcuts based on how we have been primed. The way our brains create shortcuts to quickly make sense of data is innate. How we have been primed to make harmful associations about different categories of people is not, but is rather the result of messaging, policies and practices that have been applied throughout history to include or exclude groups of people.

The United States has a long history of systemic racism - since the founding of the country stories that dehumanized African Americans and Native peoples were used to justify genocide, slavery, racial segregation, mass incarceration, and police brutality. Negative and dehumanizing stereotypes about women and people of color and stories that "other" are rampant in the news media and in popular culture. For example, we have been primed throughout history by our own government, by popular culture, and through the media to think of African American people as less intelligent, aggressive, and more likely to commit crime. We have received unrelenting messages that people who are immigrating to the United States from Central America and Mexico are criminals. Likewise, we have been primed to think of women as less competent, overly emotional, and their bodies as objects to be judged. For every stigmatized group of people, we have been repeatedly exposed to stereotypes that most of us can readily name that have been used to justify policies that have further stigmatized and marginalized.

"Implicit biases come from the culture. I think of them as the thumbprint of the culture on our minds. Human beings have the ability to learn to associate two things together very quickly - that is innate. What we teach ourselves, what we choose to associate is up to us." - Dr. Mahzarin R. Banaj

Think back to the autopilot moments we shared in our own stories. Consciously, we knew that the woman coming out of the house was most likely the homeowner, on her way to work, and that the boys crossing the street were simply on their way back to school, but our unconscious brain created shortcuts based on repeated priming about who Latina women and Black boys are - thus producing harmful associations and reactions in both of us. This priming is then reinforced by the current structural arrangements in our communities in which people of color and people living in poverty have been disproportionately cut-off from high quality educational experiences and high-paying jobs. Consider who we most often see cleaning our hotel rooms, busing our tables, and landscaping yards and who we most often see being sent out of classrooms, pulled over by police and jailed. The more we see (or hear) two things together, the stronger the association - this is the way neural pathways are built. Brain cells that fire together, wire together. What associations are being created in our brains based on how we are primed through everyday experiences in our own communities, through news coverage, advertising and other forms of media?

Our brain is scanning our environment for who belongs (and is safe) and who is "other" (and a potential threat or dangerous). W ho we come to categorize as belonging or threatening is learned as a result of structural inequities and messaging we have received about categories of people. These harmful associations we carry can lead us to make Assumptions that have life and death consequences for people of color. We saw this when:

The police were called by a Starbucks manager because she made the association that Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson, two African American men, were dangerous, resulting in their arrest when they were simply waiting to meet someone.

Two Native American young men, Kanewakeron Thomas Gray and Shanahwati Lloyd Gray, drove from New Mexico to go on a college tour at Colorado State University and a white mother who was also on the tour called campus security because they looked like "they don't belong, they were quiet and creepy and really stand out." Security came and questioned the young men and confirmed that they were registered for the campus visit, but by the time they were released, the tour had gone ahead without them and they ended up driving home without a tour at all.

Tamir Rice, a 12 year old African American boy was in a park with a toy gun when police drove up and within two seconds of exiting the vehicle an officer shot and killed him.

These incidents and many more like them sit in a larger context of racial segregation, exclusion, and systemic inequities in which society's benefits and burdens are distributed unevenly depending one's race. Professor john powell of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society calls this "structural racialization" - referring to institutional practices and structural arrangements that lead to racialized inequities - as we see in the case of education, health, housing, criminal justice, and even life expectancy in the United States. These two phenomena - structural racialization and implicit bias - work dynamically to hold inequities in place. This is why we believe learning about implicit bias is an important, but an insufficient strategy to advance equity.

" Those who practice leadership for equity must confront, disappoint, and dismantle and at the same time energize, inspire, and empower." - Sharon Daloz Parks

Making progress on equity will require us to both mitigate our own biases and change structures. For example, structural inequities in the way we fund our public schools mean that students living in affluent communities (most often majority white) attend highly resourced schools with extensive opportunities for deep learning and extra-curricular activities while students living in neighborhoods in which we have disinvested (often majority people of color) attend schools that are underfunded with fewer academic and extra-curricular opportunities. When these students underperform, the fact of their underperformance reinforces our conscious and implicit stereotypes about their intelligence, the extent to which their parents value education (they do), and their effort. This is an insidious cycle whereby the structural inequities produce inequitable outcomes which then reinforce harmful stereotypes about students of color and students living in poverty and which are then used to justify inequitable practices such as holding low expectations, academic tracking, and punitive discipline in schools.

"Biases not only affect our perceptions, but our policies and institutional arrangements. Therefore, these biases influence the types of outcomes we see across a variety of contexts: school, labor, housing, health, criminal justice system, and so forth....These racialized outcomes subsequently reinforce the very stereotypes and prejudice that initially influenced the stratified outcomes." - john powell

As leaders for equity it is our responsibility to look at how our own biases and biases within our organizations contribute to structural inequities and advocate for policies that increase access to economic, educational, and political opportunity. We must expand our notion of success to include diverse perspectives and values. In education, this means providing culturally sustaining opportunities for rigorous intellectual work and healthy social emotional and physical development for all of our young people, not just those born in affluent zip codes. Many schools and school districts are actively engaged in efforts to change structures to mitigate the effects of bias and increase educational equity within schools and across communities. Some examples of these changes include:

Expanding professional learning opportunities for educators to learn about how systemic oppression operates to increase their awareness of their own cultural frames and gain strategies for building learning partnerships with students whose lived experience is different from their own.

Eliminating subjectivity in placement decisions for AP/Honors courses by requiring students to "opt out" rather than relying solely on teacher recommendation, thus increasing the numbers of students of color and students living in poverty in high-level courses.

Implementing policies in which the most experienced and talented teachers are teaching the students with the highest level of academic need, and not the other way around (as is often the case).

Enacting laws that make it harder for childcare centers to expel preschoolers and creating diversion programs in which School Resource Officers refer students to social service agencies for support, instead of arresting them.

Changing discipline policies whereby only the most serious negative behaviors are subject to suspension and implementing a system of checks and balances in which a trusted adult is called to the classroom when a behavior challenge arises rather than sending students out of class in order to mitigate racial bias.

Examples of structural changes across schools might include:

Enacting legislation providing for competitive federal grants to districts to support voluntary local efforts to reduce school segregation.

Bolstering Fair Housing legislation to reduce discriminatory zoning policies that effectively exclude low-income and families of color from high performing and well resourced schools by banning apartment buildings and other multifamily units in nearby neighborhoods.

Mandating a federal review of efforts by wealthy and predominantly white school jurisdictions to secede from integrated school districts.

Strong efforts to acknowledge, interrupt, and mitigate the effects of implicit bias will require us to engage in on-going mirror work, exploring our own biases and paying attention to how we are primed to think about categories of people while simultaneously engaging in window work, looking at our current context with a systemic and historic lens so that we can dismantle inequitable policies and structures and create new structures in which we all experience belonging and can thrive.

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infinite hope | the national equity project blog

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To understand how this happens, it is important to understand that our brain is like an iceberg with the conscious part of our brain being the smaller part of the iceberg that we can see above the water line, while the larger part of the iceberg, where our unconscious processing takes place, is below the water line.

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Wellness Resources for Families and Educators /Recursos de Bienestar Para Familias y Educadores

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Find educational benchmarks, social emotional milestones, tips and advice for children at school in each grade.

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Daytime Emmy nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors including Viola Davis, Kristen Bell, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes, Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Betty White and more reading children’s books to inspire a love of reading in millions of childr…

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by Hugh Vasquez, Senior Associate, National Equity Project

Photo by Gary Knight

Let's start with the end in mind. Fast forward to a time in the near future, say 12 months from now when we have made it through this world health crisis. Imagine that you have been invited to be on a panel at a conference because you decided to do something unusual amidst the crisis. You decided you were going to refuse to return to schooling in the same way you left it when COVID-19 erupted. You decided you would not return to doing business as usual in how we educate children. On this panel you share why you made this decision and your remarks focus on a desire to change the system because you realized it was designed to produce inequities. You share what it took to stop doing business as usual and how you became a catalyst for others to join in this effort too. You talk about the innovations you and a team of educators, parents, and students created and what you are learning from taking those actions. Then you share the impact those changes had on students, families, and staff. You close by describing how you used the opportunity of the system shutdown to create a better way of educating children and how you are going to make sure the old system doesn't return.

Let's be clear. When the COVID-19 crisis is over, we do not have to go back to business as usual in our educational system, or any other system for that matter. We just don't. The question confronting us at the moment is not can we prepare to come back differently but will we?

Working in the field of social justice education, we know there are many education leaders from superintendents to policy makers to site leaders to teachers who have come to the realization that our education system is designed to produce what it produces - inequity in who succeeds. We also know that many do not want to continue educating the way education was designed. Many more have realized that what they do day-to-day in schools actually perpetuates the current inequitable system, the very one they would like to interrupt and change. So although we want change, we find ourselves maintaining the status quo. Why?

Nothing changes without disturbance. Since it is people who change things, that means change can't happen until people are disturbed. Margaret Wheatley in her article "Willing to be Disturbed" says,

" As we work together to restore hope for the future, we need to include a new and strange ally - our willingness to be disturbed."

Wheatley is talking about change within individuals where we have to be willing to be disturbed by actively engaging with those who challenge our way of doing things. It is in this place of discomfort where we expand our beliefs and innovations are born. When we are disturbed, we change. What is true for the individual is also true for systems. If we want to change systems, we have to be disturbed by what we see and engage with others to disturb, catalyze and influence what we do.

The biggest changes in our society have only come about when there was a strong enough disturbance - an interruption to "business as usual" - and when people were willing to come together even though the path forward was cloudy. This United States was created out of disturbance. We have Social Security because of disturbance. To the extent that we have civil rights for people of color, women, people with disabilities, gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/transgender people (to name a few) - it is because of disturbance. People interrupted the status quo way of doing things and created an opening to change something, to build something new.

COVID-19 has produced what may be one of the largest worldwide and systemic disturbances of all time. While schools closed overnight and our daily routines have changed, the inequities produced by our systems are even more stark in terms of which students have access to technology, internet, food, and housing and which families have the privilege of sheltering in place to stay safe.

Since we know that disturbance is required for change and there is no doubt that disturbance is happening as we speak, the question is, are we willing to use this opportunity to create the kind of educational system we want? We have learned that if we are going to change a system, we as individuals first have to SEE what the system is producing, then we have to ENGAGE with others to design something different, and finally we have to ACT. Cornel West puts it this way:

It takes courage to look in the mirror and see past your reflection to who you really are when you take off the mask, when you're not performing the same old routines and social roles. It takes courage to ask - How did I become so well-adjusted to injustice?

Seeing the system doesn't guarantee we will engage and act differently. The system is designed to keep us busy perpetuating it so that we don't have time to redesign it. The system is a well-oiled machine that has tremendous momentum to keep things going as they are; just look at Education Codes in any state. The result is that even those who see the system and have a desire to interrupt it do not usually have the mindset, time, resources or support to do so. The demands of "doing school" prohibit us from engaging and acting differently. But now, that machine has ground to a halt.

What would acting differently (both during and after) this crisis look like for education? Below are a few ideas on what we could do differently. With each idea ask yourself "what if..." as you read it, and notice what thoughts come to mind. If you find yourself saying "oh, we can't do that," read it again and ask "but what if we did..."

What if we... gather our teams now (virtually) to get ready to return to another way. Schedule virtual meetings with educators and school staff in whatever configuration works best for you to engage them in discussions under the theme "we WILL do school differently when we return." Present your "what if we..." approach and talk about WHY you want to return doing school differently. The goal of these meetings is to enroll and recruit people to this approach and set a new direction, to engage their agency and their imagination. Allow people to talk about their excitement and concerns with this idea and engage them in responding to both the idea of coming back differently and to some of your "what if we..." ideas. Ask them to brainstorm other "what if we..." ideas and come to agreement on what you will collectively create, build and test.

What if we... use this time to re-purpose our leadership structures to build our leadership muscle to be strategic equity leaders instead of reactive leaders. Strategic equity leaders identify education challenges through an equity lens and engage others in collaborative inquiry to figure out what to do to address the challenges. Strategic equity leaders build the competencies of others to interrupt status quo ways of doing things that perpetuate inequities. Strategic equity leaders keep a birds eye view of what's going on in the system, the school site, and the classroom and facilitate others to see what is happening and co-create strategies to adjust to needs. What if we took time now to develop our strategic equity leadership muscles and re-purpose (or create) existing leadership structures such as leadership team meetings, staff meetings, grade level meetings, professional learning communities, etc. to focus on learning from our actions. What if teams committed to meeting every week for a while to assess how things are going, review the actions being taken, discuss what we are learning from what we are doing, and adjust actions accordingly. What if we implement minimum day/early release Fridays and use the afternoon for collaboration time to be in a strategic equity leadership mode looking at what to do more of because it is producing a climate for learning and what to stop or do less of because it is not.

What if we... focus each hour on student learning instead of seat time? Tony Smith, former Illinois State Superintendent says in his article " The Invisible Blizzard and the Importance of E-Learning" that we have prioritized seat time over student learning and that our schools waste our children's time and creativity every day. Our current way of doing school is organized around a dominant culture view of time: time to sit, time to learn, time to move on, time to test, etc. Smith says that we can, if we wish, create a new system where teachers can use their creativity to connect with students about ideas, projects, activities and learning "in ways not dictated by hands on a clock." We can use the moment we are in to ask teachers how they would work or what they would do differently if their days were designed around student learning as opposed to seat time. What if we do what Smith suggests - engage teachers now to design a system that focuses on learning and competency development.

Hugh Vasquez in conversation with Tony Smith, April 2020

What if we... gathered data from students about their experience of our classrooms and schools regularly? We know that how students feel about being in school impacts their learning. What if we implement a system to learn in real time how the learning environment is working or not working for students? Ideally these assessments are conducted every week by every teacher in every school so that teachers and other leaders see how well students are engaged in their learning, the extent to which they feel like they are getting enough support to learn, and how relevant the material is to their life. Tools like PERTS' Co-Pilot/Elevate allow teachers to gather and discuss real time feedback from students and work together to design and lead changes in their classrooms.

