Edtech for English Learners — Strategies and Tools That Maximize Learning

Purpose & objective

Many schools are experiencing an increase in the population of students who are English learners. This change prioritizes the need to focus on strategies and technology tools to integrate with teaching in order to meet the diverse language and content needs. Often, school districts do not have the time to provide adequate training or support for teachers, despite their urgent needs. When teaching a classroom with English learners, when do you focus on teaching the content, or shift the focus to teaching English? Or, do you teach both at the same time? What kind of strategies and tools can be used for all students that ensure access for English learners? In this session, participants will learn about a school’s journey in responding to this challenge.

As a result of this session, participants will learn how to focus on providing opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and listening in their lessons. Grounded in the instructional model of workshop, participants will learn how to develop tasks that allow for a varied depth of knowledge levels. We will explore lessons that give opportunities for the 4Cs - creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication. Participants will explore lesson examples and how to integrate these lessons with tools like Pear Deck, Kami, Google Slides, and more. These technology tools amplify accessibility to learning both content and English. Participants can expect to leave this session inspired with ways to modify current lessons to increase accessibility for English learners.

Outline

Content and activities:
In this session, we will first connect to the current realities school districts are experiencing with an increase in the population of English learners. We will then explore the research and evidence-based practices supporting the reasoning to provide opportunities for speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Throughout this presentation, participants will have opportunities to reflect individually and in small groups. We will then explore real classroom lessons that developed tasks for engagement with varied depth of knowledge levels. During this time, we will learn about different technology tools that amplify access to learning. Lastly, participants will have opportunities to then modify sample lessons or their own lessons in order to apply what they have learned from this session.

Time:
- 10 minutes: Sharing data and connecting with the reality of a rise in the population of English learners.
- 10 minutes: Presenting research and evidence-based practices that are successful with English learners.
- 5 minutes: Participants will reflect on their current teaching situation and debrief with a small group.
- 5 minutes: Present background on workshop model and depths of knowledge.
- 15 minutes: Sharing of classroom examples that are grounded in workshop model, that utilize technology tools to provide opportunities for reading, writing, speaking, and writing, in order to provide access to varied depths of knowledge and opportunities for learning both content and English.
- 10 minutes: Participants will practice modifying their own lessons in order to apply what they have learned.
- 5 minutes: Share out-sample lessons and end-of-session reflection.

Process:
This presentation is designed in the workshop model structure. We will have time for connection, mini-lesson, practice, and reflection. I will be running the session with an audience engagement tool that is device based which will allows for active participant engagement. Participants will engage in think-pair-share reflection opportunities, practice applying new content, and reflect in order to connect their learning.

Supporting research

Cohan, Audrey, et al. Team up, Speak up, Fire up!: Educators, Students, and the Community Working Together to Support ... English Learners. HAWKER BROWNLOW EDUCATION, 2020.