University of Wyoming College of Education, Teton County School District, and the Wyoming Department of Educationpresent
2nd Annual:
Wyoming English as a Second Language & Dual Language Immersion Conference
April 21-22, 2017
Jackson Hole High School; Jackson, Wyoming
Welcome!
To the second annual state-wide English as a Second Language and Dual Language Immersion conference in Wyoming. We had over 100 people attend the first conference held in Casper in the spring of 2016. We are very excited to welcome you to Jackson for our second conference.
Below is the full schedule of the conference and locations of all sessions. Please see the brief descriptions of each presentation and session on pages 6-11.
We hope this conference provides you with the opportunity to network with your peers from across the state and in the surrounding region as well as high-quality sessions to help educators in professional practice. Your input will help improve the conference in future years. There will be a Conclusion and Evaluation Session at the end of the conference, but you may also email one of us below.
Please remember that .5 Professional Teaching Standards Board renewal credit is available to certified Wyoming K-12 teachers, as well as one graduate hour of University of Wyoming EDCI 5959 credit. Please see the registration table for more information about both opportunities.
We hope you have a fulfilling and fun couple of days!
Conference Co-Chairs
Dr. Jenna Shim, ESL Endorsement Program Coordinator
UW College of Education, Department of Educational Studies
Chad Ransom, Director of Student Services, Teton County School District
Schedule at a Glance
Friday (pre-conference)
Friday, April 21, School Visits
*Pre-registration required. Details will be emailed prior to the start of the conference to those who have registered for a site visit.
Morning Tour8:30 / Meet at assigned school
8:30-11:00 / Classroom tour
Afternoon Tour
12:15 / Meet at assigned school
12:15-3:00 / Classroom tour
Friday Evening
Friday, April 21, Jackson Hole High School
5:00 - 5:45 / Check-in and Mixer5:45-6:30 / Dinner
6:30-6:45
6:45-7:00
7:00 - 8:45
Auditorium / Conference Introduction & Video:
Jenna Shim, Conference Co-Chair, UW ESL Endorsement Coordinator
Speaker Introduction: D. Ray Reutzel, Dean of the College of Education, UW
Conference Welcome:
Laura Nichols, President, University of Wyoming
Keynote Speech:
Speaker Introduction: Anna Shur, Doctoral Student in Literacy Studies at UW
Changing the Rules of Engagement: Considerations for Strengthening Family Engagement,Dr. Lorena Mancilla
Saturday
Saturday, April 22, Jackson Hole High School
7:45 - 8:15Cafeteria / Breakfast
8:15 – 8:25
8:25 - 8:40
8:40 - 10:15
Auditorium / Morning Introduction & Video:
Chad Ransom, Conference Co-Chair, TCSD
Welcome Message:
Gillian Chapman, Superintendent, TCSD
Keynote Speech:
Speaker Introduction: Leslie Rush, Associate Dean of the College of Education, UW
English Learners in US Schools: Research, Findings, and Directions for the future, Dr. Claude Goldenberg
10:15 - 10:30 / Break
10:30 – 12:00 / Featured Presentations:
Rm 1602 / Motivation and ELLs: Science, Art, or Magic, Dixie Brackman
Rm 1124 / Teachers’ Pragmatic Questions about Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: Answers from Research and Practice, Patrick Manyak
Rm1362 / Designing and Implementing New Dual Immersion Programs, Chad Ransom & Ann Tollefson
Media Center / Dialogic Reasoning: Supporting Young Learners’ Language and Literacy Development through High-Level Talk Opportunities, Dana Robertson
12:00 – 1:00
Cafeteria / Lunch
1:00 -
1:45
(see specific
breakout session) / Breakout Sessions:
•Spanish for Heritage & Native Speakers: Connections are the Key Beth Eastman and Mary Bowker
•Language under the Mask of Identity: A sample unit. Dr. Lydia Dambekalns
•Content and language objectives: It's all about the verb. Heather Goodrich
•Practices and benefits of sheltered instruction Kim Jones
•Collaboration with classroom teachers: A Teton County ELD Specialist’s collaboration with K-2 Classroom teachers around the new vocabulary initiative Ellen Kappus
•EL Co-Teaching in Mainstream Classrooms Maria Lundgren
1:45 – 2:00 / Break
2:00 – 2:45
(see specific
breakout session) / Breakout Sessions:
•Deliberately Scaffolding for Language Acquisition in the Content Areas. Stella Rios Nowell
•Bridging Languages in a Dual Immersion Program—Leveraging Learning in Each Language. Heidi Owens and JodeenTebay