What if we... implement a focal student approach where we structure the classroom to meet the needs of students farthest from learning?Return to school with teachers prepared to name the students who are struggling the most to learn and teach the teachers how to use a focal student approach that discovers what these students need and how to best reach them. This approach does not assume a teacher knows what is in the way of a student learning, but instead has the teacher engaging with the student to figure out what the barriers are to learning and finding innovative ways to meet their needs.

What if we... organize the curriculum with project based learning (PBL) as a key component and create opportunities for every student to participate. Think about it, a plumber doesn't become a good plumber without being an apprentice and learning by doing. They do not become an expert by sitting at a desk listening to a lecture about how to unclog a pipe. Nor do medical doctors, electricians, teachers, mechanics, writers, chefs, or nurses. All career and professional learning involves learning by doing. Apprenticeships, medical residencies, and being mentored by someone skilled in their craft is project based learning, and project based learning is a good practice that we know works. We can revise the curriculum so that every school and every classroom implements project based learning and every child has the opportunity to engage in learning through projects. We can make our first teaching moves facilitating learning by projects before we lecture on a subject and hand out worksheets. What we can do now is build the conditions to put PBL into play when we return?

What if we... co-design and plan a "Return to a Different School Back to School" event. This pandemic will end and we will return to our buildings and school communities. Invite students and parents back in a new way. Assemble the school community and engage in new ways together. Talk about the excitement you have as educators to do school in a different way and the challenges you will face to make the new way work. Acknowledge the way we were doing things before the virus was not working for everyone and explain how you want to work in partnership with them to design new ways. Break into classroom size groups for sense making, allowing students to meet with students and parents with parents to build relationship and contribute to a new vision focused on student learning.

The first step in designing a new way is to decide now that you won't return to normal - a normal that was never neutral and wasn't working well for most students, teachers or families. Engage with your teammates and community now to articulate a bold, audacious, wild vision of what your education system can look like. Focus on a couple small but powerful pieces to change. Gather your people to engage in equity by design and engage in collaborative inquiry to continuously design, test, and adjust your practices based on what you learn. And, commit to sticking with the process- for at least a year, to stay the course. This is how we can collectively take the opportunity to design for change in how we do school.

For my fellow rebel leaders - those who have learned about equity, who are "woke" to how inequities are produced and perpetuated, who have built leadership skills to engage others in working toward equity, who have been trying to take action to change things...we have been preparing for this moment of interruption, the moment when a great disturbance would bring the system to a halt. We are strong in what we know, strong in what we see, strong in what we want. We have to act courageously NOW so we can come back together differently. What if we...

When the world becomes a fantasy / And you're more than you could ever be / 'Cause you're dreaming with your eyes wide open / And you know you can't go back again / To the world that you were living in / 'Cause you're dreaming with your eyes wide open / So, come alive! - The Greatest Showman

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What if We... Don't Return to School as Usual

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Let's start with the end in mind. Fast forward to a time in the near future, say 12 months from now when we have made it through this world health crisis. Imagine that you have been invited to be on...

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@ValentinaESL
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Welcome to Fun English Games for Kids! Find a wide range of free teaching resources that are perfect for students learning English, ESL classes and teachers looking for ideas online.

Enjoy interactive games, classroom activities, printable worksheets and more!

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english games activities kids online educational learning fun cool free children students letters words puzzles spelling reading writing grammar play free teaching resources studying learn practice exercises

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Fun English Games for Kids - Free Interactive Learning Activities Online

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Enjoy a wide range of fun, interactive English games and activities that are perfect for kids learning English as well as teachers looking for free educational resources online.

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Interactive tool used to create animated images

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Info graphs and Charts: Adapting to Online Learning for ELs 

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Looking for the best podcasts for kids and students to listen to and learn from? We asked teachers to share their favorites and have put together this list to use in your classroom or at home!

Disclaimer: We've divided the list by grade level because some might be more intense or cover more mature topics than is appropriate for younger students. You are the best judge for your own kids or students, though, so we recommend vetting all material before sharing.

Best Podcasts for Students in Elementary School

Original audio stories filled with whimsy and wonder for young listeners and their families.

Activity to try: Let kids write, illustrate and make a recording of their own original story.

Kids have all kinds of crazy questions-it's one of the things we love best about them! This production, from Vermont Public Radio, tackles such topics as Why Do People Have Nightmares?, Do Animals Get Married?, and Why Do Lions Roar?

Activity to Try: Start a log, using a special notepad, of all the crazy questions you can think of. Take the notebook with you everywhere you go.

In the era of fake news, kids need to learn to be able to tell what's true from what's false. And what better way to do that than a game show that puts kids in the driver's seat, adults on the hot seat, and a sound-effects robot strapped to the roof? Each week, a kid interviews two experts in a particular topic, one of whom is a genuine, credentialed expert, the other a liar. Hilarious and fast-paced, the show teaches kids to ask insightful questions, weigh the evidence before them, and trust their gut.

Activity to try: Play an in-class or at-home version of Two Truths and a Lie to polish truth-telling skills.

There's a whole lot going on in the world these days, and not all of the news is kid-friendly. Kidnuz informs in a way that explains, but doesn't overload, kids. Their mission statement says it all: "To engage the next generation with news that will inform without fear and educate without opinion."

Activity to Try: Pick an issue and do a "deep dive." Specifically, look for the upside of the situation-people helping people, people bonding together, etc.

A fun-filled podcast for kids all about ethical questions that get kids and adults thinking. "Do you have to love your sibling?" "Are some lies actually okay?" "Is it ever okay to fight back against a bully?"

Activity to try: Have your students write down questions to which they don't know the answers and talk about a few (after vetting them, of course).

Science is brought to life in this podcast that tells stories about science discoveries with help from actual scientists. They answer questions from why cats always seem to land on their feet to what a journey to the center of the earth would look like.

Activity to try: Discuss the topic of any given episode as a class, opening it up to questions and encouraging further research.

Follow the ongoing battle between Dr. Floyd and the evil mastermind, Dr. Steve (along with his sock-shaped assistant, Fidgert). During all their fighting, Dr. Floyd learns about history. With more than 400 episodes, there are plenty to choose from.

Activity to try: Have students write their own episodes, including a historical event that they love or that you have covered.

"Brains On!" features science and kids. The host and her kid co-host talk with food scientists and snake handlers, put on plays, write songs, and so much more. It's a science lesson for your ears!

Activity to try: Listen to the March 23 episode, "Books: How they're made and how your brain reads them." Afterward, have a discussion with your class about the many ways that reading is great for them.

An online treasure-trove of free audio stories. You can listen to a mixture of original stories, fairy tales, and specially adapted myths and histories. Storynory has published an episode every week since 2005, so there is plenty to love and something for everyone.

Activity to try: Have students write an original short story and then present it to the class.

Every two weeks, the creative host of this podcast takes questions from kids and spins them into an entertaining tale. Check out What If Clouds Were Made of Cotton Candy? or What If Magic Didn't Exist?

Activity to try: Make a top ten list of your own What-Ifs. Write a story, create a comic strip, or make a drawing to go with your favorites.

In a distant future that's either really bad or really good (depending on whose side you're on), two strange and unlikely champions embark on a series of adventures to stop a wicked A.I., and in the process must struggle to understand "old-fashioned" ideas like "kindness" and "just hanging out not doing much."

Activity to try: Start a discussion on how devices such as smartphones impact students' interactions with the people around them. Discuss the pros and cons of technology and the things we can do to be more connected with each other.

James Hawkins helps his mom run a motel in modern-day Montauk, Long Island. When a mysterious man washes up on the beach with a treasure map tattooed on his chest, James discovers that Billy Bones is, in fact, a time-traveling pirate from the 18th century. James and his new friends, Morgan and Max, follow the map right into a magical portal that leads them back nearly 300 years and into a swashbuckling adventure.

Activity to try: Have students write the story of what they would do if they discovered someone was a time-traveler. Would they want to enter the portal and go back in time?

In the spirit of Mayan folklore, an 11-year-old Belizean girl accidentally invokes an evil spirit that threatens to consume the rainforest. She goes on a thrilling journey to save her home and her people.

Activity to try: Ask students to write their own story of what they would do to protect their home. Do they see any similarities to the environmental problems we face today?

Finn Caspian is an 8-year-old boy aboard the Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station. He and his friends Abigail, Elias, and Vale are Explorers Troop 301, taking off from the Marlowe to explore uncharted planets, help the occasional alien, and solve a mystery that threatens to destroy their space station.

Activity to try: Have students create their own illustrations of Finn's adventures. Would they want to be among his explorer friends?

Best Podcasts for Tweens in Middle School

Listen as world-famous radio reporter Eleanor foils devious plots, outwits crafty villains, and goes after The Big Story. Eleanor's pursuit of truth takes her into orbit, out to sea, and even to the halls of Congress! Her adventures are entertaining and informative.

Activity to try: Have a discussion about Eleanor and her values, especially the importance of access to information, being inclusive to different points of view, and telling the truth. Then have your students write about what their values are.

If your tweens are into hip-hop, this podcast might be just their speed. Episodes follow the main character, Antoine, a boy who is bullied, who finds a magical book that transports him to another world.

Activity to try: Have students create an illustrated version of the story as they follow along with the podcast.

Neil deGrasse Tyson talks about all things space: stars, planets, humans in space, and so much more. He also interviews a lot of amazing people, from Buzz Aldrin to Alan Rickman.

Activity to try: Have students research the science topic covered in a given episode, learning more about the topic and sharing their findings.

Explore the English language, with all its oddities! Filled with good humor and levity, this podcast will help you explore the roots of words and phrases that we use every day.

Activity to try: Have students write their own grammatical or linguistic jokes, using these as starter examples.

The title speaks for itself. Learn about people and events that are often overlooked in a typical history class.

Activity to try: Choose a popular unit of historical study, like the Civil War or Great Depression, then have students research the little-told stories related to it. They could even write a readers theater based on their findings.

Listenwise is an award-winning listening skills platform, searchable by topic area or school subject. It advances classroom learning by providing additional content and building listening skills. There is also a focus on current events that helps keep the learning tied to the real world.

Activity to try: Each episode comes equipped with teaching resources, so pick the topic that is best for your class and get listening.

Humans are a curious lot as this podcast attests to in its mission statement: "True stories of inspiration, humor, and the incredible achievements of all types of people, many of which are sadly under-shared."

Activity to try: Have your students reach out to relatives, friends, or neighbors and ask them to share stories from their past.

This thought-provoking podcast tells the origin story of middle-schoolers Marcus Aronson and Mondo Ramirez, also known as Cupid and the Grim Reaper. Can these two mismatched heroes overcome their differences and learn to harness the powers of life, death, and love?

Activity to try: Start a conversation about what it would be like to be a teen with superpowers. Discuss the perspectives of the main characters. How would students feel if they were 13 years old and found out they are Cupid or the Grim Reaper?

Best Podcasts for Teens in High School

Adult ISH is a culture, advice, and storytelling podcast produced entirely by youth who are almost adults.

Activity to try: Have your students select a topic in the news today and write their own podcast sharing their take on the news.

A podcast created by the co-author of Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics, Stephen Dubner invites listeners to explore the hidden sides of everything. And, given his almost 300 episodes on topics ranging from Millionaires vs. Billionaires to How to Win a Nobel Prize, he is well on his way to talking about everything.

Activity to try: Have students pick an episode and find how it affects their everyday life. These can be written or presented to the class, allowing for discussion and questions.

Tune into the community radio of this desert town for the news on local weather, the mysterious lights overhead, announcements from the Sheriff's Secret Police, a dog park that prohibits dogs, and dark hooded figures with unknowable powers.

Activity to try: Challenge students with this prompt: You have been hired by the Night Vale Community Radio to write a segment. It could be a continuation of a segment that already exists, like The Children's Fun Fact Science Corner or Community Calendar, or a report of a strange happening in the town, told in Cecil-fashion. These could be performed in front of the class, written, or put in podcast form.

The podcast that brings you the "ins and outs of everyday things" from the Pledge of Allegiance to Mexican Jumping Beans to "Your Limb is Torn Off (Obviously for teens and above!)

Sarah Koenig tells one story, told week by week. The first season covers the true story of Adnan Syed, convicted for the murder of his ex-girlfriend in Baltimore. The problem: Adnan cannot remember what he was doing the day of the murder. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, there's someone claiming that he helped Adnan hide the body.

Activity to try: Have students find a famous crime in history and write a dialogue between themselves and the accused, having the accused tell their side of the story. These projects can be handed in, performed in front of the class, or put into podcast format.

Radiolab is a show about curiosity. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience.

Activity to try: Listen to the episode Sight Unseen about a soldier's last moments and the photographer who captured them, divide the class in half, and have them prepare and then conduct a debate on whether or not the photographer has the right to publish the photos.

Stories of people who've done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Phoebe Judge explores topics from owls killing people to how to fake your death to the life of a police dog.

Activity to try: Have students pick an episode that interests them and do more in-depth research on the topic, presenting their findings to the class.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers and The Tipping Point, looks back through the overlooked and misunderstood in history, re-examining the past and asking whether we got it right the first time.

Activity to try: Listen to the three-part series on college (season one, episodes 4-6), and have a class discussion. Trust me, there will be plenty to talk about.

Each episode of This American Life centers around a theme. Most are journalistic at the core, but some are comedic. This podcast is hard to generalize, especially after over 600 episodes. But the number of episodes, and the podcats's massive popularity, should speak for itself.

Activity to try: Have students take a theme from an episode and write their own report or story surrounding that theme.

99% Invisible is a narrative podcast hosted by Roman Mars about all the thought that goes into the things we don't think about - the unnoticed architecture and design that shape our world.

Activity to try: Ask students to pay closer attention to the buildings and infrastructure in their town or city. Have them make a list of things they had never noticed before.

Covering the outer reaches of space to the tiniest microbes in our bodies, Science Friday shares news about science, technology, and other cool stuff. Host Ira Flatow mixes it up by featuring people in the know and those who want to be. The podcast frequently features listeners that call in with their most riveting science questions.

Activity to try: Choose from a wide range of topics such as Racism and Mental Health, Privacy and Big Data, or Structure of Conspiracy Theories, and spark a discussion.

