Highest Aspirations

How might we design professional learning opportunities that provide both a quality, personalized learning pathway and a path to licensure to work with English Language Learners? What are some of the advantages of utilizing blended and personalized learning strategies to bring diverse cohorts of educators together around ELL instruction? How can partnerships forged between school districts and local universities help move the needle on professional learning that will ultimately benefit the students we serve?

We discuss these questions and more with Kristina Soprano. Kristina is the Director of the ESL Teacher Certification Program at Roger Williams University, University College. Prior joining University College at RWU, Kristina served as an ELL Coordinator for a charter school in MA, and also taught English learners at the elementary, middle, and high school levels in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Kristina has also enjoyed supporting other educators with developing their knowledge and skills surrounding English learner education. She is an advocate for linguistically responsive and collaborative teaching models that embrace the assets that all learners bring to school.

In this bonus episode, we bring you conversations from the annual WIDA Conference that took place in Detroit. We brought some guests over to our booth talk about ELL instruction, the ELL Community, and the conference itself. Thanks to the following people for joining us:

Anna Matis and Carol Salva from Seidlitz Education

Amanda Rodriguez and Brandi Smith from Alabaster City Schools, AL

Jess Bell from Warren Township, IN

Carlota Holder from Enlace Academy, IN

Katherine Galvagni from Henderson County Schools, VA

How might we leverage technology to facilitate collaboration and professional development across educational teams working with ELLs?

What are some simple tech tools that can be used to bring people together easily and efficiently? How might we overcome the fear of using new tools to increase collaboration?

We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Bret Gosselin. Bret has been a high school educator serving ELs for thirteen years. During that time he has worked with newcomers through LTELs both as a teacher and a specialist. He is passionate about seeing these students meet with success and loves collaborating with teachers in attaining this shared vision. Bret currently serves as EL Instructional Specialist at Garland ISD in Texas. He is passionate about seeing these students meet with success and loves collaborating with teachers in attaining this shared vision.

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In this episode, we speak with Abu Bakr a-Rabia about how how his journey to Canada as a Syrian refugee became a book written by his teacher Winnie Yeung. Abu Bakr talks with us about learning English, adapting to a very different life in Canada, and why it was so important for him to tell his story. Despite the struggles he and his family endured, his message is one of positivity and praise for the human spirit.

When asked what advice he would give to teachers, ELL students, and school leaders Abu Bakr began by saying, “I would say it doesn’t matter where they are from or what they went through - they will come through it. All they need is a little bit of time to learn the language. Don’t let news or social media make a fear connection between you or make a bridge between each other. I would say communicate as humans. It is very hard at the beginning for both people - the one who speaks English and the other - because they don’t understand each other. But after they get to know each other more, they will know what the newcomer needs."

As you’ll hear in the episode, reading the book Homes: A Refugee Story left a lasting impression on us. For that reason and many more, we were honored to speak with this remarkable young man.

Homes: A Refugee Story tells the true story of Edmonton high school student Abu Bakr al Rabeeah, whose family left Iraq in 2010 in search of a safer life. They moved to Homs, Syria — just before the Syrian civil war broke out. As told to Winnie Yeung, Homes tells Bakr’s story of growing up during the Syrian civil war, and ultimately moving with his family to a new home in Edmonton, Canada. It’s a story that’s both heartbreaking and hopeful, about the devastation of war and the enduring love of family — an urgently necessary read for understanding Syria and what it’s like to be a refugee.

What happens when an ESL teacher helps a refugee student tell his story? How can relating simple, day to day activities in a war-torn country help us understand that people around the world have more similarities than differences? Why is it so important to understand what our students want to do with their learning?

We discuss these questions and much more in Part 1 of a two part series about the book Homes: A Refugee Story. Winnie Yeung, an ESL teacher in Edmonton, met Abu Bakr in the fall of 2015. What started as an attempt to help tell this refugee student’s story in a speech turned into a much bigger project, resulting in the publication of the book.

