DESIGNING CURRICULAR MATERIAL FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS*

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During this five-day institute, we explore how to enhance, strengthen and amplify existing curricular materials to ensure that all students have equitable, quality opportunities to learn in engaging and rigorous ways.  This advanced institute offers opportunities for educators to deepen their understanding and application of the theories that underly QTEL’s sociocultural approach to learning and how those theories can guide us in analyzing the quality of existing curriculum as well as applying that knowledge in crafting new learning opportunities for students.

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Themes we explore:

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• How a sociocultural/ecological approach to pedagogy requires that all students be challenged and have the support they need to work beyond their current level of development;

• How well-designed and scaffolded lessons allow for students to engage in work that not only develops their conceptual, analytic, and language practices in all disciplines but inspires them to become lifelong learners;

• existing materials such as handouts, activity sheets, and texts can be amplified to support students to engage in this kind of rigorous pedagogy;

• How tasks, lessons, and units work together and build upon one another to support students step-by-step in appropriating disciplinary practices that are generative and transferable

• How existing texts can be engineered in order to maximize opportunities to learn;

• How a deep understanding of our own approach to teaching and learning supports us better know how to amplify materials regardless of context (in-person, virtual, hybrid, etc.).

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*Only available to participants who have attended previous in-person QTEL Building the Base or disciplinary institutes.