Alliance for Catholic Education
ENL Podcasts
The 15 on the 15th: Bite-sized Book Club series features podcasts designed to help you digest short articles (no more than 15 minutes of reading required!). This 15-minute recipe for success is a pinch of insightful reading and a dash of engaging discussion that perfectly blends together research and classroom practice. Listen on SoundCloud or subscribe via Apple Podcasts.
Preventing the Summer Slide
This month, the ENL team discusses the summer slide, the impact it can have on ELLs, and strategies teachers can implement to prevent this loss of learning and language over the summer months. The conversation is anchored around the Chalkbeat article by Susan Gonzalez entitled "The not-so-secret ELL summer slide problem that no one has quantified". Tune in for great stories and helpful strategies to prevent the summer slide for your students.
Assessment Strategies for English Language Learners
This month, we discuss the loaded and vast topic of assessment. We're focusing today's conversation on summative assessments and the specific strategies that classroom teachers can use to more accurately assess their English language learners. The article "Assessing ELLs in ESL or Mainstream Classrooms: Quick Fixes for Busy Teachers" by Laureen A. Fregeau and Robert D. Leier anchors the discussion and offers concrete adaptations that can have a real impact for English language learners.
Jenny Dees and Clare Roach are joined by Charlotte Perez, a graduate of the ENL Hernandez Fellows program, a member of the ENL Clinical Faculty, and the Resource Teacher at St. Cecilia in the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey. We identify some stress-relieving strategies for teachers that will benefit every child in the classroom, not just ELLs.
Early Childhood Language Learners
This month, the podcast offers insightful ideas and practical strategies for early childhood language learners–including concrete ways to incorporate students' native languages into classroom libraries, labels, and even dramatic play materials.
We’re joined by Courtney O’Grady, a graduate of the ENL Hernandez Fellows program and a long-time early childhood educator who teaches at St. Raymond in the Diocese of Joliet. In addition to Courtney’s expertise in a traditional early childhood classroom, Clare Roach shares her experience starting a two-way immersion preschool program in South Bend, Indiana, an outreach effort of ENL. Tune in to learn more about how our Catholic schools can make a child’s first encounter with school and the learning process even more fruitful.
More Practical Ways to Engage ENL Families
This month, the ENL team takes an in-depth look at the second half of the strategies outlined in Breiseth's article. This conversation focuses on simple, applicable, and transformative ways that schools can engage ENL families and enrich their school communities. Tune in for great stories and helpful strategies. Read the article article from Colorín Colorado and tune in for strategies to use at your school!
Practical Ways to Engage ENL Families
This month’s installment is the first part of a two-part series in which the ENL team discusses practical ways that schools can engage ENL families. Strategies include everything from making the enrollment process more accessible, to learning about your ELL population, to creating a welcoming school environment, and more. Read the article article from Colorín Colorado and tune in for strategies to use at your school.
Es Su Escuela Nuestra Escuela? Latino Access to Catholic Schools
This month, the ENL team welcomes Fr. Joe Corpora, CSC, to the studio to discuss the article, "Es Su Escuela Nuestra Escuela? Latino Access to Catholic Schools." Fr. Joe serves as Director of University-School Partnerships in the Alliance for Catholic Education and the Coordinator of Student Care for Campus Ministry. He has been instrumental in striving to increase the percentage of Latinos who send their children to Catholic elementary and secondary schools. In this conversation, Fr. Joe shares important demographic information, heartwarming stories, and practical strategies for schools who are committed to welcoming Latino children. Give yourself an early Christmas present and tune in for the conversation!
12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom
In this month’s installment, the ENL team unpacks the article, "12 Ways to Support English Learners in the Mainstream Classroom.” Katy, Clare, and Jenny explore the 12 strategies, expounding on why they work and how they have seen them unfold in the classroom. Tune in for strategies to try in your classroom!
Supporting English Learners in Math Classrooms
In this month’s installment, the ENL team revisits the article, "Promoting Science Among English Language Learners: Professional Development for Today’s Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms” from the Journal of Science Teacher Education. This podcast examines the article through the lens of math instruction. We are joined by Meghann Kirzeder, M.Ed., an outstanding math teacher with vast experience. Her approach to math instruction highlights linguistic supports in the area of math instruction. Tune in to be inspired and acquire new strategies for your own math classroom.