Will and Mango have lots of questions. Will we ever live without sleep? How do rats keep outsmarting humans? Where are the sunniest tax havens to hide your money? Join these Part-Time Geniuses as they dive into ridiculous topics and discover some pretty smart stuff along the way.

Activity to try: Ask students to come up with an interesting question. Then, once their topic is approved, have them share the answer with their classmates.

This highly acclaimed podcast delivers honest and unfiltered conversations with celebrities, activists, athletes, and influencers focusing on real-life issues-from mental health and political activism to pop culture and more.

Activity to try: Sammy Jaye, at 18, is the youngest person to host her own podcast on iHeartRadio. Have students write a short paper on whether they'd want to have their own podcast while reflecting on the challenges they might face.

What are your favorite podcasts for kids? Please share in the comments!

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35 Best Podcasts for Kids in Elementary, Middle, & High School

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Looking for the best podcasts for kids and students to listen to and learn from? We asked teachers to share their favorites and have put together this list to use in your classroom or at home! Disclaimer: We've divided the list by grade level because some might be more intense or cover more mature topics than is appropriate for younger students.

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Distance Learning During COVID-19: 7 Equity Considerations for Schools and Districts

By: Titilayo Tinubu Ali and Mirel Herrera

Government officials are taking swift public health actions to slow the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of March, statewide school closures affected 55.1 million K-12 public school students across our country.[1] Over 20 million of these students live within the seventeen states covered by the Southern Education Foundation, and a majority of these students live in poverty.[2] While school closures affect all students, students from underserved communities feel this impact even greater.

Data on digital disparities reveal that nearly 20 percent of African American children ages 3-18 and 21 percent of families earning less than $40,000 per year have no access to the internet at home.[3] The Southern Education Foundation is working to bring awareness to digital equity issues and provide state and district leaders with resources and promising practices as they make quick and difficult decisions to ensure that all students have access to learning opportunities during this crisis.

What is Distance Learning?

Distance or remote learning is often thought to be synonymous with online learning. In fact, they are different. Distance learning may incorporate online learning, but it may also include other components. For example, some school districts have opted to create packets for students and families to pick up which include learning materials and exercises. In other districts, teachers are using online platforms to provide instruction for students and to communicate with students and their families. Districts should keep in mind the needs of their students and families when choosing how to implement distance learning during school closures.

Keeping Learning at the Center

District and school leaders are turning to remote or distance learning in an effort to minimize COVID-19's disruptions to instruction. While technology is important, providing laptops and materials are not enough to ensure that learning is taking place. Research on the science of learning highlights the importance of collaborative project work, real-world problem solving, and supportive and safe relationships with adults and peers.[4] Schools and districts should keep learning at the center by engaging in developmentally appropriate, project-based learning, and by supporting teachers and families with training and guidance on distance learning practices. Instructors should interact and communicate with students by creating active and collaborative ways to learn that differ from the traditional classroom setting. In addition, schools and districts should be especially mindful of grade transitions during this time and leverage curricular or community resources to provide additional social, emotional and academic support to students who are moving from preschool to elementary school, from elementary to middle school, from middle school to high school, and from high school to college or career.

7 Distance Learning Equity Considerations

We have reviewed publicly available digital learning plans for the seventeen states covered by the Southern Education Foundation to see how schools and districts are meeting the needs of their most vulnerable students and families. They have taken different approaches for distance learning based on the needs of their student populations, grade level, and current technology or infrastructure. To help schools and districts determine what is best for their students and communities, we provide these equity considerations along with examples of how some districts are addressing these issues now.
Read the seven considerations and download the full issue brief below.
southern-education-foundation_covid19-distance-learning-equity-brief

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About the authors

Titilayo Tinubu Ali is Director of Research and Policy for the Southern Education Foundation.

Mirel Herrera is an Atlanta-based policy, research and strategy consultant.
[1] Map: Coronavirus and school closures (2020, March 6). Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/section/multimedia/map-coronavirus-and-school-closures.html (accessed 04/03/20). [2] Suitts, S. (2015). A new majority research bulletin: Low income students now a majority in the nation's public schools. Atlanta, GA: Southern Education Foundation. https://www.southerneducation.org/what-we-do/research/newmajorityreportseries/. [3] National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Figure 4. Percentage of children ages 3 to 18 with no internet access at home, by selected child and family characteristics: 2010 and 2017. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cch.asp (accessed 04/03/20). [4] Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2019). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. Applied Developmental Science. doi: 10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791.
The authors would like to thank Sujith Cherukumilli, SEF Legislative and Research Analyst, for providing research assistance and the SEF team for providing feedback and insights. This issue brief benefited greatly from the insights of three external practitioner reviewers: Damaris Rau, Superintendent of the School District of Lancaster; Tammie Workman, Ausherman Family Foundation trustee and former Assistant Superintendent of Atlanta Public Schools; and April Kuhn, Chief Legal Officer of Rowan-Salisbury Schools. We thank them for the care and attention they gave this issue brief.

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Distance Learning During COVID-19: 7 Equity Considerations for Schools and Districts By: Titilayo Tinubu Ali and Mirel Herrera Government officials are taking swift public health actions to slow the rapidly spreading COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of March, statewide school closures affected 55.1 million K-12 public school students across our country.[1] Over 20 million of [...]

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I'm working in districts where we have been in school for 5-8 weeks. This show is in response to some challenges and reflections on what I want to emphasize more. You can listen to this show right here or on your favorite podcast app.
Listen to "BAP111 Instead of IDK for SLIFE and Newcomers" on Spreaker.
An edited transcript follows with links to what I talked about:

This episode is going to be about lessons learned. I think there's value no matter what you do if you're a teacher, instructional coach, or administrator.

This is that time of the year when the honeymoon is over! LOL. Things are playing out in a certain way depending on what routines you put in place or did not put in place. What I've learned is that in many places where we're not getting things off the ground with students, it's because this strategy is not in place. We are realizing that we did not emphasize the teaching of this skill enough.

So let me offer you the strategy, and then I'm going to tell you why it's so critical for new arrival students. And this one is important for even your highest flyer in your classroom no matter what you teach. And I'm also going to tell you about a fail, so look forward to that. People always say they love hearing about what didn't go right or a non-example when I'm trying things.

So this fail is kind of funny too. All right, so here's the strategy.

The sheltered strategy is to Teach Kids What to Say When They Don't Know What to Say.

Let me say that again. We're going to teach kids what to say when they don't know what to say. Some teachers know this as an "Instead of 'I don't know' poster." We are working to remove "IDK" from our classrooms.

So let's think about it a little bit differently. We're not talking about a poster. Idk is what the students use. Many students text, I don't know Idk. All right?

Teach Ss Day 1 what to say instead of IDK. Opting out is not an option for Learners. @MsSalvac #supportingSIFE #BoostingAchievement @LearnTexas pic.twitter.com/djeBCMzs6p

- Trish Hinze (@TrishHinze) July 17, 2019

Often you will see a poster that says IDK, and it has an X through it in a classroom. The idea is that we are not going to say, 'I don't know' anymore. Instead, we want to encourage other things such as: May I ask a friend for help? Would you please repeat the question? Where can I find more information? May I have some time to think? etc. That's a fantastic poster to have. T he company I work for, Seidlitz Education, sells these great posters of things that say, they're beautiful.

WHY is this Important? Can the Students Tell Us?

If you ask the kids, why is it important to say other things instead of I Don't Know, could they tell us? Have we talked with them about this and let them come up with answers. This offers relevancy.

If I asked you to come up with three reasons why it is important for young people to say something instead of I don't know, I bet you could. As adults, we have built a skill where we might pause and say something like "Could you give me a minute?" Or "Can I ask someone to help me with this?"

Just Google It!

You know, the reality is that we don't use the skill so much anymore. Now we just ask Alexa. Or we ask Google. We google it. That's kind of dangerous for the world, don't you think? In the Boosting Achievement book that I wrote with Anna Mattis, we cite researchers that talk about how a part of our brain is starting to atrophy because of technology. We don't have to think deeply anymore. So then it is more important than ever that our classrooms are places where we can practice thinking, be more curious. Be more curious. Don't just default to I don't know.

It's a teenage culture kind of thing, right? I'm sure you can appreciate, even for your own child, do you want them to be okay with not knowing? So the first one that I always teach is, May I ask a friend for help? Because I'm trying to create a culture of conversation. And as soon as the student says that, we say, yes. And I'm going to hover around that student, and I'm going to make eye contact, and I'm going to ask them, Are you ok to answer before we come back. I might have to give them the answer. We need them to have a win in that moment in front of everybody. And if they didn't know the answer, they may not be the only one. They're likely not the only one that doesn't know.

Why is QSSSA not Working?

I'm going to talk about the Newcomer classroom. I am always talking about the newcomer student. This week, I was in a newcomer classroom where the majority of the students have missed large amounts of formal education, and we are at high school. The issue is that the students are not turning and talking when we want them to. And we have a really good structure, QSSSA, for students to turn and talk. But they're still not talking to each other as much as we would like for them to, even when we encourage the use of native language. We just don't have it off the ground.

Modeling for Teachers

A part of my job is modeling for teachers. So I decided I would model how to get this strategy off the ground with a class where most of the students are new to the target language of English. I never promise that I can pull off a spur of the moment lesson well. It is a challenge to model because I don't know the kids and I don't know the content. But I'm willing. I feel that it is important to be vulnerable enough to do these things to support the teachers. Even if the lesson doesn't go as planned, we get a chance to debrief and so we are both going to come out better.

Using Native Language

So remember that most of the kids in the classroom don't understand what I'm saying. Now, a lot of these kids speak Spanish, so I'm going to just be honest, my first instinct would be to just say it in Spanish. I speak Spanish. And this is not the moment to worry about language acquisition. This is the moment to worry about teaching a skill so that we can acquire more English! Routines, directions, telling a student how amazing they are...Those kinds of messages we need to get across, however we can get them across. Use your entire language repertoire to communicate these things. We have Google Translate and I will use it or whatever I need to use to help me , might use whatever I need to make sure they understand.

#SeidlitzEdChat
If anyone needs an "Instead of IDK" poster for thier #virtualclassroom here you go! #KeepItSimple #ells pic.twitter.com/BoEbq8SaQY

- Dr. Carol Salva (@DrCarolSalva) May 20, 2020

A key word or phrase is always okay. - Said by Nancy Motley in one of my first ESL trainings.)
But as the instructor, I want to stay in English as much as possible. I'm the model. I would only just pop out of English for a moment and come right back in. I don't want them to think that I will be translating everything. I want them to get comprehensible input (understandable messages) with me staying in English as much as possible. But again, this is so important that I would use my Spanish. Absolutely. Not a problem for me. It always has worked out just fine.

Translation Can't be our Go-To Strategy for Comprehensible Input

I have no problem using Spanish from time to time but the teacher I was working with does not speak Spanish! And another thing is that several kids in there don't speak Spanish! I could use Google Translate and I would still use some Spanish translation, though. I would still do it because the majority were Spanish speaking kids and they just communicate kid-to-kid better than they can with me often. They're friends. So I would do it, but I would be thinking "What about my student that speaks Farsi? What about the child that speaks Arabic? Are they getting it?" And so translation cannot be our comprehensible input default. And as the year goes on, I want to make sure it's not because more kids have more comprehension and I should not need to translate at all anything pretty soon. So anyway, the teacher I was working with didn't speak Spanish, and I want to make sure that I'm trying to model something that they can do easily.

How do I Get Buy-In for This Norm?

Okay, so here's how it looks if everybody speaks English in my classroom. I would write "I Don't Know." on the board and talk about how it is OK not to know answers. I'd give them a scenario in life like if I'm at the bank and they ask me, "What is your husband's mother's maiden name?" I might just need a minute. I might know it, but I might just say, "Can you hang on just a moment? Can you give me a minute to think?" My husband might be in the car, and so I might instead ask them if I could go ask him for help.

Most importantly, I want them to talk to each other. I'd like the students to talk and to tell me why is this important. I want their buy-in. This is a lesson. It is not just, 'Hey, we're going to start doing this today.'

We can just write one thing on the anchor chart and add to it throughout the year. But they need to buy-in. They need to understand why it's important. So I would have that "I Don't Know" written on the anchor chart and at that point, I would cross it out. Then I would add "Instead of..." and we can start writing other things we could say onto that poster.

Poster vs. Anchor Chart

Instead of 'poster,' let's call it an anchor chart. It needs to be big enough for the kids on the other side of the room to be able to read it. Any environmental print needs to be big enough, written in big enough print, that it's usable no matter where you're sitting in the class. And it needs to be referenced. Otherwise, it is just decoration.

On a mission to increase engagement for early ELs, @PantherNation_1 Ms. Carter begins virtual classes with a purpose statement (doubles as fluency practice), images to support growth mindset and @MsSalvac IDK chart 🙌🙌. @MNPS_EL pic.twitter.com/BfUzlt7lb3

- Heather W. Goodridge (@h_woodroof) September 3, 2020

NO FORCED OUTPUT

That's how it goes when everybody speaks English. So now I will explain what I do when they don't comprehend much English.

I want to say, before I start to tell you about the simulation, No Forced Output. That's a mantra in my mind that I'm saying to myself as I walk in front of a class of new arrival students or any students, no forced output. I am not going to force anyone. I'm never going to force a kid to speak in English. When they're acquiring English, it's just so cringy. And it is doing the opposite, the exact opposite of what I want, which is a low-stress environment where they can acquire, consume, and comprehend as much English as possible.

I want that to go as fast as possible. And there's a researcher named Steven Krashen who will tell you it's really all about reading. And he's right, in my experience. I want to get them reading with support, high interest, compelling things, acquiring and understanding these words as they start to understand how they sound and as they start to use them, we get it off the ground, and it starts going so fast.

They have to be comfortable for that. They have to be really comfortable. Not freaked out. So whatever I'm doing in front of the class, they can attend to it, they can see it, they can get it. They can start getting little things. They can be comfortable enough to talk to their partner in a low-stress way.

QSSSA

One-to-one is low stress, so use whatever language, but I want them to talk to each other. Some of them won't even talk to each other in their native language.

