Some Core “Best Practices” that LCTL Teachers Need to Know:

Lessons from STARTALK

Dr. Catherine W. IngoldDr. Frederick H. Jackson

Dr. Mouna ManaUniversity of Maryland

Program

Overview of STARTALK Teacher Education Teacher responses

STARTALK “Best Practices” What Teachers Need

What the experts say

What the teachers say

A Waystages Model of teacher development

Importance of teacher certification Discussion

STARTALK Languages

2007 – Arabic & Chinese2008 – Hindi, Persian, & Urdu2009 – Swahili & Turkish2010 – Dari & Russian2011 – Portuguese

STARTALK Focus

Policy

Practice

Knowledge

Managing for Quality

Collaboration Among Experts

Continuous Improvement Model

ResearchBest Practices

DesignRFP

Select Programs Orient

and Train

Observe Programs

Collect Data

Evaluate Outcomes

Revise Process

Clearer Process

Rigorous ReviewNetworksand Teams

Mentoring

Enhanced Surveys and Data

STARTALK “Best Practices”

Align Standards-based, thematically organized curriculum, instruction, and assessment

Facilitate student-centered learning Use the target language for instruction and interactions

with students; ensure input is comprehensible Stimulate meaningful interaction in the target language Integrate language, culture, and content Differentiate instruction based on learner needs Use age-appropriate authentic materials Assess learners’ progress and performance

Who Are the STARTALK Teachers?

• Typically native speakers– Not always (but almost always very proficient)– Some programs select NNSs

• Typically well-educated (M.A. or better)

• Typically have taught before

• Open to “transformation”

Who are the Teacher Trainees?

• 89% native speakers of the target language• 86% female• 47% earned a master’s degree• 77% will teach the target language in the fall• Excited about what they are doing

– Many have returned every year– Want to teach Americans about their language and culture

STARTALK Teacher Programs Numbers of Teacher Trainees 2007-11

2007 2008 2009 2010 20110

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Program YearTeacher Trainees

Affective Impact on Teachers and Teacher Trainees• Increased confidence in teaching• Increased willingness to implement effective strategies• Increased collaboration together

Topics

STARTALK TEACHERS ARE TYPICAL OF LCTL and many CTL Teachers in the US

• Native fluency in the language, understanding of the culture

• Ability to manage language demands of a wider range of program types and levels, including ability to ad lib, innovate

• Often, tremendous enthusiasm and commitment

What these teachers bring

• Orientation to culture and norms of US schools and universities

• Communicative language teaching methods, Backward Design, assessment methods, effective use of authentic materials, etc.

• Staying in target language while making their language/culture comprehensible to learners

• Opportunities to observe expert teaching, practice with guidance, and reflect on their teaching; access to communities of practice

What these teachers need:

What the teachers say their top priority needs are:

Sample of STARTALK teachers surveyed (from programs for teachers of Arabic)

Main goal for professional development: Increasing knowledge & gaining skills for their classrooms Not for certification

Top 3 areas of need expressed (aligned with top 3 challenges): Differentiated Instruction Teaching using a standards-based approach Maintaining Target Language/ Comprehensible Input

What the teachers report as being lower immediate priority

Language-specific issues

Orientation to US educational system, its culture and norms

Opportunities for practical implementation

Language of professional development & training

More respondents indicated preference for their professional development to be conducted in both their native language and English

Why? Linguistic support (Present content in English, explain and

support and clarify in Arabic) Desire to be part of broader profession

Top 3 challenges

1. Differentiating instruction To Diverse learners (Native, Non-Native, & Heritage)

2. Comprehensible input Maintaining target language within context of diverse

classrooms

3. Using a standards-based model in everyday lessons Translating the conceptual into daily activity

*****

Why examine what teachers say they need and find challenging?

• Identifying areas for professional growth that teachers are aware of

• Need for unpacking reasons for experiencing challenge

• Understanding processes of learning and applying STARTALK Best Practices

• Stages of professional growth in implementing Best Practices

• Responses about challenges and needs help guide PD and training

Waystages of Teacher Development

ApprenticeNoviceJourneymanMaster

Possible Examples of Teacher “Can-do” Statements I: Novice waystage

Can teach communicative lessons from a standards-based curriculum.

Can introduce and facilitate small-group task activities. Can facilitate student-centered learning. Can stay in the language in routine interactions and teaching at

least 90% of time. Can notice when students do not understand and adjust to make

speech more comprehensible. Can state learning goals and assess students’ ability to perform

them successfully. Can select appropriate authentic materials and realia. Can reflect productively on own teaching and class response.

Possible Examples of Teacher “Can-do” Statements II: Journeyman Waystage

Can design original communicative lessons for a standards-based curriculum.

Can plan and deliver lessons based on student needs and the goals of the course.

Can introduce and facilitate many communicative activities. Can differentiate instruction so that each student learns as much as

possible. Can attend to every student’s learning and make principled adjustments

to maximize learning. Can assess students’ abilities to perform course goals in new contexts

and can provide constructive feedback. Can integrate language, culture and meaningful content in instruction

Possible Examples of Teacher “Can-do” Statements III: Master Waystage

Can plan and develop a theme-oriented standards-based curriculum for groups of students.

Can effectively mentor and coach apprentice and novice teachers.

Can counsel and advise individual students to help them learn effectively.

Can lead a course-development team. Can design and interpret the results of assessments of

communicative effectiveness

Building Alternate Routes to Teacher Licensure (Certification)

STARTALK Teacher Development Materials Collection1. Teacher Training Videos2. Multimedia Teacher Workshops3. Collection of Curriculum Plans and Resources4. Online Curriculum Guide

STARTALK RESOURCES ARE FOR ANY TEACHER OF ANY LANGUAGE. http://startalk.umd.edu

Teacher Development Materials:• Classroom Video Collection ( in ST languages)• On-line Curriculum Development Guide (any language)• On-line lesson planning guide (any language)

STARTALK Resources for Teachers

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