SUBSCRIBE

The Bilingual Teacher Shortage: A Vicious Cycle

Allison Briceño, Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz, and Claudia Rodríguez-Mojica present reasons and suggest solutions for the chronic shortage of Spanish/English educators in California

It is an exciting time for bilingual education in California due to changing political tides and recent research. Proposition 58, which passed in November 2016 with 73% voter approval, repealed the limitations placed on bilingual education by Proposition 227 in 1998. The English Learner Roadmap, adopted by the California Board of Education in July 2017, recognizes both the importance of multilingual education and the assets that multilingual students and their families bring to schools. It requires schools to provide all students access to appropriate, challenging curriculum, including languages other than English. 

Additionally, dual language (DL) programs are extremely popular and have emerged as the most effective programs for multilingual students’ academic success (Lindholm-Leary and Hernández, 2011; Steele et al., 2017; Valentino and Reardon, 2014). As a result, recruiting and preparing bilingual teachers has become a matter of social justice.

However, the political movement toward English-only education of the previous 20 years has resulted in bilingual teachers becoming “an endangered species” (Katz, 2004, p. 147). The current dearth of bilingual teachers could inhibit the opportunity for growth in bilingual education programs. There are many Spanish speakers in the U.S. who could become bilingual teachers; how do we bring them into the bilingual teacher pipeline (Katz, 2004)? To begin to answer this question, we recently researched how heritage Spanish-speaking (HSS) preservice teachers’ beliefs about language influenced their choice to enter bilingual or English-only teacher preparation programs.

A Vicious Cycle

Guerrero and Guerrero (2008) labeled the bilingual teacher shortage a “vicious cycle.” Without access to bilingual education, how can we develop bilingual teachers? The bilingual teacher shortage is a result of the way we “do school” in the U.S. The linguistic and cultural hegemony in schools limits access to home-language development, resulting in home-language loss and English dominance regardless of home language (Guerrero, 2003).

Furthermore, a perceived binary between academic and conversational language may be misleading (Alvarez, 2012; Aukerman, 2007; Valdés, Capitelli, and Alvarez, 2011), causing speakers to question whether their language is “academic” enough (Guerrero, 2003; Musanti, 2014). 

Valdés (2001) argued that the “idealized, perfectly balanced bilingual is for the most part a mythical figure that rarely exists in real life” (p. 40). Instead, bilingualism (Valdés, 2001) and biliteracy (Hornberger and Link, 2012) exist on dynamic, shifting continua. Yet bilinguals speaking nonprestige or stigmatized language varieties are often associated with lower socioeconomic status (Valdés, 2001).

The Study

We interviewed eleven HSS college graduates enrolled in teacher credential programs at three universities in California. At the time of this study, two of the universities offered a bilingual authorization pathway (BAP) and one of the universities had not yet started offering the BAP option. We drew HSS participants from both the bilingual and English-only teaching credential pathways. 

Five of the teacher candidates were in bilingual authorization programs and six were in English-only teaching credential programs; all were considering becoming bilingual teachers. Nine participants were born in the U.S. and two were born in Mexico. We interviewed each participant individually for 25 to 40 minutes and followed a constant comparative method (Charmaz, 2006) to analyze data. The audio files of each interview were coded by two researchers using software, recursively, in multiple phases.

Living—and Overcoming—the Vicious Cycle

Our study identified two obstacles to, and one primary reason for, HSS participants’ entry into bilingual teaching. First, many participants were unaware that teaching in a bilingual setting was an option. Second, the HSS participants were concerned about

their academic Spanish after being told by schools, in various ways, to leave their Spanish at home.

The HSS participants who were planning to become bilingual teachers shared a focus on equity and wanted future generations of Latinx children to have better schooling experiences than they had (Irizarry and Donaldson, 2012).

“No Me Acuerdo Haber Escuchado de Programas Bilingües.” (I Don’t Remember Having Heard about Bilingual Programs.)

Having attended school under Proposition 227, which strictly limited bilingual education options in California, most preservice teachers had been immersed in monolingual English schooling systems and were unaware that their linguistic assets were needed and wanted in bilingual education. Eight of the eleven preservice teachers did not know they could become bilingual teachers and, consequently, initially entered monolingual teacher preparation programs. They often learned that they could acquire a bilingual authorization at the program orientation. For example, Maritza said, “It was just at orientation for the program that I knew it was an option.” Similarly, Angelina stated, “El programa ofrecía una extensión bilingüe, yo no me acuerdohaberescuchadode programas bilingües.” (“The program offered a bilingual authorization, I don’t remember having heard about bilingual programs.”) Echoing the first two participants, Clarisa mentioned, “Once I started at [university name], that’s when I found out that I could get a credential and at the same time get that bilingual certification.” Sara was prompted by a professor to consider becoming a bilingual teacher and said, “Honestly, had I not had [name] as a professor, I would have ended up as an English-only teacher.” Clearly, more information about pathways to becoming bilingual educators is needed in K–12, community college, and university settings.