Think about that. A turn-and-talk. What could go wrong with a turn and talk in a regular math class? I'm sure you're thinking a lot of things.

They're not talking about what I want them to talk about....

One of them is doing all the talking...

They weren't paying attention, so they don't know.

And on and on...

QSSSA is a routine that helps solve for so many of the challenges we face when we want students to Turn and Talk. It's a top tip. It is our top tip. I work for a company called Sidelitz Education, and QSSSA is always a Top Tip! Chris Hagy of Charleston, SC has a padlet on the technique here. And this script by Michelle Gill is popular:

That routine is one of John Seidlitz' Seven Steps to a Language-rich, Interactive Classroom. It is a fantastic routine. But guess what step one is? Step one is teach kids what to say when they don't know what to say.

Teaching Students what to Say instead of IDK is STEP ONE.

That is step one for a reason. We need low-stress environments where everybody is willing to take risks. See, I don't want to force them to speak in English, but I do want to arm them with something they can take anywhere they go in the building and also not be so worried that they're going to be called on. So this "Instead of "I don't know" poster that we're creating, I have a little one for you.

They're about six to a page and you can just print them out and cut them up and tape them to the desk. Tape them to their agenda. Have a big one on the wall and also tape these on their Chromebook and everywhere so they can take it with them because it's a skill. It is what they might need at the doctor's office. To use in math class. To use everywhere.

The Fail

Okay, so I'm walking to the front of a classroom where kids do not speak English. The class is for that. And these are new arrival students. And it's at the beginning of the school year and it's specifically for students who have missed education. So imagine there's not much comprehension across the board. So I went up there and I wrote, I don't know on the board. And you see kids, they're looking at it quizzically. So I think, "I'm going to explain this like I always do, but I'll just use gestures."

So for whatever reason, I pointed to my eye in my face. Ha! I'm going to try not to laugh because it was so ridiculous. So I pointed to my eye, but then immediately I was like, no, not that kind of eye .. I. And I pointed to my chest and I saw a kid mouth "me" as soon as I pointed to my chest. He mouthed me and I was like, yes, like me... I. And another student pointed at me, like at the teacher, and said, I? No, no, no... now my mind is racing. I'm thinking, God! Because you know what? I did this for a living, for years. But every time I go in front of a class, I get slapped back into reality of how hard it really is. It is not easy to teach, period. But you forget how intentional you need to be to teach newcomers effectively. But I need this vulnerability. I need to be up there so that I can help. I don't have to have a magic wand and do anything perfectly. Or say "just do this!" I was up there so we can figure out things together. And I know there's a way to do this with newcomers. I'm just thinking, "Why didn't I think about this before I walked up here??"

I was like, no, I (pointing at my chest). Of course some kids got it. "I" is a very common high-frequency word. I like, I am here. Okay, let me just go on to "Don't"... the word "Don't." So I pointed to the word don't, and I said, Say "don't", and everybody repeated it.

I wagged my finger like, no... like you're shaming somebody.

Don't... don't... Don't

And one of them said, "no." And I said, yeah like "no." But he was saying, "I no?"

No. So when I was shaking my finger back and forth, they were getting "no" like yes or no. So I was like yeah, it's no...but it's don't. And I'm trying to think, how do you say don't? How do you convey don't without saying no? Because the next word is know!

I don't know.

So then I was like, okay, don't. Just say don't, and then no. And then point into my temple....know.

I know they're thinking, "I no no? And that no is with a K??"

Okay, right there. Let's just stop. This all happened in just a few seconds, right? To me, it is so funny.

Making Things Harder Than They Need to Be

It is so funny because I'm just making it so much harder than it needs to be. As always. As always, I'm making it way harder than it needs to be. Let's back up. I could have said it in Spanish because one kid finally did say "No Se?" That's beautiful. Yes! Throughout the school year, if they say it in Spanish, I'm going to say, yeah, exactly. Or if they get it, yeah. I don't care if they translate to each other all year long. I just don't want that to be their go-to either. But anyway, as soon as he said , I wrote And they're like, yeah, okay. But there were still kids in the class that don't speak Spanish. But I did see that they can help each other understand this. I saw a kid turn to another kid and make the gesture like shoulders up, palms up. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Yes. That kids should be teaching. LOL!

That kid should be teaching. Because here's how I'm going to always do it from this point forward. They all got it when I made this noise, when I shrugged my shoulders, when I put my palms up, and when I made the "I Don't Know" sound... it isn't even a word. It is a sound. So that gesture with your shoulders up and your palms up, that resulted in 100% of them getting it. And they started laughing, and they're like, okay, we get it.

I can also invite our kids who do have literacy in Arabic or something else to come and write that over here on this anchor chart. There's nothing wrong with the native language. In fact, it's powerful. But I want the English words big as that is our target language in this class.

So they understand this is what we're talking about. But they needed to understand, just like any class, what does it look like in a class? So let me circle back that little moment that I had in front of that class. That little fail, I call it, was such a fantastic learning opportunity for me and for the teacher. At least I know it was for me and I hope for him because we debriefed afterward that we're just making it harder than it needs to be.

Collaborate with Like Minded Educators

This is the kind of thing I get better at because I reflect on it. I am reflecting on it right now in this podcast. But I want to talk with or communicate with other educators to remind me of the basic things that are most powerful. And things like 'When is native language okay?' Again, A keyword or phrase is always okay for the teacher. I mean, when is native language okay for the students in an ESL classroom?

Always, always allow and honor their native language.

Students can use your entire language repertoire in this class because I have a language target. I have a language objective today. Our language objective is "We will use language such as "May I ask a friend for help?" and "Would you please repeat the question?"

That's our language target today. And we all repeated it at the beginning of class in unison because that is low-stress. I'm not forcing anybody, but if we say it all together, you know, and we used it several times in the class, and I'm constantly bringing them back into English. The ones who can speak English, the ones who are able to repeat, the ones who are we're constantly coaching for that through the entire 39 minutes. But you have to use your native language.

It's a source of comfort. Your funds of knowledge live there... everything that you're able to express.

I have a kid who speaks Spanish and a kid who speaks Arabic sitting together. And they do great, but they do use some of their native language. Their common language is English, but they can communicate with each other using everything they have.

We want to create a culture of conversation. And that conversation, we cannot force it all to be in English. But there's more and more English as we are going through the year. I promise this is the answer. Low-stress environments, low-stress opportunities for output.

Opportunities for output. No forced output. And tons of comprehensible input. Tons of messages that you start to understand, what does that person mean? What are they trying to get across to me in this language?

Comprehensible input would be in the target language of English in that classroom. But comprehensible. So me making that gesture really exaggerated...it's comprehensible. It was more comprehensible than anything else I was doing up there. So we just played around with it. We're just playing around with it.

Partner with Students. Be Transparent

And you know, what is great about what happened is the kids don't forget it. The kids won't forget it if it's a fail like that. I'm just transparent with them. I was always telling my students that I'm learning how to be a better teacher every day. That's what other people say, too.

I have heard Instructional Coaches say they don't model because they don't want to take the power away from the teacher. NO. You won't take the power away from that teacher. I don't believe that for a minute. Let's hold students to a higher regard. Partner with the students. I'm trying to get better about that. Right when I walk in, if they let me introduce myself, I want to say "Hi, I'm Dr. Salva. Your teacher and I are both learning. We're always learning. I hope for you that your whole life you will be learning. So today we're going to try some things together because I want to learn, and he wants to learn. And we're always working together to get better at things, to get better at teaching you. And so what I learned from you, too. And you guys learn from us. So we're going to try some things in here and see how they go."

I mean, that's just transparent because we're all still just on this journey, all of us, me, the teacher, the principal, the kids, all of us. Hold them in high regard. We are all learning together, okay?

So Instead of, 'I Don't Know.'

Here are some things for my journey of learning lately on supporting teachers:

It's not a poster. The strategy is not a poster because a poster is just decoration. If the kids aren't using it, if we haven't implemented it. And so if you look around your room and it is a small thing where kids can't access it, or if we only talked about it one time, that's where we learned, okay? We haven't emphasized it enough.

We haven't made it a norm. We haven't made it our default. We haven't spent time making sure our highest kid in the class uses it, because we ask them questions that they would need to use it like, "Can you tell me more about that?" Or "Can you say it another way?" Or "Why? Why do you think that?"

Are we using this to help with rigor? Those kinds of higher-order questions would have your highest kids going, hhhmmmmmmm.... So you can offer them, "Okay, do you want a moment? Do you want to use something from the poster?" We want all the kids to see that it's for all the kids. So your highest kids have to buy into it. And if we want our students to buy into this technique, we need to give them the relevancy. We need to explain all of this and make sure they all understand why it's important.

Motivation - Helping Them Find It

We had kids speaking in their native language to each other and coming up with ideas of why it's important because that was the thing. We need buy in from students. We need them to buy into this.

Larry Ferlazzo has written a lot on how to help kids be intrinsically motivated. I'll link to one of his articles. Here are the four things.

I say them all the time. (I'm a Larry Ferlazzo groupie.) The researchers agree. If you want kids to be motivated, if you want people to find their motivation, intrinsic motivation, put these four things in the environment.

Relevancy like I just said, why is it relevant? How is it relevant? Why is it relevant to you? Why should you care.

Relatedness that's relationships. Teachers have relationships with students, and students have relationships with each other, and we want to work on those because it really helps motivation. So relevancy, relatedness another one is:

Autonomy or choice. So I give them that anchor chart, and you can choose whatever one you want to say. But how much choice you have in anything helps you be more motivated about doing it. And then the fourth thing that Larry writes about is:

Competence. A sense of competence. That doesn't mean I've mastered it. It means I feel myself getting better at it. I've had a little win.

So that whole technique instead of I don't know, it's not a poster, it's a skill. What do you do when you don't know what to say? What can you say? So that's what I was saying.

Recap on Some Things That Can Go Wrong

What can go wrong is that we can have it to where it's just a poster. It may even be a poster that they can't read. So to offset that, to mitigate those challenges, we would use it more often. Explain it. Explain the relevancy.

Have kids talking to each other, your relationship with them, hold them in high regard that you want their opinion about why it's important and even using it, explain to them, we're doing it in here, not because I'm the teacher and I want you to answer it's because your voice is important. Your voice is important. And you may just need a moment. You may just need your friend to remind you of something. You may not know the answer, but that's okay. You know a lot of other things, and together we know a lot.

Don't Force Output but Expect Them to Use These Phrases?

So it may sound counterintuitive. Like what I'm saying is make sure they know what to say, but don't force output. Okay...I don't care if they say it in Spanish. I don't care. I mean, once they're comfortable. If I get a brand new student that come this week, I'm going back to relatedness. I'm going to have a conversation with them one on one, and I'm going to use Google Translate to make sure they know that they are in a safe place. That I'm not going to randomly call on them. They're new. I'm going to respect their need for support, but I'm going to have a lot of conversations with them. They're going to be pretty comfortable sooner versus later. They will be ready because they're in a classroom where we do these things and they're going to see this is how we roll in here. This is a very safe place. So when I do finally call on them, it's okay for them to answer in whatever language. It's okay for them to use their entire language repertoire to answer.

Or they can even give me a signal.! They can even point to it in the book when they are new or nervous. And I'll say, "Yeah, right! The answer landforms. You see this? Landforms. What he's saying is 'This week we are studying landforms'. That is the right answer! Let's all say that..."

If I'm trying to get complete sentences out of everyone's mouth, we can do them in unison. And I can honor this child, whatever their language.

So think about your language learners. If you're teaching language learners, they have different proficiency levels, and so a brand new student is not the time to force output, but they can be included. Inclusion! They can understand way more than they can say usually. So let's make them comfortable. They can attend, they can repeat, and in low-stress environments it all works better. Remember, low stress opportunities for output.

Low-stress output could be one-to-one. That would be a whisper read to my teacher. That would be with the students getting comfortable talking to the person next to them one-to-one.

A Culture of Conversation

And I can walk around and listen. I can get a formative assessment. That's better than me calling on one student that doesn't know the answer or only calling on the professional answer. Always, if I call on somebody and they don't know the answer, they can ask me something from the poster, or they can even point to the one on the poster and I can say "Yeah, this one says, May I ask a friend? Let's all say that. May I ask a friend? Yes. Okay... everybody. Ask your friend what do they think? And we'll come right back to this person."

But again, I'm going to make sure they have a WIN. See, with QSSSA, and Teaching kids what to say instead of IDK, you're well on your way to a very language rich, interactive classroom. I'm just asking you to respect the need for support of a brand new student, but in a way that allows them to acquire the language as quickly as possible.

I'm going to wrap up the show now and thank you for helping me reflect that's, what I just did. This is my journey of learning. And thank you to everybody that's allowing me to work with them and support them in their classrooms, in their districts, with training, with modeling, with coaching. Reach out. If you have any questions about that, you can find me on Twitter. I'm @DrCarolSalva or Come over to Facebook with us. I'm also on Instagram but I don't check that regularly. Sorry.

Last Thought

One more thing on "Instead of I don't know." Think about the cumulative effect of that over a person's life. Think about a student, what effect you're having if you help someone build that skill right now over the course of their lives. A person who doesn't just go, "I don't know," especially in this age of technology. What does that do for them in their working groups, in their lives, as they walk through their day, as they get their first job, as they get their next job? Look at the long game, always. Let's look at the long game and realize the effect. That's what I'm asking you to do is realize YOUR effect. Little things add up and they have major effects over a person's life. So that relatedness that relationship you're building with that student, it makes a difference. Hold them in high regard. Hold every one of them in high esteem. Their voice is important, and you want them to have that skill so that as they go through life, they can show what they know and they can get the answers they don't know, and they can add to their knowledge because the sky's the limit.

Please stop and reflect on the huge impact you're having on students. Thank you for everything you're doing.

Bye.

PS: Check Out Upcoming Events! We have a lot of places we can meet IRL!!

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I'm working in districts where we have been in school for 5-8 weeks. This show is in response to some challenges and reflections on what I want to emphasize more. You can listen to this show right here or on your favorite podcast app. Listen to "BAP111 Instead of IDK for SLIFE and Newcomers" on Spreaker.

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Vocaroo is a quick and easy way to share voice messages over the interwebs.

