Professional Development Workshop NEPBE Strengthening NEPBE at State

Professional Development Workshop NEPBE Strengthening NEPBE at State Level Cycle 4 “All appears to change, when we change”—Henry Amiel “Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change”— Confucius

Rules of the game This is a learning space for everybody. Feel comfortable to express your opinions, experiences and doubts. Respect is required. Allow opportunities for learning. Do not take expression away from others. Time is limited. To achieve the purposes of this learning experience, accept the guidance of the facilitator. Concentrate on the activities, topics and performances of the workshop. There is a didactic sequence to reach the intended achievements. Punctuality and attendance are crucial. LIMIT cellular phones, constant exits to the bathroom, the use of messenger and Facebook on laptops and phones, etc. This workshop is mandatory by SEP, sign a list at the beginning of each day and after each break, 80% attendance is required. Questions, critiques and suggestions are welcome: find the appropriate time. Critiques or suggestions not related specifically to the purposes of this workshop should be directed to SEP.

Symbols used �Working individually is marked by: �Working in pairs is marked by: �Working in groups is marked by: �A plenary session is marked by: �A: Activity �m: time in minutes assigned to the activity

Purposes of the Workshop Overall Performance: Consolidation of NEPBE at state level Establishing relationships between the NEPBE curricular elements and the corresponding planning and assessment processes. Strengthen decision-making regarding the support, coaching, and training of English teachers.

A 1 The path of my educational practice 1998: Further training done as need for professional growth. Stuck in same practice. COTE. 1994: Started more serious teacher training. ITTC for starters. 1985: Dissatisfied with journalism, took a sabbatical and traveled. Coming back, started teaching at a secondary school. No training as a teacher, frustration in the classroom. Took training and things got better for a while, until further problems arised. Stopped in 1989. Trained in communicative language teaching, but still faced pitfalls in classroom. Needed further training and change. Bored with teaching Took other languages and further training in translation. 2008: Took MEd. in TEFL as a need for change and professional

A 1. 1 The path of my educational practice 15 m �Draw a path that represents the development of your professional practice in education. �You can use words, images or symbols to describe the main events and key decisions you have made.

A 1. 2 The path of my educational practice. 20 m. Form a team (max. 4 members). Introduce yourselves and briefly share your “paths” emphasizing key moments of change.

A 1. 3 The path of my educational practice 45 m • Read the text “Change and Resistance” The text represents a dialogue between these two concepts. Reflect on the text by answering these questions: Why are change and resistance usually linked? Which moments of change and resistance can you identify in your “path”?

A 2 Workshop performances 10 m Review the intended performances of the workshop. Clarify your doubts. (The facilitator will give you a colored sticker with a number for the following activity. )

A 2. 2 Workshop Performances 25 m Educational change in Mexico, NEPBE and the workshop performances. The “Acuerdo 592” is the legal context in which NEPBE is situated. (see Appendix 1). • It has as its basis the Plan Nacional de Desarrollo 2007 -2012, the Programa Sectorial de Educación 2007 -2012, and the Alianza por la Calidad de la Educación, 2008. These agreements promote the reform of Basic Education in Mexico, the development of competencies and the introduction of English as a second curricular language in the educational plan and syllabuses. • The “Acuerdo 592” presents the “Plan Nacional de Estudios 2011” as the guiding document for Basic Education. It includes English as part of the exit profile and articulates the subject English from 3 rd grade of pre-school to 3 rd grade of Secondary. • In the NEPBE, there is the same emphasis on communicative competency as there is in the Spanish and Indigenous Language programs. Reflect and share: What are the implications of English being mandatory at the different educational levels for student development and teacher professional development?

A 3 Circle of concepts 25 m Help the facilitator put up the posters provided around the room. Concepts: �Communicative competency �Language �Social practices of the language �Specific competencies �Achievements �Product �Knowing about the language �Doing with the language �Being through the language �Social learning environment: Familiar and community �Social learning environment: Literary and ludic �Social learning environment: Academic and educational

A 3. 1 Circle of concepts 25 m With your partner: At the facilitator’s signal (a bell ringing): Choose one of the concepts Write on the poster everything you know about that concept (You may include definitions and examples) When you hear the facilitator’s bell again: Change to another concept Repeat the process Avoid repeating what has already been written on each poster. Make sure you read what other people have written before you.

