Friday, May 23, 2008
A different tack
I recently got to meet and hang out with some folks who are, or are connected with some of the movers and shakers of the blogosphere here in Buenos Aires. What I've quickly realized is how boring my blog is. So boring that I don't even want to read it. So to take a new tack and make this blog less of a yawner.. I'm expanding the subjects to include an expat perspective on the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires and thoughts on the ups and downs of international, entrepreneurial start-ups. (mine and shameless plugs of others) Of course latest happenings with TutorAmigos, bilingual education in the US and now obviously education in Spain will be hot topics. I'm looking forward to writing about these additions and hope you will be too.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Our first blog post from a parent in Spain!
I'm very excited that Tutor Amigos (http://www.tutoramigos.com) got it's first post in a blog from a parent of one of our students in Spain! An excerpt from the blog post, is copied below but go to the original post to see a couple of videos from their side of the Atlantic.
La profesora invisible
"Nunca había contratado un profesor particular, principalmente porque no le hacia falta, sus notas no eran excelentes pero tampoco suspendía, yo misma podía ayudarla si lo necesitaba, y aunque en ocasiones me hubiese gustado contratar un profesor particular, representaba un gasto económico que no podía asumir.
La profesora invisible
"Nunca había contratado un profesor particular, principalmente porque no le hacia falta, sus notas no eran excelentes pero tampoco suspendía, yo misma podía ayudarla si lo necesitaba, y aunque en ocasiones me hubiese gustado contratar un profesor particular, representaba un gasto económico que no podía asumir.
Pero la niña va creciendo y las tareas se van complicando, había suspendido un par de exámenes parciales. Se lo importante que son los estudios, así que preferí cambiar mi mentalidad: pagar en educación no es gastar, sino invertir.
Llamé a un par de estudiantes universitarios que habían dejado su teléfono en el instituto, bueno…, para nuestra economía representaría un esfuerzo...
Casi sin querer encontré en internet una publicidad que me llamó la atención: www.tutoramigos.com: clases particulares online en vivo y ayuda con tareas escolares.
¿Era posible recibir clases particulares a través de internet?"
The full blog post is available here
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
What the research does and doesn't say: a nice summary
Cruising through my google web alerts this week I came across an article that I wish I (or my google alerts) had found last year when it was written. "Teaching Math to English Language Learners: Can Research Help?" by Suzanne Irujo, ELL Outlook™ Contributing Writer, does a nice job of summarizing much of the same research I came across while developing the concept of Tutor Amigos. Even better is that she puts it in historical context and gives many examples of the English and English-speaking situations that tend to confuse ELL Math learners. If you are just starting to research this field or looking to connect some of the dots, check out this article.
Monday, February 18, 2008
"Too" Early Exit programs
Imagine yourself as a kid. Now imagine yourself as a kid who has just moved to a foreign country...let's call it Hopelandia. You don't speak, read or write Hopeland-ish...but you want to. You get pulled out of your regular classes for a few hours everyday to learn basic Hopeland-ish while everyone else is learning math, science, social studies etc.. After 2-3 years, you are declared proficient in Hopeland-ish and mainstreamed to the regular classes. Unfortunately for you, that conversational Hopeland-ish you learned isn't enough to understand the academic Hopeland-ish that is being used in class, in the text books and on the state exams. Your grades suffer, you get frustrated....oh by the way... you are poor, so there is very little help...sorry.
Early-Exit transitional models for English Language Learning (ELL) students focus on the “speed at which students are mainstreamed than content-area learning.” (Brisk, 1998) When I started researching the need for an online tutoring service for Spanish-speakers, I found this as a program model used in many school systems that promote a "learn English first, then learn academics", mentality. Supported by many as the "American" thing to do...it almost makes logical sense. Almost.
What research shows is this "learn English first" model is a tough row. Why? Because for the most part, the teaching of English and the teaching of academic content are separated. There is a big difference between conversational English..the English you use in social, context rich settings, and academic English. Conversational English usually takes only 1-2 years to attain where academic English can take anywhere from 4-7 years. So what happens in this 2-5 year window? That's what we call the Academic Achievement gap where only 21% of 8th grade ELL students passed Reading and Math in 2005.
What research says is that continuing the teaching of academic content in the student's native language over a longer period of time, while they are learning English, is the way to go. The student can continue to develop cognitive skills appropriate for their grade level and not fall behind the English-speakers.
Seventy-five percent of all ELL's in the US speak Spanish in the home. What Tutor Amigos does by working with non-profit organizations and tutoring Math in Spanish is fill a gap where Early Exit programs, or lack of qualified Hispanic teachers, leave Latino English Language Learners in a void.
In the end, many of us never had to go to school in Hopelandia. But there are 2.7 million others that do now and need to have access to tutoring resources that are readily available.