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Applied Behavior Analysis Programs Guide

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Homeschooling Children with Autism

Choosing to homeschool a child with autism is often a decision families come to reluctantly. While some families worry about the additional social challenges that come with learning at home, others wonder how they're supposed to teach material they themselves haven't completed in years. Fortunately, dozens of comprehensive curricula exist to alleviate the pressures put on both homeschooling parents and homeschooled children.

The 15 curricula listed below are some of the best for children with autism. We put together our list based on a variety of factors, including flexibility, customization, and user-friendliness. We also consulted a number of reviews and even asked the pros - the parents and teachers themselves. While not every curriculum on our list is specifically designed for students with autism spectrum disorder, they all contain features that are currently working well for hundreds of homeschooled children with autism around the world.

Featured Curricula

ABCmouse

ABCmouse is an online curriculum for children ages 2-8. Though it is not designed specifically for children with autism, kids on the spectrum are sure to appreciate that ABCmouse is meant to be completed at each child's own pace. The curriculum provides more than 850 lessons and 8,500 activities for subjects like reading, math, science, and art and colors.

Abeka Curriculum

Abeka Curriculum is a Christian curriculum well-suited for children on the autism spectrum. A favorite of many homeschooling families, Abeka primarily consists of a series of workbooks that children are sure to enjoy. In addition to new material, each lesson depends upon spaced repetition and drills to help develop mastery and comfort with any topic. Though the curriculum is mostly written, Abeka does include a series of DVDs that add a fun visual and interactive component to learning.

ACE: Autism Curriculum Encyclopedia

The Autism Curriculum Encyclopedia ACE) is a complete education package specifically designed as an Applied Behavior Analysis program. Its software-based curriculum is completely customizable, and lessons range from basic skills to more advanced concepts such as solving equations and writing essays. This popular program is especially well-liked by students because it focuses on a child's strengths as it moves through a subject.

All About Learning Press

All About Learning Press offers two different programs: All About Reading and All About Spelling. The company's mission is to take the struggle out of reading and spelling for both the student and the parent. Preschool-aged students and Kindergarteners can begin with the Pre-Reading and Pre-Spelling programs. They advance to Levels 1-4. An interactive kit is also available, and consists of things like letter tiles, divider cards, magnets, and more.

Apologia

Apologia is a homeschool curriculum rooted in the Christian faith. This award-winning curriculum is suitable for any child, K-12. Whether one chooses tangible textbooks or online courses, parents can be sure their child is receiving a solid base knowledge of subjects tackled. Parents speak especially highly of Apologia's science curriculum.

Calvert Education

Calvert Education 's secular curriculum has been around for more than 100 years. and Thousands of homeschool families, military families, professional child actors and athletes have chosen it as their preferred education. Though Calvert is not designed specifically for students on the autism spectrum, the curriculum's completely flexible set-up appeals to many students on the ASD spectrum. Students and their parents can choose to finish an entire program (grade level). Or they can choose from a list of individual courses and subjects, depending upon the student's interest and ability level.

Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool

Unlike the other homeschool curricula on this list, the Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool curriculum is not produced or distributed by a large company. Rather, it was designed by a homeschool mother and is completely free. Better yet, Easy Peasy requires only that students have access to the internet and a computer, and nearly all of the materials cost nothing at all. This curriculum is best suited for those children who are able to work independently from a task list with or without parental guidance.

Gemm Learning

Gemm Learning is an online learning software that creates a customized curriculum suitable for each individual child. The curriculum is available for students as young as age 5. It begins with a behavioral assessment completed by a parent and a reading assessment completed by the student. After approximately four months, parents begin receiving weekly updates on their child's progress through the curriculum. Uniquely, Gemm Learning also provides its curriculum families with live support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to address questions and concerns.

Handwriting Without Tears

Children on the autism spectrum often struggle with handwriting, and that makes Handwriting Without Tears a great tool for any homeschooled student and parent. Handwriting Without Tears provides multi-sensory handwriting instruction that is developmentally appropriate for each stage of Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Memoria Press

Although it's not specifically designed for students on the autism spectrum, Memoria Press's K-12 curriculum includes a number of features that make it ideal for those with high-functioning autism or other learning disabilities. Rooted in classical education, Memoria Press offers distraction-free, age-appropriate material in the form of textbooks and workbooks. Each subject is well-organized into lessons designed to be completed one week at a time. It requires a solid mix of parent-led discussion and student independence. Subjects offered include:

Every subject follows a routine based upon review and repetition. This curriculum includes Latin, a process language that has long been applauded for its ability to improve critical thinking skills. Teacher guides are available for each subject. Parents may choose whether or not to use the weekly assessments.

Miquon Math

There are more than a few homeschool parents who struggle with the confidence it takes to teach their child math. For students with autism, the challenge can be even more intimidating. The Miquon Math curriculum is ideal for any student who needs to work with his or her hands to understand math concepts. The simple and visually plain workbooks provide for a distraction-free work environment, while manipulatives are included to help the student understand.

TeachTown

TeachTown is easily one of the most popular curriculum when it comes to homeschooling a child with autism. Two tracks are available - TeachTown Basic and TeachTown Social Skills - and each track extends to approximately age 12. TeachTown Basic is a mix of computer-based and parent-led learning, offering subjects including:

vocabulary

language skills

cognitive skills

other academic subjects

TeachTown Social Skills is an online program available at the elementary and middle school levels. This unique program features relatable animated characters which help students to learn to:

read social cues

recognize emotion

talk in a group, among other things

Both programs offer a free 30-day trial.

Timberdoodle

Timberdoodle is a unique curriculum appropriate for students in elementary school and middle school. Parents are able to customize the curriculum based upon their child's strengths and interests. The curriculum then comes in the form of a kit which includes everything from lesson materials to supplementary puzzles and activities. The lists of subjects offered is extensive, including art, STEM, and even the Bible.

Time 4 Learning

Time 4 Learning is an interactive online curriculum specifically designed for students with Asperger's Syndrome and high-functioning autism. The curriculum is completely automated, which allows students to move through lessons at their own pace with or without the immediate help of an adult. Furthermore, each lesson combines social and academic learning, and often emulates real-life scenarios. For example, a math lesson might be presented as a conversation between two animated characters. In addition to a full academic curriculum, Time 4 Learning also offers a Summer Learning curriculum and an After School curriculum.

Wilo Star 3D

Wilo Star 3D may just be the homeschool curriculum of the future. This interactive online program actually creates a virtual classroom so that students can "attend" class. Best suited for those with high-functioning autism or Asperger's, Wilo Star 3D presents each lesson via PowerPoint, whiteboard, or audio/video messaging. It also encouraging a certain amount of independence during study time. Subjects include:

Students complete assignments and tasks based on their specific Knowledge Tower.

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10 Best Comprehensive Homeschool Curricula for Children with Autism

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Choosing to homeschool a child with autism is often a decision families come to reluctantly. While some families worry about the additional social challenges that come with learning at home, others wonder how they're supposed to teach material they themselves haven't completed in years.

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Language Magazine provides cutting edge literacy news for English language educators and teachers of reading and writing.

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Digital Learning by ELD Proficiency Levels

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Digital Learning by ELD Proficiency Levels

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4.  Digital Learning Supports by Proficiency Levels 

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Two weeks into implementing our distance learning program, I met with a small group of middle school students from the Washington, DC charter school where I'm a principal. The conversation was focused around one question, "How's it been going?"

The group went on for a while about how much they hated being apart from their classmates but then admitted there was something about virtual school they actually loved: the freedom to set their own schedules. "When someone tells me to do something, I just don't want to do it," one 13-year-old explained. "But, now that I get to decide, I'm like, ok, I'll do that now."

What they don't know is that there may be an even more liberating type of freedom coming their way. Like all public schools, ours is scrambling to figure out how to legally offer academic credit for our online assignments without discriminating against students who can't access it (due to learning differences or lack of internet access, for example). If we can't prove we're meeting the needs of all our students, we may have to waive grades and credits for the remainder of the year.

This is huge. Waiving grades and credits would mean my students would have a freedom the great majority of our nation's students have never experienced before: the freedom to decide if they study at all. When students ask the question we teachers hate most-"Will this be graded?"-the answer could be, "Actually, no."

To be sure, many students like school-based learning. And, they will plug away at our packets and online lessons, regardless of whether or not a grade will be attached to it. But, millions more will not. As these long distance learning days stretch into weeks and months, even our most entertaining, meme-laced lessons will not compete with new household responsibilities and stresses, or the quarantine pleasures of Youtube, video games, and social media exchanges. When we finally open the schoolhouses again, the gap between students who stayed the course and everyone else will be wider than ever.

Unless, we pivot.

With students now free to choose whether to show up or not, our goal as teachers must not be to keep students on track, but to keep them engaged and learning meaningfully. And, when this is the goal, there's one pedagogical tool that always works: you let the kids drive the learning.

I've spent the last 20 years teaching children of all ages. I've taught in densely and sparsely populated communities. I've taught children who come from low- and high-income households. I've visited schools throughout the United States and studied innovative models from Colombia to India to the Zapatista zones of Southern Mexico. In every setting, regardless of demographics, I have found one universal truth: when children are allowed to explore their own passions and dreams, to study what they really want to learn, they prove to be motivated, resilient, and eager for the guidance of knowledgeable adults.

Think of the kid shooting hoops for hours on end, another poring over self-taught drawings, or another mastering bridge-building with Legos-or one kid doing all three. Not all children love school, but all children do love to learn-when it's on their terms.

Well, it's on their terms now. Our classrooms are shuttered; our carefully laid plans are shot. Standardized tests have been waived, and grades are likely to follow for many. What's left is an army of homebound adults who love working with children, and a mess of naturally curious kids who are (or about to be) bored out of their minds.

That's all we need. If during this time of crisis we educators dare to set aside the standards and curriculum, dare to pivot away from our regularly scheduled program, and design experiences that tap into what young people tell us they want to learn, we'll have a fighting chance to keep our nation's children learning in empowering ways.

We can start small, like the social studies teacher at my school who is letting his students pick any topic they want for their research papers-from the Philadelphia Eagles' 2018 Super Bowl run to the impact of K-Pop on American teens. Or we might go bolder, like the science teacher who's planning to let her students design DIY experiments for the quarantined household. (We're imagining titles like, "Relationship between days not cleaning my room and frequency of mother's shouts.")

Or we can go even bolder, following the lead of schools from the Big Picture Learning network, where every student builds a year-long project based on their interests. Learning in the age of coronavirus could look like young mathematicians statistically measuring their video game performance; young authors writing their own sci-fi pandemic blogs; young musicians composing online; young engineers building scale Lego models; and young scientists chemically transforming kitchen ingredients into cupcakes.

To be sure, pivoting toward interest-based learning won't be easy for teachers. Few of us have been trained in designing lessons that start with the child, rather than the curriculum. We'll be challenged at every turn to build bridges between their interests and academics. We'll have to swallow hard as we let them explore ideas that-to our adult eyes-seem impractical or silly. They'll lead us into unfamiliar fields, ask us questions we have no idea how to answer. The learning will be messy, unpredictable, and difficult to track.

But, it will be theirs. Their projects and explorations will be places where they can see themselves, find affirmation of their interests and dreams, and feel an authentic sense of agency and freedom. In these times of fear and constraint, I can think of no better lesson to teach and to keep teaching long after this pandemic is over.

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How the Constraint of Social Distancing Might Free Up Learning for Good - Education Reimagined

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Two weeks into implementing our distance learning program, I met with a small group of middle school students from the Washington, DC charter school where I'm a principal. The conversation was focused around one question, "How's it been going?"

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Pivoting instruction to meet the needs of students and families has been a challenge for teachers across the world since the COVID-19 pandemic. But through collaboration and continued support, we are working together to serve students. Thank you all for everything you are doing to ensure that ELs are receiving the support they need. ​

This article originally posted on Middle Web on 1/6/2019. This is an updated version that includes how to promote academic language during distance learning.

"My kids seem to speak English well, but when it comes to academic tasks, they struggle." We often wonder why English learners have a difficult time with standardized tests and essays in content areas but are able to communicate with peers and get along fairly well on a day to day basis. The reason behind it may be that academic language is different from everyday language. Academic language takes from 5-7 years to acquire while social or conversational language (often known as BICS, basic interpersonal communicative skills coined by Jim Cummins) only takes 2-3 years.

What we know is that students need to make greater gains in academic language in order to become successful in school and post secondary.

Academic language is the language of the content area of instruction. It is the textbook talk and vocabulary and syntax used in lectures and class presentation. It is not just single words and includes phrases and sentences as well.

It is critical that English learners are offered many opportunities on a daily basis to practice using academic language. Why? We have to consider that some English learners go home to environments where they speak another language in the home. And that is awesome! Bilingualism has great benefits. However, to develop bilingualism, when they are in our classrooms or under our instruction, we have to build as many opportunities as possible for English language development using domain specific vocabulary. We have to put the language in their mouths. Other students (including native English speaking students) may go home to English speaking households, but the level of vocabulary or conversation may not be where we'd hope. This is yet another reason why our instruction (be it face to face or remote) needs to be filled with opportunities for students to use academic language.

How can we get students to use academic language? Below you will find 10 ways to get students, especially English learners, practicing academic language in your classroom and beyond.

If you teach middle school or high school you can probably relate. You may have asked yourself this question before, "Why hasn't this EL met exit criteria?" Are they lazy? Are they not trying? Are they unmotivated? What is going on?

Let's look at a student profile:

High school student

Born in the U.S.

May or may not be fluent in another language

All education in the U.S.

Still in ESL

Why haven't they met criteria to exit ESL?
There may be many factors that contribute to students remaining in ESL and not meeting exit criteria. Examining each student's profile closely could reveal the answer.

However here a few common problems that lead to long term EL status:

The first thing we do with students can set the tone for our time together. Starting the period off on the right foot is critical to a successful lesson. Read on to discover five ways to start your class period in engaging and welcoming ways whether you are a general education teacher or an ESL teacher that pulls students out.

