Council Chronicle - Volume 27, Issue 1, 2017

In Steven Alvarez’s new book for NCTE, he captures insights about teaching English language learners that offer a counter to the deficit-model narrative.

A story and a batch of cornbread create classroom community for Brent Peters and his students at Fern Creek High School in Louisville, Kentucky.

Bellingham, two hours north of Seattle, has seen its ELL student population mushroom in recent years. Six years ago, Andrea Quigley spent most of her time working with 50 students at one school. Now she works with students at two schools and trains classroom teachers across the district to work with ELL students.

Elisa Waingort, who currently teaches at an international school in Quito, Ecuador, says coordinating between ELL support and classroom instructor is a challenge.

Cathy Fleischer, Series Editor for NCTE’s Principles in Practice Imprint, introduces a useful tool -- a glossary of terms commonly used to describe those students who speak and write in languages other than English.

In recent years, some schools have begun moving away from a “pull-out” model,where ELL students spend much of their day in sheltered classes, and toward a“push-in” model, where they are mainstreamed as much as possible. Marsha Riddle Buly and Andrea Quigley both say that’s a big shift for many districts.

Keeping Students at the Center of ELL Instruction

“Like Enrique, many of our ELLs make courageous journeys to our classrooms,whether they are crossing neighborhood boundaries or country borders. We must show our own courage by refusing to push these students to the margins. Instead, we must attend to the linguistic needs of our ELLs while developing the critical literacy skills they need to navigate cultural barriers and tear down societal walls.”

—Luciana C. de Oliveira and Melanie Shoffner, “Courageous Literacy: Linguistically Responsive Teaching with English Language Learners” (Voices from the Middle, March 2017)

Jacqueline Woodson, bestselling author of more than two dozen award-winning books for adults, young adults, and children, will be a keynote speaker at NCTE’s Annual Convention in St. Louis, Nov. 16–19, 2017. Woodson spoke recently with C.C. Chapman for NCTE’s Why I Write podcast (whyiwrite.us).

CCCC Associate Chair Carolyn Calhoon-Dillahunt reflects on the keynote address presented by Jose Antonio Vargas at the 2017 CCCC Convention.

NCTE member Bruce Penniman wrote Building the English Classroom with the goal of sharing strategies he had found successful for managing “what often seems like an unmanageable job.” This full-page infographic highlights four key words that he says have guided him throughout his career.

Teachers from Chapman Elementary School in the Dublin City School District, Ohio, share how they use their classroom space to support literacy learners. Share your own ideas (and high-quality photos) by sending to [email protected]!

Jessica Gordon reflects on Jonathan Alexander’s keynote from the 2017 Mid-Atlantic Conference on College Composition and Communication

Check out these resource suggestions from NCTE for supporting English language learners!

Read Yolanda Whitted’s blog post “Beautiful Moments” on the NCTE Village: bit.ly/NCTEVillage-Whitted

NCTE has inspired, equipped, and energized me across every role and context, and I am eager to give back to my professional home and family. I love NCTE for who we are, and for who we have the potential to be. For 20 years, I have listened, learning where we have come from, what we value, what we aspire to.

—Leah Zuidema