Classroom Q and A

Music can be a powerful medium for reaching and teaching students. Join us as we look at good reasons and great ways to connect music to learning objectives.

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Denise Fawcett Facey was a classroom teacher for more than two decades and now writes on education issues. Among her books, The Social Studies Helper offers activities and projects that make social studies more vibrant and engaging for secondary-level students. Alycia Owen is an international educator and workshop presenter. She currently teaches in China where she is EAL Department Head at the American International School of Guangzhou. Jennifer Schwanke has been an educator for 20 years, teaching or leading at all levels. She is the author of You're the Principal! Now What? Strategies and Solutions for New School Leaders. In addition to on her blog, she publishes frequently on the Choice Literacy and Lead Literacy websites as well as Education Week Teacher, Principal, and Principal Navigator. Rachelle Dena Poth is a teacher, edtech consultant and speaker. She is also an attorney, has a Master’s in instructional technology and serves as President of ISTE Teacher Education Network. She has written several books including, Unconventional Ways to Thrive in EDU. She is a blogger and has a podcast. Rachelle co-hosts Find Your Grind LIve on Wednesdays. Sara Lev is the co-author of the book Implementing Project Based Learning in Early Childhood: Overcoming Misconceptions and Reaching Success. She teaches transitional kindergarten in Los Angeles, California and is also a member of the National Faculty of PBLWorks where she facilitates trainings in Project Based Learning Pre-K through 12.

Many teachers have now been engaged in remote learning from three to six weeks. What have we learned so far? What, if anything, would we do differently?

Follow on Twitter: @elvisepps @MrsLeonENL @ashlm_12 @barberchicago @jonHarper70bd@larryferlazzo @bamradionetwork

Ashley McCall serves as a 3rd grade bilingual English/Language Arts teacher at César Chávez Multicultural Arts Center on the southwest side of Chicago and serves as a teacher representative on the Chávez Local School Council. She works to incorporate social justice/civic engagement experiences and elevate student voice throughout the year as evidenced by her students’ recent culminating activism unit project “Say it Loud/Dilo Fuerte.” Lorie Barber is a 5th-grade teacher in Illinois and a National Board Certification candidate. She works through an anti-oppressive lens and believes in getting high quality, relatable books into the hands of all of her students. Dr. Elvis Epps serves as the Principal at Lake Worth Community High School in the School District of Palm Beach. He has been a teacher, assistant principal, and principal for more than 28 years. He is a veteran of the US Navy. Claudia Leon is a middle school ENL (English as a New Language) and ELA teacher in Bay Shore, New York. Her students are about 90% Hispanic and 10% South Asian. During her 1st year of teaching, Mrs. Leon took a teacher training class at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) that taught her how to use artwork in the classroom to develop literacy, and this foundation has guided her teaching for 11 years.

The data is clear, movement supports learning. Yet, "sit-and-get" teaching and learning continue to dominate our traditional and virtual classrooms.

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Valentina Gonzalez is a Professional Development Specialist for ELLs in Katy, Texas and taught multiple grades as well as serving K-5 as an ESL specialty teacher and district program facilitator.  Jenny Vo has spent all her 23 years in education working with English Learners and currently serves as an ESL ISST in Katy ISD in Katy, Texas.

Many teachers have now been engaged in remote learning from three to six weeks.  What have we learned so far? What, if anything, would we do differently?

Follow on Twitter: @elvisepps @MrsLeonENL @ashlm_12 @barberchicago @ @larryferlazzo @Ashley McCall serves as a 3rd grade bilingual English/Language Arts teacher at César Chávez Multicultural Arts Center on the southwest side of Chicago and serves as a teacher representative on the Chávez Local School Council. She works to incorporate social justice/civic engagement experiences and elevate student voice throughout the year as evidenced by her students’ recent culminating activism unit project “Say it Loud/Dilo Fuerte” which seeks to rewrite students’ neighborhood narrative. Lorie Barber is a 5th-grade teacher in Illinois and a National Board Certification candidate. She works through an anti-oppressive lens and believes in getting high quality, relatable books into the hands of all of her students. Dr. Elvis Epps serves as the Principal at Lake Worth Community High School in the School District of Palm Beach. He has been a teacher, assistant principal, and principal for more than 28 years. He is a veteran of the US Navy. In addition to leading his school, he has been a presenter and speaker at state and national conferences on school leadership and organizational leadership. Claudia Leon is a middle school ENL (English as a New Language) and ELA teacher in Bay Shore, New York.  Her students are about 90% Hispanic and 10% South Asian.  During her 1st year of teaching, Mrs. Leon took a teacher training class at the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art).

How does background knowledge make learning stick? How do we connect our learning objectives to what students already know, care about, and grasp? How can we activate background knowledge when teaching remotely?

