Professional Development Sessions
Overview
Exploring African American Language in the K-12 Classroom:
This session is designed to introduce K-12 educators to the history and basic linguistic structures of African American Language across the curriculum. K-12 educators will also learn code-switching and other language variation integration (contrastive analysis) strategies to support speakers of AAL in the traditional classroom settings. More importantly, participants will gain a greater appreciation for AAL, in doing so, they will help students who speak AAL to recognize their linguistic prowess. As a culminating activity, participants will develop contrastive analysis lesson plan to start AAL integration into their curricula.
Supporting Speakers of African American Language in the Age of Common Core:
This sessions is designed to introduce K-12 educators to effective strategies to aid speakers of African American Language in the K-12 classroom. With the new implementation of Common Core State Standards and its heavy emphasis on language, teachers need to know how to meet these standards while also knowing how best to meet the needs of children who speak AAL.
Exploring Gullah Geechee Language in the K-12 Classroom:
This session is designed to introduce K-12 educators to basic historical and linguistic understandings of Gullah Geechee culture and language. Teachers will receive linguistic strategies to help Gullah Geechee language speakers in code-switching, in doing so, they will develop an instructional repertoire that will help speakers of Gullah Geechee to come to an understanding about Gullah Geechee and its history from a strength perspective. As a culminating activity, participants will develop and receive from other educators code-switching and contrastive analysis lesson plans to support them in the language classroom.
Supporting English Language Learners in the K-12 Classroom:
This session is designed to introduce K-12 educators to historical and linguistic understandings of students who are bilingual or multilingual in most cases. As schools have been (and are becoming more) diverse, teachers are oftentimes unprepared to provide rigorous language instructions to English Language Learners, while also validating their native languages to facilitate language instruction. Educators will come to understand the history and policies relating to ELL in the U.S. while also exploring code switching and contrastive analysis practices to support ELL in the K-12 classroom.
Supporting English Language Learners in the Age of Common Core:
This sessions is designed to introduce K-12 educators to effective strategies to aid English Language Learners in the K-12 classroom. With the new implementation of Common Core State Standards and its heavy emphasis on language, teachers need to know how to meet these standards while also knowing how best to meet the needs of children who are emergent bilinguals and multilinguals.