cL2c PLC Workshop Series Every Teacher is a Language Teacher
Tuesday, January 26th, 2021
8:30 am – 11:30 am
Welcome!
The Second Language Education Cohort (cL2c) is glad to welcome you to the PLC Workshop Series “Every Teacher is a Language Teacher.” No matter what subject area or grade level you will teach, language and literacy can be integrated across the curriculum to the benefit of your students. Classrooms across the province are increasingly linguistically and culturally diverse and the presenters in this program will help you form a solid basis in language and literacy-based pedagogy to help you understand how students learn through language, how to identify language learning needs, literacy-based practices you can use in the classroom, and how to connect with your students through literacy-based activities to better get to know them and address their learning needs.
To receive the Zoom links for the presentations, register for your sessions here: cL2c PLC Workshop Series Registration
Schedule
Becoming an Antiracist Educator
Presenter: Shelina Adatia
Abstract: Given the ever-growing diversity in today’s classrooms, we as educators should all be working towards becoming antiracist. This includes understanding and modelling the language and strategies of an antiracist educator. In this workshop, I will draw upon the teachings of Ibram X. Kendi, author of Antiracist Baby, who has developed key principles that can be taught from a young age to promote social justice. More specifically, as participants, you will learn about the nine steps Kendi recommends to grow antiracist children. You will also practise using antiracist language by engaging in various activities meant to challenge and promote critical conversations about racism. I will link these activities to different subject matters such as English, FSL, History, and Science. As teacher candidates, you will thus leave this workshop with classroom-ready antiracist teaching activities that can be adapted for various contexts.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Working with new immigrants, Working with refugee students, Anti-racist education
Target division: Primary/Junior
Target subject matter: English, French as a Second Language, History, Science
Best Practices to Support Multilingual Learners with Reading and Well-being
Presenter: Redab Al-Janaideh, Krystina Raymond, Jermeen Baddour, and Diana Burchell
Abstract: As we welcome more immigrant and refugee students into our classrooms, it is critical for you to recognize and assist multilingual learners who are struggling to read. One of the building blocks of reading development is the ability to break down and understand words (decoding). We will therefore explore strategies to help students with these essential reading skills in any classroom setting. We will furthermore explore different approaches to teach language by incorporating well-being and mental health as the core subject. The goal of this workshop is for you to feel confident implementing best practices when teaching a diverse population of multilingual learners.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Working with new immigrants, Working with refugee students, Multilingualism, Mental Health, Reading Skills
Target division: Primary/Junior, Intermediate/Senior
Target subject matter: English, French as a Second Language
Teaching English as an additional language: “But what’s math got to do with it?”
Presenter: Fatima Assaf
Abstract: In this interactive workshop, we will explore the role of language in relation to the teaching and learning of mathematics. We will consider a shift of focus from what immigrant and refugee students cannot do, and instead, consider the multiple resources students use to reason their way to a solution. Participants will engage in a variety of problem-solving activities that encourage collaboration, meaning-making, and communication in the mathematics classroom. Participants will also be given the opportunity to explore immigrant and refugee students’ mathematical thinking and learning experiences through examples of students’ work. Since the focus is on how language and mathematics intersect, information from this workshop could support educators as they plan mathematics learning for all learners in mathematics education.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Working with new immigrants, Working with refugee students, Collaborative learning
Target division: Primary/Junior
Target subject matter: Mathematics
Recognize Resilience: challenge your perceptions of refugee and newcomer students
Presenter: Alaa Azan
Abstract: What comes to mind when you think of the words ‘refugee’, ‘ELL’, and ‘newcomer’ students? Do you feel that language creates a barrier between you and your students and their families? Looking for tools to better support your students while delivering the curriculum? This workshop is for you!
Through bridging theory and practice in the classroom, you will be able to reflect on your role in supporting newcomer students and challenge your perceptions of them. Regardless of the subject you teach, discussions in this workshop will be relevant to you. We will start by introducing approaches to refugee education that recognize students’ resilience and will conclude with practical tools and reflective questions.