Supporting English Learners in Science Classrooms
This month, the ENL team explores best practices in science instruction. Katy, Jenny, and Clare unpack the article, "Promoting Science Among English Language Learners: Professional Development for Today’s Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Classrooms” from the Journal of Science Teacher Education. The discussion focuses on writing strategies, reading supports, linguistic considerations in the science classroom, and much more.
Multicultural Children's Literature, Part II
The ENL team continues last month's conversation on multicultural children's literature with Notre Dame's Dr. Erin Moira Lemrow. This month's edition focuses on four themes that represent multilingual texts: language as blending in, hybrid language identities, language as culture affirmation, and language as learning from others.
Once again, the discussion is inspired by María Paula Ghiso and Gerald Campano's article "Ideologies of Language and Identity in U.S. Children's Literature."
Multicultural Children's Literature, Part I
The ENL team dives into the topic of multicultural children's literature and how it can be utilized to support our English language learners on their journey of school and language acquisition. Katy and Clare are joined by Dr. Erin Moira Lemrow, a Notre Dame faculty member in multiple departments, including: First Year of Studies, the Institute for Latino Studies, the Center for Study of Languages and Culture, and the Education, Schooling, and Society undergraduate minor. This month's conversation is inspired by María Paula Ghiso and Gerald Campano's article "Ideologies of Language and Identity in U.S. Children's Literature".
Looking for ideas to start a bilingual/bicultural library for your classroom? Download Dr. Lemrow's Top 10 Bilingual/Bicultural Children's Book List.
Serving Chinese Students in American Catholic Schools, Part II - Language
The ENL team continues last month's conversation with Priscilla Wong and focuses on the linguistic challenges that face Mandarin and Cantonese speakers as they learn English. Priscilla shares her experiences as an English language learner from China and even offers a helpful tip sheet for educators who serve Chinese students. This month's conversation is inspired by Anthony Zavagnin’s article "The Rising Number of Chinese Students in American Catholic High Schools" from the October 17, 2016 edition of America Magazine.
Serving Chinese Students in American Catholic Schools, Part I - Culture
This month, the ENL team sits down with Priscilla Wong to discuss Anthony Zavagnin’s article "The Rising Number of Chinese Students in American Catholic High Schools" from the October 17, 2016 edition of America Magazine. You can view Priscilla's extensive notes on Chinese culture here.
Priscilla is a campus minister at Notre Dame and has worked with Chinese students in American Catholic school settings for decades. Over the course of our next two podcasts, Priscilla offers insights into what schools can do to help Chinese students build rapport with teachers and classmates, adjust to faith-filled settings, develop oral language skills, and become engaged members of a learning community.
Vocabulary Expansion Strategies
In this month's conversation, Katy Lichon and Clare Roach discuss how to develop the vocabularies of ELLs as they unpack the findings in "Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades" from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and the What Works Clearinghouse. The conversation shares five key vocabulary expansion strategies:
- Remember the Backdrop
- Take the Bull by the Horns
- A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
- Repeated Exposure
- Build Linguistic Bridges
Listen in on the conversation and consider how best to serve the English language learners in your school.
Vietnam: Cultural Background for ESL/EFL Teachers
In this month's installment, the ENL Team takes a closer look at serving Vietnamese students in our Catholic schools by reading "Vietnam: Cultural Background for ESL/EFL Teachers." The discussion includes a guest, Sr. Kim Tran, O.P., a Dominican sister and a graduate student in Notre Dame's Master's in Divinity program. Sr. Kim shares her insights about what Catholic schools can do to better serve Vietnamese students, the second-largest community of language learners in Catholic schools.
A Strength-Based Approach to Teaching ESL
In this month's installment, the ENL Team looks at the blog post “A Strength-Based Approach to Teaching ESL” from the Cult of Pedagogy website. The discussion focuses on six approaches teachers can take to celebrate English learners and implement an additive approach to teaching these extraordinary students.
Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?
In this month's installment, the ENL Team looks at de Jong and Harper’s article, "Preparing Mainstream Teachers for English-Language Learners: Is Being a Good Teacher Good Enough?” The discussion focuses on the five stages of language acquisition, the development of oral language, assessing ELLs, and supporting the development of writing skills!
What Research Says about ELLs
In this month's installment, the ENL Team breaks down Claude Goldenberg's article "Teaching English Language Learners: What the Research Does - and Does Not - Say". The discussion focuses on pages 14-22 of Goldenberg's text and highlights the benefits of having parents speak in their native tongue at home, the concept of "transfer", and the 7 S's that help new vocabulary "stick" for your students, among others!