Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ Post

I love to read! 📚 💻 🎦 I am an avid reader! I am a voracious reader! Ok, maybe not voracious…but certainly I love to read. 😊 Therefore, I imagine you have been waiting with bated breath for the next in my “Must Read” list. A reminder that this list was generously provided by experienced scholars and practitioners in the field of literacy. The paper I would like to share in this post is entitled "Apprenticing students into political participation: using critical visual literacy to review and redesign the school website." by Elizabeth Baker, Beryl Exley, Linda-Dianne Willis and Dr Lisbeth Kitson. This paper examines how one visiting teacher-researcher worked with primary age students to enhance their visual critical literacy. More specifically, this teaching process was undertaken when students were reviewing and redesigning their school website. We live in a multimodal, digital, and virtual world where the skills and knowledge that we use for traditional reading and writing of print-based texts is important but not sufficient. Have you ever considered how we can equip our young learners with the critical skills they need to navigate and shape the media-rich world around them? 🌍💡 In past weeks I have been able to see firsthand the influence of contemporary texts on primary age children when there is an absence of critical visual literacy. 🎨👀 It has not been a comfortable experience as an educator and as a grandparent! 😨 Here are my take aways... -  It is imperative that we equip our students with the tools they need to navigate, question, and reshape the multimodal, digital and virtual worlds they inhabit. - Young students are very capable and are able to learn how to critically examine the social interests and power structures embedded in texts (age-appropriate political participation). - A pedagogy of inquiry, combined with visual grammar tools, can empower even our youngest learners to engage with complex texts and social constructions. 💪📜 - A high level of teacher knowledge is required for a responsive functional grammar pedagogy and for apprenticing students into political participation. and possibilities for what I might do… - Apprentice (take small steps) students into political participation by teaching them to actively think about the choices authors make, and don’t make, when creating texts. - Explore and develop a language with students for critical visual literacy using real-world and relevant texts. - Use functional grammar concepts to point to contextual meanings and how these are potentially differentially expressed and received. - Review, reflect and refine the way we support teachers to incorporate visual grammar and critical literacy into our primary classrooms. My wondering ❓ Educators do you feel equipped with the knowledge and skills to do this work? If you would like to read this paper it can be found here https://lnkd.in/g796eefE

How to Tuesday: How to Make Your Educational Content Stand Out This Summer As summer approaches, language schools and universities in the international education sector face the challenge of attracting students in a competitive market. Here are some strategies to help your language school or university make educational content that shines this summer. https://lnkd.in/dgYmeJKT

Celebrating academic achievements, whether they're big milestones or small victories, is such an important part of motivating and encouraging students. As an online language tutor, I understand how crucial these moments are in their learning journey. For young learners, celebrating achievements helps reinforce their confidence and efforts. I find that simple gestures like giving a virtual high-five, sending a personalized congratulatory message, or awarding a fun virtual sticker or badge can make a big impact. These actions not only celebrate their progress but also inspire them to continue their learning journey with enthusiasm. What are some ways you currently celebrate academic achievements with your students or children?

📽 A couple of weeks ago we hosted an incredible panel to discuss how to ensure students identified as English learners are not left behind in the Science of Reading paradigm shift. 📝 Here is a summary of the 3 key takeaways from our panelists: https://lnkd.in/eezcatc7

Learning a language is learning a language...or is it? Check out this article about the Credit for All Language Learning Act to be introduced next legislative session.

I already registered. Look forward to learning from Ester de Jong and other speakers. "On February 8, New America and SEAL will co-host a webinar that will unpack the relationship between the Science of Reading and ELs, including the misconceptions about this much debated topic and its impact on students identified as ELs and dual language programs. The first panel of experts will discuss the policy implications of the Science of Reading for ELs, and the second panel will feature state, district and instructional leaders at the forefront of Science of Reading implementation." https://lnkd.in/gUqs-s4X

📚 Did you know? Introducing multicultural literature to children at a young age has a profound impact on their development! Research shows that exposure to diverse characters and cultures through literature fosters empathy, acceptance, and reduces prejudice. Let's open young minds to the world of diverse stories and create a more inclusive future! How multicultural is your phonics curriculum? Take the quiz.

Here's another talk you can attend for free during our upcoming Webconference 'Each Child, Every Child, and the Whole Child' on January 19/20/21! Why not come to, 'Museum of Emotions: exploring identity using CLIL and virtual collections' by Catherine Stevenson? The talk takes place on Saturday 20th January at 13:00 UK time.. Museums offer a trove of inspiration for English language learning and CLIL. With online collections, students can explore cultural riches from the classroom when 'the real thing' remains out of reach, firmly ticking the ‘culture’ box of CLIL’s four C’s. But how can we use these resources for language teaching within the context of 'Each Child, Every Child, and the Whole Child'? This presentation delves into a primary school project: 'The Museum of Emotions’. It explores - how virtual collections can be used to create engaging CLIL activities, including examples of games, activities and where to find online collections. - how objects can spark conversation and encourage students to express their opinions and feelings even with limited language. - how storytelling and objects can help students to express opinions, feelings and life experiences. During the project, students acquired functional language and developed communication and self-reflection skills, allowing them to express their individuality and unique identities. Register for free at https://lnkd.in/d8dcbVG4 Find out more about the conference at https://lnkd.in/eQKFmP2d Please like and share this post so that your friends and colleagues also have the chance to attend! #iatefl #yltsig #EachChildEveryChild #CLIL #socialemotionallearning #socialemotionaldevelopment

One more to come🧾📢 I and my colleague Özge GÜMÜŞ have recently published a review article on recent inclusive practices in EFL higher education contexts. In this article, we offered an inclusive-practice-based guideline based on recent inclusive practices. We believe that through collaboration and openness, our research contributes to the discussion of ongoing discourse on inclusive education, particularly in the realm of EFL, and promotes the development of inclusive EFL classrooms conducive to the success of all For more👇 https://lnkd.in/dGD8Yybu

In Press: The Integration and Development of EFL Classroom Materials Based on Local Culture: A Systematic Literature Review https://lnkd.in/gqRZQyv8