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The Current Situation
We all know that the recent immigration crackdown, already strong under the Obama Administration, has intensified under the Trump administration. In the news, we hear of family separations, child detention camps, and troops awaiting caravans of refugees at the border to keep them out. It's hard to know what to do to help our students.
We know that this crackdown is generating widespread fear within immigrant communities and ESOL programs in Oregon are being directly impacted. However, there is a growing network of informed, engaged, and connected ESOL professionals and volunteers in our state who contribute significantly to the safety and well-being of immigrant communities and of our student base. Collaboration and action to mitigate this difficult situation are needed within our field. You can join us!
Five Steps We Can Take Now
Here are five specific actions that you, as an ESOL professional, and your program or institution can take to protect our vulnerable immigrant and refugee communities, and in order to carry out these five steps, please click here to get a PDF with more resources like materials for a KYR workshop:
1. Encourage your institution to publicly declare itself a “Safe Haven” or “Sanctuary” site. Such a resolution lays out the institution’s policies on its handling of personal student data and how school personnel will respond to ICE agents. This will help allay student fears about ICE’s presence (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) on or near school grounds. Publicize this status on campus in multiple languages. See a link to Portland Community College’s public statement in the resource list to use as a model.
2. Organize “Know Your Rights” workshops (KYR). Anyone residing in the US, not just citizens, is protected by the 4th, 5th and 6th amendments to the constitution. It is essential for our students to understand what their rights are in the current climate. KYR content is relevant to civics and citizenship instruction and in most courses, this material can be integrated while staying within curriculum requirements. If workshops can be scheduled during class time, they will be more effective in reaching a greater number of students. Offer printed “Know Your Rights” handouts & wallet cards in locations where students and their families can easily take them. Make curricular materials that include KYR content available to teaching staff so that they can integrate it into classroom instruction. See “Resources” at the end for the names of local organizations that provide KYR trainers and for links to online curricula and materials.
3. Collaborate with community organizations that serve and advocate for immigrant and refugee populations. Community groups often have direct experience with and knowledge of the reality that students and their families face. They can serve as informants to ESL programs and may also be able to extend their services through school networks. Collaboration with these organizations will provide a multi-faceted approach, offering the most safety and support for those at risk. See “Resources” for contact information for local and national organizations.
4. Establish a safe environment inside the classroom and on campus. Provide professional development to staff and instructors on legal issues related to immigration, the school’s responsibilities, referrals and how to enhance emotional safety. For example, staff needs to know that they cannot provide legal advice (immigration attorneys must do that), that immigration status should generally not be requested nor recorded. They should also familiarize themselves with students’ constitutional rights and employ strategies for creating emotional safety.
5. Provide financial aid information for undocumented & DACA students (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). These students are not eligible for federal financial aid to attend college. However, there are scholarships and aid available in Oregon through the “Office of Student Access & Completion”. See https://oregonstudentaid.gov
Thank you for your interest in this issue!
Kathleen Holloway – ESL Instructor, Clackamas Community College
kathleen.holloway@clackamas.edu
I got my start in ESL as a volunteer when the wave of refugees from SE Asia arrived. Since then, I have worked with students from every corner of the world as an instructor and volunteer coordinator.
My middle school students use readworks.org which follows up some reading passages with the sentence frame “What I Learned.” I would like to answer that for the November 2018 ORTESOL Fall Conference because IT WAS GREAT and I (have so far) learned a lot -- how about you? I’m trying to continue learning by contacting presenters and colleagues further about the sessions I could not attend or subjects they introduced me to aside the sessions.
Although teaching exclusively part-time online right now, I cannot say I was curious about the theme of the conference, “Navigating Change in TESOL,” but my interest was quickly piqued. Tutoring individuals from my living room has not seemed like a significant contribution or an advancement in teaching. Have you ever felt that way at some point, and did it prompt a change? Others’ careers fascinate me so I looked forward to features like the Friday Navigating Change panel. The English Learner and Equity Specialist at Oregon Dept. of Ed., Taffy Carlisle brought up issues and needs of ELLs that I realized were addressed by online teaching. Ms. Carlisle said the key to service is to “go to their homes,” which I am doing, every day in every lesson. I latched onto that idea and referred to it and others in my own presentation, “Easy Online TESOL.”