•Bridging the Ignorance Gap through Acculturation and Adaptation Matthew Parsons
•Equitable Identification of Gifted EL and Former EL Students Christi Roberts
•A task-based approach for teaching diverse adult learners: Targeting multiple proficiency levels in the ESL classroom Marian Stordahl and Anna Shur
•Stuck with 3's: Accelerating Language Growth through Formative Language Assessment Amanda Youngblood and Alivia Bingham
2:45 - 3:15
Auditorium / Conference Conclusion and Conference Evaluation:
Jenna Shim and Chad Ransom
Meet the Keynote Speakers
Claude Goldenberg, PhD
Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education
Stanford University
A native of Argentina, his areas of research center on promoting academic achievement among language minority students. He received the 1993 Albert J. Harris Award from the International Reading Association for an article describing improvements in early Spanish reading achievement at an elementary school where he taught first grade. His 2004 book Successful School Change: Creating Settings to Improve Teaching a Learning was the basis for the 2010 Best Research Award from Learning Forward. Goldenberg is co-author of Promoting Academic Achievement among English Learners: A Guide to the Research (Corwin) and co-editor of Language and Literacy Development in Bilingual Settings (Guilford). He currently directs a randomized control trial in Rwanda evaluating an early literacy intervention created by Save the Children and advising Save on improvements to the program and preparing trainers in developing-world contexts.
Lorena Mancilla, PhD
Director of WIDA Early Years
Lorena served as the lead developer and researcher for family engagement initiatives at WIDA. In this role, she worked with families of English learners and educators to highlight the need to address students’ language learning and development within family engagement practices. She also served as a core member of the Spanish language development (SLD) team. Lorena completed her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Meet the Featured Presenters
Dixie Brackman
MS & HS ELL Teacher
Laramie, WY
Dixie Brackman teaches Middle School and High School ELLs in Laramie, Wyoming. She began her teaching career in Ghana, West Africa as a Peace Corps Volunteer after a successful career as a business owner. Before coming to Wyoming, she taught in Gallup, New Mexico where ELL students were more common than English speaking students. With an undergrad degree in Cultural Anthropology, Ms. Brackman continues to pursue a life-long interest in the intersection of culture and life.
Patrick Manyak, PhD
Associate Professor of Literacy Education
University of Wyoming
Dr. Patrick Manyak is an associate professor of Literacy Education at the University of Wyoming. A former bilingual teacher, he has published numerous articles resulting from his research on the language and literacy development of English learners. Manyak has recently served as a co-principal investigator in an IES-funded research project focused on the development and feasibility testing of a multifaceted, comprehensive, vocabulary instruction program (MCVIP) for 4th and 5th grade English learners and native English-speakers.
Chad Ransom
Director of Students Services
Teton County School District
Chad Ransom is the Director of Second Language Services in Teton County School District. He has been a classroom teacher, instructional coach, building principal, and program administrator in Wyoming and Arizona. In those roles, Chad created the first dual immersion program in the state of Wyoming, co-lead school improvement efforts that resulted in one school being labeled as “performing” after being labeled “failing,” and has been awarded multiple state and federal competitive grants.
Dana Robertson, EdD
Executive Director of the Literacy Research Center and Clinic and Assistant Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education
University of Wyoming
Dr. Dana A. Robertson is Executive Director of the Literacy Research Center and Clinic and Assistant Professor of Elementary and Early Childhood Education at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Robertson has conducted research and written on classroom discourse, comprehension instruction, struggling readers and writers, coaching, and teacher professional development related to literacy.
