Implementing Project G.L.A.D: A case study

1. Implementing Project G.L.A.D: A case study Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica

2. The problem • EL academic underachievement • Primary language instruction is ideal • Not all ELs have access to L1 instruction • Most ELs receive instruction only in English The solution?

3. Model of professional development • Example of Sheltered English Instruction • Offers practical strategies in language acquisition and literacy • Goal is to promote academic achievement, English language acquisition and cross-cultural skills • Claim continued standardized test score gains and over 20 years of personal testimony to its effectiveness • no formal evaluation of Project GLAD to date

4. “The feedback was wonderful. Both trainers said things that validated what we were doing and things that led us to improve our work.” – an administrator

5. Research Questions • How does GLAD training impact teacher practices and student learning opportunities? • What conditions support the implementation of GLAD strategies and thematic units?

6. The G.L.A.D training model: Part I • GLAD Strategies & thematic unit planning • 2 full days • Teachers instructed on the theory and research behind GLAD • Presenters model GLAD strategies* • Planning: (1) Teachers brainstorm major grade level reqs using state & district standards, (2) teachers search for thematic connections across content areas & chunk standards to create themes, (3) appropriate standards are added to themes while merging ELA and ELD standards, (4) backwards planning

7. The G.L.A.D training model: Part II • Classroom demonstrations • Scheduled 2 mos. after the 2 day training • 5 full days: am demonstrations + pm teacher planning time • Training presenters play the role of classroom teachers • Demo thematic unit and strategy implementation

8. Implementing new structures in education is complex Fullan’s (2007) factors influencing implementation in education • Characteristics of the innovation • Need: match school need & be a priority • Clarity: exactly how the change will translate into practice • Complexity: extent and difficulty the change entails • Quality/Practicality: careful analysis of innovation prior to adoption and follow-up on implementation

9. Implementing new structures cont. Local roles • District: district track record in how they manage innovations • School Board & Community: Is the school board and community working as a team? • Principal: involvement in the training & support • Teacher: sense of self-efficacy, teacher-teacher relationships, and support

10. Methods • Participants & setting • Edith: 4/5 teacher at a public dual immersion school • Monica: 4/5 teacher at a private non-profit school that promotes bilingualism by teaching Classical Arabic

11. Methods cont. • Data collected per teacher (7 weeks) • 1 GLAD training observation (fieldnotes) • 3-4 semi-structured one hour interviews (transcribed) • 1 GLAD lesson observation (fieldnotes) • 1 GLAD planning lesson (fieldnotes)

12. Most important findings • Different levels of GLAD implementation • School board, Principal and teacher commitment support High level and continuous GLAD implementation • It is possible for a teacher to achieve GLAD implementation at a school site with minimal GLAD support, but the teacher must be highly motivated

13. Monica: High Implementation “We have to teach by the California state standards those are, that’s what we're mandated at our school we have to follow them and we have a year plan that every classroom has it, where you have the, our themes are units, which we base, we go to our GLAD units and they have, we have huge lists of GLAD units, huge, I wouldn't be able to do them, I mean its just a huge list (laughs)”

14. Edith: Piecemeal implementation “I haven't really gone through an entire unit start to finish the way I'm trying to right now with the meteorology unit … the actual following like it's Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 this is what I'm doing, I haven't been doing that as much as I would like and I think that unfortunately, I guess they are all strategies, but to do it sort of piecemeal without a sense of, you know, where the unit is going and what the end goals are, it doesn't really make any sense.”

15. Most important findings • Different levels of GLAD implementation • School board, Principal and teacher commitment support High level and continuous GLAD implementation • It is possible for a teacher to achieve GLAD implementation at a school site with minimal GLAD support, but the teacher must be highly motivated

16. Support at Monica’s school • School-wide GLAD trainings • School board members, all teachers, office manager, and trainings available for parents • School Principal is a certified key trainer • Teacher contract states that they must attend yearly GLAD trainings • Teachers collaborate to compile and prepare for GLAD units

17. Support at Monica’s school • “…some districts they just have the training one time so if you're a teacher that has the training and then you know a new teacher does come in, it is that trained teacher that will have to share how to do it and they have only had the training once, so it tends, its, it is kind of like you feel for them because you're like, if you see it again you get more and you get more and more and its always changing because the research changes and GLAD changes with the research”

18. Support at Edith’s school • Edith is the only GLAD trained teacher • School has identified ELD as a priority Need and staff has requested GLAD training • Principal has been unable to locate GLAD trainers • “There’s only so much I can get away with…”

19. Support at Edith’s school • “if you don't have anyone to sit down and plan it with, the process takes, once you have all of the material, you're golden, but you have to sit down and go through the process and unfortunately the process takes a long time. And so if you don't have anyone to sit down and do half the work with, it takes a bit longer and since it’s not set curriculum, or you're trying to integrate it into a set curriculum it does take even longer, so I think trying to do it on your own is a lot more challenging than if you had someone”

20. Most important findings • Different levels of GLAD implementation • School board, Principal and teacher commitment support High level and continuous GLAD implementation • It is possible for a teacher to achieve GLAD implementation at a school site with minimal GLAD support, but the teacher must be highly motivated

21. The teacher factor • Edith is an exception to her school’s “normal” way of implementing the mandated curriculum • Edith’s self-efficacy

22. “… I think that most of the teachers that are at Amistad would fall into that category that they can decide what their needs are, what kind of support they need in order to you know, do it. And if they're way off then tell them or tell me, No Edith, I'm sorry, that does not make any sense at all, but I think that I'm pretty smart, I think I could be a very good teacher, and I say could be (laughs) because I don't think I'm even there yet, there are so many things that I don't do well enough because, I feel like I'm pulled in a thousand different directions and I don't work well without focus. Like this past summer, I was so focused it was great and I did a bunch of work. Did I get to use it this year? Not really. I mean, I didn't get to use it because there wasn't time to continue to develop it and I was sort of forced into a corner with what I had to teach…”

23. Why do these findings matter? • Many administrators & teachers are unaware of the level of commitment needed to achieve a High level of implementation • Prior to enlisting teachers in an entire school or district to participate in Project GLAD training, it would be prudent to consider the level of continued commitment to the actual implementation of Project GLAD.

24. Extra slides…

26. Cognitive Content Dictionary Lucrative Latin suffix “lucrativus” (gainful)

27. Super scientist awards