15. ACE the ESOL Walkthrough

There is no getting around this...yup...lesson planning.  The research backs it and those who utilize it swear by it and the district strongly recommends it.  And since we are talking about ACE-ing the ESOL Classroom walkthrough...you will definitely need to do this.

Have a plan.  Be prepared for if and when your site administrator asks you for the plan.  Here is good news!  Burlington English and Stand Out have ready-made plans built into the curriculum.  The Burlington English Plans are web-based and you should have a teacher planner for your Stand Out.  If not, you can also find copies of the planner under Level Pacing Guides (they are watermarked) but the publisher has provided them for our use.  

Once you familiarize yourself with your learners, and the lesson plans that have been provided for you in our primary curriculum, you may customize them by using the lesson plan template found here.

Critical to lesson planning is a measurable learning objective.  I call it "The Promise" because we are promising our ESOL learners something they will learn by the end of the lesson.  The Promise keeps us focused through the lesson plan and reminds us to deliver.  It's not only good for you to know the promise, but best practice says you must write it on the whiteboard as well as say it.  This is a great place to maximize the TOPSpro reports by using your ESOL Academic Data Dashboard.  The dashboard provides an Individual Class Summary (ICS) specific to you and your students.  This system allows you to faciliate learner autonomy by providing the learners with their very own printable Checklist/NAT Study Guides for Reading and/or Listening.  We encourage teachers to use these resources to unpack the competencies/learning objectives with the learners.  Spend a few minutes minutes making sure they understand what you are promising.  Yes, it means more accountability to them for you, but boy oh boy what a joy for both teacher and learner when they get to the meaning and get to that promise, especially if it is a skill or knowledge they can use right away at home, work or in society. Learn how to write a great learning objective ("Promise") here.  Don't forget to use your student goals to also inform your planning and objective.  One more thing...for our ESOL learners, "More repeated is more remembered!" - Wilson  (I just made that up!)

There are many different ways to deliver a lesson, but we use the W.I.P.P.E.A. gradual release model.

Here is a favorite quote I have been tossing out there for a few years as a reminder to us teachers, 

"The person doing the  most talking, is the person doing the most thinking/learning."  -Unknown-

The WIPPEAR model is a great delivery method that gradually releases the learning to the students.  Meaning the teacher is not doing all the talking and the work.  Don't be afraid to let your ESOL learner struggle a little.  Plan in your transitions and your learner participation and plan in double, even triple wait time.

Bottom line...plan... and you will Come Prepared.

Read more here in the LINCS article about lesson planning.

Need help?  Reach out to your ESOL Instructional Coach or join us on a Let's Talk ESOL to discuss real time.

According to the APA (American Psychological Association) this is the definition of Cultural Sensitivity - 

"cultural sensitivity

awareness and appreciation of the values, norms, and beliefs characteristic of a cultural, ethnic, racial, or other group that is not one’s own, accompanied by a willingness to adapt one’s behavior accordingly."

With this in mind, it is important to know ourselves as well as know who is in the room.  Our students are our best source for learning culture.  This is why it is so important to access background knowledge during lessons.  In addition, tools like the "Tell me a little bit about yourself" survey will give us an idea of who is in the room - our students.  This knowledge can start us on the path of cultural sensitivity and cultural competence which will lead to cultivating a psychologically safe classroom environment for our learners.  

Remember that "Promise" we talked about in Anchor 1. How will you make sure you stay on track to deliver on that promise?  Intermittent checks for understanding and re-teaching if you must.  

Here's the thing,  your adult ESOL learners have varying education backgrounds, demanding work schedules, and many other barriers to learning that they bring to class each night.  This is another reason it is important to know your learners because many times that will inform what you choose to use for your formative assessments.

We recommend the research-based "GO To Strategies" (Turn and Talk, Think-Write-Pair-Share, Quiz-Quiz-Trade, Debates) in addition to tools such as Kahoot!, Nearpod,  Quizziz, EdPuzzle, etc.  Notice who is doing the thinking and talking here?  That's right, the learners.  

But wait, there's more!!!  Don't forget we now have access to fillable worksheets for both Burlington English and Stand Out. 

So, how are you with technology?  If you are not comfortable, chances are you will not be comfortable challenging your students to embrace technology.  Let's face it, the pandemic has taught us that there is no going back.  We must prepare our learners for the inevitable - technology rich workplaces, schools, homes (K-12 and YouTube are preparing the kids).  Use LinkedIn (contact Alexia), YouTube, your ESOL Academic Coach, Let's Talk ESOL, or so many other free online resources to learn as much as you can so that you can transfer that knowledge to your classroom.  Your students are counting on you!

All of the aforementioned standards challenge us to know our learners.  An important part of getting to know the learner is to find out their goals for learning English.  Some may indicate social goals, but many of our learners are here to learn the language in order to get employment or a better job or return to the career they had in their native country.  Use the getting to know you survey to determine their career goals and then integrate that data into each lesson as appropriate.  Join us on a Let's Talk ESOL where we can provide lots of examples in real-time.