Episode Summary:
In this episode, join Monica Baker on an educational summer experience that is anything but your traditional summer school. How can you bring together multilingual learners ranging in age from 3 to 16 in an atmosphere that cultivates support, engagement, leadership and a thriving classroom community dynamic? Ms. Baker has the answer! Listen in as she breaks down the specifics of her multilingual, multiage summer program and talks about the celebration of multilingualism. She says, “When we shift our mindset away from what feels safe & comfortable as educators… and put ourselves out there and just try, that’s where those connections form that are so positive.”

RBERNing Questions for this episode:
1- How did you come up with the concept for your multiage project based summer program for MLLs?

2- What are the main benefits of this program?

3- Is this project easy to implement for other teachers of ELLs?

Guest Bio:
Monica Baker has been an English as a New Language teacher in the Hudson Valley for 18 years. She is a Past President of NYS TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages). She holds national board certification and was a recipient of the 2022 Empire State Excellence in Teaching Award. Monica is active in TESOL International, currently serving as Chair-Elect for the Membership Professional Council. She is the Executive Vice President of the Webutuck Teachers' Association, an instructor with NYSUT (NYS United Teachers) Education and Learning Trust, and has served on the ENL subject area committee for NYSUT. She is also the Chair of the Mid Hudson Teacher Center Policy Board. In these union roles, Monica advocates for colleagues as well as students to ensure that NYS public schools are safe and effective learning environments for ALL students. 

Resources:
Websites/Social Media/Contact
 https://www.facebook.com/msmonicabaker/  

Email: [email protected]

Publications

Empowering the Voices of Young Multilingual Learners in the ESL Classroom

https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/empowering-the-voices-of-young-multilingual-learners-in-the-esl-classroom/310969

Multilingual Learners in Rural NY

https://brill.com/display/book/9789004549647/BP000016.xml

One Room Schoolhouse

https://nysut.docsend.com/view/qceixmsptn5925gi

To find out more about Mid-State RBERN at OCM BOCES' services, listen to season 1 of the show with host Collette Farone-Goodwin, or to receive CTLE credit for listening to episodes, click here: https://midstaterbern.org/

Episode Summary:
Although Dr. Ching-Ching Lin has been a TESOL professional for many years, beginning her career as a high school teacher, she emphasizes her passion for using her knowledge to volunteer and make an impact that goes beyond teaching to opening up dialogues among her colleagues. One of the topics of those dialogues is the idea that we need to rethink how we conceptualize multilingual learners and our version of “helping” them. She says, “we need to reeducate ourselves in order to create an equitable space.” These are just a few of the notions she asserts during our conversation about her book “Reimagining Dialogue on Identity, Language, and Power”. Listen in as Dr. Lin takes us back to the prevailing issues of pandemic times to express her motivation for editing the book, and talks about the impact of dialogue in academic research.

RBERNing Questions for this Episode:
1- What was the inspiration behind the book you’ve edited with Dr. Clara Bauler, “Reimagining Dialogue on Identity, Language, and Power?”

2- What key takeaways can educators get from reading this book?

3- Chapter 7 is titled “Forming Performative Space through Legitimate Peripheral Participation: Digitally-Mediated Dialogic Inquiry of Four BIPOC TESOL Professionals.” Can you unpack this title for us and explain the process for data collection for this particular chapter and what makes it so unique?

Full BIO:
Dr. Ching-Ching Lin, a native of Taiwan, is a teacher educator in TESOL and Bilingual Education at Adelphi University, New York. She is Past Chair of B-MEIS (Bilingual Multilingual Education Interest Section) (2020-2021), and Past President of NYS TESOL (2020-2021). Her research interests mainly focus on engaging diversity as a strategic action plan for change. She has published manuscripts on a wide range of topics related to diversity and inclusion. She is Co-Editor and a contributing author of the following two volumes: Inclusion, Diversity, and Intercultural Dialogue in Young People's Philosophical Inquiry (Brill Publishers, 2018) and Internationalization in Action: Leveraging Diversity and Inclusion in the Globalized Classroom (Peter Lang Publishing, 2020) and Reimagining Dialogue on Identity, Language and Power (Multilingual Matters, 2023).