Recently at a state conference called TexTESOL, I had the pleasure to present on teaching ELs how to sketchnote. Since I personally enjoy sketchnoting so much and I have a passion for serving ELs, combining these two loves brought great happiness to me.
​
Many of you, that were not able to attend, have reached out to me via email or direct messages on Twitter and Facebook asking for the resources from the presentation. Here they are for all to use and share. Please let me know if you use them, enjoy them, find them meaningful, or have questions. And TWEET or share pictures on facebook of your students' work (if allowable) and tag me so I'll see them.

This link will take you to a Padlet that houses all of the resources I shared including slides from the presentation. Enjoy!

And for fun, here are pictures of our PLN at the conference too!

Building and sustaining strong partnerships with the families of our English learners is an essential part of their success. In this article for Seidlitz Education, I outline how to prepare for conferences with families, what to do during the conference, and how to continue to sustain communication after conferences.

First of all, WELCOME! We are glad to have you in our professional learning network. If you are reading this, I want to formally welcome you to a wonderful, passionate group of ESL educators and advocates who will support you along the way. In this article, you will find ideas for professional learning, resources to dig into, leaders in the field, and much more.

So you secured an ESL position. And you're wondering...how can I prepare for this job? ​

The other day, I posed a question to my Twitter PLN. I asked what their non-negiables were for teaching English Learners. The responses were overwhelming. Just imagine if we set aside time as campus or district teams to develop non-negiables and then live by them. This would be a great practice for ESL and bilingual teams. Here are some of the responses from Twitter followers:

The 'summer slide' is a real thing. When summer hits, many students digress in learning. Sadly, English learners can become victim to the 'Summer Slide'. We can help our students and their families by giving them some information before summer starts!

Well, first and foremost, we should care if we want our students to speak like scholars. If we want our students to be marketable after they graduate. If we want them TO graduate! Then we should care! Sentence stems and frames are scaffolds as students learn language and content.
​
Sometimes educators use the terms sentence stems, sentence starters and sentence frames interchangeably. You may wonder...are they the same thing? The answer is no, they are are not the same. They have their own form and function.

Teaching language structures is one of the most important things we do with our English learners. Embedding academic vocabulary into the language structures is key to their academic success. Making it interactive, engaging, and fun bumps it up ten notches! The Sentence Patterning Chart (a GLAD strategy) that I wrote about last January is an excellent way to build content knowledge and help students acquire language structures through authentic shared writing.

​So if you haven't tried it yet, I highly suggest it. And if you have tried it, here's your next move!

In the last post the focus was an overview of literacy components. This article will zoom in on just the mini lesson. The goals are to:

understand what the mini lesson is specifically,

explore why the mini lesson is important,

and learn how we can make it accessible to all learners especially English learners in our classrooms.

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Pivoting instruction to meet the needs of students and families has been a challenge for teachers across the world since the COVID-19 pandemic. But through collaboration and continued support, we are working together to serve students. Thank you all for everything you are doing to ensure that ELs are receiving the support they need.

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https://auth.flipgrid.com/signup

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ReadWorks.org | Solving the Reading Comprehension Crisis

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How to use your FREE ReadWorks account ​to support reading comprehension for hybrid and remote learning. For parents and caregivers, visit this page to see how you can support your child.

​Print and share our remote learning one-pagers that include how to:

Set up a digital class

Assign reading passages and question sets

Do Article-A-Day™

Support your students with offline mode

Do the 40-minute student independent work routine

Access our student tutorials and quick start guides here.

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How to use your FREE ReadWorks account ​to support reading comprehension for hybrid and remote learning. For parents and caregivers, visit this page to see how you can support your child.

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As educational leaders we want our youth to know that taking care of their whole person including hearts and hopes, is our first priority. With the new challenges of distance learning we must find new and innovative ways to engage students' hearts in addition to their minds. While we know that this is having a huge impact on all lives; how we think creatively about addressing the hearts and minds of our students and their social needs is essential in their continued learning. We see this as an opportunity for transformation.

As we look at the whole child, we know that learning may not occur unless the child is given their basic needs to survive. We recognize that during this time, families may have lost income, need more food, older siblings may need to care for younger siblings, mental health support may not be available and much more. Seniors in high school are nervous about graduating without a commencement and other senior year milestones, middle school students are missing their social interaction with their peers and the sounds of elementary students playing in the park have been regulated to our memories.

More than ever, the focus needs to be in strengthening our relationships with families and students. Educators must be more intentional with connecting with our Indigenous, black and brown students. As we continue working to provide an equitable education, we must first ensure each student has equitable access to learning and instruction during these times. This is an opportunity to reflect on our achievement, engagement, and learning gaps that exist in our educational system in the state of Minnesota. We must consider how equitable the distance learning is for our Indigenous, black and brown students. This is the time to rethink our educational system and honor the epistemology of Indigenous, black and brown people. It is our collective hope that at the conclusion of this pandemic our institutions and colleagues will continue to collaborate through an equity frame across the state.

After several Equity Leaders from across the state gathered this week to discuss equity considerations for Minnesota's new distance learning reality, we felt there are some truths that need to be emphasized for our Educational Leaders to consider:

Authentic equity begins at the onset of issues, not at the end, or as an afterthought.

It is essential that time is given to decision making so that meaningful change can occur.

Collaboration with multiple perspectives and lens will ensure more equitable access and decisions are made.

State education leaders and districts need to continue to engage essential staff such as family liaisons, equity and inclusion specialists, cultural family advocates and other achievement and integration staff. Continuing to connect with our Indigenous families and families of color will ensure Minnesota is the best state in the country for children to grow up in-those of all races, ethnicities, religions, economic statuses, gender identities, sexual orientations, (dis)abilities, and ZIP codes.

Essential Questions

Learning is the evidence of teaching; must include dedication to critical thinking, analysis and self-actualization--encourages students to make choices in content and assessment methods based on their experiences, values, needs, and strengths.

Example: Students being able to ask questions and teach others how to ask questions.

Teaching is helping students to guide the development of their own inherent capacity and power and apply knowledge and skills.

Example: The is a systemic framework that measures five essential building blocks of culturally responsive pedagogy.

E-learning refers specifically to temporary, short term plans to continue instruction via online platforms during an emergency weather situation.

Example: Use of tools such as Zoom, Google classroom and Pear Deck (this is not an exhaustive list).

Distance Learning is not e-learning. It can include online formats and forums for collecting and assigning work, tasks, and assignments but it is not limited to virtual formats and forums. Rather, it requires:

1. Access to educational materials.

2. Daily interaction with the student's licensed teachers see the Distance Learning section of our School Closure Guidance document .

Examples: It may take place via hard copy resources, online platforms, telephone, the schools Learning Management System (LMS), shared online documents and collaborative applications, video conferencing, etc. It may include the use of bus drivers to deliver materials to families.

Home schools are considered a type of nonpublic school under Minnesota law. Because compulsory instruction and school attendance is mandatory, a home school must be registered with the State. All home schools must be compliant with Minnesota Statutes, sections 120A.22 and 120A. 24; or, the parent has qualified for legitimate legal exemption to compulsory instruction in accordance with Minnesota Statutes, section 120A.22, subdivision 12.

Ensuring families and students feel valued and heard, multidirectional (educator to student, student to student, families to educator, educator to educator), authentic, flexible, focus on well-being (safety and hope). The means of connection must be co-created and through relationships.

Examples: Regularly (at least weekly) engaging with families and students, via phone, video, social media, or email, to help address barriers and needs.

We must be mindful of the amount of work we assign and expect is needed to determine engagement and learning. Making sure we are asking our educators to keep in mind the importance of going slow to go fast, , need for brain breaks, shared/limited resources, awareness of fear and isolation impacting brain processes necessary for learning.

Examples: Chunking information into bite size pieces (i.e., length of time, amount/type of content) for students aligned with their developmental level and learning setting.

The purpose of grading is to clearly, accurately, consistently, and fairly communicate learning progress and achievement to students, families and post-secondary institutions. This may include but is not limited to performance based and self-assessment/reflection. Grading should be used to ensure students are aware of their progress and to nurture their curiosity and intrinsic motivation.

Considerations: If performance-based is the way your school/district grades, how will you provide an opportunity for each and every student to meet or exceed their identified learning targets? What plans do you have to re-teach concepts that students are not learning?

Book: Visible Learning for Teachers by John Hattie (8 Mindframes)

Gloria Ladson-Billings defines culturally responsive instruction as "a pedagogy [method] that empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes". This is not connected to a certain program or presenter.

Considerations: Continued professional development, adult mindsets

Article: Culturally Responsive Teaching in the Online Classroom

Authors and Theorists to Consider: Yvette Jackson, Chris Emdin, Zaretta Hammond, Beverly Daniel Tatum

Khalifa (2018, p. 13) says, culturally responsive school leadership is characterized by:

1. Being critically self-reflective

2. Developing and sustaining culturally responsive teachers and curricula

3. Promoting inclusive, anti-oppressive school contexts

4. Engaging students Indigenous or local neighborhood community contexts

Here are some, but not all-inclusive, implications where the above listed characterizations need to be applied: staff development and engagement, programming, policies and practices, strategic plans (including Achievement and Integration plans).

Considerations: Utilize your district equity staff and Achievement and Integration Plan staff in proactive planning/implementation and decision-making. Engage your educational teams to check-in, reflect, adjust, incorporate multiple perspectives and challenge their implicit bias.

Contributors to the document:

Robin Gordon, Rosemount, Eagan, Apple Valley (ISD 196)

Dr. Lee-Ann Stephens, Saint Louis Park Schools

Al Johnson, St Cloud Area Schools (ISD 742)

Susan Samaha, Fridley Public Schools

Macarre Traynham, Minnesota Department of Education

Tamuriel Grace, Robbinsdale Area Schools (ISD 281)

Julia Berry, Intermediate District 287

Kandace Logan, Minneapolis Public Schools

Myla Pope, St. Paul Public Schools

Lydia Lindsoe, Lakeville Area Schools (194)

Solveig Harriday, Wayzata Public Schools (ISD 284)

Dr. Keith Brooks, Eastern Carver County Schools (ISD 112)

Jason Knighton-Johnson, Mounds View Public Schools

Jackie Blagsvedt, Minnesota Department of Education

Pamela Booker, Minnesota Department of Education

Dr. Rev Hillstrom, Osseo Public Schools

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As educational leaders we want our youth to know that taking care of their whole person including hearts and hopes, is our first priority. With the new challenges of distance learning we must find new and innovative ways to engage students' hearts in addition to their minds.

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Leading ELLs

Global Innovative Language Teachers

WIDA Educator Exchange

Colorin Colorado's ELL Educator Group

Helping ELLs in Mainstream Classrooms

ELL/SPED: Language Acquisition or Disability?

ELL Teachers Collaborate

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Special Education Division / COVID-19 Resources for Parents of Students with Disabilities

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Blank stares. Eyes focused on cell phones. A lack of participation. For instructors, it's clear when students are not engaged during class. But why is student engagement so important?

In an era where technology permeates virtually every aspect of our lives, distractions are an ever-present concern. And this means that engagement strategies for students are becoming even more essential in modern college courses. So how do instructors build learning environments that are engaging, lively and motivated? They have to incorporate strategies to build community, connection and a love of learning.

Engaged students are typically more curious about a subject-perhaps even more passionate about it. Increasing engagement can help improve student motivation and, in turn, boost student progress and achievement as well.

Here, we provide 31 strategies to bring creativity, collaboration and participation to your classroom.

How student engagement strategies can fit in your classroom

In a classroom where engagement is emphasized, students are asked to participate more rigorously in the learning process and sometimes even in course design. Lectures still exist, but they now incorporate multimedia, technology and class participation. In hybrid and online learning environments, this can mean polling, classwide discussions and competitive activities. These engaging, relevant activities for students can energize your classroom and take learning to a new level, wherever it takes place.

By engaging in hands-on activities, students learn to support, trust and listen to each other, while developing important skills like collaboration and communication-skills that can't be learned from a textbook, interactive or not. Learning to get along with peers, for example, isn't something you can pick up through memorization.

Student engagement is closely linked to student achievement. Numerous studies have found that when instructors use strategies that are explicitly designed to get students' attention-and to actively engage them in the learning process-test scores and graduation rates increase, and learning objectives are more likely to be met, which makes understanding how to engage students even more important for instructors.

What are student engagement strategies?

Student engagement strategies are activities, tactics and approaches educators can leverage during and after class to keep students invested in their learning. They can be used to increase active learning, participation and collaboration in the classroom-and can be everything from simple changes made in your next class to a complete revamp of your curriculum, course delivery and assessment methodology. Here are some creative strategies for engaging students in learning-ranging from small changes to more substantial pedagogical shifts.

Student engagement strategies for your teaching

1. Active learning:
Create a teaching and learning environment primed for student participation, such as calling on students to answer a question, individual reflection and group problem-solving.

Use case: Donna Smith, Instructor of Mathematics at Sierra College, used Top Hat to create a connected, engaging learning experience for students learning asynchronously. Leveraging Top Hat's streamlined platform with features to customize course content, Smith uses more than 14 different question types to assess student learning as the course progresses. This fall, she plans to embed interactive questions between lecture videos, so students have the opportunity to practice course concepts right after learning them. "I love that we have that flexibility with the anonymous question," Smith says. "In my class, 30 percent of my students are first-generation college students. And so for them to be able to ask a question without feeling judged or embarrassed is great."

2. Participatory teaching:
This student-centered approach to pedagogy accounts for the different skills, backgrounds and learning styles of students. The focus of participatory teaching is on self-regulation and self-reflection; specific strategies include using different teaching methods and varying means of assessment, which adds a greater level of flexibility, a key part of any engagement strategies for online learning.

3. Flip the classroom:
Flip the traditional lecture-homework relationship. Students study the subject matter independently and outside class through tools such as pre-recorded videos. Class is then spent on student-centered learning such as working through problems, debating or group work.

4. Technology in the classroom:
Students expect to be constantly connected and want immediate feedback. Online and mobile technology can be used to provide active learning activities and to keep students engaged outside the classroom.

5. Classroom management strategies:
Classroom strategies help instructors build a distraction-free environment. As an instructor, you can build in student engagement by asking learners to help shape classroom rules. As an activity in the first week of classes, decide on a set of shared values and create a set of guidelines, like active listening, what respectful disagreements look like and how to create a safe space for questions.