“I Didn’t Get a Chance to Learn Academic Spanish.”

As graduates of U.S. colleges, the participants felt confident in their academic English; however, most were concerned about their academic Spanish-language skills. Speaking colloquial registers of Spanish at home that have been perceived as marking lower socioeconomic backgrounds, many participants took advanced Spanish classes to learn “academic Spanish,” but those classes invalidated their home language in favor of textbook language. For instance, Janet took Spanish classes in high school to learn what she understood as “appropriate Spanish or correct Spanish.” She stated, “The Spanish that I thought was Spanish growing up was totally incorrect and improper… and that’s where the self-esteem issues came. I started feeling like what I had learned was totally incorrect.”Like Janet, many participants came from lower SES backgrounds and were therefore concerned that their Spanish was not good enough to qualify them as teachers.

The HSS participants also worried about whether the particular variety of Spanish they spoke was the “right“ Spanish, and they expressed concern about using regional vocabulary that is not shared widely across Spanish-speaking countries.

Maritza commented: “I sometimes feel a little uncomfortable because I learned Spanish at home, and I didn’t get a chance to learn academic Spanish, or because my family’s Spanish is very regional.

“I’m very aware if whatever I’m sayingmightbea regional difference orif I’m teachingstudentsthewrong word for something.”

There are many Spanishes spoken all over the world and within the U.S., yet Maritza expressed concern that her family’s Spanish was not the “right“Spanish. Rather than recognizing it as language variation, she used a binary measure of “right“ and “wrong“ and assumed that since she learned Spanish from her family and not in an academic setting, it must be wrong. Ironically, participants were unable to define “standard Spanish,“ yet they were concerned that their Spanish was not standard and was insufficient. When pressed, Joel vaguely referred to Spain’s Real Academia.Angelina simply said, “Noséqueeselespañol estándar.“ (“I don’t know what standard Spanish is.“)

With the exception of one participant who had attended a dual-language program, the HSS participants unanimously referred to the start of school in the U.S. as the beginning of their Spanish language loss, reflecting Guerrero and Guerrero’s (2008) vicious cycle of linguistic hegemony. Many HSS participants had been classified as English language learners (ELLs) when they were in school. 

One noted the irony, stating, “Yo fui uno de esos English language learners, o antes se decía ESL (English as a second language)… ahora soy un SL, Spanish learner.“(“I was one of those English language learners (ELLs), or they used to say ESL (English as a second language), now I’m an SL, Spanish learner.“) Rather than developing HSS participants’ first language, the English-only emphasis of U.S. schools led to home-language loss and the perceived need for re-education in Spanish.

“Bilingual Education IsaPush toward aMore Equitable Education System.”

The HSS participants who were considering becoming bilingual teachers were concerned with educational equity and viewed bilingual education as a form of advocacy and agency (Dubetz and de Jong, 2011). Griselda commented, “Bilingual education is a push toward a more equitable education system, and I think being part of that is a constant reminder of wanting equity in education.” Griselda understood how developing a greater appreciation of bilingualism and participating in a school system that values multiple languages would be supportive of Latinx students and families.

Similarly, when asked about his decision to become a bilingual teacher, José also considered equity for the Latinx community: “That [decision] was partly equity focused, because I know that a lot of students don’t have English as a first language and a lot of those students are Spanish speaking… Bilingual classrooms help with that. And just having a teacher who understands their language would also help the student, and also the parents. The communication between the teacher and the parents is so important.”

José identified the ability of both parents and teachers to better support students when the language barrier is removed.

The participants understand that bilingualism is an asset in very personal ways; they live bilingualism and recognize that it is a generally unacknowledged strength Latinx students bring to school. As Maritza said, “I would want to teach in a bilingual [setting] because I’d be so aware of tipping the balance in another way for minority languages, even though it’s not a minority (laughs).” Despite the large number of Spanish speakers in the U.S., and particularly in California, Spanish still suffers from minority language treatment—it is undervalued due to its speakers’ lack of political power in the U.S. The participants in this study perceived bilingual education, and their future role as bilingual teachers, as one lever to improve the educational opportunities for Latinx students.