Ann Tollefson
Consultant
Ann Tollefson is a national consultant in the development, implementation, and evaluation of world-language programs. She has been the world-language content specialist for the Wyoming Department of Education, a district-level world-language supervisor, and a high school teacher of French. She currently serves as the outside evaluator of the Utah dual-language immersion program.
Session Details
Friday, April 21
Keynote Speech 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Changing the Rules of Engagement: Considerations for Strengthening Family Engagement, Dr. Lorena Mancilla (WIDA Standards Framework Specialist)
JHHS Auditorium
This session highlights the need to critically examine the “rules of engagement” that drive beliefs, conceptualizations, and school-based practices for engaging families in the education of their children. In particular, the focus will be on engaging with families that racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse. The presenter will introduce participants to six key considerations for strengthening family engagement practices that are grounded in research and essential for building relationships with families. In addition, this session highlights the voice of families of K-12 English learners and presents examples of lessons learned from engaging with diverse families.
Saturday, April 22
Keynote Speech 8:40 am - 10:30 am
English Learners in US Schools: Research, Findings, and Directions for the Future, Dr. Claude Goldenberg (Nomellini & Olivier Professor of Education; Stanford University)
JHHS Auditorium
In this presentation I will survey the current state of research on improving academic outcomes for English learners (ELs). There are four key takeaways: (1) What is effective for ELs is very similar to what is effective for students “in general,” but (2) ELs require modifications and additional supports; (3) ELs’ home language can and should be used to promote their school success; (4) English language development should be taught explicitly and distinctly from the moment ELs start school. I will elaborate on these four, discuss findings from a recent review conducted by the National Academy of Sciences, and suggest implications for EL practices and policies.
Featured Presentation 10:30 am –12:00 pm
Motivation and ELLs: science, art, or magic?
Dixie Brackman (Albany County School District)
Location: Room 1602
This feature presentation will provide an overview of motivation from diverse fields, explore the necessity of motivation for second-language learners, and identify productive strategies for enhancing effort, commitment, and engagement of our ELL students and those who teach them.
Teachers’ Pragmatic Questions about Vocabulary Instruction for English Learners: Answers from Research and Practice
Patrick Manyak (College of Education, University of Wyoming)
Location: Room 1124
There is no more pressing instructional issue for U.S. schools that serve English Learners than the need for comprehensive vocabulary instruction. The lack of robust vocabulary knowledge represents the major obstacle to long-term academic success for many ELs. However, research indicates that schools have generally failed to provide the kind of well-planned, comprehensive vocabulary instruction needed to accelerate EL students' word learning. In this presentation, I draw on important research findings and my own ongoing vocabulary research to address key practical questions that teachers of ELs often ask about vocabulary instruction. Some of the questions I that will address include "How many words should I teach?" "What kinds of words should I focus on?" "Is there a best way to teach target words?" "What elements should vocabulary instruction include at my grade level?" and "How do I make time for vocabulary instruction?" In the course of answering these questions, I will share instructional materials and demonstrate and show videos of cutting-edge instructional practices.
Designing and Implementing New Dual Immersion Programs
Chad Ransom (Teton County School District) and Ann Tollefson (Educational Consultant)
Location: Room 1362
Dual Language Immersion programs are one of the fastest growing program models in the country. These programs include both one-way and two-way immersion models and can be implemented in a myriad of different contexts. However, planning and implementing this type of program requires districts to strategically plan for building ongoing support, teacher recruitment, curriculum development, and many other factors. This session will highlight these important considerations, outline key tasks, and discuss possible pitfalls to a successful implementation for districts to consider when implementing an immersion program.
