The Intentional TESOL

I’m excited to refocus us on the joy of summer.  I want you to notice how you’re feeling with the end of the school year and beginning of summer.  You get to decide how you show up in the adventure that is your life! 

In today’s episode, I’m thrilled to share a wonderful conversation with Mike Duffy, Senior Supervisor of Professional Development for Erie 1 BOCES and former director of RBERN West. Mike’s passion for connecting, coordinating, and collaborating across professional development teams shines through as he advocates for culturally responsive and sustaining educational best practices. One key initiative we’ll discuss is the ELL Focus Group, a platform where teachers from eight counties come together to share best practices and celebrate successes in educating English language learners. As part of this initiative this year, I lead discussions on maximizing Stand-Alone ENL time through effective routines. Research—and my own experience—shows that routines reduce stress, boost productivity, enhance mental capacity, and improve time management skills. In this episode, you’ll hear how common the struggle is to make the most of Stand-Alone ENL time. We invite you to join our monthly meetings, where we foster a professional dialogue, explore flexible solutions, and share what’s working in our own classrooms to improve teacher effectiveness regionally. These meetings aren’t just for those seeking new ideas—they’re also a platform for all practicing educators to share their successes and celebrate what’s going well. We can’t wait to celebrate the incredible work happening across our region, and we hope you’ll join us on this journey! HELPFUL TIME STAMPS: 2:11 Who is Mike Duffy? 4:17: Celebrating the Work of Erie 1 BOCES 7:06: A Shared Understanding of the Needs of ALL Students 11:20: ELL Focus Group and the Discussion on Stand Alone ENL Routines 19:35: Tying Stand Alone ENL in with Integrated Classroom Instruction MANY THANKS to Mike Duffy, for this wonderful conversation! JOIN US FROM 4:30-6 PM! Although this PD is organized for teachers in RBERN West's region, we welcome supportive and thoughtful participants from outside that area to contribute also! February 4th: Review of the Results of 3 Surveys March 3rd: Increasing Oral Language, Comprehension, and Vocabulary April 1st: Shared Reading for comprehension, word work and fluency May 5th: Strategic & Supported Writing for Entering and Emerging Learners LINKS: RBERN West RBERN West ListServ My website⁠⁠⁠⁠--all additional upcoming PD opportunities are linked there! ⁠⁠⁠The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube Video of Episode⁠⁠ MY PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED WORK ON STAND ALONE ENL ROUTINES: NOTE: As I continue to grow and develop as a professional, I'm constantly learning to hone my craft. I invite you to think as I guide, and you decide if the materials here resonate with you and your location's needs. The ELL Focus Group invitation is much more open to thinking about generating ideas for each teacher to adapt a general routine to fit individual and group needs. Structuring your Stand Alone Time (NYS TESOL Blog Post) Structuring your Stand Alone Time (NYS TESOL's YouTube Channel)

Today’s episode is a short, but powerful conversation with Ariana Harvin about the focus on language in math to increase comprehension and rigor. We have both attended the last two NYS TESOL conferences together and appreciate the collegial spirit of our profession as we think about small changes in instruction to be more focused on language that make a big impact in student success. I challenge you to change something we talk about today and see how it makes a difference in your learners tomorrow.   MANY THANKS TO: Thank you, Ariana Harvin, for this wonderful conversation! Thank you, Melissa Lambert from Create Capacity, for your presentation at NYS TESOL! Thank you, Edutopia, for hosting a wonderful video example: https://www.edutopia.org/video/simple-strategy-get-students-talking-about-math/ and hosting the Math Interview Template document. Thank you to the Boston Debate League.  They developed the worksheet available there through their Debate-Inspired Classrooms program. LINKS ⁠⁠⁠My website⁠⁠⁠--all upcoming PD opportunities are linked there! ⁠⁠The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube Video of Episode⁠⁠ MUSIC Credit: Mixkit: Raising me Higher by Ahjay Stelino

