2018 Better Together: California Teachers Summit

Better Together: California Teachers Summit

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator & 4th year attendee.



It has been my unofficial "Back to School" event for the past four years, the "Better Together: California Teachers Summit".

Established in 2015, the Better Together: California Teachers Summit takes place across multiple locations throughout California, where teachers, educators, administrators, policy makers, and education stakeholders, can come together to kick off the new school year with keynote speakers, break-out sessions and activities, and moderated discussions on issues that affect students and how teachers can prepare to handle them.

From State Standards, Formative Assessments, English Learners, Parent Participation, Mindset, SEL, STEAM, and Coding, to Online Assignments, Assessment, and Collaboration there is no shortage of topics and material that can help teachers get started on a positive note and help them keep the momentum going throughout the school year.

I wish all teachers a wonderful school year for 2018-19 and hope that your experience at this years Better Together: California Teachers Summit serves as an inspiration to each and everyone.

#CATeachersSummit

Better Together: California Teachers Summit.

Welcome Teachers!

Welcome to CA Teachers Summit!

Leave your thoughts on the wall.

Resources for the school year.

Which way to my next session?

Grab breakfast and review the agenda.

The stage is set! Live feed in 4, 3, 2, ...

Auditorium begins to  fill up for the summit.

Introduction and welcoming remarks on site.

Participants in attendance await keynote speakers remarks.

2017 Keynote Speaker Dr. Jill Biden.

Taking notes at a breakout session.

At a breakout session discussing parent involvement.

Attendees proceed to morning breakout sessions.

Attendees wait for colleagues to arrive before registration.

Attendees gathering on site between morning sessions.

Attendees gather for a social luncheon and networking.

Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2018.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

A Winter Lesson for Education

The last few days of Winter are upon us.
Gone will be the days with long nights and little daylight.
Soon the sun will go back to its highest place in the sky.

Here in California,
If there is one word to describe this past February,
Precipitation would do the job.
In both forms: Rain and Snow.

The snow accumulated in the mountain tops.
The rain made the grounds became saturated.
Excess water flowing into the smallest creeks and streams,
Filling up rivers and canals, lakes and reservoirs,
In some cases a little too much to soon,
Causing us to make important decisions,
Based on the need for safety and security.
Bringing to light forgotten problems,
In need of new solutions.

So it is with education.
Education is the precipitation that students learn,
Its two forms are skills and knowledge.
Two great decision making tools to have.
Two great problem solving tools to use.

So learn, study, and develop your education,
And increase the storage capacities,
And clear the drainage passageways,
And decide how to solve those problems,
In the best and brightest possible way.



Manuel R. CortezRodas - Educator

Copyright 2017.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

ELL's Language Barrier

English Language Learners

The Language Barrier Sub-Group

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

English Language Learners (ELL) are a subgroup of students who have not acquired the fluency skills, in the English language, that the average native speaker possesses.  They have moved to a place where English is the native or primary language at a time when they are of school age and grade level. An English Language Learner, is learning language skills, while having the experience of practicing the language, in a new place of residency.  It takes a place of learning, like school, and it takes time, months and years, for an ELL to learn and become proficient in the language skills needed to equal those who have lived longer in a place where the English language is the primary language of communication.

There are two barriers that ELL's must overcome: experience with the language and skills practicing the language.  Experience with the language is how much time and exposure the student has had since birth.  An 8 year-old student has had 8 years of experience and exposure to a language given that they have had only one language throughout their 8 years.  Skills practicing the language is how the student learns to communicate and express successfully with others.  Two 8 year-old students may have 8 years of experience and exposure to a language, but may be at different skill levels in speaking, reading, and writing. An ELL can overcome these two barriers by learning how to make a transition between their native language and English.

The experience that an ELL has in their native language, as well as, the skills developed in the same are a contributing factor in the student's transition from English Language Learner to Fluent English Language.  An ELL student who is well educated, has a formal academic educational background, and has had at least limited experience with the English language will have a greater chance of success in transitioning between the native language and English; when compared to an ELL student who is not educated, has no formal academic educational background, and has not been exposed to the English language.  Understanding the initial skills of the English Language Learner should be the primary step to develop a path that will guide the ELL student toward becoming a Fluent English Language student.

Copyright 2012 MRCR Educational Consulting Group.  All Rights Reserved.