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EmailIn June 2012, Linda Hahner, creator of the Literacy Center Education Network, and I co-founded a Twitter chat group called #ELLCHAT and it has been going strong since that time. This chat is specifically dedicated to the professional development needs of educators of ELs in grades Pre-K–12 and takes place on Monday nights at 9 pm ET. Over the past 3 years, Karen Nemeth and I have comanaged and comoderated #ELLCHAT. Many of you know Karen, a nationally known expert on early childhood education, from her contributions to this blog.
Using Twitter Chat Groups to Deliver PD
Karen and I strongly advocate using Twitter chat groups to deliver professional development to educators of ELs. There are important benefits to teachers who participate in Twitter chats, especially if they don’t have a learning community that supports their professional development in school. It is our opinion that teachers of ELs need to find ongoing PD that is geared to their teaching requirements. Teachers require a venue where they can ask questions, discuss issues, share resources with colleagues, and support the learning of their students. #ELLCHAT gives teachers of ELs access to thousands of educators around the world, and it’s free!
Introducing the New #ELLCHAT Schedule
Although #ELLCHAT is on vacation 16 July through 9 August, Karen and I have taken advantage of this hiatus to collaborate on setting up 12 months of #ELLCHAT topics. (August 2016 to August 2017.) We have scheduled guest moderators and exciting topics. Many of our guest moderators have been or will be contributors to this blog. The schedule for 15 August through 12 December is available on the #ELLCHAT Facebook page.
Questions that relate to the chat are posted on Mondays on the Facebook page.
Here is a preview of the 2016 chat topics for August 15th through December 12th.
- 8/15 – Designing Classrooms That Support EL Learning
- 8/22 – Teaching ELs the Hidden Curriculum of Your School
- 8/29 – The Value of Advocacy (with Shaeley Santiago)
- 9/12 – Positive Communication With Families of ELs (with Anabel Gonzalez and Rik Rowe)
- 9/19 – Relationship of Attendance to Graduation Rates of ELs
- 9/26 – Creating a Culturally Responsive Classroom
- 10/3 –Teaching ELs about U.S. Elections
- 10/10– How to Support Equity for ELs
- 10/17 – Benefits to ELs of Real and Virtual Field Trips
- 10/24 – Parent-Teacher Conferences With Families of ELs
- 11/7 – Key Reading Comprehension Strategies for ELs – Part 1
- 11/14 –Key Reading Comprehension Strategies for ELs – Part 2
- 11/28 – Supporting Oral Language Development for ELs
- 12/5 – Holiday Celebrations
- 12/12 – Arts Integration in EL Education
Resources for Joining a Twitter Chat
If you’ve never participated in a Twitter Chat, here are some resources to help you get started.
- Twitter Chats 101 gives you pointers for participating in and hosting Twitter Chats.
- How to Join a Twitter Chat is a YouTube video from a well-known educator on Twitter
- How to Join a Twitter Hashtag Chat has some good advice for beginning chat participants.
I hope to see you on #ELLCHAT on 15 August. If you have any questions, please contact me through the comment box below.
#ELLCHAT has been a wonderful resource and a great way to learn what other educators are doing. I look forward to Monday evenings. Thank you for creating the chat and for advocating for our learners and our field. I hope to participate during some of the chats, if the time difference and research allow!