A 3. 2 Circle of concepts 25 m Team up according to the number on your sticker. Each team number corresponds to a concept(s): Team 1: Communicative competency and language Team 2: Social practices of the language and specific competencies Team 3: Achievements Team 4: Product Team 5: Knowing about the language Team 6: Doing with the language Team 7: Being through the language Team 8: Social learning environment: Familiar and community Team 9: Social learning environment: Literary and ludic Team 10: Social learning environment: Academic and educational

A 3. 2 Circle of concepts 25 m You have received an extract from the Curricular Foundations and the Syllabus about your team’s concept(s): • Compare and contrast the information on the poster for your concept(s) with what the Curricular Foundations and Syllabus indicate. • Mark on the poster the ideas which are congruent with NEPBE. • Add any missing information your team finds relevant.

A 3. 3 Circle of concepts 30 m Choose a spokesperson to present the analysis of the concept(s) to the group. Share the analysis with the group.

Let’s take a break! Take no more than 20 minutes We will start at 11: 30 sharp. Thank you!

A 4 NEPBE & 2006 Program: Similarities and differences 10 m On page 6 of your manual: Write what you know or you imagine are the similarities and differences between the 2006 program and the NEPBE. Similarities Differences

A 4. 1 Analyze the aspects 20 m In teams of 3 or 4: (8 teams in total) Analyze one of the following aspects: �General purposes of English teaching and purposes of English in secondary education �Curricular foundations �Definition of language and level of English �Curricular structure for both the 2006 program and NEPBE.

A 4. 1. 2 Complete the diagram 10 m Differences 2006 Program Similarities Differences NEPBE

A 4. 2 Share your comparisons 20 m Get together with a team that analyzed the same aspect as your team, and share your comparison formats: Discuss the differences between them and reach a consensus about which aspects are similar and which are different. Make a poster that demonstrates the results.

A 4. 3 NEPBE & the 2006 Program 30 m Each team chooses a spokesperson. Show your poster and discuss the different aspects. Make sure you clarify all your doubts with the facilitator. Individually Go back to your chart on page 6 (A 4. ) with the differences and similarities identified at the beginning of this activity. Mark the ideas that were accurate and include any other points that you think are relevant.

A 4. 4 Numbered heads! 40 m You all will have a number and a color. Put together you have a turn to answer a question. The facilitator calls out a number and a color (e. g. 4 red, 6 blue, 3 green, etc. ). The questions are:

Numbered heads! o What are the common elements in the programs? o What are the main differences? o What is the logic behind the articulation of the curricular elements in the 2006 program? o What is the logic behind the articulation of the curricular elements in NEPBE? o What is the difference between both programs regarding curricular articulation? o What actions should the teacher implement to work successfully in NEPBE? o What sort of challenges might secondary school teachers have when dealing with this program change? o What actions can we implement, from our professional role, to facilitate the transition to NEPBE?

A 4. 5 A Graphic Organizer 20 m With your team of 3 or 4: Make a graphic organizer which integrates the elements of NEPBE, emphasizing the aspects that are clear for you.

Hungry? Let’s take a lunch break! The lunch break lasts until 15: 30 hours. Clear your head and have a good meal! See you here at 15: 25. Enjoy!

A 5 Self Reflection Notes 25 m Based on the work done so far on curricular foundations, Take some time to reflect on the following questions and write what you find relevant on a piece of colored paper: What clarifications, difficulties, reflections, etc. , arise from this work on the curricular foundations? From my position, what is the importance of understanding and working with the curricular foundations of NEPBE and comparing them with the 2006 program? What strategies can I implement to facilitate the transition from the 2006 program to the NEPBE in my state?

Self Reflection Notes Save your self-reflection notes in the envelope the facilitator gives you. You will add to this envelope throughout the workshop.

A 6 Socio-cultural approach to learning – Basic concepts 15 m Watch the two videos on The Socio-Cultural Theory and identify the main aspects of this approach. 1. Vygotsky’s Developmental Theory : An Introduction With Elena Bodrova 2. Juggling With Language Learning Theories: Sociocultural Zones With Tim Murphey

A 6. 1 Sociocultural Theory 25 m Using the colored stickers, form teams of 4. With your team, answer the following questions: According to this approach, how do students learn? What is the role of the teacher in this approach? Within a socio-cultural approach, what actions does the teacher carry out to facilitate learning? How is this approach connected to the curricular foundations? From my position, what role do I need to take in order to help the consolidation of this approach?

A 6. 2 Sociocultural Theory 25 m Go to Appendix 2 (pages 24 to 28) at the back of your workshop manual and read the text: Socio-cultural approach to learning Use the information there to check your answers to the previous questions (A 6. 1). Modify or complete your answers if necessary.

Let’s take a break! Take no more than 20 minutes We will start at 17: 20 sharp. Thank you!