Tangible tools and resources will be offered on how to support refugee students in your classroom. Ideas presented in this workshop are based on my research findings, specifically, my thesis work on the lived experiences of refugee students in schools. More importantly, we’ll discuss how language barriers can be overcome.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Working with new immigrants, Working with refugee students, Anti-racist education, Working with parents’ and guardians
Target division: Primary/Junior, Intermediate/Senior
Target subject matter: English, Dramatic Arts, Music – Instrumental, Visual Arts, French as a Second Language, Geography, History, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Science (general, chemistry, biology, physics)
The Language of Colonialism: Teaching the New Social Studies Curriculum
Presenter: Nandita Dias
Abstract: “In this workshop, I will discuss how I approached teaching the new Indigenous-focused Social Studies Curriculum to my grade four and five students. Some points of discussion: using picture books to discuss residential schools, a trip to the residential school exhibit at the local museum, a watercolour workshop in which students painted reactions/ learnings to our work in class and the museum exhibit, a school-wide mural for Orange Day in which all grade levels participated, teaching colonialism through terminology, art, drama and dance, attending Salmon Girl and We Are All Treaty People at the Young People’s Theatre, participating in the moccasin project.
Keywords: Anti-racist education, Indigenous world views, Collaborative learning, Special education and/or exceptionalities
Target division: Primary/Junior, Intermediate/Senior
Target subject matter: English, Dramatic Arts, Visual Arts, Geography, History
Preparing FSL Students for global citizenship through the CEFR and the power of “Can Do” statements
Presenter: Taciana de LiraSilva
Abstract: The Action-Oriented-Approach can promote Global Citizenship because it guides students to think critically and collaborate with peers through mediation, building bridges between cultures and societies, and promoting relationship and dialogues. This workshop will introduce future teachers to global citizenship education, through the action-oriented approach.
I will share some examples of how you can analyze the curriculum and integrate global citizenship through the action-oriented-approach. Afterwards, you will work in small groups to create a similar activity and share with the big group at the end of the workshop. At the end, everyone will have an understanding of how to interpret the curriculum through a global citizenship lens, and will also have lots of ideas to take home.
Keywords: Working with new immigrants, Working with refugee students, Anti-racist education, Collaborative learning, equity, peace, social justice, sustainability
Target division: Primary/Junior, Intermediate/Senior
Target subject matter: French as a Second Language
The Raw and Unvarnished Truth: ELLs in your Classroom and how to Prepare for your and their Success
Presenter: Nadia Gandhi and Anna-Marie Kukla
Abstract: In this workshop, you will be introduced to strategies that support Second Language Literacy Development across the Ontario Secondary Curriculum. You will learn how to leverage the English Language Learner’s profile to meet the goal of improving proficiency and literacy skills in your subject area. Using students’ work, straight from the trenches, from both junior and senior secondary panels, we will examine typical challenges that arise and offer practical tools and strategies that address the language needs that commonly bump up against ELLs’ success. By the end of this workshop, you will have gained a candid insight into what you will most likely encounter in your classrooms and how to best deal with those challenges.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, ELLs, STEP Placemat & Continuum, ELD/ESL, Language Proficiency, Icon-Based Learning, Self-Paced Learning, Student Agency, Big Idea(s), Grade-Based Mastery, Tiered Vocabulary, Differentiation, Learning Goals, Community, Coaching, Clustering Expectations, Feedback
Target division: Intermediate/Senior
Target subject matter: English, Dramatic Arts, Visual Arts, French as a Second Language, Geography, History, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Science (general, chemistry, biology, physics)
The Multilingual Mind
Presenter: Adam Kaszuba
Abstract: Bonjour! Hi! Xin chào! As classrooms become more diverse, integrating our students’ vast linguistic knowledge into lesson plans can be a challenge. The Language Awareness Approach offers a solution: this approach encourages the use of languages and representations of languages as an object of study in the classroom. This workshop will review the principles of this approach as well as engage participants in multiple pedagogical activities that are applicable to each one. We will also look at and analyze student work. This workshop is useful for teacher candidates working in FSL or with ELL learners.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Working with new immigrants, Plurilingual perspectives
Target division: Primary/Junior, Intermediate/Senior
Target subject matter: English, Visual Arts, French as a Second Language
An extensive reading approach to language learning
Presenter: Chuan Liu
