Lifting Language

Unwrapping the Gifts: Gifted Multilingual Learners

There really is not enough useful information out there about gifted multilingual learners. Are they underrepresented in our schools? How can we better identify and serve gifted MLs? How do we support their families so they too can advocate for the right programs and instruction? And what can teachers do now as they plan to meet the needs of gifted MLs in their classrooms? I talk to Amber Gonzalez who I met through the Facebook Group Advocating for ELLs [https://www.facebook.com/groups/AdvocatingforELLs]. She is an ML Instructional Coach for Eagle County Schools in Colorado and Marcy Voss, an Educational Consultant for Seidlitz Education [https://seidlitzeducation.com/] about these questions and more. They share their own experiences and research. I know many of you will listen and be inspired by what you hear. We can do this. Amber and Marcy have a lot to share with us beyond this conversation. Don’t forget to take a look at the links they provide in the show notes so you can learn more about identifying and serving gifted MLs. These ladies are brilliant. Let me introduce you to Amber Gonzalez and Marcy Voss.   Amber Gonzalez-Cortes, M.Ed is the Multilingual Instructional Coach for Eagle County Schools, with prior experience in K-5 as an ELD teacher and is currently an adjunct instructor for the University of Colorado, Denver. She collaborates with classroom teachers, school leadership, and various district-wide departments to support the needs of Multilingual Learners in the development of curriculum, assessment, and instruction for dual language programs and all content areas K-12. Her areas of expertise are in multilingual special education, multilingual gifted and talented education, and English language development programs.  Marcy Voss is an Educational Consultant who during her career has coordinated Gifted and Bilingual/ESL Programs and helped implement a Dual Language Program. She currently serves as Chair of the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) Gifted and Talented Bilingual Education Special Interest Group and Facilitator for the Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) Emerging Leaders Program.  Marcy is the author of the Academic Language Cards [http://www.johnseidlitz.com/Academic-Language-Cards-w-Booklet-ENGLISH-200005.htm] which provide activities using sentence stems requiring higher level thinking.  She has also authored Q3 Cards and TALK (Thinking with Academic Language and Knowledge) Cards which help students think in more in-depth and complex ways.  Additionally, she is co-author of Implementing Evidence-Based Practices in Gifted Education. Follow Marcy on Twitter : @Vossm57 [https://twitter.com/vossm57] Links Marcy and Amber share:  * Using ACCESS Scores For ELLs in GT Identification [https://www.cde.state.co.us/gt/accessforells] * Matrix of Commonly Used Assessments for Gifted Education [https://www.cde.state.co.us/gt/gt_matrixcommonmeasures] * Eagle County 10 Questions to ask when Developing a GT BOE for ELLs [https://drive.google.com/drive/search?q=ELL%20GT] * https://seidlitzeducation.com/gt-multilingual-learners/ [https://seidlitzeducation.com/gt-multilingual-learners/] - Marcy’s website * https://gtequity.tea.texas.gov/gifted-english-language-learners [https://gtequity.tea.texas.gov/gifted-english-language-learners] * https://wakelet.com/wake/GbKTBlANtxFZX1pIxaVTU [https://wakelet.com/wake/GbKTBlANtxFZX1pIxaVTU] (Marcy’s wakelet with articles on Barriers and Promising Practices for Identifying Gifted Multilingual Students)

Thankful for Collaborative Practices

As teachers of MLs, we serve students and teachers through many roles. We coplan alongside teachers, we co-teach with our colleagues, and we work with students in small-group instruction too. Collaboration is a critical factor in the success of these.  In this episode, Dr. Katie Toppel, Sara Sparks, and Stacy Brown share their unique and valuable perspectives. We talk about what collaboration is and what it isn’t. We discuss ways to build cooperation with colleagues who are resistant at first. And these leaders in our field, share their tips for collaboration.  I know you’ll enjoy hearing from Katie, Sara, and Stacy just as much as I did.  Dr. Katie Toppel is the newest member of the SIOP author team. She is currently a K-5 English Language Development Specialist in Oregon serving multilingual learners through co-planning, co-teaching, and small-group instruction. Dr. Toppel’s instructional background includes experience teaching kindergarten and first grade in addition to being a K-12 Support Services Teacher at the Franconian International School in Germany. She has taught courses in the ESOL endorsement series at Portland State University and continues to support teachers in their professional learning journeys. Dr. Toppel co-authored DIY PD: A Guide to Self-Directed Learning for Educators of Multilingual Learners and is also a co-founder of #MLLChat_BkClub on Twitter, which provides educators with opportunities to engage in virtual book studies focused on improving practices for multilingual learners. Twitter: @katietoppel Instagram @Toppel_ELD LinkedIN ⁠Katie Toppel, Ed.D⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-toppel-ed-d-604747a6/] Sara Sparks is an ESL Specialist who loves serving emergent bilinguals and working alongside campus administrators and teachers. Sara works with secondary ESL and newcomer students and works hard to ensure that they receive an equitable education. She has been an ESL Specialist for 4 years. Prior to that, she was a middle school reading teacher for 11 years. She is currently working on her doctorate in educational leadership. Her dissertation focus is the effects acculturative stress has on emergent bilinguals’ academic performance. Twitter @sarasparks21 Stacy Brown is a trauma and policy specialist, bilingual ELD educator, and international emergency case worker. She serves survivors in the US and 58 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, assisting with issues related to displacement, war and severe conflict, education, healthcare, mental health, legal crises, and language, labor, and human rights. When in Oklahoma, she teaches English language development and intermittently serves as an ORR contractor outside of Oklahoma. She has served in leadership for TESOL International Association and TESOL affiliates for 16 years and serves in leadership with multiple organizations dedicated to protecting and advocating for immigrant families worldwide. LinkedIn ⁠Stacy Brown⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/intentionalhumanity/]