Today’s episode is an opportunity to slow down and reflect on what direction is best for you in 2025. Marzano’s research highlights the importance of teacher effectiveness on student success, so I challenge you to become more intentional by asking yourself two really great questions that will support student success and empowerment! THANKS to: RBERN West for sponsoring the Social & Emotional Learning for Multilingual Learners Book Study They are offering another on Growing Language and Literacy for Multilingual Learners (elementary and secondary levels)...registration available through 1/10/25. (See link in RBERN West above.) Grand Island/Tonawanda Teacher Center for offering the Amplify Student Voices Book Study Dr. Lillian Ardell for some wonderful questions! Andrea Bitner for a great conversation about student voices! LINKS ⁠⁠⁠My website⁠⁠⁠--all upcoming PD opportunities are linked there! ⁠⁠The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠YouTube Video of Episode⁠⁠ MUSIC Credit: Mixkit: Raising me Higher by Ahjay Stelino

Today’s episode is a reflection on the Keynote Speakers from the 54th Annual NYS TESOL Conference.  The theme, in my words, was disruption from current norms to be open to the gifts our students have. Remember by affirming our multilingual learners of English, you are allowing them to be their authentic selves, building their confidence, and fostering a sense of belonging that empowers them to thrive academically, socially, emotionally and linguistically. THANKS for the Inspiration: Dr. Lillian Ardell Dr. Justin Gerald Leila Kubesch LINKS ⁠⁠My website⁠⁠--all upcoming PD opportunities are linked there! ⁠The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠YouTube Video of Episode⁠ MUSIC Credit: Mixkit: Raising me Higher by Ahjay Stelino

Listen to this reenergizing episode on collaborative assessment with Drs. Margo Gottlieb and Andrea Honigsfeld on their newest text, Collaborative Assessment Practices for Multilingual Learners and Teachers: Pathways to Partnerships. Be inspired to support and affirm our multilingual learners of English as they show their knowledge as, for and of learning. LINKS Collaborative Assessment for Multilingual Learners and Teachers ⁠Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld's website⁠ ⁠My website⁠--all upcoming PD opportunities are linked there! The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ YouTube Video of Episode MUSIC Credit: Mixkit: Raising me Higher by Ahjay Stelino

Today’s episode is an overview of giving a reading evaluation that includes both code based and meaning based components of assessment and some sticking points when assessing our multilingual learners of English.  If you already know something about running records, you can jump ahead to the 4 minute mark because that’s when I start talking about the nuances that come with assessing multilingual learners on their reading ability. The only way to work with me this summer is linked below in the O/N Teacher Center Registration form.... LINKS: ⁠⁠My Website ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group ⁠ MUSIC Credit: Mixkit: Raising me Higher by Ahjay Stelino

Today’s episode is a conversation around vocabulary with Mike Ochs.  He is a curriculum designer and writer who is most well known for his vocabulary program, Word Love, based on the work of Beck and McKeown.  Today we talk about the essential components of studying vocabulary and how to go from basic knowledge to true acquisition through repeated exposures over time!  Truly, I don’t know if you’ll be able to keep up with the amount of rock solid information we provide on evidence and research based practices for vocabulary instruction!  I hope you really enjoy this episode!  Thanks for listening! LINKS: Mike's Website ⁠My Website ⁠ ⁠The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group ⁠ MUSIC Credit: Mixkit: Raising me Higher by Ahjay Stelino

Today’s episode is a conversation around engaging our ELLs with Dr. Heather Lyon.  She makes many thought provoking points about looking at engagement on a continuum like a dimmable light switch.  She encourages teachers to think deeply about how engagement manifests in a classroom, the enthusiasm that you bring, and the skill and will of students.  She asks educators consider the steps of the learning process and mile markers on it, not just the product made at the end!  Thanks for listening! LET'S CONNECT! My Website ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Info Sheet for Administering the 2024 NYSESLAT MUSIC Credit: Mixkit: Raising me Higher by Ahjay Stelino

Mary Sandoval is a language and literacy specialist with 16 years of classroom experience.  Our conversation is about consistent, but flexible routines, that build on the academic language used by classroom teachers!  It is the start of a conversation about what intentionally integrated ENL could look like with the bottom line that learning should be fun!  Thanks for listening! LINKS: My Website  The Intentional TESOL Facebook Group MUSIC Credit: Mixkit: Raising me Higher by Ahjay Stelino