Middle School Teachers Kuwait Day 1

Mary Lou McCloskey www.mlmcc.com

Strategies for Teaching English Language to

Middle School Learners

TESOL 2015

Introduction

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

1. Please silence mobile devices

2. Note-taking encouraged; slides (without photos) will be posted at www.mlmcc.com

3. Strategies Guide

4. Modeling Process

5. Collect Strategies

Agenda

1. Community-Buildiing through languagein the Classroom

2. Needs Assessent

3. Characeristics of the learner

4. Princples of active, interactive learning (with practices that illustrate them

1. BUILDING COMMUNITY

NAMES

How to make a Name Tent

BUILDING COMMUNITY• Name Tents• Postcard Life History (McCloskey)

• Marvelous Modifiers (Go To, p. 29)

• Things in Common (Go To, p. 30)

• 3 Truths, 1 Lie (Go To, p. 30)• Stir the Class (Go To, p. 37)

• Team NamesLevine, L. N., Lukens, L., & Smallwood, B. A. (2013). The GO TO strategies: Scaffolding options for teachers of English language learners, K-12. For Project EXCELL.

Available online at www.cal.org/excell. orhttp://facstaff.bloomu.edu/dwalker/Documents/go-to-strategies.pdf

POSTCARD LIFE HISTORY

(Draw) When I was young…

(Draw) I love to …

(Draw)My goal for this workshop is…

(My name is)______ (I live in)______ (I am a)______

(Draw) Important people in my life are…

Postcard Life History

Postcard Life History• Model.• Learners create cards. Scaffold as needed.• Share with a partner.• Partners exchange cards.• Partners share with a second pair, each

person introducing partner, or

• Each introduces partner to whole group.

PAIR-SHARE (STRATEGY #35)

Pair-share

• Ask a question or give a problem• Learners have time to think/write about it• Learners share ideas with a partner• Pair joins another pair. • Each person shares his/her partner’s

ideas

Teach “Zero Noise and Full Attention” for instructions

0 noise signal means:• No noise• “Six eyes on me”• If someone near you hasn’t

seen the signal, show it to them

Rehearse using the signal

2. Needs Assessment

Needs Assessment

In a group of 4, discuss:

1. Challenges of Englishlanguage education in Kuwait

2. Hopes/goals for howthis workshop can address one or moreof these challenges

Teach learners how to collaborate

Create a Cooperative groups rubric.

Pair- share: How should we behave during a discussion so everyone learns? ▫

17

What a good discussion looks like

•Students are on topic•Everyone is engaged and participating•Everyone has a role•Respecting ideas when we disagree•Giving different points of view•Sharing opinions and ideas•Accept and build on one another’s ideas•One person speaks at a time•Multilevel groups •Comes to a consensus •Listening and repeating others’ ideas 18

Teach learners how to collaborateCooperative groups rubric.

How should we behave during a discussion? ▫Listen to one another ▫Check our understanding▫Speak one at a time▫Connect what we say to the persons before▫Try to come to consensus, or explain our

disagreements and understand the other side.19

Teach learners how to collaborateFishbowl

•While a group discusses, have other learners stand around the outside and take notes on their participation, using the rubric.

•Then debrief, talking about what was done well and how the group members could do even better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFr9iLY7zdc

20

Fishbowl: Let’s Try it!

21

Exit Ticket: Hopes and Goals

• Write your most important hopes/goals on post-its.

• Post on your way out