Newcomer Group (’15-’16)

Participants

Keith Brown, Jela Buljko, Ann Calef, Alima Catellacci, Nichole Deborde, Charles Erdmann, Kristen Font, Shao Fung, Merce Guixa-Casells, Carrie Haslanger, Juliana Houston, Eve Hyman, Marla Kamiya, Hailee Lanker, Davida Lopez, Kathleen Mitchell, Magdalena Monterrosa, Bonnie Mozer, Chantel Parnell, Johanna Taimanao, Kyle Svingen, Jade Talbot, Loraine Woodard, Laura Zamora

Group Focus

Oakland Unified’s Newcomer Teacher Scholars is a cross-district group of teachers of newcomers who are focusing their inquiry work on supporting newcomer students in the three key practices of OUSD’s English Language Learner and Multi-lingual Achievement Office: using complex text, fortifying output, and engaging in academic discussions.

Sample Inquiry Topics

  • Developing newcomers’  oral questioning skills through guided reading and reading workshop
  • Developing newcomers’ oral language through guided language activities
  • Developing newcomers’ academic discourse through language functions
Report Highlight
The Aspen Institute National Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

“Through the collaborative inquiry there’s a real aha moment,” said Carrie Wilson, executive director of Mills Teacher Scholars. “It gives teachers a chance to see how the competencies intersect with their instructional practices.”

-- A Policy Agenda in Support of How Learning Happens