In sessions I managed to attend, I heard more pedagogical and career-affirming messages. Did you find anything similar? Presenting “Tech Skills Employers Want and Students Need,” Professor Susan Gaer revealed to me that my use of technology develops skills transferrable to my clients’ (current and potential) work and further study. Not only have I guided unfamiliar Skype users, introduced tech tools, and taught PowerPoint use, but engineering and IT professionals who I have tutored frequently teach me tech skills that I later convey to other students when necessary. Obviously online teaching exceeds “tech for tech’s sake”, as Kaitlin Lucas instructed in her “Web Tools for Classroom Differentiation.” Moreover that differentiation is the hallmark of my lessons and recommended in experts’ tips for effective and unique online teaching. With such encouragement by a leader in our field, I am excited to expand my methods and begin using the HyperDocs and Digital Choice Boards Dr. Lucas introduced, which have immediate application in my venue.
Even where we could not imagine the application of a topic, it wasapparent. Linda Bonder’s “Teaching Listening for the Real World” turned out to highlight internet resources along with her spot-on strategies. Also surprising was the amount of online retail materials and the provision of items I constantly seek, such as the free ones at National Geographic Learning. One vender gifted attendees with a book featuring the type of vocabulary exercises that have eluded my internet searches. As a former social studies major without a current learning community, “Community-based Learning” inspired ideas that might work for some online students. Graciously led by Ms.’s Thomas, Tennyson, and Mendicino, discussion and brainstorming introduced another attendee who teaches a vital course in language acquisition. I am waiting now for further information. What resources did you get “to go”?
Back at my computer, I miss conferring with colleagues and do not consider myself very influential, but that image is under revision. As the Saturday Plenary speaker, President of AFT-Oregon, David Rives related his career path, I recognized common motivations, values, and concerns. Afterward a group of us were looking together at the upcoming sessions and wondering about the messages of the U.S. Dept. of State English Language Programs in the session “English Teachers as Citizen Diplomats.” Even alone from my little corner desk, might I promote positive foreign relations? I communicate many optimistic viewpoints, find common ground in values and needs, show willingness and ability to understand, and explain some culture to people of different conceptual frameworks. We help people interact with each other, especially the rest of U.S. Succinct or grandiose, the idea is only offered to you here.
After my presentation, someone repeated a question: “Why do you think you have been successful online?” Urged to explain only the second time ever, I got to the bottom-line, for me – I am an educator with professional training, experience, and official recognition from my peers and superiors. You, ORTESOL, in the Fall Conference, revealed this truth.
Linda Rasmussen
Are you new to the field of TESOL? Are you evaluating how to adjust to new employment trends in the field? Check our online and in-person resources to help you explore next steps.
The theme for ORTESOL's Annual Fall Conference, Navigating Change in TESOL, highlights the need for ESOL professionals to explore how changing learner demographics, employment trends, skills, and teaching strategies create new opportunities for transforming our teaching practice in ways that are relevant, innovative, and adaptable to different contexts.
If you are considering a career in TESOL, you will find that the field is as rewarding as it is demanding. Teaching English as a second or foreign language requires skills beyond just knowing the language. Properly trained teachers
Source: Beginning Your Career http://www.tesol.org/enhance-your-career/career-development/beginning-your-career
Note: Membership for TESOL is separate from ORTESOL. Attend the Fall Conference for the chance to win a free International TESOL membership! ORTESOL gives away 7 free memberships a year.
ORTESOL is an affiliate of International TESOL. Many of our goals to increase engagement across all areas of Oregon, provide quality conferences and education opportunities and increase advocacy for ELL professionals and students align with the strategic plan of TESOL.
From the Executive Director: TESOL's New Strategic Plan
By Christopher Powers
In my first year and a half of serving TESOL International Association as executive director, I have had so many opportunities to meet with members and learn what is most important to you. It is humbling to try to think each day about how we—the TESOL office team, the TESOL Board of Directors, and all of our member leaders—can work together to meet the challenges and opportunities facing us.
One of the most valuable, and I hope long-lasting, efforts has been the work that so many of us have put into our new Strategic Plan. Following a yearlong process of collaborating on a board working group and incorporating feedback from TESOL staff and leaders from across the association, the TESOL Board of Directors voted to approve the Strategic Plan in March, and it will go into effect this November.
Through this Strategic Plan, we envision a world where English language teachers are the respected voice of language expertise and policy, where all teachers have the knowledge and learning opportunities they need, and where we all work together as one community to realize an interconnected multilingual and multicultural world.
We invite each of you on the journey to see TESOL International Association become the global authority for knowledge and expertise in English language teaching.