Moving Forward

In summary, a monolingual education system played a role in participants’ questioning of their Spanish abilities, as their bilingualism was not viewed as an asset and was not developed in school. Instead, when many enrolled in advanced Spanish courses, their home language was, perhaps inadvertently, denigrated as “slang,” “regional,” or “totallyincorrect,” resulting in feelings of inadequacy that may have negatively influenced their decision to teach in a bilingual setting. Yet the opportunity to ensure that future generations of Latinx students do not suffer what they did attracts them to the field of bilingual education.

Since schools serve linguistically and racially diverse students, it is imperative that they adopt policies and practices that validate HSS participants’ home language and culture. 

Pre-K–12 language classes, college coursework, and teacher preparation (not only bilingual but all teacher preparation) should address critical sociolinguistic concepts that explore the relationships between language, race, and ethnicity in education. Similar concepts should also be embedded in administrators’ preparation if they are to effectively lead bilingual schools and support bilingual teachers’ implementation of theoretically 

grounded practice. 

Understanding that every speaker of a language speaks a variety of that language, and that language varieties are not inherently “bad“ or “good,“ could help heritage speakers view their home language as legitimate and potentially reduce the number of bilingual youth who steer away from the bilingual teaching profession due to concerns regarding their variety of Spanish. 

State and national policies that support and incentivize bilinguals to become teachers are needed (Hopkins, 2013; Musanti, 2014; Ocasio, 2014); our goal should be to develop a self-sustaining ecosystem of multilingual future educators who legitimize students’ home language practices so that those students might consider becoming bilingual teachers in the future. 

Allison Briceño, EdD, is assistant professor in the Department of Teacher Education at San José State University, CA, where she coordinates the reading specialist credential/MA program. Dr. Briceño’s research centers on improving literacy instruction for English learners and bilingual students.

Eduardo Muñoz-Muñoz, PhD, is affiliated facultyat San José State University. His current research projects focus on critical pedagogy and the development critical language awareness in (bilingual) teachers. He has engaged with districts in the design and implementation of dual-immersion programs and the support of emergent bilinguals.

Claudia Rodríguez-Mojica, PhD, is assistant professor of education and bilingual teacher education coordinator at Santa Clara University, CA. She has been working to improve the academic outcomes of emergent bilinguals for more than ten years.

For more information about this study, please see: Briceño, A., Rodriguez-Mojica, C., and Muñoz-Muñoz, E. (2018). “From English Learner to Spanish Learner: Raciolinguistic beliefs that influence heritage Spanish speaking teacher candidates.“ Language and Education, 32(3), 212–226. DOI: 10.1080/09500782.2018.1429464

Reoriented from the Multilingual Educator, March 2019, with permission from the California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE).

Jamaicans Urged to Learn Spanish

Jamaica’s minister of education, the Honorable Alando Terrelonge, is encouraging parents to be more open to the idea of their children learning Spanish as a second language.

Adding to a comment by Spanish Embassy representative Victoria Garcia that more emphasis should be placed on Spanish as a second language, to increase the marketability of Jamaican students, Terrelonge told Jamaica Information Service News: “Our children are ready, our children want to learn Spanish (and) they are so excited. Our children are naturally curious. They are bright and they want it.”

Terrelonge said that parents should not underestimate their children’s ability to learn the language, as they are willing and able to learn Spanish. “I recognize the importance of Patois as a dialect and I recognize the importance of English. We are an English-speaking country and a Patois-speaking country as well, but we have to think beyond that. We have to start thinking that we are going to empower more of our young persons by letting them learn a foreign language.” He added that it was imperative for Jamaicans to learn the language, as it is the most common in the region. “With Spanish, we will empower our young persons and we will increase their marketability within the region. English is not the most common language in the region, it is Spanish,” he explained.

Jamaica has been in discussions about a policy to address the Spanish curriculum with officials from Spain and Cuba. The Cervantes Institute has been training Jamaican teachers, and nearly 400 Spanish teachers have been recruited from Cuba since 1997, but the Caribbean island is looking to recruit more educators and is considering adding Mexico and Colombia to its recruitment.

Destination Andalucia Video Blog Part 2

Bienvenidos! Here is part two on my video blog, where I talk about class, excursions, and what it’s like in Granada. If you have questions or anything to say, comment below or share!

Report Reveals Lack of Speech and Language Funding in UK

A new report by the Children’s Commissioner for England has revealed that spending on speech and language therapy for children in need of speech and language therapy services (SLT) has fallen throughout the country. The report claims that “children in need are subject to a postcode [zipcode] lottery, creating huge disparities across England of children who are receiving proper provisions.” The report is the first of its kind, revealing data to show how much money local areas spend on SLT services.

According to the report, £166m ($211 million) was spent by councils and clinical commissioning groups on SLT services in 2018/29, with £16.35 ($20) spent on each child in the top 25% of areas and 58p ($0.78) spent on each child in the bottom 25% of areas.

