What is the role of the ESL educator in the era of new standards? How has the Common Core impacted ESL? Presentation at the 2014 WIDA Conference

1. 1
10/26/14
John Segota, CAE
Associate Executive Director for Public Policy & Professional Relations
TESOL International Association
WIDA 2014 National Conference

2. Overview
• CCSS/NGSS and English Language
Proficiency
• The Role of the ESL Educator
– TESOL
findings
• New Roles in the New Paradigm
• Key Challenges for ESL Educators
• Redefining Preparation

3. TESOL International Association
• More than 13,000
members in over 150
countries
• 100+ affiliates
worldwide

4. TESOL International Association
Resources
Prof.
Devel.
Standards
Advocacy
Research

5. Paradigm shift
• Common Core State Standards (CCSS) /
college- and career-ready standards
• Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS)
• New content assessments (PARCC and
Smarter Balanced)
• New English language proficiency (ELP)
assessments (ACCESS and ELPA 21)

6. Major Instructional Shifts
ELA
Math
Science
• Regular practice with
complex text and its
vocabulary
• Building knowledge
through content-rich
informational texts
• Emphasis on reading,
writing, and speaking that
is grounded in evidence
from the text
• Provide opportunities for
student access to the
different mathematical
(discourse) practices
described in the CCSS
• Support mathematical
discussions and use a
variety of participation
structures
• Focus on students’
mathematical reasoning,
NOT on students’ flawed
or developing language
• Developing and using
models
• Constructing explanations
(for science) and
developing solutions (for
engineering)
• Engaging in argument
from evidence
• Obtaining, evaluating, and
communicating
information
Stanford, University. April 19, 2012. Language, Literacy and the Common Core.

7. Old Paradigm
Content
Language
Mostly
vocabulary,
Grammar
Stanford, University. April 19, 2012. Language, Literacy and the Common Core.

8. New Paradigm
Discourse
Text
(complex
text)
ExplanaDon
ArgumentaDon
Purpose
Typical
structure
of
text
Sentence
structures
ΔVocabulary
pracDces
Content
Language
Stanford, University. April 19, 2012. Language, Literacy and the Common Core.

9. Success for ELLs
Content
Development
Language
Development
Content
Area
Teacher
• Subject
area
knowledge
&
experDse
• Academic
objecDve
wriDng
skills
ESL Teacher
• Language
development
knowledge
&
experDse
• Language
objecDve
wriDng
skills

10. Implementation of CCSS: Systemic
Approach
The
triangle
of
interacDon:
CriDcal
components
for
effecDve
EL
educaDon
Staehr Fenner and Segota, 2012

11. Convening Questions
1. What are ESL educators’ current roles
in implementing the CCSS for ELs?
2. What should ESL educators’ roles be
to ensure that ELLs achieve with the
CCSS?
3. What are the most promising
strategies to support ESL educators
as they teach the CCSS?

12. TESOL Findings
• Most ESL Educators
– Understand
the
importance
of
academic
language
– Are
experts
in
language
development
– Lack
recogniDon
and
uniformity
in
the
TESOL
field

13. TESOL Findings
• Most ESL Educators
– Work
with
content
area
teachers
in
an
open-­‐ended
way
– Maintain
various
roles
and
status
in
schools
– Have
no
clear
role
in
the
school’s
CCSS
implementa4on

14. New Roles in the New Paradigm
• ESL Educators
– Experts
– Advocates
– Consultants
• Principals and Administrators
– Supporters
– Buffers
– Pedagogical
leaders

15. New Roles for ESL Educators
• Co-teaching or closer collaboration
with content-area teachers
• Professional development providers
for content-area teachers
• Developing push-in models in which
ESL teachers are in the classroom
with content-area teachers

16. Language practices required
by CCSS/NGSS
Disciplinary
Prac9ces
disciplinary
pracDces
related
to
conceptual
understanding
disciplinary
pracDces
related
to
analyDcal
tasks
disciplinary
language
pracDces
Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

