Post 6: Supporting English as a Second Language Students: Promising ESL Strategies in Alberta

When browsing for articles I stumbled upon these projects in Government of Alberta's (2009) "Supporting English as a Second Language Students: Promising ESL Strategies in Alberta". There were projects for all grades, but I focused on the ones for preschool. I was really excited when I first found these resources. I like that they are Canadian also. These projects have different strategies than what I’ve seen in my other research but I like that they have been executed and have found results that pertain to answering my big question. The first project focused on parental involvement as well as using the students home language as a major tool. The second project found great results and also focus on parental involvement. The second project for focus more so on literacy but since the two go hand in hand they sought results in the oral language of the students.

Teaching Strategies Projects

Enhancing Learning for ESL Preschoolers

ABC Head Start Society (AISI Project ID: 667)

This project increased the involvement of ESL parents in their children’s education and provided assessment in the student’s home language, which allowed for quicker and more accurate identification of ESL educational needs. This, in turn, led to more accurate and timely addressing of these needs.

Key Features

• Managed by the education manager and staff involved in the project.

• Used interpreter services.

• Developed and implemented procedures for accessing and monitoring interpreters.

• Trained staff on working with interpreters.

• Encouraged staff to access services that best meet the needs of the children and families attending ABC Head Start.

• Held workshops for staff and parents.

• Increased the involvement of parents of ESL students in case conferences, parent groups and other school activities related to increasing their children’s educational success.

• Identified and addressed educational needs quickly and accurately.

• Collected anecdotal information about the number of parents attending parent group and case conferences.

• Collected anecdotal information about the ability of staff to effectively and efficiently assess and address the educational needs of ESL children.

CHANGES IN PRACTICE

•Instructional Strategies: Staff had access to interpreters and translated documents, e.g., consent forms, and to newly purchased multicultural resources.

•Professional Development: Workshops for staff and parents increased the confidence and comfort level of all participants.

•Parents received information on a regular basis through the parent group and classroom volunteer times.

•Parents reported feeling involved and empowered and were more confident in participating in their children’s education and overcoming cultural and linguistic barriers.

•Parental participation rates increased throughout the project.

Preschool Literacy Northern Gateway Regional Division No. 10 (AISI Project ID: 332): Twilight Colony School

The students’ English skills improved and parents, students and teachers were all

buoyed by the students’ success. In fact, some of the participating students

achieved better results than older students who did not participate.

Key Strategies

• A teacher assistant, supervised by a designated teacher, was hired to work with the preschool children.

• The supervising teacher kept a daily journal of each student’s progress.

• Students were assessed using standardized tests, ESL assessments and teacher observations.

• Individualized program plans were in place for each student

• Parents became involved with a home English program.

• Staff and parents were surveyed annually.

• All stakeholders participated in a final program evaluation.

Changes in Practice

• Program continuity was maintained by using the same texts throughout the

entire project.

• A teacher assistant was employed from the first of April until the end of

June to work with students in small groups to prepare them for Grade 1.

• Parents were encouraged to listen to their children speak English and to

assist them, whenever possible.

• Parents were increasingly visible in the classroom.

• There were more parent–teacher meetings, both formal and informal.

• Parents received two written reports about their children’s progress in their

Kindergarten literacy project.

Reflection

These projects produced real results and that was exciting for me to see. Not only were teaching strategies addressed, but the whole program in regards to staffing, professional development, and paper trails were increased and that proved to be beneficial. This made me think about how much the teacher is responsible for the education they provide to these students, and made me think about the accountability of the school division. How much professional development, support, and resources are they offering for the teacher to use?

When thinking about my theoretical approach to this documentation panel, these projects take into consideration the competent child, the first project in particular. In the first project, having an interpreter for the child is appreciating their competent self, and really getting to understand if they are learning the from the experiences. It allows teachers to identify and address educational needs quickly and accurately so students can better learn english.

References

Alberta Education. (2009). Supporting English as a second language students: Promising ESL strategies in Alberta. Retrieved from https://education.alberta.ca/media/1477344/supporting-esl-students-promising-esl-strategies-in-alberta.pdf