U of M graduate wants to help English learner teachers share their lessons

By Cultures & Immigration, | Mila Koumpilova

July 4, 2016 at 11:00PM
Yefej Jin
Jin (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Yefei Jin was a theater major at the University of Minnesota when his fraternity volunteered to tutor young Karen refugees.

The experience led to a minor in English learner education and, more recently, a new website for teachers who work with English learners. Jin, who recently wrapped up an education policy master's degree at Harvard, is developing the project through its Innovation Lab to make sharing lesson plans and other resources easier.

He conceived it after hearing from Twin Cities teachers how hard it is to find classroom materials that fit their students' language skills. He enlisted several dozen of them to help develop the online platform this summer.

"These teachers often find themselves creating materials from scratch," Jin said. "Such a platform could be a game-changer."

As an undergrad, Jin cofounded the first Asian-American fraternity in Minnesota. Several members were the children of refugees, and the group chose a volunteer project teaching English to recently arrived Karen, an ethnic minority persecuted in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Jin was also an English language learner. When he was 5, his family moved from China to the United Kingdom so his father could pursue a doctoral degree. Jin remembers getting pulled out of class to work with an English instructor. He was confused by capital letters, which do not exist in Chinese.

But he had it relatively easy: He was young and the son of highly educated parents. As a tutor, he saw how hard Karen high school students had to work to overcome both the language barrier and wide academic gaps.

While working in the U's admissions office after graduation, Jin launched an after-school performing arts program for Karen students. He started attending English language learner conferences.

At one Faribault presentation, Jill Watson, a St. Olaf College education professor and consultant, asked several dozen teachers in the room if they struggled to find classroom materials. All raised their hands.

The task has become especially challenging amid an influx of students, including the Karen, who come with limited or no formal education.

Watson spoke about the treasure trove of resources in teachers' thumb drives.

At Harvard, Jin started exploring the idea of an online platform to let teachers swap resources and ideas. A number of lesson-sharing sites have gained traction in recent years, but they are not geared toward English learner teachers.

In November, Jin flew to Minneapolis to pitch the project at the annual conference of the state's English learner teacher association. Since then, dozens of teachers in Minnesota and New England have posted materials or provided feedback on the platform, at LessonPick.com, as he continues to fine-tune it.

One of them, Jaclyn Eichenberger, teaches at a North St. Paul elementary that serves about 50 English learners. She often finds reading materials for native English speakers online and adapts them to fit her students' language skills.

"I think this is a huge, huge need," she said. "English learner teachers are often scrambling for resources."

Now, Jin hopes more teachers will start posting their lessons to give the project momentum.

"Yefei is clearly not doing this as a get-rich scheme," said Watson. "His heart was moved by working with refugee students."

Mila Koumpilova 612-673-4781

about the writer

about the writer

Cultures & Immigration, | Mila Koumpilova

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