Early-Exit transitional models for English Language Learning (ELL) students focus on the “speed at which students are mainstreamed than content-area learning.” (Brisk, 1998) When I started researching the need for an online tutoring service for Spanish-speakers, I found this as a program model used in many school systems that promote a "learn English first, then learn academics", mentality. Supported by many as the "American" thing to do...it almost makes logical sense. Almost.
What research shows is this "learn English first" model is a tough row. Why? Because for the most part, the teaching of English and the teaching of academic content are separated. There is a big difference between conversational English..the English you use in social, context rich settings, and academic English. Conversational English usually takes only 1-2 years to attain where academic English can take anywhere from 4-7 years. So what happens in this 2-5 year window? That's what we call the Academic Achievement gap where only 21% of 8th grade ELL students passed Reading and Math in 2005.
What research says is that continuing the teaching of academic content in the student's native language over a longer period of time, while they are learning English, is the way to go. The student can continue to develop cognitive skills appropriate for their grade level and not fall behind the English-speakers.
Seventy-five percent of all ELL's in the US speak Spanish in the home. What Tutor Amigos does by working with non-profit organizations and tutoring Math in Spanish is fill a gap where Early Exit programs, or lack of qualified Hispanic teachers, leave Latino English Language Learners in a void.
In the end, many of us never had to go to school in Hopelandia. But there are 2.7 million others that do now and need to have access to tutoring resources that are readily available.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Message from the Founder
Goodbye 2007 and welcome 2008!
2007 was an incredible year as we made the leap from a promising idea to the real world with Tutor Amigos. We have so many accomplishments to celebrate from developing, launching and then relaunching our website to tutoring our first students and starting an online tutoring trial with the Boys & Girls club of Lawrence, MA. I am very thankful to all those whose time, interest and effort have helped us take these first steps. I also want to thank our students who, whether they realize it or not, are pioneers in education. Their curiosity and willingness to try something new has enabled us to blaze a trail that we aim to have many more students follow in 2008.
2008 is starting off with a bang. We are already busy moving forward with an exciting new initiative and..a wee bit of recognition.
Semi-finalist for the 2008 Echoing Green fellowship
First, I received word that Tutor Amigos has been selected as a semi-finalist for the 2008 Echoing Green fellowship among nearly 1,500 applicants.
Echoing Green is a provider of seed funding and support to social entrepreneurs "with bold ideas for social change in order to launch groundbreaking organizations around the world."
The Tutor Amigos idea is simple: to connect over the internet, math tutors in Latin America with Latino students struggling in their transition to the North American math classroom. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Latinos that need our service the most, are least likely to be able to obtain it due to low incomes and lack of access to a computer/broadband. Can this be overcome? I believe it can by partnering with nonprofits, schools and communities who serve Latino immigrants.
Do you know an organization that needs help? Contact me:
jonathan(at)tutoramigos.com and let's talk.
New initiative
Grant funding aside, my goal is to create a socially missioned, yet self sustaining organization. To this end, we have launched http://www.tutoramigos.es to offer our services in Spain. Spain is an attractive market in terms of computer/broadband penetration, a strong currency, a common language and a common need for academic support in Math as well as Science and English. I believe with our strong value proposition, we can make some waves across the Atlantic in Spain and create another current to ride as we continue to experiment and learn in 2008.
As always, questions and comments are welcome.
All the best,
Jonathan
2007 was an incredible year as we made the leap from a promising idea to the real world with Tutor Amigos. We have so many accomplishments to celebrate from developing, launching and then relaunching our website to tutoring our first students and starting an online tutoring trial with the Boys & Girls club of Lawrence, MA. I am very thankful to all those whose time, interest and effort have helped us take these first steps. I also want to thank our students who, whether they realize it or not, are pioneers in education. Their curiosity and willingness to try something new has enabled us to blaze a trail that we aim to have many more students follow in 2008.
2008 is starting off with a bang. We are already busy moving forward with an exciting new initiative and..a wee bit of recognition.
Semi-finalist for the 2008 Echoing Green fellowship
First, I received word that Tutor Amigos has been selected as a semi-finalist for the 2008 Echoing Green fellowship among nearly 1,500 applicants.
Echoing Green is a provider of seed funding and support to social entrepreneurs "with bold ideas for social change in order to launch groundbreaking organizations around the world."The Tutor Amigos idea is simple: to connect over the internet, math tutors in Latin America with Latino students struggling in their transition to the North American math classroom. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Latinos that need our service the most, are least likely to be able to obtain it due to low incomes and lack of access to a computer/broadband. Can this be overcome? I believe it can by partnering with nonprofits, schools and communities who serve Latino immigrants.
Do you know an organization that needs help? Contact me:
jonathan(at)tutoramigos.com and let's talk.
