ell teacher selection
TRANSCRIPT
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ELL STAFF 1
Running head: ELL STAFF SELECTION
Considerations for hiring staff for English Language Learners
Andrea Mercado
NYIT
EDLT 830
Dr. Heinreich
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The issue of serving the needs of and teaching of English language learners
has come to light as more ELLs enter mainstream classrooms throughout the
country. Although primary large and urban school districts have been faced
with challenge of developing programs for to address the needs of ELLs for
many years, the discussion around how and who educates this population
subset has become pressing with the No Child Left Behind legislation. This
legislation has highlighted the need to develop appropriate and effective
programs and highly qualified teachers to increase the achievement of the
many times overlooked and underrepresented group of students whose
numbers are steadily rising in the American school system. With this come
the added pressures of teaching students with a variety of pedagogical,
social, and emotional needs in an environment that only focuses of results.
Unless administration and teaching teams establish and effectively
implementing ESL programs where teachers serve as an integral part of the
school community, the challenge of enabling students the equitable
instruction necessary for success in American schools becomes a gamble.
The question of teacher effectiveness has become a pressing issue with
schools and administration as budget cuts have forced districts to decide
where monies will be allocated and who needs to be “cut”. To add insult to
injury, onset of data driven assessment based teacher evaluations and
questionable practices for determining teacher effectiveness and impact on
student achievement, the demoralization of the profession has taken a turn.
For administrators have who strive to find and retain teachers motivated to
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perform to their optimal potential and for the greatest benefit of students
and the learning community within their organization, many factors must be
addressed. Perhaps the initial question is how do we approach the issue?
Should administrators take a bottom up approach by looking at the dynamics
of social and educational organizations and or take a top down approach and
look at the individual teacher? What are the essential elements to look for
when selecting staff members who will support the mission of the school as
well as contribute to the success of English language learners?
ISSUES WITH AND CHALLENGES WITH ENGLISH LANGAUGE LEARNERS vsGENERAL EDUCATION
One of the key challenges or issues administrators face when developing the
structures necessary for an effective ELL program is the lack of
knowledge on the needs of this special population that in and of itself is
an umbrella for many other sub populations. For those who do not truly
understand the key components that distinguish the teaching of English
language learners and see many of the strategies to addressing the
needs of English language learners.
In addition to the basic needs all students have, ELL students have to
deal with linguistic, socio-cultural and identity issues as well as issues of
immigration. American school systems may present a challenge for parents
and families who come from different forms of government. The values these
students have been taught may differ from those of the teachers and
administration in schools and many times misconstrued in many contexts
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causing friction for the student with adults in the school. A recent report
released by the Urban Institute (2005) outlines key issues in ELL education
with respect to NCLB:
• There has been a sharp rise in the number of children of
immigrants, who now compose one fifth of all US school-age
children
• School-age children of immigrants are concentrated in large
states but dispersing rapidly to nontraditional receiving states
• Most children of immigrants are native-born, but the foreign –
born share is higher in secondary school than elementary or
preschool
• Most LEP students in elementary and secondary schools were
born and raised in the US and many have US born parents
• Most LEP children live in linguistically isolated families and
attend linguistically segregated schools
• Children of immigrants often fall into several of NCLB’s protected
group of students; schools enrolling large number of these
children are disproportionately missing the law’s performance
targets
With this information at hand, school administrators must know how to
carefully select the team that will be addressing these needs with so many
systematic and academic challenges. As an administrator, I plan to address
this issue by carefully looking at the academic background (areas of
professional study such at ELL teacher preparation program) and
professional qualifications as well as experience.
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ELL TEACHER PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT AND MINIMALQUALIFICATIONS
Administrator who understands and stays abreast of developing research
and pedagogy specific to English language learning and bilingual learners
are better equipped to implement structures necessary to develop an
effective bilingual and dual language program. With these structures in
place, the chances that novice as well as developed teachers, are much
more likely to succeed in delivering effective instruction. In addition, the
teacher who is equally willing to constantly partake in professional
development will also be more likely to yield greater results in effectively
delivery the adequate instruction necessary to meet the needs of this
diverse learning population and the challenges brought to them by state and
federal policy. Therefore, it is important to determine during the hiring
process whether or not the new hire has a record of maintaining or
participating in his/her own professional development through activities such
as continuing education, conferences, affiliations with local and national
professional organizations or even publishing. If this information is not
evident in the resume or portfolio (which it should be) the individual may be
asked his/her willingness to participate in such activities if asked to if the
school offers and encourages this practice.
A hiring committee should be developed in the school comprised of might be
indecisive about the individual and this type of evaluation continuum may
help put the candidates into a ranking order. Naturally the hiring committee
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would “involve stakeholders in crafting their vision” (Rebore, 143) for who
the right candidate might be as well.
A recent research study published in the TESOL Journal, Moussu (2010)
expressed the need for ELL teachers to have “an adequate education in
TESOL or applied linguistic is crucial for all ESL teachers; a ‘‘good’’ teacher
should no longer be a native or nonnative speaker, but should only be an
educated person who masters a combination of linguistic, pedagogical, and
methodological skills matching a given context at a given time and for a
given purpose.” If this is the case, as an administrator I will need to know
what to look for when reviewing a candidate for staff selection to serve my
ELL students. Many administrators who may not have a background or
personal experience in being or teaching ELLs may be biased and believe
that only a native English speaker should be used as a ‘model’ for English for
these students. This is a common misconception, particularly in school
districts where ELLs are a particularly new and recent challenge. Further
research and analysis of what the key components and indicators of
longevity of successful performance in TESOL teachers is necessary.
