"Give them the gift of words"
"Give them the gift of words"
If you have questions about education, ask a teacher! Sandy Kemsley has taken her decades of experience as a classroom teacher and developed a website full of materials, study guides, multimedia lesson plans, quiz samples, and so much more – in fact, everything that you need to support your child’s learning at school or develop your own homeschool program. Teachers can use this site to get suggestions from other educators around the United States, or share their own experiences on the ABCTEACH.com blog. Parents can learn how to work with their local schools, and how to guide and encourage children through homework and study time. Aspiring educators can learn the basics from experts in the field, and find the materials they need to make a successful start in their first classrooms. We talked with Sandy Kemsley about the ways that we can all help children learn.
UV: On the site, you have a section devoted specifically to ESL (English as a Second Language) resources. What are the challenges that teachers face from a classroom of kids at different vocabulary levels?
SK: ABCTEACH has members across the world, not only in the United States. Our ESL sections were initially created in response to requests from schools in China and other countries where English was the second language. Some of those schools were for adults learning our language, and our materials were valuable because they could be used to teach English words without being too childish in appearance.
In the United States, Australia and other English-speaking countries, teachers and schools have reported to us that they effectively use ABCTEACH materials to help teach their students whose primary language is other than English. The ABCTOOLS feature has been very helpful to some teachers, who have been able to create crossword puzzles, word searches, and other individualized materials to help those students and to maintain their interest. Vocabulary lists, flashcards, handwriting papers, and other aids are available on the website or can be created with ABCTOOLS.
One of the challenges posed by students who are just learning English, is the extra time that must be devoted to individual explanations and help. Teachers are very good at multi-tasking and providing materials at different levels. Having the supplemental materials that are offered by ABCTEACH can help teachers and teaching assistants deal with these challenges.
During my career as an elementary school teacher, my experience was that the younger the student, the faster they learned to communicate with their classmates. Often those students were exposed to English only in the classroom, because only their first language was spoken at home. I found the best approach for elementary students was to speak English and provide as many visual and auditory clues as possible. Basically, I found that students learned quickly through immersion and I would teach them to read as I would any non-reader in my class. I would request students to pair up and help each other. Once there was basic communication, my challenge was exposing the students to words beyond daily speech. Science and Social Studies lessons were hardest for them to understand. They could sound out the words, but not comprehend their meanings. In my classroom, we used picture dictionaries, flashcards and other aids that I prepared in advance or had the students prepare as part of our lessons.
One of our goals at ABCTEACH is to have supplemental materials available for teachers and schools to help meet the challenges of multilingual classrooms.
UV: The new Common Core Standards requirements for teaching language arts and math have been getting a lot of coverage in the news. Is this another “teach the test” strategy, or will it really help improve the educational system?
SK: Because ABCTEACH is used by teachers and schools in many countries, and in public and private schools, curriculum standards and teaching approaches vary widely. In the United States, there has been a move toward having similar subjects taught at similar grade levels. While there are many reasons for this development, one important reason to assure that interstate moves don’t cause students to miss blocks of the core curriculum, creating a gap in their education. The Common Core Standards are useful in this regard, constituting a guide outlining subjects and skills to be taught at certain grades.
ABCTEACH provides supplemental materials that can be used by teachers to keep their lessons interesting and their students engaged. Many of our members have asked us for supplemental content that correlates with the Common Core. Sometimes we try to match our materials with Common Core and similar standards to make it easier for teachers looking for materials.
UV: You offer lots of multimedia and interactive tools through the website for teaching math, reading, and vocabulary skills. How do games and animation help children learn?
SK: Students learn differently. Providing multimedia and interactive tools helps teachers and parents meet the needs of their students. Some students are visual learners, some are auditory learners, and many understand skills by seeing the lessons in video or interactive forms. Variety is also a good way to present a topic in different ways, promoting understanding. Students who are exposed to a variety of teaching presentations become better thinkers, and also learn to present their own projects using these tools. ABCTEACH responds to the suggestions of our members and visitors to the site. There has been an increase in requests for Interactive Whiteboards, video, PowerPoints with audio, as well as traditional supplemental skill worksheets.
UV: One of the most interesting parts of your website is the ABCTOOLS section, where parents and teachers can create customized materials. When you were teaching in the classroom, did you make your own worksheets and visual aids?
SK: Thanks for discovering our ABCTOOLS feature! It is one of my favorite parts of the website. When I taught elementary students, I created most of the supplemental materials used in my classroom. I shared these materials with other teachers at my schools and elsewhere. I loved teaching theme units, and I created lessons, worksheets, and hands-on materials using the theme approach that integrated language, writing, science, research, oral presentation, art, and other subjects.
When I did a study abroad program while in graduate school, I visited schools in England that used the theme approach. It fit my teaching style and I found students retained knowledge and loved making choices within the theme. Often my students would turn my classroom into a virtual rain forest, or some other theme, and they loved it!
I started ABCTEACH as a way to share my ideas, and to make my theme units and supplemental worksheets, and other hands-on materials available for others. Right away I began receiving suggestions and requests from teachers and parents, and we have tried to respond to as many of those requests as possible by creating new materials.
The ABCTOOLS section helps teachers create their own skill sheets, vocabulary word walls, word searches and more, customized to fit their needs. This is a very popular part of our site. Visitors can sample ABCTOOLS with limited options, and members have more variety and customization.
UV: In the United States, school is out for the summer now, but that doesn’t mean that learning has to end. One of the latest posts on your ABCTEACH Blog talks about field trips, nature walks, and even grocery store games that keep kids in the learning mode even outside the classroom. What are some other easy ways that parents can encourage the habit of learning?
SK: The easiest way to encourage learning is to have fun. Every walk can be a learning adventure. It is a time to put away the smart phones and tablets and observe and talk. Ask stimulating questions about what you see. Let your students answer and guess; don’t just tell them the answer. Children love to explore nature and animals. Communicate with your kids, show them your love for learning and they will love learning as well. If you don’t know an answer, look it up in an encyclopedia or on the internet; your child will learn the thrill of discovering an answer by research. Take pictures of what you see and discuss, and use them as discussion aids in later conversations. Make fun projects. Go to the library together. Yes, students still enjoy being read to. ABCTEACH wishes all of your readers an enjoyable summer!