Welcome ELL Book Club Facilitators Meeting

1. WelcomeELL Book Club Facilitators Meeting February 8, 2012

2. Mixers • Four Corners • Birth Order • Language • Share Ideas

3. Ground Rules • Read the assigned chapters before our meeting • We will start on time and end on time • Be an active participant • Agree to disagree and please do not make dismissive statements • Put cell phones on etiquette mode • Use computers for note taking only

5. Provide a shared professional development opportunity across the state through book club discussion groups • Read a recently published book about real life successes and challenges to improve programs for ELs • Identify 9 common myths of second language acquisition • Discuss and apply effective teaching strategies to best help ELs Book Club Goals

6. Kick Off Event Dinner • Three 1.5 hour sessions held after school with lite dinner • RESC facilitated discussions as we read the book Schoolwide Approaches to Educating ELLs • Meet the Author Dinner, scheduled for May 2, 5:00 pm, Dr. Sonia Soltero keynote speaker

7. Building Teacher Knowledge and Awareness Tapping into the following skills should be at the heart of the study group plan: • previous knowledge and expertise, • internal motivation, • self direction and problem solving • Developing common knowledge and awareness

8. The Shared Experience is What is Important! That shared experience must include • Respect for the adult learner • Choice • Voice • Personal Connections

9. Respecting Adult Learners • Adopt the stance of co-learner rather than teacher • Connect the study group to a real-life issue in the school / RESC / State • Use the first study group session to set goals, create a timeline, and set ground rules • Revisit the goals and timeline at the start of each session, allowing participants to give an update. Amend plans to accommodate new ideas.

10. Incorporating Choice • Allow teachers to select their own partners/teams • As much as possible allow them to select or give them a choice of activities • Allow them to select their breaks

11. Planning for Voice • Structure the time for the meetings • Keep an eye on the clock… teachers like to talk and this topic is very conducive to that • Assign paired or group tasks that are then shared • Keep moving the agenda and purposefully engage the shy or more quiet participants

12. Personal Connections • Construct open ended guiding questions to guide discussions about text • Be prepared for emotionally and politically charged conversations • Agree to respectfully disagree!

13. Dealing with Reluctance • Teachers will have different levels of commitment and motivation • Plan strategies for those teachers that don’t do their reading • Make personal connections with individual teachers to facilitate engagement

14. Facilitator’s Checklist • Read the book! • Write down important page #s • Write open ended questions or use the questions and application activities at the end of each chapter • Order Refreshments, $100 max per session • Sign in sheets for CEU’s • Send a complete list of participants to Tim and include email contact and job role description • Plan a team building activity to start • Let participants answer first and give lots of thinking time • Make connections between comments • Wrap up discussions • Do not make dismissive statements

15. Imagine the non-English speaking child’s introduction to American education…he comes to school, not only without a word of English but without the environmental experience upon which school life is based. He cannot speak to the teacher and is unable to understand what goes on about him in the classroom. He finally submits to rote learning, parroting words and processes in his own self-defense. To him, school life is artificial. He submits to it during class hours, only partially digesting the information which the teacher has tried to impart. Of course he learns English and the school subjects imperfectly! Sanchez, 1940

16. Planned Activities • Summarize and Pair Share • Big Idea Round Robin Brainstorm • Five Question Worksheet and/or Gallery Walk • Suggested Book Activities • Relate to Work Situation and Share • Other Ideas • DISCUSSION!! • In Last Meeting Generate Author Questions

17. Reading Assignments • First Assignment Introduction and Chapter 1 • Second Assignment Chapter 2 and 3 • Third Assignment Chapter 4 and 5 • Make assignment sheets or email assignment

18. Bring provided book to each session • First assignment: Read Introduction to page 33 • Write a 5-8 sentence summary from reading assignment • Write down three big ideas highlighted in the chapters read and are meaningful to you • Be prepared to share each week • Relate a big idea to your work assignment, record a way to include in your work behaviors

19. Meet Dr. Soltero Author’s Dinner Wednesday , May 2 5:00 pm Crowne Plaza Cromwell

20. Evaluation • Survey Monkey • Review Questions • Include demographic about each RESC • Send out link following Author Dinner • Share results with RESC Facilitators and CT SDE

22. Last but not least… • Book clubs are popular not only because people like to read but also because they are great social outlets, therefore, a littleoff topic conversation is fine! • Please contact us if you need our assistance • Tim Nee tnee@crec.org , 860-509-3650 • Marta Diez mdiez@crec.org , 860-509-3613 • Miriam Yeung myeung@crec.org , 860-509-3779 • Have fun with this!!!