Veterans, newcomers sharpen skills
Volume 12, Issue 6 - March 2008
By Dina Martin
With workshops covering such topics as the latest literacy strategies, multiculturalism in the language arts, and the role of schools in gang intervention, CTA’s 57th annual Good Teaching Conferences have something for everybody, as more than 800 teachers who attended the Northern conference in Burlingame discovered.
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| Debbie Schmalz from Fremont Education Association, Shirley Cheng from East Side Teachers Association in San Jose, and Natalie Mendoza from Roseland Educators Association in Santa Rosa participate in a Good Teaching Conference workshop. |
The event has become so popular that over the years it has evolved into two regional conferences in Northern and Southern California, now attracting more than 2,000 educators combined. And although many conference-goers are veteran teachers who come to brush up on their skills, there are also many teachers and education support professionals who are attending for the first time.
“This conference allows us to focus on what we all went into this line of work to do: to educate the students of this state and to provide them with the tools they need to succeed in life,” said CTA President David A. Sanchez in his address to the teachers. “I can’t think of a more important, more rewarding job.”
Debuting at the Burlingame conference was a presentation on practical classroom strategies that teachers can use with English learners (EL).
The training was developed over a two-year period by members of the Language Acquisition Committee of CTA’s State Council to replace an outdated EL handbook.
Presenters Thomas Carroll, Julie Escobedo, Debra Martinez, Marty Meeden and Evelyn Oakley stressed that the main emphasis of Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) is to make sure students are actively engaged in their learning.
“These strategies are great for any student, but are especially necessary for English learners,” explained Escobedo.
The two-hour training introduced a variety of activities teachers can use with their EL students. While many of the activities are familiar to teachers, the presenters showed how they could be modified to better reach non-English-speakers.
“Every lesson we teach is a language lesson,” Carroll reminded those attending the training. “You can’t just talk loud and slow.”
Artwork, diagramming, brain-mapping, storytelling, teaching study skills, icebreakers and poetry were all recommended in the trainers’ strategies. One well-received activity involved using poetry as a way for students to write and get to know one another. Developed by Teresa Montaño, a CSU-Northridge professor, the activity requires students to write a poem called “I Am” that brings in different aspects of their lives. The activity inspired Kristine Fairfield, a first-grade teacher in Sacramento, to write her own, even before finishing the training.
“I am … the thundering clatter of the bowling alley, Daddy’s ‘champion’ bowling shirts, pretending to keep score, root beer and grilled cheese from the snack bar,” Fairfield wrote in one of her verses.
“I definitely plan on using this in my classroom,” she said.
Carroll emphasized the importance for teachers of reaching out to English learners.
“Our EL students are doing two jobs while our English-only students have just one. They are a treasure,” Carroll said. “We must support and challenge them.”
