Safari File Edit View History Bookmarks Window Help < Students Home Week 4.2 SEL Case Study transformingeducation.org https://transforming education.org/wp-co... COLLABORATING WITH STUDENTS, FAMILIES, AND COLLEAGUES Ms. Eisenson partners with others to support an Emerging Bilingual student's development of self-efficacy and overall confidence. 000 JUL 19 Course Hero Grade level: 8th grade Subject: History Topics: Self-efficacy, confidence, student voice, staff collaboration, family engagement, supporting Emerging Bilingual students Many thanks to our partners, Teach Plus MA Policy Fellows, for submitting content for this & several other case studies. Ms. Eisenson is a History teacher who is very intentional about creating a positive and inclusive classroom. She hangs up posters with resources for learning and motivation, and because she works with many Emerging Bilingual students in her mainstream history class, she frequently engages students in conversations about the power of the bilingual brain. She wants to deeply understand her students' cultural wealth, so she engages in meaningful dialogue with families, attends events in and outside of school, and learns about her students' interests and strengths. She is among her students' favorite teachers at school because, as one of her students says, "Ms. Eisenson listens to us, and even though she can sometimes be strict, we know that her rules come from a place of love." About four months into the school year, one Emerging Bilingual student with whom Ms. Eisenson has a positive relationship starts to exhibit behaviors that are making Ms. Eisenson feel worried. The student arrives to class late, without her materials. During direct instruction, this student passes notes and talks with others, and when Ms. Eisenson introduces an upcoming group project to the class, the student slumps in her seat and rolls her eyes. Ms. Eisenson checks in with the other teachers to see if these actions are happening in their classes too, and they all report noticing the same new behaviors. Ms. Eisenson decides to check in with this student privately the next day. The student is resistant to Ms. Eisenson's questions at first and shrugs off the concerns, saying, "School is too boring, so I don't want to do the work." After a few more days of inquiry, however, the student stops by the classroom at the end of a school day and opens up to Ms. Eisenson. She says, "This stuff is really hard, Ms. E. Last year, I was in a bilingual school where we learned in two languages, so I felt more supported. Now this stuff in English only is just too fast for me. So, I get mad. And I'm going to fail this new group project about oral history. I feel dumb... like I'm just never going to learn it right." This is not the first time Ms. Eisenson has experienced this type of conversation with a student, and she's had many moments in her teaching career in which students have reported a lack of confidence. Ms. Eisenson channels those experiences as she talks with the student to understand her concerns. She also normalizes this feeling, letting the student know that sometimes, even when students work hard and try their best, they will at times need additional supports. Ms. Eisenson ends the conversation by committing to helping the student grow in her self-efficacy related to the upcoming group project. Ms. Eisenson calls the student's mother to better understand what's happening and to ask for family input. In that conversation, Ms. Eisenson learns that this student has recently shown great initiative and leadership; this summer, she advocated on behalf of her peers at a local summer camp and got the leaders to pay for a new dramatic arts program. She's also very involved in her church and has a strong peer network from her former bilingual school. The student is clearly a leader and needs to have those same transforming education Case Study Compilation | 9 tv A S ( W P Wed Jul 19 3:17 PM Course Hero + 00 Safari File Edit View History Bookmarks Window Help < Students Home 000 Week 4.2 SEL Case Study transformingeducation.org https://transformingeducation.org/wp-co... Course Hero outlets and opportunities in her new school. The student's mother and Ms. Eisenson agree that this student is talented and capable of greatness; they are concerned about the recent dip in confidence and agree to try some new approaches. Together, they discuss what they can do to help this young person develop a greater sense of self-efficacy on specific assignments, more overall confidence in her ability to participate in classes in English, and greater awareness about her assets as a bilingual individual. They decide that at home, her mother will point out specific moments when the student shows her capacity for leadership, such as helping her little brother do homework, translating for her mother at the doctor's office, or practicing her drama monologues aloud for the family. At school, Ms. Eisenson commits to using these same strategies and also reminding the student of all the ways she has already been successful in class this year. Ms. Eisenson will also share stories of former Emerging Bilingual students who have be successful on specific projects in her class, with the hopes of inspiring this student to know that success is achievable. Ms. Eisenson ends the call with her student's mother and is excited to get back into the classroom the next day with this student. While helping to bolster confidence is critical, Ms. Eisenson knows that she needs to meet her students halfway, too, especially if the assigned coursework is not yet accessible in English. As Ms. Eisenson continues to remind the student of past successes on group projects, and exposes the student to other inspiring stories of success. Ms. Eisenson also calls an informal meeting with the other teachers to strategize about making learning more accessible for all of their Emerging Bilingual students who might not feel fully supported in the classroom yet. After some reading and discussion, the teachers identify two strategies to implement this quarter-sentence stems and word walls- so that students have easy access to common vocabulary and can feel more confident when speaking or writing in their classes. A few weeks later, Ms. Eisenson and the student check in to discuss how she is feeling about her classes. "It's still hard, Ms. E. I'm not going to lie. But having the word wall in my classes gives me the chance to use the words that I sometimes forget in English. That's helped me participate in groups more easily. I've been stepping up in the oral history group project because I feel more supported. And whenever I feel my self- efficacy dipping on that project, I remind myself of the times I've been successful in similar tasks in the past. Thanks for that advice." After seeing this student's progress, Ms. Eisenson connects with her principal to engage in more critical dialogues about how teachers can support Emerging Bilingual students throughout the school. Reflection Consider Ms. Eisenson's approach to SEL integration in this case study and reflect on your own practice. How can you provide proactive supports to Emerging Bilingual students and help them to develop greater self-efficacy in their classes? JUL 19 tv ( A W P Wed Jul 19 3:17 PM Course Hero + 00 400-S06