David Irwin

David Irwin consults with school districts through his company, Language Development Opportunities LLC. He is a national board-certified teacher (NBCT) in English as a new language, a former member of the National Faculty for Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) and President-Elect of the Washington Association for Bilingual Education (WABE). He teaches Curriculum and Assessment classes in the ESL Endorsement program at Washington State University Vancouver.

Articles by David Irwin

• Navigating a sea of words: An assessment of academic conversation

  Wednesday, July 27, 2016

  The use of structured academic conversation in the classroom is becoming more sophisticated. However, many teachers are still unsure about how to assess the quality of the conversations. How do we know the students are talking about germane content, addressing the questions presented, and using the academic language skills targeted for that lesson? As with any lesson, we need assessment to know whether re-teaching is required, or if we can move on to new skills and content.

• Chunking with emergent bilinguals: The size and shape of things to come

  Wednesday, May 11, 2016

  When you see a great movie with friends, what is the first thing you do afterward? Most people will break into animated conversation about the places where the plot shifted, or great moments of acting or action. If we see a sports event with friends, we'll talk about the great plays, whether a certain player was or wasn't playing up to expectations, how the team is doing in the standings. Spending a great day with family at a theme park generates stories for days to come.

• Academic conversation develops deep comprehension: Specific procedures and assessment

  Wednesday, March 05, 2014

  Academic conversation is a strategy that increases student engagement and comprehension in content topics. It is ideal for English learners because it gives them a safe environment to practice academic English with a peer who has more mastery. In the third part of this three-part series, we’ll discuss specific procedures as well as an assessment of the entire conversation.

• Academic conversation develops deep comprehension: Using the skills

  Tuesday, February 25, 2014

  Academic conversation is a strategy that increases student engagement and comprehension in content topics. Once the content has been delivered, students need skills on how to actually hold the conversation.

• Academic conversation develops deep comprehension: Getting started

  Wednesday, February 19, 2014

  Academic conversation is a strategy that increases student engagement and comprehension in content topics. It is ideal for English learners because it gives them a safe environment to practice academic English with a peer who has more mastery.