This document describes a program called "Students as Teachers" developed at a middle school in New Jersey to help English Language Learners succeed in science. The program is based on the ideas that students learn best in groups and when they can leverage their strengths. It has students of varying English proficiency levels work collaboratively in groups to summarize, illustrate, and teach each other content from science chapters. The teacher introduces topics and monitors the process, while students assume responsibilities within their roles. Evaluation found the program improved students' science grades by a letter on average and reduced disciplinary issues, as students focused more deeply on language proficiency when explaining concepts to peers. The conclusion is that allowing collaborative work and student-created materials can help many English

1. STUDENTS AS TEACHERS:
Collaborating for Greater Success
In Science for English Language Learners
Written by: Elizabeth Park
Presented by: Liriett Herrera

2. This program was developed in a middle
school in New Jersey because the state and federal
mandates requiere that eighth grade students
perform at a level considered proficient on
standardized content area assessment within a few
years of their arrivals in the United States.

3. This program was based on the ideas that
students learn best in groups and students who
are encouraged to leverage their learning
strengths may read most successfully in
heterogeneous groups. For instance, groups of
Literature are good example of this method.

4. BELIEFS BEHIND THE PROGRAM
1. Students are often the people who are best placed to understand peers´
difficulties and offer sucessful explanations.
2. A student may not understand what the teacher is saying for any number of
reasons,including regional dialects, the affective filter,(Krashen 1981), or
culturally different approaches to processes. However, peers are quick to
identify what component is missing in a friend´s understanding and, if
possible, to help fill that void.

5. All the ELLs in the Students as Teachers are native
Speakers and the school is located in a town with
A population identified as 75% Spanish speakers.
The students in this program are classified as
Beginners , intermediate and advanced.

6. 1. Beginners receive content instruction in Spanish
In addition to the ESL classes.
2. Intermediate level students are offered sheltered
content area Instruction in English with ESL instruction
reading and writing, math,e social studies, and science.
3. Students at advanced level attend English only content
,
reading, and writing classes and have no classes
period of ESL support each day.

7. ORGANIZATION OF THE PROGRAM
TEACHER´S
INTRODUCTION
STUDENT´S
CONTENT
EXPLORATION
CREATION OF
TEXTS
WRITING
ILLUSTRATING
DEVELOPING
ASSESSMENT
LAYING OUT
THE PAGES
TEACHING AND
ASSESSMENT
TEACHERS IS MONITORING
THE PROCESS AND
ANSWERING QUESTIONS
PRINTING AND ASSEMBLING
(8-12 PAGES .ENGLISH
BOOKLET)

8. CONTENT INTRODUCTION AND GROUP CREATION
THE TEACHER
INTRODUCES THE
TOPIC
STUDENTS BEGIN
TO ENVISION
THEMSELVES AS
TEACHERS
WATER
TOPICS ASSIGNED
BY THE TEACHER
SOUND
LIGHT

9. STUDENTS READ ALL THE THREE CHAPTERS,
BUT THEY FOCUS ON THEIR OWN CHAPTER
EACH GROUP MEMBER INDEPENDENTLY
PRODUCES A SUMMARY OF HIS OWN
SECTION.
WORKING COLLABORATELY, ALL GROUP
MEMBER REVIEW EACH SUMMARY AND
CHECK EACH OTHER´S WORK TO MAKE SURE
THE CONTENT IS COMPREHENSIBLE.

10. TEACHING
DISCIPLINE
ASSESSING
• ROUND-ROBIN
READING
• VERBAL
WARNING
• MULTIPLE CHOICE
TEST
• LECTURE
• TEACHER
DETENTIONS
• EASY QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE TOPIC
• GROUP
DISCUSSION
• STUDENTS
DETENTIONS

11. Support and
Encourage students
Creates
opportunities for
each student to
work individually or
in group
TEACHER
´S ROLE
Make clear that all the
students have to
assumed
responsabilities.
Give individual
roles to reach the
goal.

12. Negative Factors:
1. Classroom management was profoundly affected
By this program.
2. Disciplinary actions (for infractor such as missing
homework, class disruption,
3. And sidebars conversations unrelated to class work)
dropped by approximately 50% as measured by the
number of detentions issued for breaking class
rules against these kinds of behaviors.

13. EVALUATION OF THE PROGRAM
For all leaners in the Students as Teachers program, content area
grades rose by an average of one letter grade. Allowing students to
concentrate on sections of one chapter as a whole. When students
tookthe next step and explained their understanding to their peers,
they were encouraged to focus more deeply on their language
proficiency,
They mined small pieces of text for increasingly greater meaning,
analyzing syntax and grammar in ways they had not done before.

14. CONCLUSION:
A program like this offers challenges and rewards .
But as the author of this chapter mentioned “If the
Student can study in collaborative groups and create
Their own materials , many of them learn more
Comprehensively. Students who know content
exceptionally well can and should in turn teach
their peers.