Taking into account inflation and population growth, only 23% of areas saw a real terms increase in spend per child while 57% of areas saw a reduction. In addition, only 50% of areas reported that health and local authorities were jointly commissioning services, even though they are expected to do so for children with identified special educational needs. Overall, the majority of spending came from health, with clinical commissioning groups accounting for 69% of the total reported spent.

The report notes, that though the country has had ambitions to reduce the word gap in early years with its Social Mobility Action Plan, it appears that children with speech, language and communication needs are still not being prioritized. According to the latest Early Years Foundation Stage Profile, 114, 822 children are not reaching the expected development levels in communication, and 193,971 children in primary schools have identified speech, language, and communication needs. Children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to experience these problems, with 23% of five-year olds eligible for free school meals not meeting the expected levels in speech, language and communication, compared to 13% of those not eligible for free school meals. 

The report claims, “Although there is clearly a high level of need, support for these children—including provision of high-quality speech and  language  therapy,  which  is  known  to  be  a  crucial  intervention— is  not  currently  enough of a priority. Professionals say the children they work with are either having to wait too long to get help, or are not getting help at all. Recent research has found that about a third of children have to wait over a year to get speech and language therapy. “

https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/cco-we-need-to-talk-june-2019.pdf

The Creativity of Human Language

Richard Lederer marvels at our capacity to invent language

For most of us, language is like the air we breathe. Like air, language is invisible and all around us. We need it to live, yet we take it for granted. If, however, we pause and examine our language thoughtfully, we discover that the ordinary language user is astonishingly creative. Without realizing it, we all spend most of our waking hours inventing language.


“practically every sentence that you speak and write during your lifetime has never been spoken or written before in human history”


Incredible as it may seem at first thought, practically every sentence that you speak and write during your lifetime has never been spoken or written before in human history. Except for stock phrases and conventional remarks, such as “Thanks a lot,” “How’s it going?,” and “Have a nice day,” almost all of your speech and writing consists of sentences that you have made up. You are a language inventor.

Consider, for example, an experiment conducted by Richard Ohmann, a professor at Wesleyan University, who placed before 25 people a simple cartoon and asked them to describe in a sentence the situation the drawing portrayed. Not surprisingly, the 25 descriptions that Professor Ohmann received were all different from each other:

“A bear is occupying a phone booth, while a tourist impatiently waits in line.”

“A man who was driving along the road has stopped and is waiting impatiently for a grizzly bear to finish using the public phone.”

“An antsy traveler waits as a bear chatters gaily in a highway telephone booth.”

Then Professor Ohmann used a computer to determine how many grammatical sentences in English could be generated from the raw materials in just those 25 sentences about the agitated tourist and the bear in the telephone booth.

How many would you guess? Five thousand? Ten thousand? Maybe 25,000?

Professor Ohmann’s computer yielded 19.8 billion!—nearly 20 billion English sentences that depict one limited state of affairs culled from only 25 different statements. That 19.8 billion is a very large number. In fact, it would take about 40 human life spans to speak 19.8 billion sentences, even at high speed.

Other computer studies have shown that it would take ten trillion years—2,000 times the estimated age of the Earth—to utter all the possible English sentences that use exactly 20 words. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that any 20-word sentence an individual speaks has ever been spoken previously.

The same conclusion holds true, of course, for sentences of greater length and for most shorter sentences as well. That is why almost every sentence that you are reading in this column, as well as in all the books, newspapers, and magazines that have been written and are yet to be written, is expressed, or will be expressed, in its exact form for the very first time.

There is one more intriguing fact to consider. Not only do you spend your days reading sentences that you have never before encountered, but you understand almost every one of them. Part of your humanness is your ability both to invent new sentences and to comprehend the verbal inventions of other people.

Linguist Noam Chomsky maintains that “when we study human language, we are approaching what some might call ‘the human essence,’ the distinct qualities of mind that are, so far as we know, unique to man.” If you fill your speech and writing with prefabricated clichés, ramshackle abstractions, and leaden expressions, you are denying the abounding creativity that is inherent in the very nature of human language. Thus it is that the manner in which you utter words, write words, and receive words throughout your life determines how effectively and resourcefully you carry on the business of being a member of the human race.

Richard Lederer, MAT English and education, Ph.D. linguistics, is the author of more than 50 books on language, history, and humor, available at his website, www.verbivore.com. Please send your questions and comments about language to
[email protected].

Ukrainian Presidents at Odds Over Language

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, has approved a law which obliges all citizens to know the Ukrainian language and makes it mandatory for civil servants, soldiers, doctors, and teachers.