5. Writing:
Exercises such as journaling and one-minute papers can help keep students engaged in class as well as improve thinking skills.

6. Culturally responsive teaching:
This strategy ensures students see themselves reflected in course readings, activities and lesson plans. Faculty might bring in diverse guest speakers to give a lecture on a niche topic. Alternatively, educators might ensure a certain percentage of their required readings are authored by scholars from under-represented populations.

Student engagement activities based on your curriculum

7. Set expectations:
At the beginning of a course, ask students what they expect from you and then try to meet those expectations. Students are more engaged when they have a good relationship with the instructor.

8. Integrated curriculum:
Combine disciplines rather than compartmentalizing subjects. Some medical schools, for example, have moved away from teaching subjects in isolation such as physiology and anatomy, and moved toward studying organ systems where students learn the physiology and anatomy associated with that system.

Use case: John Redden, Associate Professor of Physiology and Neurobiology at the University of Connecticut, is a long-time Top Hat user and has leveraged the platform to offer a consistent and equitable hybrid learning experience. "To me, that means giving students as much control over their own schedules as I possibly can," Redden said. "It means trying to diversify the way that I teach and the ways that I assess student learning." Redden noted that it's important for students to work together in online learning environments. "We're fortunate that many anatomy labs can be taught online because there are such great multimedia resources embedded right in our Top Hat textbook."

9. Think-pair-share:
Think-pair-share encourages students to work together to solve problems. Students take a few moments of individual reflection to gather their thoughts on a given topic. Then, have them discuss their thoughts with a peer. Next, have the pair of students form a group with another pair and encourage the group of four to inquire about one another's opinions.

10. Make the course relevant:
Students want courses to be relevant and meaningful. Use real-world examples to teach; where the course is relevant to a specific occupation, ensure it's aligned with the current needs of the occupation.

11. Cooperative learning:
How to increase student engagement? Encourage students to work together by arranging them in partners or small groups to help them achieve learning goals. Group work can include assignments, discussions, reviews and lab experiments-even having students discuss a lesson with their peers.

12. Authentic learning experiences:
Encourage active engagement in the classroom by having students tackle real-world problems and attempt to come up with a solution through methods such as inquiry and experimentation. Ideally, the solution will benefit others or the community. Experiential learning-when students learn from reflecting on their real-world learning experience-is a further development of this, and is an effective teaching strategy.

13. Social media:
Potential uses for social media include sharing relevant content, posting instructional videos on YouTube and facilitating ongoing discussion groups. However, strict guidelines for use must be put in place and enforced.

14. Quick writes:
During each lesson, ask students to write down their questions, thoughts and points of clarification. This is an easy-to-implement way to encourage students to think critically and analytically about the course content.

Student engagement strategies for assessments

15. Prepare for class before class:
Students get more out of class time if they're familiar with the material before they arrive. Exercises such as pre-class quizzes ensure they're knowledgeable enough to contribute.

16. Assess early and often:
Frequent quizzes for formative assessment (for "fun") work well alongside traditional midterm and final exams. Frequent testing reduces the temptation for students to cram and forces them to space out their learning, which leads to better retention. Having the first test within the first few classes also helps prevent students from falling behind-boosting student achievement early.

17. Assess attendance:
Student attendance can improve grades as well as engagement. Consider making attendance part of their overall assessment. Many learners enter university without proper study skills, and first-year students can benefit from the structure of mandatory attendance.

18. Problem-based/project-based learning:
Students are tasked with solving a problem or completing a project, but the focus is on the end product, allowing students to determine what resources are needed to solve the problem or complete the project.

Classroom engagement strategies using your presentation skills

19. Use visual representations:
Engage students with animations, 3D representations and concept maps, all of which can help them visualize complex subjects.

20. Inquiry-based learning:
To answer questions posed by the instructor or by the students themselves, a learner undertakes his or her own research to arrive at an answer. Inquiry-based learning can be as simple as watching video lectures, or more involvement could come from designing and performing an experiment.

21. Use simulations:
Games or role-playing place students in an imaginary setting defined by the instructor, providing for an interactive, participatory learning experience.

22. Tell stories:
Wherever possible, tell stories to illustrate concepts when giving lectures. This helps students to process course concepts in their own words, and move past rote memorization. For example, you might ask them to paraphrase a story or definition, explain a concept in their own words, tell a story that relates to it, or provide analogies to further illustrate a course concept.

Use case: Steve Joordens, Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, has devoted much of his career to the issue of student distraction and its ephemeral counterpart, student engagement. And if he's learned one thing about engagement, it's that there's more than one way to foster it. So he set about trying to name the different techniques, which led Joordens to create o develop a taxonomy of student engagement, complete with its own handy label: RIFS, an acronym for "Relevant, Interesting, Fun, Social."

The taxonomy breaks down like so:

Relevant is about answering the well-worn student grouse, "Why are we learning this?" Classroom activities such as problem-based or work-integrated learning can enhance any course material's relevance.

Interesting speaks to students' intrinsic motivations: if they're not learning something to accomplish a goal or use it in their daily life, they're learning it because they're interested. Personalized learning strategies in the classroom encourage students to take greater ownership over their own education, which develops a stronger sense of intrinsic motivation: it reinforces the fact that they're not learning something because someone says they have to, but because they chose to.

Fun is about making the classroom experience enjoyable, and Joordens turns to physiology to underline its importance. "When people feel anxious or stressed or under pressure, blood leaves the frontal lobe and people go into fight-or-flight mode," he explains. "The reciprocal of that is to do things that make people feel comfortable and feel good about the class" to keep their minds relaxed and open.

Social is about encouraging students to interact and learn from each other as well as from their instructors or their readings. Studies have shown that learning is most effective when the sense of community in a classroom is high. Tactics such as response systems and peer assessments foster more social interaction in learning.

Student engagement strategies to encourage collaboration

21. Snowball discussions:
Randomly assign students in pairs with a discussion question. After a few minutes, combine the pairs to form groups of four. After another five minutes, combine groups of four to form a group of eight-and so on. Continue combining groups until the class is back together.

22. Philosophical chairs:
Read a statement that has two possible answers -agree or disagree-out loud to your class. Ask students to move to one side of the room or the other, depending on whether they agree or disagree with the statement. Once all participants have selected a side, encourage students on either side to argue in favor of their position. This way, students can visualize where their peers' opinions lie, compared to their own.

23. Affinity mapping:
Place students in small groups and pose a general question or problem to them that has many possible answers, such as "How would the history of the United States be different without Teddy Roosevelt" or "How would society be different if the Internet was never invented?" Then, have students write their ideas on small index cards or on an online discussion thread. After ten minutes, ask students to group their similar ideas into categories, then label the different groupings and discuss how each idea fits. You can also suggest that students consider how the categories are related. This allows students to participate in critical thinking by analyzing ideas and organizing them in relation to one another.

24. Concentric circles:
Ask students to form two circles: an inner circle and an outer circle. Each student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside. Have them sit facing each other. Pose a question to the broader group and ask the pairs to discuss their responses. Have students on the outside circle move one space over after five minutes so they're standing in front of a different peer. Repeat the process for a few rounds, asking a new question each time and exposing students to their peers' different perspectives.

25. Make it personal:
After a lecture unit or lesson concludes, arrange learners into discussion groups or online breakout rooms. To encourage students to reflect on their personal connections to the material they are learning, ask them questions like "How did this change your initial understanding of the concept" or "Describe your initial reaction to this idea."

26. Socratic seminar:
To prepare for a discussion, ask students to review a textbook chapter or a separate reading and develop higher-order thinking questions to pose to their peers. During class, ask an open-ended question to introduce the activity. Then, have students continue the conversation, encouraging their peers to use evidence-based claims, based on course concepts or texts. Students are encouraged to share the floor with their peers, however, there doesn't need to be a specific order for speaking.

Student engagement strategies to build communication skills

27. Brainwriting:
To build rapport and respect in your classroom, give students time to reflect on their learnings in writing, following a challenging course concept. Using guided prompts or leaving it open to your students' interpretation, have them share their thoughts and questions in a conversation with peers during class time or through an online discussion thread. Knowing how to keep students engaged throughout the duration of class ensures that they will be able to understand course concepts on a deeper level.

28. Concept mapping:
Collaborative concept mapping is a way of visually organizing concepts and ideas, in order to better understand how they are related. This is a great way for students to gain a better understanding of others' experiences and perspectives. In small groups, students can use this exercise to go over past work or to brainstorm ideas for future assignments and projects. For face-to-face classes, have students place sticky notes and chart paper on the classroom walls. For online classes, the digital whiteboard feature in Zoom allows students to map out ideas and connect concepts.

29. Debate:
Pose an issue or topic to your class. Then, place students into groups according to the position they hold on the topic. Ask each group to develop some arguments or examples to support their opinion. Next, put each group's idea on a virtual whiteboard or piece of chart paper, to be a starting point for a classwide discussion. To conclude, encourage students to debate the strengths and weaknesses of each group's argument, to help students improve their higher-order thinking and analysis skills.

30. Compare and contrast:
Place students into groups and ask them to focus on a specific chapter in their textbook. Encourage them to find similarities and differences between ideas that can be found in course readings and external sources, like articles and videos they may find. This way, students benefit from sharing resources and learning from one another's perspectives.

31. Assess/diagnose/act:
This activity helps strengthen students' problem-solving abilities and can spur more dynamic discussions. Propose a topic or controversial statement, then follow the steps below to start a discussion.

Assessment: What is the main problem or issue?

Diagnosis: What is its' root cause?

Action: How can we, as a group, solve the issue?

References

1. Ojalvo, H. E., & Doyne, S. Five Ways to Flip Your Classroom With The New York Times. [Blog post] New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2019 from https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/08/five-ways-to-flip-your-classroom-with-the-new-york-times/

2. Evans, C., Muijs, D. & Tomlinson, M. (2015). Engaged student learning: high-impact strategies to enhance student achievement. [White paper] Retrieved May 15, 2019 from: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/engaged-student-learning-high-impact-strategies-enhance-student-achievement

3. Twelve Best Practices for Student Engagement and Retention. [White paper] Retrieved May 15, 2019 from Mansfield University of Pennsylvania: https://www.mansfield.edu/academic-affairs/upload/Twelve-Best-Practices-for-Student-Engagement-and-Retention-2012.pdf

4. Quevillon, K. (2017). Student Attendance Matters, Even If Lectures Are Online. Ask Harvard. [Blog post] Retrieved May 15, 2019 from Top Hat Blog: https://tophat.com/blog/student-attendance-harvard/

5. Inquiry-Based Learning. Retrieved May 15, 2019 from Queens' University, Kingston: https://www.queensu.ca/ctl/teaching-support/instructional-strategies/inquiry-based-learning

Related pages

Learn more about Top Hat's student engagement software.

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31 Student Engagement Strategies For Any College Course

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These student engagement strategies are easy to implement and will get your class excited to learn

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Starfall Education: Kids Games, Movies, Books & Music for K-5 and above

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At Starfall, children have fun while they learn - specializing in reading, phonics & math - educational games, movies, books, songs, and more for children K-5 and above.

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You will need to use a platform to interact with students

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Intriguing Times images stripped of their captions — and an invitation to students to discuss them live.

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LA USD Continuity and Daily Lesson Samples

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LA USD Continuity and Daily Lesson Samples

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Educational Games, Worksheets, and More for Kids

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Download, print, or work on activities interactively today!

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5 Technology Consideration Tips for ELL Teachers

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To be sufficiently prepared for college and the workforce, all students must have strong digital literacy skills. In today's marketplace, it's not only white-collar jobs that require digital literacy and ease of media use to present, record, and analyze data-blue-collar workers are expected to look for ways to increase productivity, analyze market trends, and increase job safety as well.

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The first time I heard/read about Virginia P. Collier’s research on second language acquisition was during my first English as a Second Language course in college. I was blown away by the research…

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Your subscription means everyone can enjoy the benefits of Read&Write across all platforms including Windows, Mac, Google Chrome, Edge, iPad, and Android.

Our Learning and Training resources for each product can be accessed at any time on our website. Get up to speed with our software through our learning resources, then verify your expertise by taking part in our certification program.

Our support site gives you access to lots of common questions that other users of our software have about the technical stuff. If you can't find what you're looking for there, then our Tech Support team is on hand at support@texthelp.com 9-5pm every day to help with troubleshooting or technical problems.

We're always working on making our products better, so any improvements or enhancements are pushed out automatically to you, there's no upgrading to do on your part.

Plus, coming soon you'll get free access to the Texthelp Academy for how-to information, video tutorials, product webinars and lots more.

All of this is included as part of your subscription. We do not charge any extra for these services.

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assistive technology for special education

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Read&Write For Education - Reading, Literacy & Assistive Software

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Discover the literacy support software that's helping millions of students across North America to read, write and express themselves independently.

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Listening Actitivies with Before/After Tests

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Listening Actitivies with Before/After Tests

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So what do you do to practise listening for exams?

Growing up, I never had the opportunity to do any extra practice to improve my listening skills. We didn't have the Internet and the thousand possibilities it offers to learners of any language nowadays. The teachers had an old tape player that sometimes stopped and started on its own and old tapes that ended up sounding distorted and most of the times unlistenable so if you wanted to get better at listening, you just listened to the radio and struggled to understand the lyrics and sing along. Not that I ever complained. That was the perfect excuse to listen to music while claiming to be working hard. I have to say that my father never bought it!

So, exams are just around the corner and I know you're beginning to freak out. Don't worry! Here I am, coming to the rescue!

These are, in my opinion, the best sites with quizzes to practise listening comprehension. In no particular order.

TALK ENGLISH

Levels: three main levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced)

Pre-listening /Post-listening activities: no

Transcript: yes

Audio Download: no

What I like best: it has some other listening activities like dictations or listening based on pictures for lower levels. It also has a section dedicated to advanced students with a story and some comprehension questions. See here

What I don't like: In my opinion, the "listening" categorised under "advanced level" is far too easy.