17. Disciplinary Practices in CCSS
CCSS Key Standards for
Mathematical Practice
Key CCSS English Language Arts
Practices
1. Make sense of problems and persevere in
solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively
3. Construct viable arguments and critique
the reasoning of others
4. Model with mathematics
5. Use appropriate tools strategically
6. Attend to precision
7. Look for and make use of structure
8. Look for and express regularity in
repeated reasoning.
1. Support analyses of a range of grade-
level complex texts with evidence
2. Produce clear and coherent writing in
which the development, organization,
and style are appropriate to task
purpose, and audience
3. Construct valid arguments from evidence
and critique the reasoning of others
4. Build and present knowledge through
research by integrating, comparing, and
synthesizing ideas from texts
5. Build upon the ideas of others and
articulate their own when working
collaboratively
6. Use English structure to communicate
context-specific messages
Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

18. Disciplinary Practices in NGSS
NGSS Scientific and Engineering Practices
1. Ask questions (for science and defining problems
(for engineering)
2. Develop and use models
3. Plan and carry out investigations
4. Analyze and interpret data
5. Use mathematics and computational thinking
6. Construct explanations (for science) and design
solutions (for engineering)
7. Engage in argument from evidence
8. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information
Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

19. Sample Embedded Analytical Tasks
• Key CCSS Mathematical Practice 3:
Construct viable arguments and critique
the reasoning of others
– Understand
and
use
stated
assumpDons,
definiDons,
and
previously
established
results
– Make
conjectures
and
build
logical
progression
of
statements
to
explore
truth
of
conjectures
– JusDfy
conclusions,
communicate
them
to
others,
and
respond
to
counterarguments

20. Sample Embedded Receptive
Language Practices
• Key CCSS Mathematical Practice 3:
Construct viable arguments and critique
the reasoning of others
– Comprehend
oral
and
wriUen
concepts,
procedures,
or
strategies
used
in
arguments
and
reasoning,
including
• QuesDons
and
criDques
using
words
or
other
representaDons
• ExplanaDons
offered
using
word
or
other
representaDons
by
others
• ExplanaDons
offered
by
wriUen
texts
using
words
or
other
representaDons

21. Sample Embedded Productive
Language Practices
• Key CCSS Mathematical Practice 3:
Construct viable arguments and critique
the reasoning of others
– Communicate
(orally
and
in
wriDng)
about
concepts,
procedures,
strategies,
claims,
arguments,
and
other
informaDon
related
to
construcDng
arguments
and
criDquing
reasoning:
• JusDfy
conclusions
and
respond
to
counterarguments
• Recognize
and
use
counterexamples
• Respond
to
quesDon
by
amplifying
explanaDons

22. Inclusion of ELLs in New
Standards-Aligned Instruction
• How much (and what kind) of language do
students need to be placed in an inclusive
Standards-based classroom environment?
• What criteria should be used to make such
decisions?
• What should classrooms look like?
• What curricula can best facilitate linguistic
and intellectual/academic development?
Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

23. Advancing Professional Expertise
• ESL educators must
– Be
conscious
of
the
theories
that
underline
pracDces,
and
re-­‐examine
both
to
arrive
at
a
richer
and
more
thorough
understanding
of
possibiliDes,
opportuniDes,
and
challenges
– Address
what
pedagogical
scaffolding
needs
to
be
provided
for
students
so
that
they
can
parDcipate
in
pracDces
that
are
beyond
their
current
levels
of
development
Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

24. Redefining Preparation
• Teacher preparation must be re-
conceptualized for the new paradigm
so that ESL educators are able to:
– Understand how
and
why
language
is
used
in
various
disciplines
– Create
opportuniDes
for
learners
to
engage
in
language-­‐rich
disciplinary
PracDces
in
both
ESL
and
content-­‐area
classroom
seYngs
– Engage
in
effecDve
collaboraDon
with
other
educators
(and
vice-­‐versa)
Valdes, Kibler, & Walqui, 2014

25. What’s next?
• 2014 TESOL Research Agenda
• What’s needed in teacher education
and preparation?
• What tools and resources are needed
by ESL educators in this new
paradigm?
• What else?

26. More information
http://www.tesol.org/CommonCore
John Segota, CAE
jsegota@tesol.org
Twitter: @JohnSegota
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