A 6. 2 Sociocultural Theory 10 m Take 10 more minutes to revise your answers to the questions in the previous activity based on the text you have read.

A 6. 3 Sociocultural Theory 40 m Share your team’s answers to the questions with the whole group: One team answers, the other teams complement that answer. Keep in mind: it is very important to try to connect these answers to the NEPBE curricular foundations.

A 6. 4 Socio-Cultural Theory & Product The facilitator will provide an example that shows how a product of the language from Cycle 4 is used as the vehicle for the development of competencies, and how the product is related to the sociocultural approach.

The Product- A Big Book-Cycle 4

Big Book: an example of the relation between the Socio-cultural approach and the NEPBE. Books and stories are cultural language products that serve a social purpose. In order to create or interact with a book one must have the cultural background to understand its purpose and content. The students are able to create this particular product having as basis for development previous knowledge from stories and books, either from their own culture, or from previous encounters with books and stories from other cultures, an aspect that has been encouraged in previous years in NEPBE. Through the big book, language is used in a real situation. The “Literary and ludic” environment provides a frame of real interaction where the students interact with cultural language products in a ludic way. To develop this product, students must make it socially appropriate, this implies recognizing its social purpose, the intended audience, and the appropriate register. The notion of language that NEPBE has is completely congruent with the Sociocultural approach. The Big book, as a product of language, is developed taking into consideration both the formal and the functional aspects of language, as well as its socio-historical construction.

A 7 Self-Reflection Notes 20 m Based on the work done on the socio-cultural approach to learning, Reflect on and answer some of the following questions and write what you find relevant in a colored piece of paper: �What clarifications, difficulties, reflections, etc. , arise from this work on the socio-cultural approach to learning? �What modifications to teaching practice does this approach imply? �What is the importance of understanding and working with the socio-cultural approach in my professional role? �What strategies can I implement to help the teachers’ understanding and articulation of the socio-cultural approach to learning? When you are finished, put the self reflection notes in your envelope.

This is the end of day 1 Thank you! Have a good evening! Enjoy a well-deserved rest!

WELCOME BACK! This is the closing day of our workshop. Today we will work on: • Planning criteria and analysis as a tool for reflective practice • Assessment; its characteristics and central aspects in the sociocultural approach

A 8 10 Fingers 10 m Share with your partner ten things we worked with yesterday that made you reflect on your professional practice.

A 9 Appropriate Planning Criteria 30 m If possible, form teams of 3 people from the same state based on your own experience: Review the following list of criteria for planning. Decide if all of them are appropriate for NEPBE. Discuss if more need to be added.

Planning criteria 1. The social practice and the specific competence are clear. 2. The social learning environment in which the specific competence will be developed is clear. 3. The activities are clearly linked to the specific competence through the product. 4. The product stages are clear and logical and reflect an appropriate opening, development and closing sequence. 5. There is a sequence of activities in these product stages and they are congruent with the product. 6. The activities are congruent with the specific competence and the social learning environment. 7. The types of content are evident in the development of the product and they are appropriately integrated. 8. The activities are communicative situations. 9. The achievements are present and logically related to the product, its stages and activities. 10. Assessment criteria and instruments are included and match the types of content covered and the stage of the product development. 11. There are different moments of assessment during the development of the social practice of the language and they are clearly indicated. 12. Timing is clear and appropriate. 13. The activities are pertinent to the characteristics and needs of the students. 14. The materials are pertinent to the context, characteristics and needs of the students.

A 9. 1 Reach a Concensus As a group, let’s reach a consensus about the criteria to use in order to determine if a planning sequence is appropriate for NEPBE.

A 10 Analysis of Planning Cases In the same teams of 3: Use the criteria established in the previous activity to analyze a real case of a teacher planning a sequence of lessons. Join another team that worked with the same planning case and compare the results of your analysis. Discuss the similarities and differences you have. In your team of 6: Decide what the main challenges to carry out appropriate planning for NEPBE are. (Write your conclusions on page 15 of your manual)

A 1 0. 1 Analysis of Planning Cases 25 m Each team: Choose two spokespersons to present the conclusions of their analysis to the whole group. As a group: Discuss the results of the analysis and the reflections on the challenges for planning.

A 11. Planning: a central tenet for the reflective professional 25 m In the same team of 6: Discuss the differences between planning done by the teacher and planning done by the state coordination. Complete the following table on a poster paper: Teacher Pros State Coordination Cons Pros Cons

A 11. 1 Planning: The teacher as a reflective professional 30 m As a group, let’s discuss: Why does NEPBE propose that teachers be responsible for their own planning? What is the importance of this decision?

