Fa16 ls mentorship workshops

Welcome to the Fall 2016 Language Support Mentorship Workshops!

Workshop Agenda ● Ice Breaker ○ Find someone who / ball toss

● Sharing of LS “best practices” ○ Modeling of strategies

● Sharing of Language Support resources ● Group discussion

LS Terminology EFL: English as a Foreign Language ELL: English Language Learner ESL: English as a Second Language L1: an individual’s first language/mother tongue L2: an individual’s second language LS: “Language Support;” Parsons’ term for courses that specifically help cultivate students’ English language abilities Metalanguage: the terms we use to talk about language NNES: Non-Native English Speaker TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

Evolution of a Parsons Instructor My Teaching Before TESOL Training

My Teaching After TESOL Training

Had never taken an education course before; based my teaching on how I was taught

Studied pedagogy and began to adapt my teaching to match my students’ learning styles and needs

Had some conflicting information on teaching international students

Gained exposure to best practices for teaching international students

Unsure how to get students to talk in class (the mystery of the universe with international students)

Learned to break up the lesson into activities that encourage student participation in more natural ways; learned to not take silence personally

Tried to answer all questions at one time

Began to leave “gaps� for students to fill in their own understanding and felt more comfortable with silence

Thought I was the best teacher in the world :)

Recognized there is always room for pedagogical growth and development; began to build my teaching toolkit with a wide array of skills

Language Support at Parsons 42% international students at Parsons

Cultural Considerations Key Questions: ○ Where are my students coming from? ○ In what ways can I work to increase my own knowledge and sensitivity of cultural issues? ○ What barriers to participation exist for my students? ○ How can I tweak my teaching practice to minimize barriers?

Cultivating a Positive Learning Environment ● Varying activities to re-energize participation ○ Ice breakers, pair/group work, flexibility

● Encouraging student agency ● Allowing time for student self-discovery ● Valuing students’ communication styles and acknowledging how these relate to their culture ○ Pacing & silences

Content Delivery ● Conduct a needs analysis first ● Scaffolding ○ Multi-modal delivery ○ Step-by-step instructions ○ Modeling (instructor first, then student-led)

● Re-casting and spiraling information ● Info-gap group activities ● “You be me” - student assumes the role of the instructor, either in a demo or critique

Multi-Modal Delivery: Use the Board

Engage students in multi-modal learning.

ESA Teaching Model ENGAGE: gain students’ attention and involve them emotionally STUDY: the focus is on the specific language/skill point and how it functions ACTIVATE: the use and practice of the specific language/skill point

ESA Teaching and the FOUR Communicative Skills READING WRITING SPEAKING LISTENING Each lesson should incorporate all four language focuses, asking students to engage these in a variety of informal and formal learning moments.

Vocabulary Development ● Recycle key terms throughout the lesson, unit, and semester ● Create opportunities for students to utilize vocab in writing and speaking events ○ Pronunciation practice ○ Canvas/Learning Portfolio posts ○ Follow-up with informal/formal assessment

● Class-generated vocab lists ○ Elicit connotations and definitions from students ○ Faculty’s hand-held whiteboard for discussions

Engaging a University Level Text/Skill ● ● ● ● ●

Provide specific pre-reading/making tasks Anticipate unknown vocabulary and cultural challenges Discuss the purpose of the text/skill Showing exemplar papers/projects Smaller tasks and check-ins for understanding

Leading a Full Class Discussion ● Free-write on specific questions first ● Activate students’ schema with an image ○ Elicit students’ interest/understanding/questions ● Offer guiding questions or have students write these ● Pair/group work preceding the discussion ○ Assign specific roles for each group member ○ Timed tasks to accomplish specific goals

Example Discussion Groups Josh, Rachel, + Christina

Group Roles:

Jeff, Claudia, + Somyee

● ● ● ● ● ●

Jerry, Patricia, + Leanne

Quote reader Idea Connector Interrogator Notetaker Summarizer Time keeper

Assessing Student Progress and Outcomes ● Sharing rubrics in advance ○ As a class determine the criteria and weight of importance ○ Maintain flexibility in assessments ○ Make sure the learning objective is clear ● Have students self-assess and articulate desired goals

Grading Rubric

Workshop Group Discussion ● This semester, what have been some of the most positive contributions your non-native English speakers have made to your class? ● What challenges have you had teaching classes with non-native speakers? ● Where do you feel you need more support?

The following slides contain additional

Language Support Resources

New School LS Resources CTE Program (upcoming info session November 10) New School Tuition Waiver Plan Jeanne Lambert's “Helping Students Develop Their Academic Voice" Presentation Jamie Kruse's Open Source LS Materials The New School's University Learning Center ● See the ULC’s resource pages for faculty and students The Provost’s Office Teaching & Learning Fall 16 Workshops

LS Book Resources Ben Goldstein’s Working with Images Jesse Day’s Line Color Form: The Language of Art and Design Luci Gutiérrez’s English is Not Easy: A Visual Guide to the Language Jeremy Harmer’s How to Teach English Jim Scrivener’s Classroom Management Techniques Taking College Seriously: Pedagogy Matters!

Writing Analytically

LS Articles “What I Learned From My International Students” “Power of Words: Deficit Discourse and ELLs” “How to Encourage Foreign Students to Speak Up”