Silvia is the chief researcher and co-founder of DataWORKS Educational Research. Building on her background as a teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent, Silvia has used her knowledge of learning, language, and research to improve education and thus help break the cycle of poverty for thousands of low-income students. She herself used education to rise from a non-English-speaking immigrant girl from El Salvador to earning her doctorate in education.
The California EL RoadmapNavigating the EL Roadmap through your use of Instruction The English Learner Roadmap was adopted by the California State Board of Education in July 2017. It is a document that encompasses many needs of the English Learner. The Roadmap consists of 4 main principles, each of which forms a pivotal part of…
Math is Tough! When consulting with a high school in Southern California recently, I taught a lesson on graphing linear equations to Algebra I students. While I was teaching the lesson, I randomly selected non-volunteers to Check for Understanding, and through the student responses I found some very interesting math misconceptions! The lesson I am…
Where did they go wrong? When consulting with a high school in Southern California recently, I taught a lesson on euphemisms and oxymorons in an English Language Arts classroom. While I was teaching the lesson, I saw some clear examples of why it is vitally important to continuously Check for Understanding and to provide effective…
Any person who has taken the requisite foreign language classes in high school can understand how difficult it is to learn a foreign language. But now imagine you are back in high school and you are also required to take English, math, science, and history all taught in that same foreign language! That is what…
DI vs. di vs. EDI Direct Instruction (DI) Direct Instruction was developed by Dr. Siegfried “Zig” Engelmann during the 1960s. It is a scripted program where teachers are given cues to follow throughout a lesson. Student interaction is largely choral responses following a teacher signal. direct instruction (di) Dr. Barak Rosenshine used the term direct…