The law was championed by outgoing president Petro Poroshenko, who is expected to sign it into law before he leaves office after losing re-election to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, After the actor and comedian’s landslide victory in Ukraine’s presidential elections, his campaign spokesperson, Dmytro Razumkov, said that the only official language in Ukraine is Ukrainian, according to the news outlet Ukrainian Pravda. Poroshenko put promotion of the Ukrainian language at the heart of his unsuccessful re-election campaign.


The new legislation requires TV and film distribution firms to ensure 90% of their content is in Ukrainian and for the proportion of Ukrainian-language printed media and books to be at least 50%. The law would threaten the existence of several major publications, including the English-language daily Kyiv Post, and alienate large Russian-speaking communities.


Computer software must also have a Ukrainian-language interface, although the law also allows the use of English or any other official language of the European Union.
Lawmakers gave a standing ovation after the law was passed and sang the national anthem. Hundreds of people with Ukrainian flags had gathered outside the parliament to support the law.


“This is a historic moment, which Ukrainians have been awaiting for centuries, because for centuries Ukrainians have tried to achieve the right to their own language,” one of the authors of the bill, Mykola Knyazhytsky, said before the vote.
The make-up of the parliament has not changed since Zelenskiy’s election win and remains dominated by a coalition supportive of Poroshenko.


The Hungarian government announced that it will continue to block talks between NATO and Ukraine in response to the new law. “The law, which violates the rights of the Hungarian community in the neighboring country, reflects the ideals of outgoing president Petro Poroshenko, who pursued an anti-Hungarian policy,” said Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó.


When asked whether the new president’s team was ready to support the law, Razumkov replied, “Based on Zelenskiy’s position voiced earlier, the only state language in Ukraine is Ukrainian.”


“Development and support of the state language is one of the key prerogatives of the president. But it should be done through encouragement, not with a ‘stick.’ Using a ‘carrot’ can be much more efficient in this particular area,” explained Razumkov. Earlier, as a presidential candidate, Zelenskiy promised to defend the Ukrainian language.


Prior to his bid for the presidency, Zelenskiy was best known for his role in the Ukrainian comedy series Servant of the People, in which he played a destitute schoolteacher who unexpectedly becomes president of Ukraine after becoming famous for an anticorruption rant that goes viral on social media. In real life, his entertainment empire is estimated to be worth tens of millions of dollars.
In the show, his character primarily speaks Russian, along with many other cast members. Thirty percent of the Ukrainian population speaks Russian.


In 2017, Ukrainian became the required language of study in state schools from the fifth grade, and Russian-language media were restricted in western Ukraine, where Russian speakers are in the minority.

Keeping That Summer High

Language Magazine offers a brief guide to North American high schools and related summer programs for international students

Studying at a U.S. or Canadian high school is a great way for students to improve their chances of winning a place at a top-tier university, but it does require some planning, so here is a quick summary of the key points:

Visas: To study at a U.S. high school, international students need an F-1 visa (see www.travel.state.gov/ for more information) if they intend to stay for more than one year. Those coming for a one-year exchange program, sponsored by the Department of State, need a J-1 visa.


On an F-1 visa, students can receive a full secondary education, earning diplomas, if appropriate, at U.S. public and private high schools. Tuition costs at public schools are lower, but students on F-1 visas can only study at public schools for one year.
In Canada, minor children who want to study for six months or more must apply for a study permit before they enter the country. This includes minor children who come with parents who have had a study or work permit approved overseas.


The age of majority is determined by each province or territory—18 in Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, and 19 in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and the Yukon.


The parents or legal guardians must prove the minor child will have the care and support they need during their stay in Canada. Minor children under the age of 17 must either come with their parent or legal guardian or have a custodian in Canada. A custodian is optional for minors 17 years of age and older, but an officer can request one on a case-by-case basis. For a program of six months or less, a study permit is not necessary in Canada.

Consider different types of schools: Don’t choose a school just because it is recommended by a friend or has a great reputation. Try to find a school that best matches the individual student, their character, and their goals. International student exchange organizations should endeavor to find the right school, or parents can research by themselves, but expert input is invaluable.


The school’s support mechanisms for English language learners, their experience in making international students feel welcome, and the suitability of housing options are
key factors.


Get help with the high school application process: International students need to apply for admission to U.S. high schools, but many of the forms are complicated. International parents often encounter language and cultural issues while applying, so enlist the help of a verified agent or ask the school for assistance.

Verify agencies and consultants: Using an agency can help a great deal with the whole process, but there are plenty of unscrupulous agents who charge excessive fees and offer little expertise.


Be wary of agencies that can’t provide references from past clients or U.S. schools or that guarantee admission to a school for a special fee. The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (http://getstarted.csiet.org/) maintains a list of approved organizations, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s website has an online searchable database of schools (https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/school-search).


