This week I read: Strategies for Supporting ELL Students in Math
The title caught my interest, however the article was getting pretty dry and wasn't providing any "new" information. The strategies were very basic; "if students are engaged they'll do better". While that is true, I wouldn't say it is a ground breaking revolution.
I was about to hit the back button to look at other article suggestions until I read this:
"...Compton Unified (the school in the article) has digital parent nights to help familiarize families with the technology being used to support their children."
Wow. What an incredible, yet simple idea. How helpful this could be in getting parents involved, and really closing the gap between home and school. It could be overwhelming to look at a teacher's website list and try to decide how each one works, what the login is, why it is used, etc. Compound that with that limited English proficiency. Yikes! The easy option would be to leave the websites at school. Have a "Digital Parent Night" would be beneficial to ALL parents.
The end of the article mentioned that this school Compton Unified also has a great set-up for professional development. The PD is ongoing all year, and teachers chose what sessions they are interested in, and pick times that best fit them. This gives the teachers more accountability and motivation for the technologies they are choosing to be trained on.
So, although this article didn't provide any helpful math strategies...it still did give me two great ideas for how my district could better meet the needs of teachers and parents.
Chloe,
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree! Parent nights to help our parents understand what is going on in their child's school is such a benefit! Especially one that will help our families have the resources to help their students understand the technology they are learning and using during their school day! Technology can be scary for many people, and they would rather not explore it than become frustrated! There are parents who, as you mentioned, do not kow how to navigate and choose the technology that their student needs. This kind of night would decrease that frustration! Good points!
This is a great idea. Parents need to be informed. Many parents are not aware of how the technology would be used. In my district many times a grandparent is who is raise the child and they have even less knowledge of the use of technology. A Digital Parents night would be an excellent idea. The teacher could go over exactly how to use each type of technology that will be used in the class and it would be a great time for parents to ask any questions they may have. It would be a great way to open the lines of communication.
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