To get there, our first strategic outcome is focused on increasing our Global Presence and Connectivity. We see this through our membership that hails from more than 150 countries; our affiliate network that connects an additional 50,000 TESOL professionals; our convention and other face-to-face events that connect TESOL professionals across the globe; and our online efforts to build connectivity in a digital world.
By focusing on Knowledge and Expertise, our second outcome will help TESOL and TESOL members lead the development and delivery of English language teaching expertise, research, and information to address current and emerging trends in the profession. Our knowledge and expertise is the core of the association and emerges not only through our leading journals TESOL Quarterly and TESOL Journal, our rich array of publications through TESOL Press, and our diverse professional learning opportunities, but also through our professional councils, communities of practice, our affiliates, and the individual contributions of TESOL members.
Through Voice and Advocacy, our third outcome, we seek to raise the voice of the TESOL profession and TESOL educators and become the leading advocate for English language teachers and learners worldwide. Given the challenges we all face, advocating for ourselves, our colleagues, and our students has become one of the most critical aspects of the English teaching profession. Whether it is in the schoolroom or the community, local or national governments, or simply in the one-on-one interactions we all encounter daily, TESOL and TESOL professionals must continue to work to raise our individual and collective voices.
And, of course, it is essential that we continue to care for the long-term viability of the association. So, a final goal will be to ensure that the association has the leadership, both at the volunteer and staff level, and the resources necessary to meet our strategic outcomes.
Although the Strategic Plan will not officially go into effect until November, we have already begun using it to frame our work. The TESOL Board of Directors has just recently approved a strategic budget for FY2019 aligned to the Strategic Plan. Not only will this allow us to better measure our progress on each strategic outcome, but it will also allow us to better report on our progress to you.
We have also realigned the TESOL office staff to focus on these strategic outcomes. We have created a new department of strategic communications focusing on the most important aspect of any association—serving and communicating with you, our members. Associate Executive Director John Segota will lead our efforts in this new department.
And as our office lease comes up for renewal this year, we will even be using the plan to help guide how we redefine our office space, while at the same time modernizing and economizing our facilities.
As we begin to fully implement the Strategic Plan, I plan to use this space in TESOL Connections to update you on our progress. Focusing on our global presence and connectivity, I plan to share information on TESOL efforts across the globe, including our TESOL China Assembly in Shanghai, activities such as the symposium we held last May in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and the academy we held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras this past July, along with individual contributions from TESOL members and affiliates. Highlighting our knowledge and expertise, I look forward to recognizing the strong influence that our journals TESOL Quarterly and TESOL Journal have on TESOL scholarship, and the incredible impact signature initiatives such as The 6 Principles, and its breakthrough initial publication The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners: Grades K–12, are making to English language teaching practice. Amplifying the voices of teachers and strengthening all of our efforts to advocate for ourselves, our students, and our profession—across all contexts—is extraordinarily important, and I hope to trumpet those efforts on behalf of all TESOL members and the students we serve. Finally, we cannot meet these important outcomes if our association does not remain sustainable, so I will also be updating you all on our efforts to ensure that we have the resources, including staff and volunteer leadership, to meet the challenges we face.
I am excited by the opportunities our new Strategic Plan presents, and I hope that you are, too.
This is not my Strategic Plan, it is not the board’s Strategic Plan, and it is not the staff’s Strategic Plan; it is our Strategic Plan—the association’s Strategic Plan. It is focused on broad outcomes that will strengthen the association and improve all of our efforts across all the different ways that we teach and support English language teaching.
I invite everyone to work together and engage in ways that will bring about the outcomes we envision. Please feel free to reach out to me directly at cpowers@tesol.org. Connect with me on Twitter at @TESOL_Powers and use myTESOL to share your thoughts with the TESOL community.
Thank you for all of the work you do. I am looking forward to seeing you all at the 2019 TESOL International Convention & English Language Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, USA next March and to working and communicating with you along the way.
Christopher PowersTESOL Executive Director
What is HB 3499?
According to Representative Joe Gallegos, “In Oregon, 34 school districts have a student body population composed of at least 15% English Language Learners (ELL). In many of these school districts, there is a significant achievement gap between English-speaking students and ELL students. Under current Oregon law, school districts receive a 0.5 additional weight per ELL student. However, other than the additional funding weight, little consistency in accountability, curriculum, benchmarks and programmatic standards exist among ELL programs. HB 3499 (-2) addresses three main capacities of ELL policy: Uniform coding & budget transparency, a system of supports & interventions, and long-term strategic development.”