Selection of Schools in the U.S.
Southwestern Academy
Southwestern Academy is a co-ed boarding and day school offering grades 6–12. Founded in 1924, it has become a school rich in culture and diversity, catering to the educational needs of domestic and international students. The close-knit community of faculty and staff makes every student feel like part of a family. They have two unique campuses—the original campus in San Marino, California, and a satellite campus in Rimrock, Arizona. Small class settings allow students to receive the attention they require while maximizing their abilities to develop. Academic programs on both campuses include college preparatory courses, ESL (English as a second language), and postgraduate curriculums. Extracurricular activities include different sports, music, and visual/media arts along with many other clubs suited for a variety of interests.


The Summer Adventures program offers students a platform that uniquely combines classroom education with fun, exciting, and exceptional activities, allowing students to enjoy their summer while exploring new opportunities in and out of the classroom.

Annie Wright
Founded in 1884, Annie Wright Schools offer single-gender education with day and boarding options for grades 9–12 in their separate Upper School for Girls and Upper School for Boys. While academic classes are separated by gender, boys and girls have opportunities for intersection, including arts activities and social events. Annie Wright Schools are in the beautiful North End neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington.
The historic campus includes an indoor pool, two gyms, science and technology labs, art and music studios, theater, outdoor gardens, play areas, athletic fields, and open spaces. Coming in fall 2019 is a third gym with a larger pool and a new academic building to house the growing Upper School for Boys.


They offer rich, thoughtful, and internationally recognized programs that welcome students from around the world. Academic programs challenge students to reach their full intellectual potential, preparing students extraordinarily well for college and beyond. As an International Baccalaureate (IB) World School, Annie Wright nurtures inquiry, empathy, and a global perspective.

Buffalo Seminary
Among the oldest girls’ schools in the U.S., SEM has designed a culture of independence, achievement, scholarship, creativity, and leadership only for girls since 1851. Its oldest tradition is forward thinking.


While many schools and camps for girls were founded in a faith, SEM was founded as mission-driven and independent. At its core is the Academic and Social Honor Code—emphasizing character and scholarship.


The power of SEM is the expectation that students and campers will be intellectually curious, meet challenges with preparation and optimism, and question and revisit the answers until they are satisfied. All of this is accomplished with the support of extraordinarily accomplished faculty and staff committed to the education of girls.


On a unique urban campus, students/campers from around the world and the
region live in historic homes centered around a private courtyard. Both the camp and school programs utilize all that beautiful Buffalo has to offer: museums and restaurants, theater, gorgeous parks, and the waterfront.


Summer at SEM sleepaway camp is for girls ages eleven to 14, July 7–20, 2019. Campers select from a menu of activities including traditional camp experiences like arts and crafts, cooking, and theatre, but also day trips to Niagara Falls, Shakespeare in the Park (only New York City’s is larger), sailing on Lake Erie, crew, squash, fashion lab, robotics, and VR coding. English language learning (ELL) support is offered.

Florida Prep
Located in Melbourne, Florida, Florida Prep has been a premier boarding academy for nearly 60 years. The school offers a challenging academic program to boys and girls in grades 5–12 that allows students the opportunity to be highly successful in the classroom and well prepared for college and life.


Innovative courses and partnerships with local companies equip students with real-world skills and the tools, moral compass, and strengths necessary to succeed at all levels.


The high school population attends classes on a college-style daily schedule, affording the opportunity to invite adjunct professors from local colleges to teach specialized classes and for students to dual enroll at nearby Florida Tech or Eastern Florida State College.


International students are immersed in the English language from the moment they set foot on campus, sharing a dorm room with a native English speaker and attending mainstream classes, all while continuing to build their language skills through formal ESL instruction. Students indicate this approach works well and language skills are learned quickly. For students not yet ready to commit 100% to boarding school, Florida Prep also offers a four-week ESOL program, July 8–August 2, 2019, that follows a similar immersion process.

The American Hebrew Academy
The American Hebrew Academy is an international Jewish college-prep boarding school that inspires intellectually curious teenagers from 31 states and 38 countries to pursue excellence in a one-of-a-kind academic environment. The diverse culture, customs, and values of Judaism challenge academy students of all backgrounds to maximize their full academic, personal, and spiritual potentials, which serve as the foundation for lifelong learning, community service, and global engagement.


