Dual Language Program

To meet the diverse language needs of our English Learners and English dominant students in our Dual Language, Spanish Program, we sought out Professional Development in literacy with Project GLAD, Guided Language Acquisition Design.

Project GLAD

• Project GLAD is a curricular model of professional development dedicated to building academic language and literacy.  
• Tied to standards, the professional development trains teachers to provide access to core curriculum using local district guidelines and curriculum.
• The model is based on a synthesis of research conducted by the well known and respected educational experts, Krashen, Cummins, Vygotsky, Freire, Collier/ Thomas. Various research has shown that language is acquired  most effectively when learned through cognitively complex academic content that is interesting to the student and/or has a real life application.
• Instructional model with clear, practical strategies in promoting positive, effective interactions among students and between teachers and students. 
• Develops meta-cognitive use of high level, academic language and literacy.

UCLA Educator Days @ UCLA Lab School: Readers and Writers Workshop

When our team wrote the proposal for our grant, we were in the final era of using The Open Court Reading Program, a core Language arts/English series us adopted for use in California schools when textbooks were last chosen in 2002. The Wikipedia article indicates, "There is both praise and criticism of the program among educators. Proponents of Open Court Reading believe that its focus on phonics and reading comprehension strategy use, both taught with very explicit instruction, benefit children. Some critics dislike the explicit nature of instruction, suggesting that it leaves little room for child exploration or teacher creativity, as constructivist models of reading instruction..." 

Our team was hungry to learn about different modes of instruction, appropriate for English Learners and opted to visit the UCLA Lab School's Educator Days. These one-day, guided visits to UCLA Lab School classrooms provide snapshots of teaching and learning in different subject areas. These visits were an introduction to the Readers and Writers Workshop model which veers from the traditional district approach of “one size fits all" with Open Court.

Project and Inquiry Based Learning Approach to Instruction

Eager to learn more about Project Based Learning, our team members attended The Critical Thinking Institute at the UCLA Lab School. The Critical Thinking Institute is designed to introduce teachers to the pedagogy utilized @ UCLA Lab School. Focusing on the content areas of science and social studies, the goals of the institute are to help teachers:

• Foster critical thinking and communication among their students

• Address standards and basic skills utilizing authentic learning experiences

• Prepare students to become part of a learning/working community by fostering collaboration

• Teach information literacy skills (e.g., finding, evaluating and using information) in the meaningful context of inquiry/project-based learning

• Integrate technology into instruction through web searching, database construction, concept mapping and the creation of multimedia projects

• Use technology to enhance student productivity and promote creativity

Technology-Infused Standards-Based Curriculum

Our team contacted Computer-Using Educators (CUE) for Professional Development on infusing technology into instruction. CUE provides leadership and support to advance student achievement in the educational technology community. We contracted with CUEtoYOU, a Google Workshop for Educators (GWE) which introduces participants to innovative ways Google tools can be used in education.

•  A full day of fast-paced presentations and hands-on activities includes experience with advanced search techniques, collaborative web-based applications, and inspirational instructional strategies.

• Google Certified Teachers share ways they've implemented tools such as Google Docs, Google Maps, Google Sites, and... even more.

• Participants who complete the event are given access to the Google Workshops for Educators Network (GWEN), an online community focused on supporting educators as they learn more about the power of Google to drive student learning.