While I worked at Saturn Street School, I had the pleasure of being involved with a grant with Antioch University that revolved around assisting English Language Learners. Teachers in the grant chose areas of their practice to research via inquiry projects that examined both quantitative and qualitative student data and aligned with best practices in teaching English Language Learners. We presented our work at a national conference in Washington D.C. last year.

Last month, as a culmination of the work we did through the grant, Antioch University released a free curriculum for working with English Language Learners. Included are strategies and resources, a complete guide for K-8 Schools, as well as general information about our work.  However, the true power of the process was that teachers chose their own topics for study.  Rather than assigning a “research based” curriculum to teachers, teachers planned their own lessons but then did the research to refine and enhance their practice.  The lessons learned about the process of providing similar constructivist professional development are included on the web site as well.

The publication of these materials marks the end of years of hard work.  The hope is that they can be of use to others.  Please download and share.

TLC Grant Web Site