Experiential learning, competitive athletics, creative arts, travel around the world, and leadership development are at the core of the academy’s holistic curriculum. Named to Newsweek’s Private Schools of Distinction and Niche’s top private high schools list, the American Hebrew Academy boasts an internationally acclaimed faculty and staff, state-of-the-art facilities, and a 100-acre lakefront campus in Greensboro, North Carolina. Graduates are regularly admitted to prestigious colleges and universities and go on to positions of leadership in business, medicine, law, finance, and social service.


Selection of Schools in Canada
Golden Hills
Golden Hills is an innovative and award-winning school division, offering an exciting and exceptional educational experience. They are committed to academic excellence, and their outstanding teachers motivate students to make the best and most rewarding choices for student success.


Students immerse themselves in the life and culture of an Alberta high school student, have fun, and create lasting memories and friendships. Many of the schools are among the best in Alberta, offering welcoming environments and communities that are so safe students can walk to school.


They have one of the smaller student–teacher ratios in the province of Alberta, and their Alberta Education curriculum is ranked among the highest in the world. They offer numerous school and community activities, which are fun and comfortable ways to strengthen English skills. Golden Hills is the only Canadian public school division that offers both dormitory and homestay options.


Caring on-site staff manage the dormitories and provide 24-hour supervision and support. Students can also experience life in a Canadian home.


Homestay families are trusted and experienced in caring for international students and make them feel like they are part of the family.


Bronte College
Bronte College is a private International Baccalaureate (IB) World and Advanced Placement (AP) day and boarding school offering grades 9–12, English as a second language (ESL), and a summer camp program each July. The holistic learning environment encourages students to be well-rounded and to participate in activities such as sports, arts, and humanitarian projects. The summer camp program offers a unique opportunity for students between the ages of twelve and 17 to experience a boarding school environment and participate in English or math and science classes while exploring many sites of interest around Canada.


Bronte’s campus is composed of a single ten-story building, which hosts academic facilities, a cafeteria, a gymnasium, and a primarily single-roomed student residence. The campus is equipped with 24-hour security and has restricted access.


Bronte is centrally located in Mississauga, Ontario, only a 20-minute drive to downtown Toronto and just minutes away from shopping malls and medical facilities that are easily accessible by walking or public transportation. Bronte College attracts both Canadian and international students from more than 35 countries around the world.


Summer Camps
Canoe Island French Camp
At Canoe Island French Camp, students can find a little bit of France in the San Juan Islands at this NW Washington sleepover summer camp, one of the country’s premier French camps. Campers, ages nine to 16, take part in a unique mix of French language and culture through artistic and outdoor activities. Canoe Island French Camp is not just a language experience; campers gain increased independence, self-awareness, new friends, and the ability to enjoy new experiences (and food). Beginning French speakers are welcome and comfortable with the mix of French and English. Half of the counselors come from France.


With only 50 campers in a session and four to five campers per tipi, everyone gets acquainted quickly. Tipimates are arranged by age, French language class by ability, and the campers choose morning and afternoon activities themselves: kayaking, sailing, swimming, art, archery, theater, sports, rock climbing, snorkeling, and cooking.


Evenings are dedicated to camp-wide activities—campfires on the beach, treasure hunts, theater in the Longhouse, mysteries, and games.

Garrison Forest School
Summer at Garrison Forest School is located on a beautiful 110-acre gated country
campus in Owings Mills, Maryland. With over 100 offerings (half day, full day, weekend, and residential), there are plenty of opportunities for children to follow their dreams and explore their passions. Students are invited to “the Forest” to BE artsy, BE curious, BE sporty, BE horsey, BE prepared, and BE brave and spend the night. Summer at Garrison Forest truly has something for everyone ages three and up.


Residential programs include the Baltimore International Piano Festival, Young People’s Summer Stock Performing Arts Camp, Coerver Coaching Soccer Overnight Camp, UK Elite Soccer Residential Camp, and their signature program, the GFS Equestrian Experience, a residential riding and polo program.


Garrison Forest School is an independent, private, all-girls’ K–12 day school, co-ed preschool, and all-girls’ national and international boarding school for grades 8–12.

Summer Discovery
Summer Discovery has collaborative partnerships with 14 prestigious universities in the U.S., the UK, and Singapore. Family operated for 53 years, Summer Discovery is the premiere precollege program for high school and middle school students seeking an authentic university experience. Students live on campus in the university residence hall, eat in the dining hall, and take college classes taught by university instructors. Summer Discovery offers more than 300 courses in business, leadership, entrepreneurship, STEM, and more.


After class, students participate in organized, supervised activities and excursions, led by the experienced Summer Discovery staff. Resident counselors are 21 years and older and are responsible for groups of ten students.


High school students are given freedom to explore the campus and nearby town, with excellent supervision and safety. Middle school students are always attended by resident counselors in groups of eight children.


