Cultivating Team Dynamics that Strengthen ML Instruction

By Corinne Galasso, Manville School District
Elementary ESL Learning Lead & Grade 2 ESL Teacher

While ESL Teachers are Tier 1 educators and responsible for core instruction, we come to the table with the language development knowledge of a specialist. This linguistic expertise carries a professional responsibility to share what we know about best practice for teaching content and language simultaneously. In other words, we are informal instructional coaches.

Seasoned ESL teachers understand the delicate balance of teaching and learning within a professional community. When new to a grade level, district, or role, it is particularly important to build credibility. Doing so enhances trust and collaboration among teams and lays the groundwork for advocating for MLs on a school and district level.

Building Credibility to Maximize Impact for MLs
Each district has its own norms, procedures, and culture. When leading a shift to center MLs in our instruction, it’s important to find a sphere of influence within the school environment. The following are ways that I have found success doing so as an ESL Teacher.

1. Lead team meetings: share your students’ ACCESS scores as well as their implications on instruction. Bring WIDA’s Can Do Descriptors and encourage your team to consider how these descriptors influence differentiation.
2. Teach through co-planning: Explain & implement language objectives. Bring a strategy to the table, model it, and encourage co-teachers to try it.
3. Get involved in curriculum writing. Write your language development curriculum or serve as an ESL strategist on cross-curricular teams. Share your updates, scaffolds, or new materials with your team.
4. Highlight your team’s successes with data analysis. What percentage of your team’s MLs made growth? How many students reached proficiency in comparison to the previous year? Share this data and celebrate as a team win.
5. Place emphasis on learning from your team. At the heart of building credibility is building relationships. Show that you value other teachers’ content expertise and collaboration by incorporating strategies you learn from their professional practice into your own. Then give them a shout-out!
6. Continuously seek growth. For more ideas and information about coaching strategies, check out Elena Aguilar’s The Art of Coaching Teams, Building Resilient Communities That Transform Schools (2016).

Whether you’re new to the field or looking to grow your impact, building credibility is a critical step in ensuring MLs have the resources, support, and advocacy they deserve.