Helping Your Auxiliar Help You!

Viola Wilbanks

Introduction•About me

•Acknowledgements

3.) Thinking “outside the classroom”: expanding the Auxiliar’s role.

4.) Getting it done: tools for organization.

2.) Looking at the Auxiliar’s role: my experience.

1.) Understanding challenges for Auxiliares.

Where Do We Start?

The Auxiliar Experience:

“I’m basically the person who carries the CD player from one class to the next”

-Anonymous Auxiliar

“I liked holidays last year because (…) I knew I would feel somewhat useful in the classroom for a week or so; but I didn’t like that I felt (…) being a “cultural ambassador” only meant talking about American holidays”

-Kristen K. (Auxiliar)

In general feeling under-used.

Role of the Auxiliar:CD player vignette • Who’s at fault?• How can we avoid this kind of situation?

Holiday expert• What factors are at play in this situation?• How can we improve this situation?

Main Challenges:

• Lack of teaching experience.• Language/culture barriers:

• Minimal Spanish required• Self devaluation (not teachers)• Intimidation

• Classroom control:• Combination inexperience and cultural differences

• The unknown.

Role of the Auxiliar:Definition according to the Consejería de Educación:

• Grantees will teach 12-16 periods per week• The assistant and the classroom teacher (or the school representatives) may agree upon other activities and responsibilities they should be involved in, such as conducting conversation lessons, attending faculty meetings, making class presentations and participating in extracurricular activities such as workshops, field trips, student exchanges, music and theatre performances or sports events.

http://www.educacion.es/exterior/usa/en/programs/us_assistants/default.shtml

Role of the Auxiliar:

Approximately 90% of work is inside the classroom.

Common uses of Auxiliares:

• Oral warm-ups.• Reading vocabulary; creating games/worksheets.• Translating vocabulary.• Holiday presentations.• Helping teachers with English.• Finding web resources.• Creating bilingual curriculum.

Why is so much time spent in the classroom ?

“The most damaging phrase in the language is: “It’s always been done that way.”

--Grace Hopper (computer scientist)

• Dangers of getting “stuck in a rut”: auxiliares, teachers, schools.

Thinking “Outside the Classroom”

Thinking “Outside the Classroom”

Coordination hour:• Most productive hour of the week• Dual purpose• Your Auxiliar is more than a native accent--tool to

help improve the bilingual program as a whole

Thinking “Outside the Classroom”

School involvement• Spelling bee, etc. • Internet

Get to know your Auxiliar!

The “Other”• Meals and meal times• School sports / dances / parades• Homes: building materials, gardens.• Exposing myths: Simpsons

Getting it Done: Footwork

Theoretical to practical:

• Guia de Auxiliares created by José A. Alcalde López, IES La Arboleda, Lepe (Huelva)• pages 9-10

• My questionnaire for teachers• Meeting prior to Auxiliar’s arrival.• Second meeting three-four weeks after Auxiliar’s arrival.

Getting it Done: Footwork

Fighting discontinuity:• Greatest challenges for centers (teachers and

Auxiliares)• Archive all contributions.

• How to improve.• Instructions for classroom, school activities.

Wrapping Up

Clear communication.• Personal/cultural differences.

Encourage creativity .• Learning together.

“Camintante, no hay camino… se hace el camino al andar.”

--Antonio Machado (poet)

Web Sources

http://www.slideshare.net/violap22/teacher-questionaire-greta• slideshare.net and type “teacher questionaire greta” search

engine

http://pepagomez.wikispaces.com/file/view/Guía+para+centros.pdf• Pages 9-10 Auxiliar questionnaire