COMMON CORE FOR THE NOT-SO-COMMON LEARNER

Who are our Not-So-Common Learners? Brainstorm a list of our not-so-common learners

THE NOT-SO-COMMON LEARNERS English Learners (ELs) Students with Interrupted or Limited Formal Education (SIFE) Students With Disabilities Nonstandard-English-Speaking Students Children of Poverty Struggling Learners

REFLECTION Asset or a burden? How? How can we celebrate diversity in our classroom?

“…subtle forms of unintentional rejection…” What is the reality??? What is happening in elementary, middle and high school that shows we have “lower expectations” for these studnets? “…subtle forms of unintentional rejection…” ~Cummins (pg. 3 or pg. 5)

WHAT? Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts Reading and writing grounded in evidence from text Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary

TEMPERATURE CHECK Are our students…? Reading and writing across the content areas Conducting research and communicating about their research Analyzing and synthesizing information Being exposed to a balance of fiction and nonfiction text Experiencing increased exposure to complex text – “staircase of text complexity” Reading text closely Supporting ideas, opinions, arguments, and conclusions with evidence from the text Writing more often Writing about a single topic using various sources Learning vocabulary through shared reading and read-alouds Learning vocabulary strategies Rate where they feel they are as a school on each of these….

WHAT IS NOT COVERED BY THE STANDARDS “The Standards define what all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach.” The Standards only describe the essential skills that must be taught; it is beyond the scope of the CCSS to identify “all that can and should be taught”

They “do not define the intervention methods or materials necessary to support students who are well below…grade-level expectations” They do not address the necessary social, emotional, physical, and cultural growth of students to be college and career ready. “It is also beyond the scope of the Standards to define the full range of supports appropriate for English language learners.”

Fullan (2007) identified clarity as one of the variables of successful change; in short, “the more complex the reform the greater the problem of clarity” (p.89)

What is clarity? What does it look like? Who is responsible? SO…LET’S BE CLEAR What is clarity? What does it look like? Who is responsible?

EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE CLARITY Shared vision and mission Curriculum mapping and alignment Collaborative planning, instruction and assessment Strategies to integrate language and content instruction Focus on academic language Explicit teaching of literacy and language-learning strategies

HOW? How will teachers be able to help diverse learners meet the benchmarks set by the CCSS?

CRITICAL QUESTION What does this student need at this moment in order to be able to progress with this key content, and what do I need to do to make it happen?

GENERAL GUIDELINES AND TECHNIQUES List strategies for addressing the needs of diverse learners

RESEARCH BASED STRATEGIES Convey or provide information using a variety of formats Bring realia into the classroom Offer information using the different learning styles Use nonverbal cues to relate information Scaffold speech Frontload vocabulary Increase wait time Increase student engagement Create a low-risk learning environment Model Maintain high expectations for students

GRADUAL RELEASE OF RESPONSIBILITY MODEL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE_KTMRwbJs

“GRADUAL RELEASE OF RESPONSIBILITY MODEL” (FREY AND FISHER)

“FOCUSED INSTRUCTION” “Humans are hardwired to imitate other humans.” Establishes a focused purpose to make content relevant and meaningful to the learners. Teacher’s role should be “two pronged” during focused instruction. “I” statements Modeling metacognition

“GUIDED INSTRUCTION” The strategic use of questions, prompts, and cues facilitate student thinking. Most effective with small groups and should be based on what formative assessments reveal in terms of student needs. Gives teachers a chance to engage student’s thinking without telling them what to think. (scaffolding)

“No one learns language by listening to language.” “COLLABORATIVE WORK” “No one learns language by listening to language.” Collaborative learning transfers more responsibility to students, yet provides them with peer support, Promotes “individual accountability.” Should be a strong interaction of “academic language” everyday because we learn by producing. Read, talk, or complete comprehension strategy together.

“INDEPENDENT LEARNING” “Homework is often prematurely assigned in the instructional cycle.” Independent work should be used for review and reinforcement of previously taught concepts. Well structured independent learning is the ultimate way to build self esteem through confidence.

“How do I know what I think until I see what I write?” WRITE TO LEARN “How do I know what I think until I see what I write?” ~E.B. White 3x3

3-Ideas I learned and want to emphasize with the teachers at my school 2-Ideas for improvement 1-Question I am still wrestling with Don’t forget to adapt the 3, 2, 1 to fit your training at the school level