Classroom Q and A

The number of English language learners is growing each year. This is creating an array of challenges for teachers and school districts. In this segment we look at several teaching strategies that are very effective with ELLs.

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Judie Haynes taught elementary ESL for 28 years. She is the author & coauthor of 7 books including The Essential Guide for Educating Beginning English Learners. She currently writes a blog for TESOL and is co-founder of #ELLCHAT, a Twitter chat for teachers of ELLs. Mary Ann Zehr is in her 4th year as a teacher of history to English-language learners at Wilson High School in the District of Columbia. Previously, she reported on English-language learners for Education Week, a national newspaper about schools.

Teaching vocabulary is integral to all content areas. In this segment we ask our guest to share their best strategies for teaching vocabulary.

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Katie Brown is an ELL Specialist, Instructional Coach, and the 2014 Washington State Teacher of the Year. She has been teaching middle school for 11 years, and currently works with students, teachers, and families to best meet the needs of language learners. Marilee Sprenger is a national and international presenter and author whose passion is the brain and learning. She has written 11 books including her latest bestseller, Teaching the Critical Vocabulary of the Common Core.

The maker movement, DIY and 3D printers are hot in education today. In this segment we define each and explore their real value in preparing kids for the future.

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Laura Blankenship is chair of the Computer Science department at the Baldwin School, an all girls' pre-K-12 school in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She's been teaching computing, technology and making for almost 10 years, and she is also the co-moderator of the #makered Twitter chat.

If you are an educator who feels that you have a book inside of you waiting to get published, this segment offers some sage advice from educators who understand the process well.

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Marjorie McAneny has fifteen years of experience in the publishing industry, where she has focused on rights, licensing, and editorial for the technology, business, and education markets. PJ Caposey is an award-winning educator, author of two books (Teach Smart and Building a Culture of Support), speaker and an education consultant. PJ currently serves as the Superintendent of Schools for Meridian CUSD 223 in Northwest Illinois. Alan Sitomer is a California Teacher of the Year Award winner who has written 17 books to date with publishers such as Disney, Scholastic, and Penguin-Putnam.

Some use the term differentiated instruction, others prefer responsive teaching. In this segment we seek clarification and practical understanding of what it really takes to reach all students.

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Laura Robb has taught grades 4 to 8 more than 40 years and written more than 25 books for teachers on literacy. Presently, Robb coaches teachers, returns to the classroom in the winter months, trains teachers in the U.S. and Canada, and speaks at national conferences. Regie Routman works with students, teachers, and administrators in underperforming schools to accelerate reading and writing achievement. She is the author of many books for educators, most recently Read, Write, Lead: Breakthrough Strategies for Schoolwide Literacy Success (ASCD, 2014).

Classroom management is one of the biggest challenges teachers face. In this segement two experienced teachers share their best dos and don'ts.

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Pernille Ripp is a 5th grade teacher in Middleton, Wisconsin, USA, and creator of the Global Read Aloud Project, Co-founder of EdCamp MadWI. Dr. Bryan Harris is the Director of Professional Development & Public Relations for the Casa Grande (Arizona) Elementary School District. He is the author of 3 highly-acclaimed books from Routledge and a popular keynote speaker and workshop leader who focuses on the topics of student engagement, classroom management, and brain-based learning.

There is no mention of caring in the common core standards and some are wondering if the social and emotional elements of teaching/learning are precluded by Common Core.

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Mai Xi Lee, Director of Social Emotional Learning for Sacramento City Unified School District, has been a strong advocate for the relevance and importance of relationships as the key foundation for both parent and student engagement. Sean Slade, director of Whole Child Programs at ASCD, has more than two decades in education,--writing on topics related to the whole child and health and well-being.

In 2014 the student population tipped and students of color now make up the majority. However the ranks of teachers of color has barely increased. Does it matter? Do we really need more teachers of color? If so, how can we attract and retain more non-white teachers.

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Gloria Ladson-Billings is the Kellner Family Chair of Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction and Faculty Affiliate in the Departments of Educational Policy Studies, Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, and Afro-American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Are Common Core Standards an asset or a liability for teachers working with English language learners?

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Maria Montalvo-Balbed is the Director of ELL Professional Learning Programs for Metro RESA in Georgia and she is an ASCD Faculty. Debbie Zacarian, a nationally known author, speaker, and consultant in education, works in advancing student achievement with culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse populations.

It has been argued that student achievement is impacted by too many factors that are beyond a teacher's control. Which begs the question, is it possible to effectively evaluate teachers based on factors within their control.

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Ted Appel is a Principal of Luther Burbank High School for the past 11 years. Previously, he trained new high school teachers for the district. Started out as an Outward Bound instructor providing experiential education programs for at risk youth. Teach For America alum, Ben Spielberg has taught middle school math and science, worked as a math instructional coach for middle and high school teachers, and served on the Executive Board of the San Jose Teachers Association. His blog, 34justice, covers education and a variety of other social justice issues.