House Bill: https://www.oregon.gov/ode/studentwills-and-family/equity/EngLearners/Documents/ELHouseBill3499.pdf
The benchmarks that will be set can dramatically impact districts, schools, classrooms, teachers and students. It is important to be informed, to speak into best practices for English language learners and advocate for appropriate steps to improve education in Oregon.
Who was involved in the new EL Advisory Group?
The Oregon Department of Education’s website states that, “Having a diverse group of community and district stakeholders is an important part of the Oregon Department of Education’s (ODE) decision-making process and effective implementation of the EL Strategic State Plan. This new group is comprised of district and school administration, teachers, students, parents, and community members.” (2017)
To represent Oregon teachers, ORTESOL Refugee SIG Chair, Susan Kaller was a representative in this important group.
Since joining the ORTESOL board in 2016 she began to attend some state meetings and was asked to continue her work with ODE (Oregon Department of Education) on the EL Strategic Plan. The EL Advisory Group prepared a presentation for the COSA (Confederation of Oregon School Administrators) EL Alliance conference on February 8th, 2018. Susan attended the conference March 7th-9th in Eugene and presented on March 8th.
Kaller reflected, “The EL Alliance conference was extremely well attended with many sessions, so much so it will likely require a different venue next year. For K-12 ESL teachers and administrators, it has become the big “go to” conference in Oregon. The focus of the conference was on SPED/ESL coordination and newcomers in the classroom. There were 13 sessions per breakout covering everything from instructional strategies, program set up, licensure, professional development, recent legislation and regulation, trauma, understanding and accessing information ODE makes available, and research. Jeff Zwiers of Stanford gave the keynote on ‘authentic communication.’”
Participating in and advocating for English language learners has been a significant part of my role on the board explained Kaller. Throughout the process, the group has made an effort gather feedback from as many as possible in state board of education for approval.
What can you do to advocate for English language learners and teachers?
1) Educate yourself and clarify the issue.
2) Attend a public meeting.
3) Continue to understand rights and policies for ELLs.
4) Identify who your allies are.
5) Organize and educate others.
6) Identify your outlets for change. Consider asking the following questions:
a) What can I do in my classroom?
b) What can I do in my school?
c) What can I do in my district?
d) What can I do in my community?
e) How can I collaborate with other non-school-based communities?
TESOL International Association has defined a core set of principles for the exemplary teaching of English learners. The 6 Principles are universal guidelines drawn from decades of research in language pedagogy and language acquisition theory. They are targets for teaching excellence and should undergird any program of English language instruction. Here are some highlights...
Principle 1: KNOW YOUR LEARNERS
Teachers learn basic information about their students’ families, languages, cultures, and educational backgrounds to engage them in class and prepare and deliver lessons more effectively.
Some Practices for Principle 1 Teachers gain information about their learners. Teachers collect information about their students’ linguistic and educational backgrounds to determine correct placement for students. They also seek to learn a new student’s cultural and geographic background as a resource for classroom learning .
Teachers embrace and leverage the resources that learners bring to the classroom to enhance learning. Teachers tap their learners’ prior knowledge purposefully in their teaching. They try to determine what gifts and talents students bring to the classroom, what interests motivate them, what life experiences they have had that are curriculum-related, and what else in their backgrounds has influenced their personalities and beliefs.
Check out these Classroom Activities That Support Principle 1.
Principle 2: CREATING CONDITIONS FOR LEARNING
Teachers create a classroom culture so students feel comfortable. They make decisions regarding the physical environment, the materials, and the social integration of students to promote language learning.
Teachers demonstrate expectations of success for all learners.
Student achievement is affected by teacher expectations of success. Teachers must hold high expectations and communicate them clearly to all their students—English learners and other classmates, which will motivate them to perform at a high level.
Teachers plan instruction to enhance and support students’ motivation for language learning.
Language learning is difficult and takes a very long time. Learners may not see the benefits of spending time and energy in learning English if the effort does not have an early payoff or it feels outside their own comfort zone. However, we know that motivation is an important condition for language learning, so teachers need to engage their learners and motivate them to work persistently at learning the new language.
PRINCIPLE 3: DESIGN HIGH-QUALITY LESSONS FOR LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Teachers plan meaningful lessons that promote language learning and help students develop learning strategies and critical thinking skills. These lessons evolve from the learning objectives.
Teachers use comprehensible input to convey information to students.