Resources:
Websites/Social Media:

Website: https://globaldiversityinclusionlab.weebly.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/chingching.lin.9849

Books:
https://www.multilingual-matters.com/page/detail/?K=9781800414716

To find out more about Mid-State RBERN at OCM BOCES' services, listen to season 1 of the show with host Collette Farone-Goodwin, or to receive CTLE credit for listening to episodes, click here: https://midstaterbern.org/

Episode Summary:
On this episode of RBERNing Questions, Dr. Christine Seebach takes us on a journey from her friendly Spanish-speaking childhood neighbor to immersing herself in Spanish language and culture abroad, to her current role as a leader in the field of TESOL. She discusses the influence that being “tapped” by someone who has acknowledged your value can have on the trajectory of your career. You will also hear fond descriptions of her experience on the NYS TESOL board, and all of the benefits she’s received from being president and part of the organization. Find out why NYS TESOL “is everything”, and get a glimpse behind the scenes of what the organization has in store. Are you thinking about taking on a leadership role? Are you wondering about the challenges and opportunities that lie in leadership? If so, tune into this episode! 

RBERNing Questions for this Episode:
1- What inspired you to become a leader in the field of TESOL, and more specifically, to run for President of NYS TESOL?

2- What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome in your position as President of NYS TESOL, and how did you overcome it?

3- What is the most thoughtful piece of advice you would give to our K-12 teachers who may be considering going into leadership roles?

Full BIO:
Dr. Christine E. Seebach is a native New Yorker and staunch multilingualism advocate, with 26 years in the field of education. Her tenure spans New York City and suburban K-12 districts and colleges, where she excelled as a teacher, professor, and linguist. Specializing in high school Spanish and elementary and adult ESL, she’s empowered learners at all levels. Dr. Seebach’s global engagement includes an internship in Caracas, Venezuela, and studies at the Universidad de Salamanca, Spain. She volunteers with the TESOL International Association. She’s been President of NYS TESOL, and is a board member of the New York State Council of Educational Associations (NYSCEA). Academically, she holds a Bachelor’s in Spanish Secondary Education, a Master’s in TESOL K-12, post Master’s certificate in School Building and District Leadership, and a Doctorate in Education. Committed to enhancing education with ease, empathy, equity, excellence, empowerment, enrichment, and enjoyment, Dr. Seebach’s mantra guides her work.

Resources:
Websites/Social Media:

https://nystesol.org/index.php

https://www.christineseebachedd.com/

Contact Info:

[email protected]

christineseebach@[email protected]

To find out more about Mid-State RBERN at OCM BOCES' services, listen to season 1 of the show with host Collette Farone-Goodwin, or to receive CTLE credit for listening to episodes, click here: https://midstaterbern.org/

Episode Summary:

We kick off the first episode of this season with Dr. Helaine W. Marshall! She discusses the origins of SOFLA, the Synchronous Online Flipped Learning Approach. Find out what it means to make online teaching “warm” and how SOFLA contributes to this. Learn how to get students excited about doing work outside of class through the “movie trailer” step in SOFLA, and finally, discover how to implement this innovative, international approach to online learning that creates social presence between student peers. Get ready to have your burning questions about this, and more, answered on today’s episode!

RBERNing Questions for this Episode:

1- What is SOFLA? 

• What was the gap in online teaching that you felt needed to be filled?

2- How can SOFLA be used to enhance the online learning experience for ELLs?

• Is it also effective for content teachers?

3- What makes SOFLA different from other online learning approaches?

Guest Bio:
Dr. Helaine W. Marshall was on the faculty of LIU Hudson from January 2003 until December of last year (2022).  She has taught courses in multicultural education, second language acquisition, linguistics, English structure, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) methodology. She co-directed  LIU’s Cross-Campus Online TESOL/Bilingual Education Program in collaboration with the Brooklyn and Riverhead Campuses. Dr. Marshall also serves as a consultant on instructional design for the Brooklyn Campus Communication Sciences and Disorders Department as part of its New York State Education Department Grant to infuse technology and online learning into its graduate program in Speech-Language Pathology. 

Resources:

Websites/Social Media

http://malpeducation.com/SOFLA 

FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/SOFLAModel

Email:  [email protected] 

Publications

Latest Book: https://press.umich.edu/Books/B/Breaking-New-Ground-for-SLIFE2

• Co-author (2020). Meeting the needs of students with limited or interrupted formal education, 2nd edition. With A. DeCapua and F. L. Tang. University of Michigan Press.
• Co-author (2013). Making the transition to classroom success: Culturally responsive teaching for struggling language learners. With A. DeCapua. University of Michigan Press.
  
  

To find out more about Mid-State RBERN at OCM BOCES' services, listen to season 1 of the show with host Collette Farone-Goodwin, or to receive CTLE credit for listening to episodes, click here: https://midstaterbern.org/