QTEL Professional Development Modules

QTEL has developed and field tested ten multimedia modules that serve as the basis for tailored professional development delivered by QTEL staff members, faculty at university schools of education, and QTEL-certified school district personnel.

Early in their development, QTEL modules were evaluated by an external review panel of teacher educators, professional developers, and classroom teachers for linguistic and content-area focus, pedagogy, and ease of use. Subsequently, this feedback was incorporated and the modules were extensively field tested at school sites and in institute settings.

All modules contain examples of practice, components that develop cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and reflection and elaboration activities. The modules also include road maps that propose sequences of engagement that can address the needs and circumstances of individual users and sites.

Module Design

Modules incorporate the following different approaches for building teacher expertise:

Reflections

These activities deepen teachers' understandings of effective classroom practice by inviting them to learn from past situations (recollective reflection), plan how to address a specific situation (anticipatory reflection), and to "think on their feet" as they engage in action (interactive reflection).

Exemplars

Documentary classroom video, vignettes, and instructional cases illustrate instances of accomplished teaching, controversial moments in teaching, "Ah ha!" moments, or situations that present roadblocks to teacher or student understanding.

Elaborations

These tasks invite participants to explore professional literature and draw conclusions for their own practice, solve problems, develop materials, and propose alternatives to specific learning and teaching situations.

Road Maps

Suggested sequences in the modules guide teacher educators and professional developers in using selected activities and tasks based on the specific needs of a group of teachers.

Module Content

QTEL has developed ten modules for use in teacher professional development:

Sociocultural and Linguistic Context of Educating English Language Learners

This module explores the larger context of the education of English language learners. It focuses on the interplay among language, culture, economics, and social class, and the dynamics that ensue as different groups, in asymmetrical relationships, enact schooling. This module raises teachers' awareness of these issues to help them reflect on attitudes, dispositions, and behaviors that may, if unexplored, be detrimental to their students' education.

Scaffolding Academic Instruction for Adolescent English Language Learners

This module introduces pedagogical principles that underlie the development of academic instruction for English language learners. Building on sociocultural notions of teaching and learning, this module uses the concept of scaffolding to discuss ways in which teachers, peers, and artifacts support students' ability to develop conceptual, academic, and linguistic competence.

Teaching Social Studies to Adolescent English Language Learners

Teachers strive to make the content of social studies courses meaningful to students; students wonder why they have to study the past and what history has to do with the present. At the same time, professionals in the field debate the nature of history, the content of history courses, and the purpose of history in our schools. This module demonstrates ways to make connections between individuals and groups, and personal and public histories. Emphasis is on developing academic language in social studies for intermediate-level English language learners.

Teaching English as a Second Language to Adolescent English Language Learners

This module focuses on the theoretical, methodological, and practical approaches for teaching English as a second language to beginning-level adolescent English language learners in a variety of instructional settings.

Teaching Reading to Adolescent English Language Learners

This module examines the challenges secondary English language learners encounter as they read in various subject areas and demonstrates how teachers can help students develop expertise in reading. As part of their professional development, teachers are asked to reflect on the ways that linguistics, background knowledge, conceptual complexity, new vocabulary, and ambiguous purposes for reading can singly, or in combination, make reading subject area text difficult. Teachers learn about tools and processes to support students and to help them develop cognitive and metacognitive strategies to comprehend and critically analyze academic text.

Teaching Science to Adolescent English Language Learners

This module focuses on the pedagogical principles that underlie the teaching of science for English language learners. Incorporating sociocultural notions of teaching and learning, this module emphasizes the development of academic language in science for intermediate-level English language learners. Teachers learn about tools and processes to support students and to help them develop cognitive and metacognitive strategies to comprehend scientific concepts.

Teaching Mathematics to Adolescent English Language Learners

This module examines the challenges and opportunities that English language learners encounter in learning secondary mathematics. The module invites teachers to reflect on the content, linguistic, and pedagogical knowledge needed to support English language learners to become successful members of the mathematics community. Teachers learn to use instructional tasks designed to scaffold their students' acquisition of deep disciplinary knowledge and linguistic competence.

Small High Schools and the Education of Adolescent English Language Learners

This module reviews the current research on small high schools, and the impact of those schools on English language learners. The materials are designed to facilitate teachers' reflections on the curriculum, teaching schedule, student schedules, and physical spaces available at their own schools, and then consider how these structures resonate with or contradict what research tells us is most beneficial for English language learners.

Instructional Leadership for Secondary Schools with English Learners

School administrators are critical in determining the cultures, structures, and programs of schools that serve language minority students. Their understanding of these student populations and the development of their leadership skills to implement quality programs for English language learners are indispensable in bringing about systemic change and improved educational opportunities for under-represented populations. This module is designed build the capacity of instructional leaders to observe, support teachers, and design programs that deepen the linguistic, conceptual, and academic development of adolescent English language learners.

Teaching Language Arts to High School English Language Learners

This module examines the ways in which difficult text can be used with English language learners, across a variety of genres. The language arts selections in this module are often used with 10th and 11th grade native English speakers, but they are not typically considered accessible to English language learners. However, with careful and deliberate scaffolding, this module illustrates how even difficult text can be successfully used with English language learners, thus providing them with a rich, academically challenging experience.