Using Sketchnotes with Multilingual Learners

Many of you know that I love sketchnoting. It's been a longtime personal and professional practice that I enjoy. I invited Emily Francis, Pamela Broussard, and Lauren Sheppard to the roundtable to discuss sketchnoting with multilingual learners. I've seen their work with students and wanted to pick their brains about how they implement this powerful instructional method. In this episode, you will hear how they define sketchnoting but more importantly how they use it with newcomers and with MLs at various levels of English proficiency. They explain lessons and give us tips to get started. Whether you are brand new to sketchnoting or have been doing it for a while, you will enjoy hearing from these three educators. I was honored to visit with them. Emily Francis is starting her 11th year as an ESL teacher. She is currently working as an HS ESL teacher and working with newcomers in content areas. Her experience as an English Language Learner inspired her to become an ESL teacher. This affords her a deep understanding of the challenges her students must overcome to succeed. You can find Emily's work on her blog at: ⁠⁠https://inspiringenglishlanguagelearners.weebly.com/⁠⁠ [https://inspiringenglishlanguagelearners.weebly.com/]  Twitter: emilyfranESL  IG: @Mrs.FrancisESL  Pamela Broussard is a trainer and high school new arrival center teacher. She has 35 years of classroom experience from elementary to adult in the USA and abroad. She is passionate about building social and academic equity with all her students. You can find Pamela at:  ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/groups/LEADINGELLS⁠⁠ [https://www.facebook.com/groups/LEADINGELLS]. Leadingells.com, and @leadingells on Twitter. For professional development in working with Newcomers, Speaking Test, Social Emotional Learning see her course offerings on her webpage at Leadingells.com Lauren Shepherd just finished her 10th school year working with MLs in a variety of roles. She is currently a Language Acquisition Specialist working in Coppell, TX. In her free time, she likes to read, spend time with family and friends, and travel. Her Twitter handle is @MsLShepherd

The Pillars of Bilingual Education

Bilingual Education has long been known to have positive effects on students academically and socially. Studies show that Bilingual students outperform monolingual students and as the guests in this episode point out a number of times, bilingualism has numerous other benefits.  I counted myself extremely lucky to sit down with Ms. Norma Garcia, the director of Multi-Language in Harlingen, Texas, Dr. Edith Treviño (better known as Dr. ET) author and dynamic speaker, and Dr. Mónica Lara, author and the CEO of Seidlitz Education [https://seidlitzeducation.com/].  Let me warn you that this episode is brimming with passion. I don’t know if there’s any way I could have found 3 other people more passionate about bilingual education. They share with us the pillars of bilingual education, what translanguaging is, what the most effective bilingual classrooms look and sound like, and how we can advocate for and support the families of our students.  I’ll tell you this, even if you are not serving in a bilingual program, you will leave with new ideas and perspectives that you can apply to your role.  Ms. Norma Garcia can be found on Twitter @HCISDmultiLang [https://twitter.com/HCISDmultiLang] or on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/norma-g-garcia-13719b72?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_contact_details%3B7uaQPLzHRkSLtwyx9SSyjA%3D%3D]  Dr. ET can be found on Twitter @DRETontheborder [https://twitter.com/DrETontheBorder] and she has a large following on TikTok too. Dr. ET also has a website [https://www.dretandcompany.org/] where you can find more information about her work.  Dr. Lara can be found on Twitter @DRMLara [https://twitter.com/DRMLARA] or on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/m%C3%B3nica-lara-ph-d-34304023/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3BNLzYKY64RECt4EC9S2IWXQ%3D%3D]. Dr. Lara is the co-author of ELs in Texas: What Teachers Need to Know, ELs in Texas: What School Leaders Need to Know, and the author of iToma la palabra!. You can find more information about her work on this website [https://sites.google.com/seidlitzeducation.com/toma-la-palabra-enlazando-la-o/home].

Exploring Innovative Instructional Methods for Modern World Language Classrooms

Did you study a language when you were in school? Can you speak it fluently today? In this episode, I visit with a group of passionate educators about innovative Modern World Language classrooms. We discuss how LOTE or World Language classrooms have evolved over the years and they share the challenges teachers and students face. We also explore what effective instruction looks like in a lesson. This talk fascinated me for many reasons. One because I did have a fabulous French teacher in middle school, so it took me back to those experiences, and two because I began to think about the opportunities we are creating for students to become multilingual in our global society. And these educators are making a difference. * Renata Fernández - teacher @SraFernandez_KO * Sally Barnes - World Language program coordinator in a district outside of Houston, Seidlitz consultant, former Spanish teacher (high school) @SallyBarnesTX * Michael Guillén - Assistant Principal, former Spanish teacher (intermediate & high school)  @mguillenNCISD * Kimberly Church - Spanish Teacher in Prosper, TX @holamrschurch Resources Shared: QSSSA [https://seidlitzblog.org/2019/03/27/qsssa-more-than-turn-talk/] 7 Steps LOTE Website [https://sites.google.com/seidlitzeducation.com/7stepslote] #7StepsLOTE [https://twitter.com/search?q=%237StepsLOTE&src=typed_query] www.padlet.com/sallyruthbarnes/resources [http://www.padlet.com/sallyruthbarnes/resources]