Editorial
The following story was written by Ivy Kwan (a grade two teacher) and Jim Parsons (a Professor in Secondary Education at the University of Alberta)

Story from Canada: An Episode to a New Beginning with L.E.A.P

Ivy Kwan with Jim Parsons, Canada

Ivy Kwan is a Grade 2 teacher/Assessment Coach with a special interest in best practices that maximize ESL learning. E-mail: ivk@shaw.ca

Jim Parsons is a Professor in the Department of Secondary Education at the University of Alberta for 35 years. E-mail: jbp@ualberta.ca

Amidst the noisy chatter, Barb Brochu and Christene Richardson stole indulging glances as their children feasted on banana splits. This was last session to their L.E.A.P. Camp (Literacy Enhancement for Achievement Program) for the ELL (English Language Learner) group at St. Justin. It was time for celebration! Between mouthfuls of ice cream, the children pestered the administrative pair asking when they would be able to attend the next camp. Brochu smiled when a little one declared that he, too, would become a principal one day. His announcement brought a roar of similar sentiment from the rest of the children. Brochu later confided, “That’s the sign of success…children who are motivated to learn more!”

St. Justin Catholic Elementary School is located in west Edmonton. It is a multi-cultural school with inner-city like conditions. Its educational program attracts students from a catchment area south of West Edmonton Mall in Edmonton. As an acknowledged multicultural institution within the district, St. Justin Catholic Elementary School serves many families whose first language is not English. In fact, 27 of the 213 students in the school [13%] are English Language Learners and 22 or the 213 [10.3%] students are of First Nation, Métis or Inuit decent.

This Edmonton Catholic administrative team has dedicated learning and literacy as the clear focus for their learning community. Guided by the AISI Cycle 4 goal for 21st Century Learning, Brochu and Vice Principal Richardson knew their traditional ESL pull-out program was ready for transformation. But, they were troubled by “how” to realize their commitment to school improvement. Helping their ELL learners “become critical thinkers, construct their own knowledge, and develop strategies for sharing their learning” in the content areas was a lofty goal - and the students struggled.

By chance, Brochu shared her concern with her long-time friend and colleague, Ivy Kwan. A teacher with Sturgeon School Division, Kwan had studied research-based ESL strategies during her Masters of Educational Studies at the University of Alberta and had implemented a multi-age literacy enhancement program for Asian learners. The discovery of Kwan’s background led to a longer Starbucks-centered collaboration for the trio of teachers. The exploratory conversations spanned several months during which they examined the challenges of reframing an existing program structure. Kwan proposed a camp to simulate home literacy that aligned with English Language Arts learner outcomes. The content would be determined by student interest and topics that arose from their core subjects.

After receiving approval from Joan Carr, Superintendent of Edmonton Catholic School, and Dr. Michèle Dick, Superintendent of Sturgeon School Division, the three educators launched the project. Brochu led the actualization of their collective vision by creating time and space for a Saturday morning program. Kwan built the curriculum for the ESL multi-age concept. Richardson, supported by ESL consultants, modeled a similar program with the students to reinforce their learning during their school day. Then, they targeted a small population to keep the project manageable.

Brochu and Richardson note that “these sessions have been a great success; attendance has been above our expectations (12 out of a possible 15 students, along with parents and siblings!)” From the start, L.E.A.P. turned into a deviated Lesson Study professional development for the three. While Kwan conducted the lessons, Brochu and Richardson observed and studied Kwan’s eclectic instructional practices. These included:

• Reciprocal teaching/ learning
• Development of co-operative skills
• Brain-based learning strategies
• Pre-teaching of content ideas in Science
• Sentence construction
• Using open questions for information
• Answering in complete sentences
• Literacy strategies for problem solving
• Language experience approach
• Supporting higher order thinking in learning dialogues
• Emphasis on academic vocabulary

Also critical to program success was the instructional infusion of an interactive whiteboard. The magnified visuals enticed both students and parents into an experience with digital literacy. Pictures became powerful scaffolding for the construction of meaning. Capturing ideas from student dialogue to create personalized interactive text was also an effective means to enhance language experience for ELL learners.

Finally, building a positive culture for risk-taking was crucial. Whenever children were “stuck,” they were encouraged to “call a friend” to help model an answer. The priority became maximizing student interaction. Having time to elicit prior knowledge, chances to rehearse, and choices contributed to community-building. Richardson points out that students helped each other willingly and readily, even usually “shy” students. Children were made aware of their roles in this mutual knowledge-building process to help the three teachers improve their teaching. Brochu recalls her excitement when the group taught her “What makes a butterfly an insect?” She was amazed by their vocabulary retention.

After each session, the three educators conferred to reflect, clarify, and plan future steps. As they deepened their understanding of this ELL group, they personalized ways to differentiate for their needs. Richardson has used these instructional practices in the school ELL program to positively influence student engagement and confidence. Kwan learned that parent inclusion provided opportunities for modeling and involvement in the home/school partnership. For Brochu, “the transferability of strategies has encouraged collaboration based on professional dialogue” in the learning community.

The St. Justin staff has openly welcomed the use of L.E.A.P. strategies and has effectively incorporated them as classroom routines. The administrators note “successful integration of strategies support all students.” As well, the opportunity provides a “common focus and language” for all stakeholders. This model has a potential to serve the needs of other learners, and St. Justin will continue to refine the L.E.A.P. mini-camp approach. As an AISI episode, this simple initiative energized some complex rippling effects – including real-time project embedded professional development, collaboration between divisions, flexible-time programming, and the knowledge that rigorous short-term success can be building blocks for both students and educators in ongoing school improvement. In addition, perhaps the L. E. A. P. project will help develop a principal or two in – say – twenty-five years.

Please check the Methodology and Language for Primary Teachers course at Pilgrims website.