Abstract: In this workshop, I will discuss a practical but often neglected language teaching approach: the Extensive Reading Approach, which could be applied across curriculum. Teachers of all disciplines may assign reading and writing tasks, such as fiction and nonfiction readers, math problems, encyclopedias in science and social studies. How can students accumulate academic vocabulary, build autonomy, improve literacy skills (reading and writing skills), and become life-long learners? You will find the answers in this workshop! I will deliver the workshop in a cooperative manner, which indicates that you will get engaged in multiple activities that you could easily employ in multi-disciplinary classrooms. A case study will be presented to demonstrate how an extensive approach will work for elementary school students.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Working with new immigrants, Collaborative learning, Extensive Reading
Target division: Primary/Junior
Target subject matter: English, Dramatic Arts, French as a Second Language, Geography, History, Mathematics, Science (general, chemistry, biology, physics)
Boom or Bust? Phonics Instruction
Presenter: Shyam Patel
Abstract: Phonics instruction: Is it a boom or a bust? Drawing on my own experiences working as a teacher with Teach for India, I reflect on this debate and then share my own experiences with phonics instruction. More specifically, teacher candidates will be able to 1) define phonics and phonemic awareness, 2) consider the pros/cons, 3) develop an understanding of phonics instruction in relation to activities and lessons, and 4) pinpoint resources for their own classroom. By the end, teacher candidates should leave with an understanding of phonics in terms of early literacy along with its progression (i.e. how to teach it) across the primary/junior years. And, most importantly, we will start to think about whether this fits with the whole language approach or not. Does such a convergence exist?
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Working with new immigrants, Working with refugee students
Target division: Primary/Junior
Target subject matter: English
Every Teacher is a Language Teacher: Science is No Exception!
Presenter: Natascia Petringa
Abstract: This workshop is designed for those teaching Gr. 7-12 science. It will address specific ways to scaffold science for English Language Learners (ELLs). Although the workshop will refer to educational research on second language acquisition, its aim is offer pragmatic and instructional methods to support
language learners in the science classroom. Having been a science teacher for 23 years, I am delighted to share lots of practical tips and resources!
Keywords: Working with ELLs
Target division: Intermediate/Senior
Target subject matter: Science (general, chemistry, biology, physics)
Linguistic Landscapes, Photovoice and Identity Texts: Digital Activities to Support English Language Learners Across the Curriculum
Presenter: Wales Wong, Shakina Rajendram and Jennifer Burton
Abstract: With a recent shift to virtual learning, digital tools have become an integral part of learning for English Language Learners (ELLs). Online learning requires a different approach to teaching compared to in-person instruction. In this interactive workshop, teacher candidates learn how to use three digital activities – linguistic landscape, photovoice, and identity texts – to support language development across different subjects, content areas, and grades. Drawing from translanguaging and multiliteracies pedagogies, participants will engage in hands-on activities and reflective discussions on how to support ELLs by integrating the use of home languages to scaffold the development of digital literacy, media literacy, and language skills across the curriculum. Teacher candidates will learn how to use online applications such as Google Classroom (e.g. Jamboard, Slides, Documents, etc.) and Flipgrid to conduct these activities with their students.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Working with new immigrants, Working with refugee students, Plurilingual perspectives, Online teaching and learning
Target division: Primary/Junior (9:30 am), Intermediate/Senior (10:30 am)
Target subject matter: English, Dramatic Arts, Music – Instrumental, Visual Arts, French as a Second Language, Geography, History, Mathematics, Health and Physical Education, Science (general, chemistry, biology, physics)
Teaching Language in Visual Arts: Social Emotional Learning
Presenter: Youjia Zhao
Abstract: For early learners, an immersive language environment is considered of great benefit. However, individual differences in language development may result in social-emotional problems for some children. This workshop aims to point out children’s social-emotional difficulties caused by language deficiency or diminished confidence and self-esteem. A possible strategy for preventing these problems and improving children’s learning outcomes is integrating visual elements into learning activities. Teachers may use visual supplies to support children’s comprehension, integrate arts making activities for child-centred language practicing, introduce and describe representative artwork to arouse children’s interest. Since a language is embodied in its culture, children can benefit from exposure to visual arts in the cultural context. Information for this workshop comes from personal experience and research studies.
Keywords: Working with ELLs, Collaborative learning, Special education and/or exceptionalities
Target division: Primary/Junior
Target subject matter: Visual Arts, French as a Second Language