Comprehensible input is of primary importance for progress in the target language. Whether oral or written, comprehensible input helps English learners understand the meaning of the communication. Teachers scaffold the language input in multiple ways to aid learner perception and promote understanding.
Scaffolding for Comprehensibility
Teachers communicate clear instructions to carry out the learning task.
Teachers use and teach consistent classroom management practices and routines throughout the school year in an effort to help students understand what is expected of them in a classroom and throughout a lesson. Teachers use simple directions with patterned language that they repeat each time.
Check out these Classroom Activities That Support Principle 3
PRINCIPLE 4: ADAPT LESSON DELIVERY AS NEEDED
Teachers continually assess as they teach—observing and reflecting on learners’ responses to determine whether the students are reaching the learning objectives. If students struggle or are not challenged enough, teachers consider the possible reasons and adjust their lessons.
Teachers check student comprehension frequently and adjust instruction according to learner responses.
To teach effectively, teachers need to evaluate what students know and what they do not know, in real time. We do not want to wait until the end of a lesson or the end of a unit to discover that our students have misunderstood a key concept or have incorrectly learned critical vocabulary.
Classroom Example: Teachers check comprehension with group response techniques.
Teachers can use quick comprehension checks during a lesson to gauge how the class is doing. Some group response activities include
● Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down
● Response Boards (all students respond individually on a dry-erase board or sheet of paper and show the teacher)
● 3-2-1 for Self-Assessment, and
● Technology options (websites and apps) using handheld devices or tablets.
Teachers adjust their talk, the task, or the materials according to learner responses.
If teachers notice student confusion or misunderstanding during a lesson, they make adjustments so that all learners can meet the learning goals. They may vary their oral language input, use home language or alternative texts, present visual aids, or arrange peer support. They might adapt a task by adding more time, finding supplemental resources, or pulling a small group of students together for reteaching.
Check out these Classroom Activities That Support Principle 4
PRINCIPLE 5: MONITOR AND ASSESS STUDENT LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
Language learners learn at different rates, so teachers regularly monitor and assess their language development in order to advance their learning efficiently. Teachers also gather data to measure student language growth.
Teachers monitor student errors.
By interacting frequently with our students, we can acquire a great deal of information about their progress. Some teachers record the results of their interactions (e.g., correct and incorrect uses of English) in an anecdotal way, use a check list, or change student grouping patterns and/or partners, depending on their newly developing proficiency.
Classroom Example: Teachers reteach when errors indicate that students misunderstood or learned the material incorrectly.
When errors are not part of the language development process, teachers plan for reteaching or additional practice. They may present a mini-lesson on the topic for the whole class or work with a small group of learners who need the support.
Teachers provide ongoing effective feedback strategically.
To be constructive, a teacher’s feedback in response to a learner’s error is delivered strategically and in a timely manner but it must also suit the age and language development level of the student. The feedback can be positive or corrective. It is important that the feedback be specific and related to what learners are doing well in addition to what they can improve.
Classroom Example: Teachers deliver feedback in a timely manner.
Students may be more able to use feedback if it is not delayed. Timeliness is more important with oral feedback than with written feedback. Private feedback is appreciated by all students, no matter their age.
PRINCIPLE 6: ENGAGE AND COLLABORATE WITHIN A COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Teachers collaborate with one another.
Exemplary teachers collaborate with others in the profession to provide the best possible support for their learners. They meet with colleagues to co-plan and share their expertise about second language acquisition as well as instructional techniques appropriate for students at different levels of proficiency.
Example: Teachers meet with colleagues regularly to co-plan for future learning.
ESL/ELD teachers need to become co-planners to ensure their students’ success in developing English language and content proficiency. These planning opportunities permit ESL/ELD teachers to become aware of the extent of the content learning required for students. They also allow ESL/ELD teachers to share information about students’ language proficiency with content teachers. The school administrators can help by making certain that scheduling allows teachers to collaborate with colleagues for planning.
Teachers are fully engaged in their profession.
Teachers participate in continuous learning and ongoing professional development and they also reflect critically on their own classroom practices. They develop leadership skills so they can be a resource in their school and get involved in designing programs and developing curricula.
Check out www.tesol.org/the-6-principles for additional videos, resources and information on The 6 Principles.
Brooke Kaye, Oregon State University
Received 2018 International TESOL Travel Grant, along with a coworker.