Nevertheless, a preliminary list of possible criteria for hiring was given by
Moussu (2010) when she asked a group of intensive English program
administrators what they look for in hiring English language teachers in
higher education. The following criteria yielded:
• past teaching experience (2–5 years):
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• master’s degree (or enrollment in a TESOL certificate or MA program)
in one
of these fields: ESL/education, TESL, intercultural communication,
English,
linguistics, and applied linguistics
• ability to work effectively with international students, experience
overseas
(‘‘must have lived abroad’’), learning other languages (‘‘at least one
language
other than English’’)
• a personal interview (‘‘[This] is an absolute must, during which I
evaluate
how the person presents himself/herself, how the person
communicates in
English in this situation, and how well the person may fit into our
program’’)
• native-like fluency in English or ‘‘native quality English
level’’
• good references and letters of recommendation
• ‘‘a particular content area of expertise/experience (Writing, Reading,
etc.)’’
• ‘‘where that teaching experience was—and the teaching situation—
does the
person have any experience dealing with multiple languages and
cultures in
a single classroom, an ESL situation?’’
• ‘‘mission fit (personality, enthusiasm, dedication)’’
• ‘‘a commitment to teach at any level and any subject area’’
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Therefore, I plan to take this information into consideration when forming my
hiring committee and seeking well-qualified and effective instructional staff
specifically in bilingual and ELL school settings. The criteria I use might
include but is not limited to the following at a minimum:
Professional Characteristics and Qualifications:
•Bachelors degree (Masters degree preferred) in bilingual education, TESOL
or Foreign language education, or target language
•State certification in one of the above
•Enthusiasm for teaching
•Willingness to partake in constant professional development opportunities
•;Self motivated, creative and resourceful
•Organized and knowledgeable about issues in field
•Strong oral and written English skills to effectively communicate to a wide
variety of audiences
• Exceptional organizational skills and demonstrated classroom management
skills
• Exemplary communication and interpersonal skills--Must be able to
effectively tailor communication to different audiences: Student, Parent,
Teacher/ Administrator ·
•Passionate about teaching and learning as evident from student
interactions and presentations—evidence of ability to motivate students
• Must be flexible and responsive to needs of organization
•Ability to project a professional image
Personal Characteristics and Qualifications:
•Near native or native fluency in both target languages
•Knowledge of teaching/learning process
•Philosophy regarding language learning aligned with school philosophy
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•Job related hobbies or talents
•Life experiences related to language learning (learning another language)
•Life experiences related to cultural exploration (ie international travel)
Experience and Training
•Coursework, training, certification or experience in specific area
• Relevant teaching experience (internship may be acceptable)
• Appropriateness of participation in professional organizations
• Relevance of non professional work experience
This criteria would naturally follow the general guidelines for whatever the
district has listed as minimal requirements for each position as I have seen
most districts have more or less a blanket list of minimal requirements for
positions and then the schools may have additional requirements particular
to their needs.
Moussu (2010) also made recommendations based on her literature reviewto teachers:
• Completion of TESOL practicum
• Discussion/participation in forum of world Englishes and
sociolinguistics often
• Discuss difference in ESL/EFL pedagogies
• Discussion/presentation of successful native and non-native English
speaking teachers on topics with novice and mainstream teachers
• Discuss suggestions for collaboration
• Encourage professional development in individual areas (e.g.,
technology, professional writing, English for specific purposes) to
enable teachers to become experts
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These considerations will be the topics I would question my prospective ELL
on when conducting the face to face interview. Within the hiring committee I
would include a panel (including myself) of ‘experts’ competent enough to
engage in discussion on the topics aforementioned. Part of my interview
would be a performance task of sorts that would ask my applicant to partake
in discussion on world Englishes, the role of sociolinguistics and ESL/EFL
pedagogies, suggestions for collaboration and contemporary issues in the
TESOL field. I want my staff to be well versed in these issues and current. If I
can find an individual who takes his/her profession seriously enough to take
the time to stay abreast of these issues, I feel this is a rare asset to a
teaching professional. Being able to communicate and participate in a formal
discussion is equally as important because within this discussion the teacher
will be defending his/her pedagogical approach within the classroom and
more likely to be respected as a part of my staff as well as likely to be a
leader as an advocate for ELL students which is ultimately what I would most
like to see an any and all of my teachers.
Most of all, however, I do believe that as much as we would like to keep
things on a professional level, we are always human before anything else. If I
was in a circumstance where I had one of two candidates to choose from, the
deciding factor may hang on how much the committee and I felt that
candidate would fit into the school culture and how culturally sensitive to our
students the candidate may be. When it comes to the field of ELLs and
bilingual students, cultural sensitivity plays a great part as culture is directly
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tied to language learning. This is one of the great differences in dealing with
this particular population.
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References
Capps, R., et al. (2005). The new demography of America’s schools:
Immigration and the No Child Left Behind Act. Washington, DC: The
Urban Institute.
http://www.urban.org/uploadedPDF/311230_new_demography.pdf
Moussu, L. (2010). Conversations between ESL teachers and IEP
administrators. TESOL Journal, (1) 4, pp. 400-426.
Rebore, R., (2010). Human resource administration in education: A
management approach, 9th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Working Group on ELL Policy. (2010). Improving educational outcomes for
English language learners: Recommendations for the reauthorization
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Washington, DC:
Center for Applied Linguistics.
http://www.cal.org/topics/ell/ELL-Working-Group-ESEA.pdf