Effective Methods for Language Acquisiti

Effective Methods for Language Acquisition

Timeline: 3 months

Model: Dick & Carey Systems Approach Model

Responsibilities: Needs Assessment, Learner and Context Analysis, Instructional Analysis, Development, Testing

Tools: Figma, Keynote, Microsoft Forms

Effective Methods for Language Acquisition is a professional development workshop for Greek as an L2 teachers at Holy Cross Greek School. It teaches the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) strategies and provides participants with opportunities to collaborate in small groups and create instructional and learning materials for their courses. This workshop is part of a professional development solution and complements a self-paced session on design for language acquisition and prepares instructors to implement their lesson plans in class.

THE PROBLEM

To identify operational results and teacher performance gaps, as well as understand the causal relationship between them, I utilized the Performance Relationship Map model (Robinson & Robinson, 2008). My approach included interviewing the school administrator and several teachers, surveying educators, and reviewing existing resources. Through this process, I identified the following key areas in need of attention:

Academic achievement gap
Low retention rates
Limited number of students pursuing the Certificate of Attainment in Greek
Teacher performance gaps
Deficiency in teaching and learning resources

Since teacher performance is closely linked to the school’s operational outcomes, I conducted a needs assessment to pinpoint specific discrepancies and areas for improvement.

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

To identify discrepancies in teacher performance, I conducted in-class observations and administered a test to assess the teachers' knowledge of L2 acquisition theories and SIOP strategies. Following this, I identified and prioritized needs based on feasibility, the extent of the discrepancies, and their impact on other areas using the paired-weighing procedure. The need with the highest priority was teachers' low performance in lesson planning and instructional design for L2 acquisition. Additionally, I used the fishboning technique to identify the causes of these needs. Finally, I proposed an action plan that included solutions and alternative approaches for each need, along with the rationale, the required human and physical resources, a timeline, and the necessary budget. The solution was a three-session seminar that incorporated elements from the Guided Language Acquisition Design model.

Read the Needs Assessment Report to learn more.

ANALYSIS

INSTRUCTIONAL ANALYSIS

To focus the training on tasks that offer a high probability of gains in job efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction, I focused on the teachers' job tasks and the tools they use. Specifically, I analyzed the goal in the subordinate steps and each step in the subordinate skills. Then, I converted the instructional goal into the terminal objectives and the subordinate skills into the subordinate objectives. Finally, I analyzed the standards of the Initial TESOL P-K-12 Teacher Preparation Programs and identified the required knowledge.

LEARNER & CONTEXT ANALYSIS

In parallel with the instructional analysis, I collected information about the learners, such as demographics, educational status, professional background, general abilities, prior knowledge, and motivation for teacher professional development. Based on the data I gathered, I identified two learner personas , one experienced teacher and one whose main job is not teaching. Additionally, I gathered data about the physical and social aspects of the school, the tools, and the technologies that should be included in the seminar to maximize the transferability of the knowledge and skills to the performance environment.

DESIGN

LEARNING ASSESSMENT

To assess learning, I followed the portfolio assessment approach. The teachers are assessed in instructional analysis, lesson-planning, and implementation of instruction through creating lesson plans, materials, and assessments for their courses. Specific assessment criteria and rubrics are included in the syllabus. The workshop provides learners with various opportunities to check their understanding and practice the instructional design tasks before the final assessment. For instance, the participants work in small groups to implement the SIOP strategies in their learning materials for their courses.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

After I developed the learning assessment, I created a detailed content outline and identified the instructional strategies. The workshop integrates the principles of:

The Community of Inquiry (COI) model
The adult learning theory
Experiential learning
Project-based learning
Scenario-based learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

For more information, read the design document.

The workshop starts with a quote to attract the learners' attention and a review of the main points learned in the asynchronous session to stimulate the recall of previous knowledge. Refer to the Google Slides deck to get an idea about the workshop's first session's objectives and content, which consists of examples and explanations of the SIOP strategies. Additionally, the teachers are provided with a reference tool for the strategies. In the second session, the teachers collaborate with other teachers to apply the concepts taught in the first session and develop strategies to support learning for a lesson or a unit. By the end of the workshop, they are expected to have a complete lesson plan.

DEVELOPMENT

I created a visual storyboard (workshop storyboard) to share my ideas about the visuals, content, and interaction with the administrator. This way, we reached a consensus about the look and feel early. Then, I created a prototype of the e-learning course, shared it with the administrator and some colleagues to gather feedback, and tested it with two teachers who represented the audience.