A few weeks ago I was working with Iman, an international ELL student, on an essay for her reading and writing class. She had come to the Undergraduate Writing Studio at Oregon State University because her instructor had highlighted sentences that were confusing and she didn’t know how to express her thoughts more clearly. I encouraged her to talk through her ideas while I transcribed what she said. Sharing her thoughts aloud helped her to compose several beautiful sentences full of meaning. I read the sentences back to her and she was pleased with the results and relieved to have moved through this roadblock in her writing. Iman confessed to me that she had been feeling very stressed – midterm exams were looming, and on top of school demands she had a newborn baby, a 3 year old and a kindergartner to care for. She was also busy getting ready for the holy month of Ramadan. I was in awe of how much she was managing, all in an unfamiliar cultural landscape with no extended family support.
This interaction made me reflect on the excellent plenary talk that Mary Helen Immordino-Yang gave at the 2018 TESOL International Association conference in Chicago in March. Immordino-Yang presented research showing how a person’s sense of emotional well-being has a strong impact on their ability to learn. Essentially, emotion is the driving force behind thinking – meaningful learning always involves emotion. When we feel safe and connected we are motivated and able to create meaning and learn.
In life as in writing projects, connection and meaning are built at many levels - from vocabulary choice and sentence-level grammar to discourse level and audience analysis. At the TESOL conference, I learned tools for using theme and rheme to help create cohesion and meaning at the discourse level. I also learned how ELL teachers are using corpus tools to help students analyze word choice and see patterns in academic writing. I have been excited to use these strategies to help second language learners improve their writing. Immordino-Yang’s lecture, though, reminds me that before we strive to create meaning in text we must first create connection through meaningful interpersonal interactions.
I wanted to help Iman create meaning, not just in her writing, but also in her life. I knew from Immordino-Yang’s lecture that the more connection and support she feels the more successful she will be in school. I empathized with her as a mom who was also trying to manage my own work/life balance. Iman mentioned to me that she didn’t have many other mom friends, so I told her about an international mothers’ group and gave her the contact information. She seemed excited to connect with other women who shared that aspect of her life.
After attending the TESOL conference, I now have more strategies than ever to help students like Iman. The most important of which is tuning in to their social-emotional landscapes. As Writing Studio tutors, we are trained to look at a hierarchy of rhetorical concerns in student writing – addressing issues in purpose and content before grammar and punctuation. Immordino-Yang’s lecture reminds me that the first order of concern should be to meet the writer at an interpersonal level, to create meaning and connection in that interaction, before diving into the complex and beautifully surprising world of second language writing.
________________________________________________
The James Nattinger Travel Grant for the TESOL Convention gives an ORTESOL member the chance to attend the international convention when they might not normally be able to due to finances. TESOL Convention provides a wealth of opportunities for networking, learning and growing professionally. For more information about grant opportunities check out the membership tab on the website or e-mail info@ortesol.org
ORTESOL BLOG IS COMING TO A COMPUTER NEAR YOU!
ORTESOL monthly blog is a place to grow professionally by writing and reading about relevant ESOL news.
Kara Sappington
ORTESOL President
The mission of ORTESOL is to promote scholarship, disseminate information, strengthen instruction and research at all levels in the teaching of English to speakers of other languages, and to cooperate in appropriate ways with other groups having similar concerns. We are continually looking at ways we can equip, challenge and support ESOL educators in the state of Oregon.
The ORTESOL Newsletter has historically been a place to hear about ORTESOL news, teaching tips, research theories, and relevant information on different special interest groups (K12, Refugee Concerns, Adult Education and Higher Education) from Oregon. We are shifting our quarterly newsletter to an the ORTESOL blog. This online format will allow more up to date information to be shared and allow us to link relevant articles from other education forums.
The ORTESOL membership is rich with varied perspectives, backgrounds and expertise. We would love to have members share their voice on the ORTESOL Blog!
There are many possibilities for articles, but here are a few ideas:
● What activity have you done in the classroom recently that had great success?
● What fun field trips or active learning projects have you done around the region?
● Do you have a book or resource review?
● What reflections do you have to new ESOL teachers?
● What advice would you give to planning an outside learning task?
● What content-based teaching ideas do you have?
● How do you use technology in the classroom?
● What highlights or knowledge do you have on a specific student language group?
● What is student perspective or story you could share? (You could interview them!)
● Who could you interview in the field of ESOL?
● Did you attend or know of an upcoming cultural event that would be relevant for members?
Be creative and tell your story! Check out our Newsletter Guidelines for additional tips on how to make your blog a success.
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