Transition to Middle School from High School Survival Guide for a New ESL Push-In Model Teacher.
I’ve recently changed jobs, and my biggest fear was to be as overwhelmed and lost as a felt during my first year of teaching. Besides, I transitioned from being a classroom ESL teacher and having 25-28 students to an ESL push-in model teacher, and that was very new to me.
Apart from traveling to different classes to service language learners, the biggest challenge is to figure out what to do with 3-15 English learners of different levels
Because the kids are in different grades and are at a variety of language levels, I ended up with 7 different content areas and 3
The second challenge that I encountered was no 101 class to tell me what exactly I was supposed to do. Like many of the ESL students years ago, I was put in the sink-or-swim situation where I had to move my flippers and try not to drown in the face of all the new things that came like an avalanche at me.
This alone can be stressful alongside with trying to find a way to communicate with content area teachers, find my place in the classroom, figure out how, when, and where I can work with my language learners.
And yet, this time it was different. I had pledged a while ago to stop worrying about school once and for all and take it one day at a time even though the circumstances push me to move faster, learn faster, be everywhere for all.
With that in mind, I decided to compile a survival list for ESL -push- in teachers who start from zero. This list helped me during the first week in a new job and position. Let’s dive in:
1. Do not interfere with the class flow. Just observe.
Having another teacher in the classroom is intimidating no
Well, there is nothing you can do about it. Your position requires you to be present in the classroom with Ells you are servicing. As you are adapting to your new position, try to be as self-sufficient in the classroom as possible.
Look for vocabulary displayed on chart paper in the classroom to figure out the topic or theme that is being taught. Look at examples of exercises students do. Write down the vocabulary the teacher uses in her/his explanation during the class (Example: math terms“divisor,” “ dividend,” “quotient,” etc.)
All in all, use the information gathered around the classroom and during the teacher’s explanation to design your targeted instruction.
2. Try to figure out which kids need help most.
You might have a couple of kids of different levels that you need to
Since it’s quite tricky to work with all of them at once or you need some time to figure out the plan of actions to work with all of them, make it your goal to sit next to a student or students that need your support most. Higher level ELLs (L2 or L3) might no need your help as much as L1s. Target your L1 students first. Even if it’s one student in the classroom, make this student your priority.
3. With no plan to follow, create stuff as you go.
There is no way for you to know what’s going on in a classroom and what is being taught during your first week as an ESL push-in teacher. The content teachers’ lesson plans might still be out of reach to you, and it means you may feel quite disoriented about what’s your goal during the lesson is.
If you find yourself in this situation, be quick in creating the helping materials/notes as you follow the content teacher’s lesson.
You might consider bringing sticky notes and write some vocabulary, definition, examples, scatch illustration of concepts for your language learners.
You may also consider using a portable dry-erase board and a few markers to create examples, explain exercises, vocabulary, concepts for more than one student to see. Finally, cut some sheets of paper into flashcards-sized rectangles and create flashcards during a lesson for the lowest language student. Then, staple the flashcards toa student’s notebook.
4. If you have nothing to help with, help kids to express their ideas.
Sometimes when you service higher level language learners, it might seem to you that they are quite fluent and you might not know what to help them with.
If this is the case, to avoid idle time with a student in a classroom help the student or students express their ideas in English as they perform a task directed by the teacher. You might ask questions, ask students to explain their written answers, ask them to paraphrase or specify their ideas.
Provide oral sentence stems for your students to formulate their responses for a particular exercise. Engage students in conversation about the prompt the content teacher offers during a warm-up activity or practice stage.
5. Draw even if it’s ugly.
The best way to illustrate the concept in a foreign language is to show a picture. It works perfectly when you need to explain vocabulary or a process to your language learners.
However ugly they may be, draw pictures of words and processes you try to explain. You can draw on sticky notes or self-made flashcards.
Students will appreciate your drawings in the midst of the explanation that a content teacher delivers using speech only.
6. Carry a set of blank flash cards to use.
Cut a few A4 sheets into a couple of rectangles and carry them with you ready for use. Write vocabulary, definitions, draw pictures, or give examples of concepts that are being taught. Attach these flashcards to a student’ notebook or folder with a stapler or scotch tape.
7. Smile.
Have I mentioned that you might be looked at as an intruder into someone’s classroom? Yep, that’s the reality at the beginning. You don’t want to be sitting in someone’s classroom with a grumpy, lost, confused expression on your face looking like an evaluator.
Although it’s true that the first week in a new position as an ESL push-in teacher might be nerve-racking, make an effort to smile and radiate the impression of warmth and friendship.
Be in the moment as the content teacher is giving a lesson, make the content teacher understand you are a helper to kids, not someone who will judge a lesson no matter how crazy the things may be and what unexpected distractions may interfere in the lesson.
8. Be persistent in asking content teachers about what you need.
The content teacher you will be working with might not know (and does not have to know) that you need to see his/her lesson plans. You need the lessons plans to understand what is being taught and create your plan of how you will assist language learners.
However, sharing lesson plans for the content teacher might be a bit crossing a personal boundary, which is uncomfortable. Let’s face it, being a teacher is a lot, and it does happen that planning happens week-to-week or even day-to-day.
Therefore, some teachers do have pre-planned lessons for a few weeks, but others might not have anything. And this is Ok.
However, do make an effort to kindly ask content teachers to share their lessons plans with you. It might work perfectly, or a teacher might confess (in a very awkward situation) that they are still in the process of planning.
Be genuine in your response, and reply in a friendly and understanding manner that this is an Ok situation. Don’t put more pressure on content teachers than what they already have. Reassure a teacher that you totally understand and that’s not a problem for you. In such a situation, with no lesson plan available, refer to bullet point #3 and create things as you go.
9. Be flexible.
You might have a fantastic idea of sharing a doodled map of the Roman Republic with your language learners or a flip pocketbook of the types of energy for your science language learners. But when the lesson starts, a content teacher teaches an activity that all the kids need to be part of. It might be a game or a worksheet the students need to fill out with the new concepts.
Don’t stress over the fact that your prepared idea/material will not fly. Go with the flow of the lesson, help kids with the activity offered by the content teacher.
Don’t try to teach your separate lesson! Use the created resource of yours when revising the material for the test or explaining to specific learners what they didn’t understand.
Just remember your goal in the classroom is not to teach a separate lesson, but to assist the content teacher in delivering already planned lesson to the English learners.
10. Choose one teacher closer to your area of work to be your buddy.
It’s essential to find someone in your school whom you can ask millions of questions as you navigate the new place and the new position. If there is another ESL teacher, this would be ideal.
If you are the only ESL teacher in your school, connect to a Bilingual teacher who might take the role of the helping buddy for you. Ask about other content teachers, best ways to work with learners while in a classroom, the ways to evaluate them, create your students’ growth objectives, and more.
If you still feel there are questions unanswered, contact your ESL/Bilingual district director to ask for the contact of an ESL teacher who is doing the same work as you do. Don’t be afraid to ask the vice principal or even a principal for guidance or advice! There are there to help you!