A 11. 1 Planning: The teacher as a reflective professional What do you think of the following: Teachers being responsible for their own planning is a key element of NEPBE and is based on the idea of teachers as professionals rather than technicians. This decision for their own planning is reflected in the deliberate omission of an established planning format. (Further reading on the reflective professional can be found in Appendix 4. )

A 11. 2 The Planning Process 15 m Go back to your original team of 3 Make a flow chart for the planning process that would orient the teachers under your supervision to make appropriate decisions regarding their planning : REFLECTION idea DECISION idea PLAN idea (Activity continues after the coffee break)

Let’s take a break! This time we’ll take one hour for you to check out of the hotel. Be back to continue the workshop at 12: 00 sharp!

A 11. 2 The Planning Process 45 m (Continue previous activity) Finish your flowchart. Group Activity: One or two teams will present their flow charts to the whole group. The other teams will compare, question and complement based on their flow charts.

A 12 Self-Reflection Notes 15 m Based on the work done on NEPBE’s Planning Process, reflect for a moment and answer some of the following questions write what you find relevant in a colored piece of paper: What clarifications, difficulties, reflections, etc. , arise from this work on the NEPBE planning process? What strategies can I implement to help teachers strengthen and consolidate their planning process? What specific actions should I implement first to facilitate this process? Do the state coordination´s actions facilitate teachers becoming selfsufficient regarding planning? Do we need to modify what we do to develop this process? Put the self reflection notes in your envelope.

A 13 Assessment Characteristics 35 m Form a new team of 3 - each participant should have a different colored sticker. Try to work with people you haven’t worked with before. Each team receives a list of characteristics of assessment. Identify which ones are appropriate for NEPBE.

A 13. 1 Assessment Characteristics � Actions to get feedback on students’ progress. � Assessment focuses on the final result. � Assessment takes into account achievements. � It is congruent with the learning process. � It is focused on the student’s learning process, not only on the final result. � Assessment should be carried out only by the teacher. � It is global, continuous and formative. � It helps identify what students have learned over a period of time. � Assessment helps class planning. � Assessment should always be done at the end of a class. � Assessment criteria should be clear to students and parents. � Some types of assessment: assessment by the teacher, self-assessment and peer-assessment. � Some assessment instruments: portfolio, check list, exam, observation, rubrics. � It is an independent process from learning and teaching, and it should not influence them.

Assessment: facilitator’s list Compare your lists with the facilitator’s list: � Actions to get feedback on students’ progress. � Assessment takes into account achievements. � It is congruent with the learning process. � It is focused on the student’s learning process, not only on the final result. � It is global, continuous and formative. � It helps identify what students have learned over a period of time. � Assessment helps class planning. � Assessment criteria should be clear to students and parents. � Some types of assessment: assessment by the teacher, self-assessment and peer-assessment. � Some assessment instruments: portfolio, check list, exam, observation, rubrics. As a whole group: Discuss the rationale for these characteristics and add any others which are pertinent to NEPBE.

A 14 Problem Line 55 m Form teams of 6. Sit in a line with your team. Each team receives a problematic situation related to assessment in NEPBE. Read the situation, make sure that all members of the team understand the problem in the same way. The first person, individually, writes his/her solution to the problem on a piece of paper. Once finished: Fold the paper so that the solution cannot be seen. Pass the paper to the next person in the line. Once the paper has passed down the line, unfold the paper and read the solutions. Reach a consensus on the most appropriate solution for the assessment problem you have.

Hungry? Let’s take a lunch break! The lunch break lasts until 4 o’clock. Clear your head and have a good meal! See you here at 16: 00. Enjoy!

A 14. 2 Problem line-follow up 35 m Choose a spokesperson for your team. Present the team’s problematic situation and its solution to the group. The group: Decide if it’s an appropriate solution based on the previously established assessment characteristics.

Problematic Situation (PS) 1: Rocío is a second grade secondary school teacher. She has been working with unit 2, specific competency: Understand write instructions to face an environmental emergency. She knows that peerassessment is suggested in NEPBE, so she had her students peer-assess each other’s instruction manuals (product: instruction manual to face an environmental emergency). However, she found that most of her students had given each other higher grades than she felt their work deserved. She wants to continue using peerassessment but feels that her students aren’t objective enough because they just want to be nice to their friends. What can Rocío do to make sure that peerassessment works as an effective way of assessing?

