Self-Advocacy Study Hall

Self-Advocacy Study Hall was originally designed around the AVID Tutorial Request form and was created to help English Language Learners develop skills in describing assignments and formulating questions about them. It utilizes a graphic on the front of the page as an instructional tool and guide for students to develop an understanding of what Self-Advocacy is and its different forms. It also utilizes Kyle Schwartz's concept of "I wish my teacher knew..." as a way of fostering relationships and building trust between teachers and their students.

The worksheet asks students to explain an assignment from any class, what their teacher asked them to do to complete the assignment, and to identify important vocabulary that is associated with the assignment. The worksheet also guides students in identifying what is challenging or confusing about their assignment and how their teacher can help. To develop inquiry skills, the worksheet asks students to formulate a question for the teacher who gave them their assignment and a question for a classmate who is completing the same assignment. To develop self-advocacy skills, the worksheet also asks students to determine how they participated in self-advocacy, with the banner on the front as an instructional tool for teachers and a guide for students. The last question asks students to tell their teacher something about their life outside of school to develop trusting relationships between the student and their teacher.

This worksheet can easily be adapted for any grade level by adding or eliminating questions to focus on specific concepts (i.e. Self-Advocacy, describing assignments, content vocabulary, inquiry about assignments and/or specific contents, relationship building, etc.) It could also be easily adapted to work with students in Special Education classes, students in high-needs schools, as accountability for students in study hall classes, and more.

I have used this worksheet with middle and high school ELL students and found that it helped students become better able to express themselves in multiple contexts, helped them to ask more in-depth questions, and gave them the confidence to ask for help in any class. This worksheet has also helped me better understand what students at multiple grade levels are working on in their other classes so that I can more effectively support their language acquisition.