New initiative
Grant funding aside, my goal is to create a socially missioned, yet self sustaining organization. To this end, we have launched http://www.tutoramigos.es to offer our services in Spain. Spain is an attractive market in terms of computer/broadband penetration, a strong currency, a common language and a common need for academic support in Math as well as Science and English. I believe with our strong value proposition, we can make some waves across the Atlantic in Spain and create another current to ride as we continue to experiment and learn in 2008.
As always, questions and comments are welcome.
All the best,
Jonathan
Monday, December 3, 2007
Education professor wins grant to promote math instruction in Spanish
by Karen Singer - November 5, 2007
Eliana Rojas believes students learn mathematics better when taught in their native language, and she has federal backing to put her theory into practice.
The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded Rojas a $1.5 million grant “to prepare teachers of English language learners to accelerate their students’ academic achievement.”
The grant focuses on the preparation and professional development of bilingual and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) math teachers, in order to provide appropriate and effective instruction to adolescents who are learning the English language...
“We know a large percentage of Latino adolescents are failing mathematics, and a large percentage are dropping out of high school in 10th grade,” Rojas says.
“So we need to find ways for the students to continue to learn mathematics in Spanish." English language learners often “have acquired math in schools where they’re coming from, but don’t understand math here,” Rojas says.
“Native Spanish speakers see mathematics as a continuum,"...
“Here we compartmentalize it into algebra, geometry, and pre- calculus.” Latinos also take a more cooperative approach to learning math, she adds, whereas in America the process is individualized."
“If you lose your language, you lose the spirit of your culture. And mathematics is a good avenue for students to develop both their first and their new language, because the ability to think logically and reason deductively are embedded in every domain of learning.”
Go to original article
Eliana Rojas believes students learn mathematics better when taught in their native language, and she has federal backing to put her theory into practice.
The U.S. Department of Education recently awarded Rojas a $1.5 million grant “to prepare teachers of English language learners to accelerate their students’ academic achievement.”
The grant focuses on the preparation and professional development of bilingual and Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) math teachers, in order to provide appropriate and effective instruction to adolescents who are learning the English language...
“We know a large percentage of Latino adolescents are failing mathematics, and a large percentage are dropping out of high school in 10th grade,” Rojas says.
“So we need to find ways for the students to continue to learn mathematics in Spanish." English language learners often “have acquired math in schools where they’re coming from, but don’t understand math here,” Rojas says.
“Native Spanish speakers see mathematics as a continuum,"...
“Here we compartmentalize it into algebra, geometry, and pre- calculus.” Latinos also take a more cooperative approach to learning math, she adds, whereas in America the process is individualized."
“If you lose your language, you lose the spirit of your culture. And mathematics is a good avenue for students to develop both their first and their new language, because the ability to think logically and reason deductively are embedded in every domain of learning.”
Go to original article
Friday, November 2, 2007
Cómo sobrevivir el “high school” con éxito
Un nuevo y accesible libro ayuda a los padres latinos a comprender cómo funciona la escuela secundaria en los EE.UU., les informa acerca de becas y préstamos disponibles para los hispanos, y da consejos para mantener a los jóvenes concentrados y motivados en sus estudios.
Fabiola Pomareda
La Raza
En entrevista con La Raza, Dabbah destacó que si un alumno abandona la secundaria y se va a trabajar porque piensa que para qué estudia si igual no puede ir a la universidad, pierde años de preparación y luego es difícil recuperar el ritmo. “Entonces es muy importante que terminen el 'high school' ya que es muy probable que en algún momento se resuelva esta situación”.
También informó que hay becas para las que no piden el 'social security”, incluidas en la página de Internet del Fondo México Americano para la Defensa Legal (www.maldef.org).
“De pronto pueden empezar con alguna de esas becas y, aunque sea, ir a un 'community college' y empezar a estudiar”, recomendó la también autora de “¿Cómo conseguir trabajo en Estados Unidos?, “Ayude a sus Hijos a Tener Éxito en la Escuela” y “The Latino Advantage in the Workplace” (La Ventaja Latina en el Trabajo). Mas
Fabiola Pomareda
La Raza
En entrevista con La Raza, Dabbah destacó que si un alumno abandona la secundaria y se va a trabajar porque piensa que para qué estudia si igual no puede ir a la universidad, pierde años de preparación y luego es difícil recuperar el ritmo. “Entonces es muy importante que terminen el 'high school' ya que es muy probable que en algún momento se resuelva esta situación”.
También informó que hay becas para las que no piden el 'social security”, incluidas en la página de Internet del Fondo México Americano para la Defensa Legal (www.maldef.org).
“De pronto pueden empezar con alguna de esas becas y, aunque sea, ir a un 'community college' y empezar a estudiar”, recomendó la también autora de “¿Cómo conseguir trabajo en Estados Unidos?, “Ayude a sus Hijos a Tener Éxito en la Escuela” y “The Latino Advantage in the Workplace” (La Ventaja Latina en el Trabajo). Mas
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