BRITISH COUNCIL

EDTED LESSONS WORTH SHARING

Levels: advanced

Pre-listening /Post-listening activities: all the lessons have three parts : watch, think (where you can do the comprehension exercise) and discuss (post-listening questions)

Transcript: no, although most lessons are on youtube, and you can watch them with subtitles

Audio Download: the videos are on youtube, so they can be easily downloaded

What I don't like: the audio is not sorted by level and although most of videos are for advanced students, some of them are much easier than others so I would say that they are suitable for B2 students and higher. You need to register although it's free.

Extra: you can also create your own lessons

ESOL COURSES

url: http://www.eslvideo.com/index.php

Levels: five ( from beginner to advanced)

Pre-listening /Post-listening activities: no

Transcript: not always

Audio Download: the videos are on youtube, so they can be easily downloaded

What I don't like: anybody can create a listening quiz so it might contain mistakes

Extra: You can create your own quiz

BREAKING NEWS ENGLISH

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/index.html

Levels: seven levels

Pre-listening /Post-listening activities: both

Transcript: yes

Audio Download: yes

What I like best: you can listen to the same piece of news at different levels and the news can be read at different speeds.

Extra: Sean Banville's also runs eight other sites, check them out here

RANDALL'S ESL CYBER LISTENING LAB

Levels: three levels ( easy, medium and difficult)

Pre-listening /Post-listening activities: Both

Transcript: yes

Audio Download: No

What I like best: the post-listening activities and the vocabulary section ( see here) where you can learn how to pronounce words associated to different topics.

LYRICS TRAINING

Levels: four ( from beginner to expert)

Pre-listening /Post-listening activities: no

Transcript: any lyrics site will have the lyrics for the song

Audio Download: the videos are on youtube, so they can be easily downloaded

What I like: it's fun and a different way to approach listening exercises.

Extra: You can create your own exercises (beta).

Check also:

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10 Best Free Listening Websites with Quizzes to Practise for Listening Exams

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So what do you do to practise listening for exams? Growing up, I never had the opportunity to do any extra practice to improve my listening skills. We didn't have the Internet and the thousand possibilities it offers to learners of any language nowadays.

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Like many offices, mine is closed right now, so most mornings I start my workday in front of my laptop with headphones on attending my morning standup meeting at my kitchen table.

My 10-year-old starts his school day doing the exact same thing. But instead of participating in a meeting with 30 adults, he's attending class with a third of his classroom peers. Virtual learning for 30 kids is overwhelming, so they stagger meeting times throughout the day. The hangouts are loud, kids are talking over kids, and there are many giggles. It is chaotic.

One day, in the midst of the virtual confusion, my son expressed he was struggling to hear, and his teacher suggested that he turn on the live captioning feature. His teacher went on to provide a math lesson and review reading assignments. A couple students presented their science projects.

I am grateful for his amazing teacher and this thoughtful learning experience. My son has everything he needs to set him up for success, but I can't help thinking of students I previously taught and wondering whether or not online learning would have worked for them. Even under the best-case learning environments, many were left with unmet needs.

We cannot forget that many students need specialized, explicit instruction and access to materials in different formats."

The importance of accessibility and accommodations in distance education
During a typical school day in the building, most students meet with their classroom or homeroom teachers while some students attend special education or English language programs. These students are served by educators certified in specialty areas (e.g., English language development). As we shift to distance learning, we cannot overlook how these students' needs may not be met and how we can make small adjustments to our online instruction to account for their specific learning needs.

In response to school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, states across the nation are rapidly developing continuous learning plans so districts can complete the 2019-20 school year. These plans require educators to ramp up online learning.

We cannot forget that many students need specialized, explicit instruction and access to materials in different formats. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 7 million, or 14%, of all public school students ages 3-21 received special education services during the 2017-18 school year under the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA). This is no small number, and it does not include our students who are currently on 504 plans.

14% of all public school students ages 3-21 received special education services during the 2017-18 school year."

1. Check for accessibility features and compliance
Educators are facing challenges translating federal guidance around providing free and appropriate public education (FAPE) to children with disabilities during coronavirus school closures. Here are a few ways districts can remain compliant with accessibility requirements under IDEA while supporting educators and students in maintaining access to specialized instruction.

No matter which online platform your district uses to deliver online curriculum, make sure everyone is familiar with the accessibility features that platform supports. Many students who use assistive technology (AT) need to have the ability to utilize their own AT device or their own AT software. If the platform is not accessible for AT devices, then the student could be excluded from instruction and participation with their peers.
2. Teach the layout of new platforms
Fortunately, many platforms have features such as zoom or magnification, closed captioning, and keyboard navigation. The following links provide information on common online classroom platforms and what accessibility features are available: Google Hangouts, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Skype.

If your class has never met online before, there will be students who won't know how to use all the wonderful features most of these platforms provide. Teaching the platform's layout will be the most important step for any student who is an AT user and has never used the site before.
3. Lay down ground rules
Take plenty of time to review the features and explain how to navigate the site, such as how to screen share, share documents, use the chat feature, raise a hand, and find the mute button (which could save your sanity). Treat these mini lessons like you would setting up your classroom routines (e.g., using the restroom) during the first week of school. In other words, be explicit, let them practice, and repeat many times for fluency. We cannot assume that all kids will find these features or use them intuitively. Therefore, walking them through will set everyone up for success.

Remember your first day of class and how almost an entire day was spent on the schedule, rules of the classroom, and classroom expectations? Spend time to lay the ground rules for your online class and your students will not only thank you, but you'll be happier, too!

Nothing is the same right now for anyone, everything has changed, and students with disabilities need to be seen."

4. Get curious and ease anxiety
Begin by including your students in setting rules and building off of their ideas. Ask students what they will need to be successful. This simple request can give you a plethora of insight and is a great way to start building community, expectations, and ground rules into your new online practices. Then create ground rules together, such as when to turn on video, muting when you're not speaking, and when to use the raise-your-hand feature or chat. Give examples of what good online learners look like and sound like.

Many students, teachers, and parents are using online tools for the first time. It is helpful to foster curiosity and ask questions about what is and is not working at home for a student. As we know, every student is different, every home life is different, and these differences can be a wide range.
5. Consider universal design for learning (UDL)
To help with anxiety, think ahead and give students and parents schedules ahead of time to prepare not only physically, but also emotionally. There are students with disabilities who may need more detailed schedules requiring specific task analysis, so be mindful this may be the case. Sometimes the transition from home life to school life is jarring, so prepping students can ease anxiety about the unknown. Transitions can be especially difficult for students with disabilities, so take time to implement mindfulness and consider social and emotional needs before diving into a lecture or instruction. It is worth your time to ground students and take into consideration their feelings and anxieties.

Universal design for learning (UDL) gives a framework that ensures our instruction is more inclusive of all students. CAST gives us a tremendous amount of materials to support online teaching and instruction by utilizing the UDL guidelines, which call for multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation, and multiples means of action and expression.

Consider whether you have multiple ways to engage the students. For example, is video use ok for all? Some students may find it difficult to see themselves while some students may thrive, so provide variations for both ends of the spectrum.

[C]reate ground rules together, such as when to turn on video, muting when you're not speaking, and when to use the raise your hand feature or chat."

Ask yourself, do you offer different modes of teaching the curriculum, such as video, PowerPoint, shared documents, or student presentations? Multiple means of representation can help you reach all students.
6. Give grace and time
Lastly, what are some options of multiple ways for students to respond? Are they only responding verbally? Are there other options, such as creating pictures, drawings, or writing? Is a student able to respond with their AT device, such as refreshable braille, keyboard navigation, or switch use?

No one will get this new world of teaching right the first time. We all need time to play, we need time to fail, and we need time to recover. Now more than ever, patience, understanding, and compassion are needed.

Some students will need to spend time with a specialist, whether that's for speech language, special education, or occupational or physical therapy. Offer extra time that you will be available for questions, for help with a project, and maybe as a listener. More importantly be the conduit for the specialists, students, and parents so everyone can work together.
Christine Pitts, policy advisor at NWEA, contributed to this post.
Nothing is the same right now for anyone, everything has changed, and students with disabilities need to be seen.

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6 ways to support students with disabilities during COVID-19 school closures

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Like many offices, mine is closed right now, so most mornings I start my workday in front of my laptop with headphones on attending my morning standup meeting at my kitchen table. My 10-year-old starts his school day doing the exact same thing.

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Listenwise | Listening Comprehension Matters

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Listening comprehension matters | Listenwise

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Explore the best podcast lessons for grade-level rigor. Curriculum aligned lessons with literacy & language supports, great for English Learners. Free sign up!

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With President Donald Trump and top officials of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention putting schools on alert that they should be taking steps to prepare for the coronavirus, educators and public health authorities have plenty to think about.

In particular, the prospect of closing schools to help block the spread of the deadly virus raises numerous legal and practical issues. Who has the authority to close schools? What should the geographic contours of any closures be, and for how long? And how will schools continue to educate students if they are forced to close?

Educators likely have begun to contemplate such questions given the serious threat of the pandemic, but some researchers and policy experts have studied these issues for years.

"I can't emphasize enough that closing schools is not like turning a light switch on or off," said James G. Hodge Jr., a professor of public health law and ethics at Arizona State University. "There are legal and logistical issues that are quite extensive."

Special Collection: Coronavirus and Schools

In 2008, Hodge was a co-author of a research paper prepared for the CDC that examined the legal preparedness of states and local education and health authorities to respond to a pandemic flu or similar emergencies.

Among the conclusions at that time was that most states had multiple legal avenues for ordering the closure of schools, either through state or local education and public health authorities, and depending on whether a state of emergency had been declared.

"Our survey and characterization suggest that specific legal authority at the state level to close schools is ambiguous," said the report. Hodge said in his interview with Education Week that the 2008 analysis largely holds up today.

The potential tensions over the issue was highlighted late in the week when a Seattle-area school district closed one of its high schools Thursday and Friday because a staff member had traveled overseas with a family member who became ill and was being tested for the coronavirus.

Administrators of the 22,000-student Northshore school district closed Bothell High School despite advice from local public health officials that the risk to students and staff members was low. The staff member's relative was determined by late Friday to not be infected with the coronavirus and the high school was expected to reopen on March 2.

'Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions'

School closures are one form of what public health officials call "non-pharmaceutical interventions" to a pandemic, which include quarantines, isolation, and prohibitions on large public gatherings.

The most prominent example of school closures came in response to the 1918-19 Spanish flu, which killed as many as 675,000 people in the United States and millions more around the world. Schools in dozens of U.S. cities were closed for as long as four months, a tactic that researchers have generally concluded was beneficial to stemming the spread of the disease.

Researchers have studied a more recent public health threat, the 2009 H1N1 (swine flu) virus, for lessons on school closures. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health looked at that episode as the basis for analyzing state school-closure laws during a pandemic.

"The relatively mild transmissibility and severity of the 2009 H1N1 disease contrasts with the reasonable expectation that another, more virulent novel pandemic disease will occur in the future-one accompanied by surging demand for health-care services, lack of a vaccine, and high morbidity and mortality rates," the 2012 study said with some degree of prescience.

The researchers used statistical modeling to attempt to answer questions about how soon schools should be closed if there was evidence of the pandemic, and for how long.

"Eight weeks was found to be the most optimal, from the disease transmission standpoint," said Tina Batra Hershey, an assistant professor of health policy and management at Pitt and an adjunct professor at its law school. "If you close for too short a time and then reopen schools when there is a lot of risk of disease in the community, then you are putting students back at risk."

Another co-author of the 2012 study, Bruce Y. Lee, wrote in Forbes this week that there were a number of considerations against closing schools in response to a pandemic such as the coronavirus, including the economic costs and the risk of simply moving students and others to other locations where they will mix.

"If a virus is already running around outside of schools, can closing schools in some way reduce the size or duration of an epidemic? Well, that depends on how long you close the schools," Lee wrote, referring to the 2012 study and another he led for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

School 'Dismissals'

A number of public and private organizations have released practical guides for schools in recent weeks.

"It's the perfect time for businesses, health-care systems, universities, and schools to look at their pandemic preparedness plans, dust them off, and make sure that they're ready," said Anne Schuchat, the principal deputy director of the CDC, at a Feb. 26 White House news conference about the coronavirus.

At the same news conference, Trump added, "Yeah, I think schools should be preparing and, you know, get ready just in case. The words are 'just in case.'"

Most legal experts say the federal government-whether the president, the CDC, or some other agency-does not have the authority on its own to order school closures.

"From a federalism perspective, the feds could not tell the states they must shut down their schools," said Hodge, the Arizona State professor. But he notes that the Trump administration "is proceeding in some different ways" in various areas involving expanded federal power.

"We can't quite tell how this may go," Hodge said.

The CDC issued interim guidance specifically for administrators of child-care and K-12 schools on Feb. 16. It urges those with identified "COVID-19" cases in their communities to consult with local health officials before deciding to close or "dismiss" facilities.

"Temporarily dismissing child-care programs and K-12 schools is a strategy to stop or slow the further spread of COVID-19 in communities," the document says. "During school dismissals, child-care programs and schools may stay open for staff members (unless ill) while students stay home."

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Education launched a coronavirus information page on its web site ( www.ed.gov/coronavirus) for schools and school personnel, which includes links to CDC information and guidance on COVID-19.

The National School Boards Association on Friday published a legal guide for school districts regarding the coronavirus. The document will include lots of practical tips urging schools to meet with local health or state health authorities, develop plans for distance learning or even just assign homework in case schools were closed, as well as check their insurance policies, said Francisco M. Negrón Jr., the general counsel.

"These are going to be local decisions," he said. "It makes sense for them to be local decisions."

Negrón said that while much of the focus has been on students, school districts must also contemplate the potential impact of the pandemic and any closures on school employees, many of whom might be expected to continue working even if the schools were closed.

"Often a school district is the largest employer in an area, so they carry the weight of the community on their backs," he said.

Ryan Tekac, the health commissioner of Mahoning County in eastern Ohio, said he has been in "constant contact" with the state health department since the coronavirus threat arose and is planning a meeting soon with school administrators from the dozens of districts in his county.

"The Ohio code gives us the authority to potentially close schools threatened in a pandemic," he said. "But we are working with our school officials to make sure we have plans in place. We're dissecting all the information."

Published in Print: March 11, 2020, as Legal, Practical Issues in Coronavirus Shutdowns

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Coronavirus and School Closures: What Are the Legal, Logistical Issues?

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