Summer Discovery students come from 44 states and more than 70 countries, offering a complete university experience in a multicultural environment, with a full calendar of exciting activities and excursions all included in the price of tuition.

Spoonfuls of Reading to Fundraise

Elementary schools often struggle with the parallel challenges of raising money to support a range of activities and the desire to get kids reading more. SpoonRead offers an innovative solution that can solve both problems at the same time.
Born from technologist and father Bart Meltzer’s personal struggle to get his son to read more, his solution involved sending chunks or “spoonfuls” of text to his son’s phone, followed by a question to validate the reading. After testing the concept to the delight of administrators, teachers, and parents, his company now offers schools a SpoonRead-a-thon. The 14-to-30-day reading challenge event has kids read the full text of authentic literature and earn virtual coins for correctly answering each validation question. Kids are drawn to the game-like quality and the opportunity to compete to win prizes for their reading.


Rather than having kids sell cookie dough or candy bars, parents buy books and a portion of the proceeds goes directly to the school or classroom. The company’s secure donation engine lets schools extend their donation base to grandparents, other family members, and friends. The books currently available on the platform include hundreds of best-loved titles from a range of major publishers including HMH, Workman, and Hachette. SpoonRead says that it is now increasing its number of Spanish-language titles as well.


To help support struggling readers, the platform also includes tools that will read the text aloud and will allow students to click on unfamiliar vocabulary to see a definition. To address possible equity issues, the company makes promotion codes available to allow access for economically disadvantaged students.
www.spoonread.net

New Volume in TESOL’s 6 Principles Addresses Adult English Learners

The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners®: Adult Education and Workforce Development, published by TESOL Press and written by Andrea Hellman, Kathy Harris, and Amea Wilbur, is one of few method books that directly relate to teaching adults English and address standards-based instruction and lesson planning. Educators of adult English learners will not only gain an understanding of the six principles for exemplary teaching of English learners but also receive tools and real-life examples to put the principles into practice right away.


In Chapter 1, the authors offer a rationale for raising the bar for adult English learners’ proficiency to meet 21st-century workplace demands, outline program characteristics that effectively serve adult English learners, and introduce the six principles. Educators will find the working knowledge needed to be able to apply the six principles, as well as references to standards documents, in Chapter 2. In Chapter 3, the core of the book, the authors carefully define and illustrate each principle. The authors describe common obstacles educators of adult learners encounter and make recommendations within the six principles on how to proactively address them in Chapter 4. The last chapter shows how exemplary teaching can be recognized in different classrooms and countries so that educators can better envision using the principles in their own settings.


Johan E. Uvin from the Institute for Educational Leadership praises the book: “It validates the experiences of seasoned practitioners and provides a well-researched set of practices that all teachers will find useful in their pursuit of excellence. Perhaps more importantly, implementing many of the practices presented in this book will markedly accelerate the integration of adult English learners at work and in our communities.”


www.the6principles.org

Playbook for Video-Powered Professional Learning

Video observation and feedback can accelerate teacher growth when used as part of a comprehensive professional development plan. Evidence of Practice: Playbook for Video-Powered Professional Learning helps educators across all disciplines create and implement a plan to reap the benefits of video within a coaching and reflection process.


The book draws from researcher and practitioner advice, and it provides concrete strategies and tips that educators can apply to their own districts, schools, or classroom contexts. Authored by Adam Geller, founder of the Edthena video observation platform, along with Annie Lewis O’Donnell, the book also includes an afterword by instructional coaching expert Jim Knight.In total there are twelve strategies, each brought to life through an educator vignette, an examination of the potential learning outcomes, and a detailed planning and implementation guide.

Some of the strategies include:

  • Preteach. Teachers record themselves rehearsing portions of upcoming instruction. Refine teacher practice before teaching with students.
  • Video Learning Communities. Teachers view, analyze, and discuss footage of one another’s classrooms in order to fuel collective improvement. Think PLCs, but powered by video and online collaboration.
  • Video Rounds. A team of educators view and discuss video clips from multiple classrooms to identify and learn from trends across a school or system, similar to instructional rounds. Online Lesson Study. A group of educators work collaboratively to examine instructional materials, design and teach a lesson, and discuss the results. It’s lesson study with less logistical complexity and the same focus on student learning and well-being.

The book also covers the research basis for putting video evidence at the center of professional learning, focusing techniques for analyzing video of classrooms, and tactical guidance about recording and sharing teaching videos. 
www.evidenceofpractice.com

1...163164165...332Page 164 of 332

Subscribe for exclusive content

Language Magazine is a monthly print and online publication that provides cutting-edge information for language learners, educators, and professionals around the world.

Subscribe

LanguageMagazine 2023

Language Magazine