As science teachers of multilingual learners (MLLs), it is critical that we not only provide equitable access to rigorous science content but also develop their primary, English, and academic language. To do this, we have found the use of what we term “Equity Moves,” or
Figure 1.1: Shadowing Reflection Wordle After shadowing multilingual learners, educators often use words like “frustrating,” “insightful,” “cold,” and “enlightening” to describe the experience. Such reflections often become the catalyst for change and a way to disrupt silence on behalf of multilingual learners (MLLs). I like to describe the entire shadowing process
As a young girl, my mother introduced me to the idea of first impressions. She emphasized how my physical appearance and my first words in new interactions would cause others to form an almost instant impression of me. She also explained that it would be extremely challenging to change negative first impressions once they were
How many of us have listened to a speaker or read a book and marveled at the descriptive power and richness of the words used? We have our favorite speakers, reporters, or authors who move us through how they write. Nations, peoples, political change
Three in four U.S. classrooms have at least one student who is an English Learner (EL). Even in schools with EL specialists, ELs spend the majority of their instructional day with core teachers. EL excellence with rigorous content learning requires EVERY teacher be an effective
It has been 20 years since I completed my doctoral research on educational equity in public schools. During one of my initial classroom observations, I shadowed a group of English learners in a kindergarten classroom. The students had just completed an engaging circle time discussing
Assessing English Language Learners, 2nd edition by Margo Gottlieb Ten years ago, the first edition of Margo Gottlieb’s Assessing English Language Learners changed the dialogue about how educators envision educational equity for students. Since then, the ELL and dual language student populations have grown exponentially, and so has
The day after I retired as superintendent of a large suburban New York school district, I drove north to Montreal, instead of south to Miami. Twelve years after I began the experiment of living in an officially French province of Canada, I have learned a
All students can benefit from academic language development modeling, scaffolding, and practice, but ELLs and standard English learners (SELs) need it to survive and thrive in school. SELs are students who speak languages that do not correspond to Standard American English language structure and grammar
The notion of assessment is expanding! In the updated new edition to her classic bestseller Assessing English Language Learners, Margo Gottlieb introduces an assessment model as, for, and of learning that revolves around the involvement of students, teachers, and administrators as the primary decision makers.