How Can We Encourage ELL Parent Involvement? by Lindsay https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv Activity 2.7 - Identifying ILP Research Questions en-us 2018-02-02 18:15:41 UTC 2018-02-03 15:02:18 UTC hello@padlet.com How is this relevant to me? mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227615120 2018-02-02 18:17:53 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227615120 How will I put theory into practice? mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227615786 2018-02-02 18:19:10 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227615786 A Guide for Engaging ELL Families: Twenty Strategies for School Leaders mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227634061 2018-02-02 18:58:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227634061 Increasing the Parental Involvement of ELL Students in Our Schools: Improving Teacher-Parent Communication mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227752392 2018-02-03 14:09:59 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227752392 mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227752531 As an educator it is very important to me to understand the family of my ELLs.  I have found it difficult to communicate with a number of parents efficiently because of their lack of involvement in their child's education due to time constraints or language barriers. AdLit.org suggests, "getting to know ELL families helps build an important relationship based on trust, which in turn can pave the way to student success.” Student comes into the classroom with their own world of experiences, so having an inside look into their home life gives a better understanding of the various elements that influence their learning. 
A review of recent research published by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (2002) suggests "students whose parents are actively involved in their education, no matter what their income or background, are more likely to:
  • Earn higher grades and test scores and enroll in higher-level programs.
  • Be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits.
  • Attend school regularly.
  • Have better social skills, show improved behaviors, and adapt well to school.
  • Graduate and go on to post-secondary education."
These results alone influence my decision to learn more ways to involve ELL parents in their child's educational development.
]]> 2018-02-03 14:11:46 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227752531 mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227752639 I have found incorporating activities/lessons that reflect or relate to my students' cultural background increases engagement.  With this increased interest, it is my hope that this will be communicated to parents from their children and trigger more of an interest in their daily happenings. So often, I see parents glued to their phones when picking up their children which to me signifies a closed door for communication between parent and child.  Creating activities that build excitement in students will hopefully shine through enough for parents to take notice and engage their children in meaningful conversation about their daily experiences and what they learned.

Through my research I found an interesting program called "Fresh Grade"  which acts as a digital portfolio for parents to see what their child is learning and the progress they are making. Google translate can be accessed and used to help better communicate with parents as well. Although taking this "extra step" may be time consuming, I really believe that this could be an effective way to reach parents of ELLs. Since I already see how much technology has become a daily resource in parents lives, I thought utilizing a technology based program to reach them would be an effective medium to reach them.



]]> 2018-02-03 14:13:25 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227752639 Engaging ELL Families: 20 Strategies for School Leaders mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227752985 2018-02-03 14:18:28 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227752985 Bilingual Family Night for ELL FamiliesBy : Kristina Robertson mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227754075 2018-02-03 14:32:08 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227754075 How can I use this learning? mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227754981 2018-02-03 14:42:00 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227754981 Suggestions: mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227755096 An article entitled, "Engaging ELL Families: 20 Strategies for School Leaders" suggests ways to create a welcoming school and classroom environment for students and parents.  Some of these ideas include:
  • Enlisting a bilingual morning greeter to get the day started on the right foot. (morning announcements)
  • Creating a special area for families to gather such as an extra classroom or lounge
  • Displaying maps and flags from your students' native countries
Knowing how important parent involvement is in their child's life, I am motivated to consider more open ended ideas when approaching my lessons/activities. Hearing from the students about what their interests are and their cultural practices will help me to implement more create approaches. My intent is to help parents see their child reflected in their daily schooling experiences and encourage more parent involvement even in the simplest form such as more conversations between child and parent.
]]> 2018-02-03 14:43:18 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227755096 Fresh Grade mslindsaylyon https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227756372 2018-02-03 14:56:26 UTC https://padlet.com/mslindsaylyon/rsvqyh5xoctv/wish/227756372