"Homes: A Refugee Story tells the true story of Edmonton high school student Abu Bakr al Rabeeah, whose family left Iraq in 2010 in search of a safer life. They moved to Homs, Syria — just before the Syrian civil war broke out. As told to Winnie Yeung, Homes tells Bakr’s story of growing up during the Syrian civil war, and ultimately moving with his family to a new home in Edmonton, Canada. It’s a story that’s both heartbreaking and hopeful, about the devastation of war and the enduring love of family — an urgently necessary read for understanding Syria and what it’s like to be a refugee." (Freehand Books - Interview with Winnie Yeung, about Homes: A Refugee Story: http://www.freehand-books.com/books/homes-a-refugee-story/interview-with-winnie-yeung-about-homes-a-refugee-story)

Be sure to listen to part 2 of the series (Episode 22) where we talk with Abu Bakr al-Rabeeah about his experience as a refugee who was given the opportunity to tell his story.

How can making and sharing music bring together diverse groups of students? What skills does an educator need to incorporate tech tools to help students create culturally relevant and academically appropriate products? How can teachers of any subject leverage the power of music and technology nurture strong classroom and school communities?

We discuss these questions and more with Sarah Minette. Sarah has taught for 14 years in public schools. She currently teaches a variety of music classes at Minneapolis South High School-a very large and diverse school in the heart of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Sarah is in the process of developing as many classes as possible to create multiple access points for students at South to experience music education.

What gaps exist between resettled refugees and their communities and how might we go about bridging them? How can the simple act of spending time with one another in a common space help break down barriers? Why is it so important to move toward an asset based approach with newcomers and what they bring to our communities?

In this episode, we are joined by Kitti Murray and Walt Anderson of Refuge Coffee. They talk with us about how Refuge is empowering refugees to use their many gifts to help create a vibrant community in Clarkston, Georgia - a town that has been called the most diverse square mile in the United States.

By pursuing their goal to provide employment and job training opportunities to resettled refugees, creating a unique, welcoming gathering place in Clarkston, and telling a more beautiful refugee story to Atlanta, Refuge Coffee is on a mission to bridge the opportunity gap, the hospitality gap, and the awareness gap.

How are schools accommodating English Language Learners with disabilities? What are some of the common challenges when working with these students and how might we overcome them? What impacts do EL and disability status have on reclassification or exiting? We discuss these questions and much more with Dr. Sara Kangas of Lehigh University.

As an applied linguist, Dr. Kangas researches the educational experiences of English learners (ELs) with disabilities. Focusing on K-12 contexts, she is particularly interested in understanding how schools can create learning environments that support both the linguistic and academic needs of these learners. Dr. Kangas’ research also examines how educational equity for ELs with disabilities intersects with language policies and institutional structures.

In this episode, award winning journalist Helen Thorpe joins us to discuss her most recent book, The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom.

The book follows the lives of twenty-two teenagers from around the world over the course of one school year as they land at South High School in Denver, Colorado, in a beginner-level English Language Acquisition class. Many arrive directly from refugee camps, some after having lost one or both parents; together, their class represents a microcosm of the global refugee crisis as a whole. The Newcomers tells the story of what happens during the students’ first year in America, and it follows the journeys of three families in particular—from Iraq, Burma, and the Democratic Republic of Congo—illuminating what life is like in refugee-producing parts of the world. The book was published by Scribner in 2017.

What opportunities exist for ELL Specialists to work as coaches to help content teachers better serve their English Language Learners? What strategies have proven successful and sustainable for supporting students in the long term? What are some of the obstacles that make this work challenging and how can anticipating them help maximize impact?

We discuss these questions and more with Michelle Benegas and Amy Stolpestad, founders of the English Learners in the Mainstream or ELM project at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. Learn more about Michelle and Amy and the resources they recommend during out conversation at https://ellevationeducation.com/podcast/highest-aspirations-s01-e16.