Dialogic reasoning: Supporting young learners’ language and literacy development through high-level talk opportunities
Dana Robertson (College of Education, University of Wyoming)
Location: Media Center
Emerging evidence shows that oral language proficiencies and academic vocabulary predict both EL learners’ and English-speaking students’ abilities to comprehend, especially as students move beyond decoding and word recognition (August & Shanahan, 2006). Engaging young students, and especially those who are still learning conversational English, in rich language environments immerses them in hearing and using oral language and academic vocabulary extensively throughout each successive school year. How do we promote productive interactions in classrooms between the teacher and students, student and student, and among young ELLs and English speakers? What constitutes effective oral language and vocabulary instruction for young English language learners? How does this instruction differ from effective instruction for native English speakers? In this session, I will describe the use of classroom talk as an instructional tool to build young ELLs’ oral language abilities, vocabulary, and concept knowledge as they engage reading, writing, and high level talk across content areas.
Breakout Sessions 1:00 am - 1:45 pm
Spanish for Heritage & Native Speakers: Connections are the Key
Beth Eastman & Mary Bowker (Teton County School District
Location: Room 1603
There is a strong body of research that shows proficiency in a student’s native language leads to increased proficiency in English. By teaching native language literacy to secondary students, we can improve their overall literacy achievement. This session highlights how the connections between student experiences, families, communities, and other academic classes is the key to promoting success and building language and literacy skills in L1 and L2.
Language under the Mask of Identity: A sample unit
Lydia Dambekalns (College of Education, University of Wyoming)
Location: Room 2502
This session presents a WIDA based Mask Making Unit (taking four class periods) that was implemented at a Virginia high school known for its ESL population of recent immigrant students. The 1 or 2 Level language learners were instructed in how to make masks, and then given the task of speaking/performing a brief dialogue using these masks. The presenter explains what worked well, what did not, how you can implement such a unit yourself (would work for upper elementary through secondary levels) and ties the whole experience to notions of recent immigrant identity. Note: The class members were highly diverse from the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America, and all had been in the USA for two years or less.
Content and language objectives: It’s all about the verb
Heather Goodrich (Teton County School District
Location: Media Center
Language teaching is critically important for both EL and native English-speaking students. We know that integrating language and content instruction is one of the best ways to ensure language practice throughout the school day. Participants will write learning targets that include language, content and supports, and then explore ways to support the language students need to reach the target.
Practices and benefits of sheltered instruction
Kim Jones (Natrona County School District)
Location: Room 1602
This workshop is designed to introduce educators to the practice and benefits of Sheltered Instruction. The workshop will introduce characteristics of language acquisition using the WIDA Standards Framework and participants will experience the impact of comprehensible input, interactive activities in the context of a content lesson.
Collaboration with classroom teachers: A Teton County ELD specialist’s collaboration with K-2 classroom teachers around the new vocabulary initiative
Ellen Kappus (Teton County School District)
Location: Room 1362
There is considerable research supporting the necessity for language learners to be explicitly taught vocabulary to close the academic vocabulary gap many experience which can later impede reading comprehension. The Wyoming State Standards now require the teaching and assessing of vocabulary K-12. Teton County has responded by initiating a focus on vocabulary instruction. A district committee led the work by choosing target tier-2 terms k-12. Additional vocabulary was selected in grade level teams. Each grade level has a word of the week, along with other content terms. There is an expectation that these words are taught and assessed. This presentation recounts the experiences of an ESL specialist who serves on the District Vocabulary Committee and collaborates with K-2 Classroom teachers to share vocabulary teaching research and practices. The presentation shares the challenges and successes of this collaboration. Attendees will also learn a vocabulary instruction method and assessment practices.
EL Co-Teaching in Mainstream Classrooms
Maria Lundgren (Teton County School District)
Location: Room 1124
Co-teaching can be a strong model for improved language acquisition and content learning for EL students. However, this model can be difficult to implement effectively. Flexibility, relationship building, and trust, are the keys to a successful co-teaching model. This session outlines the challenges and successes we have experienced and how we can support ELs in the mainstream classroom through co-planning and collaborative teaching.