Follow on Twitter: @larryferlazzo @ReadDRjwilhelm @adamfachler@Elizabe93434127 @cherylabla

At McREL International, Cheryl Abla, MA, trains and coaches K–12 teachers and school leaders on effective instructional strategies, problem-based learning, classroom technology, teacher coaching, English-language-learner supports and creating engaging school cultures and climates. She has authored several articles for McREL’s Changing Schools magazine and is a co-author of Tools for Classroom Instruction that Works. Elizabeth Villanueva is a passionate and committed teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, CA where she teaches 9th-12th grade Spanish. She leads an after-school leadership program called New-Age Latinas. Adam Fachler is a learning strategist who helps education leaders develop their people and communicate with clarity. After teaching, coaching, and leading a public middle school, he co-founded of the School in the Square, a public charter school. He is co-author with Jeff Wilhelm of Planning Powerful Instruction and creator of the process captured in that book, the EMPOWER Method. He currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. A full-time classroom teacher for 13 years, Jeff Wilhelm is Distinguished Professor of English Education at Boise State University and is the founding director of the Maine and Boise State Writing Projects. He is the author or co-author of 41 books about literacy teaching and learning and has won NCTE’s Promising Research award for You Gotta Be the Book. His most recent publication is Planning Powerful Instruction: 7 Must Make Moves to Transform How We Teach -- and How Students Learn.

Inspiring students to read is always a priority in education.  How can we maintain our commitment to supporting reading while teaching online?

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Sarah Said has spent years overseeing ELL programming in schools in Illinois.  In addition to her current role as a Director of Language and Equity programs, she is also a contributor for ELL Confianza. She is also a course writer for English Learner portal.  Sarah Kirby-Gonzalez is a National Board Certified fifth-grade teacher in the Folsom Cordova School District. She was a participant in the Teaching American History Grant, Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Summer Institute, and a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. Jennifer Orr is a kindergarten teacher in a Title 1 school in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Previously she has taught 5th, 4th, and 1st graders, as well as her own two daughters.

Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D., is co-founder and lead developer for WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin- Madison. She has devoted her professional career to the education of multilingual learners, having published extensively and presented worldwide; her latest books include Assessing English language learners: Bridges to equity, Assessing multilingual learners: A month-by-month guide (2017, ASCD), and Language power: Key uses for accessing content. Kristin Spears is an ESOL coach and teacher in Spartanburg, South Carolina District 6 where she helps plan and conduct ESOL professional development and collaborates with elementary teachers on how to best serve ELs in their classrooms.  In her teaching career, she has worked in various upstate SC schools with students in grades K-8. Becky Corr is an English Language Development Team Lead for Douglas County School District in Colorado.  In her role with DCSD as well as the owner of EdSpark Consulting, she provides coaching, professional development, and family engagement opportunities.

Many of us struggle to grade the performance of ELLs in a mainstream classroom. How can we separate content knowledge from language skills and assess ELLs in ways that are fair, appropriate, and relevant?

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Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D., is co-founder and lead developer for WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin- Madison. She has devoted her professional career to the education of multilingual learners, having published extensively and presented worldwide; her latest books include Assessing English language learners: Bridges to equity, Assessing multilingual learners: A month-by-month guide (2017, ASCD), and Language power: Key uses for accessing content. Kristin Spears is an ESOL coach and teacher in Spartanburg, South Carolina District 6 where she helps plan and conduct ESOL professional development and collaborates with elementary teachers on how to best serve ELs in their classrooms.  In her teaching career, she has worked in various upstate SC schools with students in grades K-8. Becky Corr is an English Language Development Team Lead for Douglas County School District in Colorado.  In her role with DCSD as well as the owner of EdSpark Consulting, she provides coaching, professional development, and family engagement opportunities.

Covid-19 has disrupted the best-laid district plans, school plans, and lesson plans of educators worldwide. As more schools, teachers, and students are upended by the rapid transition to online learning, what should our priorities be?

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County, Va. Her book, 10 Keys to Student Empowerment, features tools to unlock student potential and develop courage in learners to face challenges head-on. Amy Roediger has been teaching science for 28 years and was recently recognized as a PAEMST award winner for Ohio. Amy blogs about the things she tries in her classroom at aleverandaplacetostand.blogspot.com. David Sherrin is the father (and temporary educator) of three young children, a social studies teacher at Scarsdale High School, author of Authentic Assessment in Social Studies: A Guide to Keeping it Real, and recipient of the 2014 Robert H Jackson Center National Award for Teaching Justice. He maintains the teaching website JADE Learning.

In this episode, we look at examples of ways to make learning more relevant, engaging, and impactful by giving your students real-world problems to solve.

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Denise Krebs was previously the chief learner in her middle school classes at a small Catholic school in rural Iowa. She currently is the chief learner with her English language learning grade 5 students in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. Rebecca Mieliwocki is a 21-year veteran middle school English teacher in Burbank, CA, who adores trying new things with her wild, wonderful, and wooly 7th graders.

In this episode, we take a look for what qualities might make a great teacher by asking teachers about their favorite teachers.

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Elizabeth Villanueva is a passionate and committed teacher at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, CA where she teaches 9th-12th grade Spanish. She leads an after-school leadership program called New-Age Latinas. Betty Cárdenas, born and raised in Brownsville, TX to Mexican immigrants, attended the TX public school system as a bilingual student. She was a bilingual teacher at the elementary level for seven years. Jessica Levine is an Innovative Learning Coordinator where she supports educators with implementing innovative practices and instructional technology into the curriculum. Jenny Vo has spent all her 23 years in education working with English Learners and currently serves as an ESL ISST in Katy ISD in Katy, Texas.