PS 2: María is a third grade secondary school student. She has been working on unit 3, specific competency: Write a short report about a historical event. When her teacher, Francisco, checked the first draft of her report he wrote that the sentences she had used were too simple. When she talked to her friends, she found out that they had similar comments. The following week Francisco followed his planning sequence and asked his students to edit their reports and write the final version for the anthology but he didn’t do any more work on how to write complex sentences with them. When Francisco checked the final version of the report, the sentences were still very simple and Maria received a 7 and a comment suggesting she try to use more complex sentences. Maria was very disappointed with her grade. What could he have done so that Maria and her classmates felt more confident and managed to write better final reports including more complex sentences?

PS 3: Roberto and his team are first grade secondary school students. The first specific competency they have been working with in English class is Give and receive information for performing community services. They have chosen to act out a dialogue about the health service in their community. They feel very nervous. They wrote the dialogue using the model their teacher, Yolanda, had given them and they acted it out in front of the class after practicing by themselves. At the end of their presentation, Yolanda told them that they did okay and asked the next team to pass to the front and present their dialogue. The following week, Yolanda told them they had an 8 as a grade for that social practice. Roberto and his team were happy that they passed, but weren’t very sure why they didn’t get a higher grade. They imagine that it was because their dialogue was too short. Yolanda decided to give them an 8 because they didn’t use correct question forms when they acted out the dialogue, but she did not mention that to the team. Do you think Roberto and his team learned from this experience? How can Yolanda help her students when she is assessing?

PS 5: Alicia is a very experienced teacher. She has been working with different English programs and she is able to plan successful didactic sequences with the students. She feels that the best way to assess them is through oral presentations and through a written test at the end of each unit. She does this every single bimester. This way of assessing helps her control the group since the students know she is responsible for the grades. During NEPBE courses that she has taken she has realized that there are other ways to assess but she feels that the two ways she has been using (oral presentations and written tests every bimester) are the most successful ones and she does not want to change. What can be done so she is able to assess her students in a way that is more congruent with NEPBE?

PS 5: Tere is a second grade secondary student. She really struggled with English during first grade, she could understand the general idea of what the teacher said, but did not properly complete the different written activities, and she could not interact in simple dialogues. Her first grade teacher, Gerardo, decided to give her an 8, since she attended classes, behaved well in class and turned in all her homework, most of her homework had a lot of mistakes, but she at least turned them in. Her final grade in English was an 8 but Gerardo’s assessment criteria weren’t related to the expected performances for the grade. When she started second grade, her new teacher, Rogelio, noticed her performance and he realized that she was way below the rest of the class. He feels very frustrated, because there are seven other students like Tere, and he knows they won’t be able to achieve the expected performances for second grade. What can be done about situations like this? What sort of elements should be present to make sure assessment really reflects students’ development of the social practices and specific competencies?

PS extra: Juan is a first grade secondary school teacher. He has 47 students in his class. He knows that observing his students during classes is an effective way of carrying out continuous assessment. He uses a checklist while he observes his students carrying out an activity. He tries to observe his students for assessment purposes once a week. However, he is finding it difficult to observe all 47 students in one class. He also finds that some students stop working on the activity when he moves on to observe a different group of students and sometimes distract other students. What can Juan do to make his use of observing as a way of assessing more effective?

A 15 Central Aspects of Educational Assessment 45 m Watch fragments of an interview with Dr. Eduardo Backhoff about educational assessment. (The complete interview can be found on the link provided on page 18 of your workshop manual. ) Reflect on the results of the previous activity. �

A 15 Central Aspects of Educational Assessment As a whole group, discuss the challenges that assessment in NEPBE present: What did we learn through the problem line activity? What are the most common problematic situations that teachers have regarding assessment? What actions can be taken from our professional role to strengthen the assessment processes?

A 16 Self-Reflection Notes 20 m Based on the work carried out on the NEPBE assessment process Reflect on and answer the following questions, writing what you find relevant: What clarifications, difficulties, reflections, etc. , arise from this work on assessment? What strategies can I implement, in my professional role, to help teachers strengthen and consolidate their assessment process? Put the self reflection notes in your envelope.

A 17 Reflecting on learning: Changes and Resistance 40 m With a partner, go through your different personal reflection notes. Use these reflections as a basis to discuss: What learning have I constructed during this workshop? What necessities for change in my professional practice have I identified? What strategies could I start to put into practice? What resistance do I find in my own practice? What strategies can I implement to facilitate the transition between the 2006 program and the NEPBE in my state?

A 17. 2 Changes & Resistance To finish the workshop, share with the group: The main learning constructed during the workshop. The key challenges that you will have in promoting the consolidation of NEPBE. Seen from your own professional role

A 18. Workshop Evaluation 20 m Complete the evaluation format provided to you.

End of the workshop! Thank you for your participation!