What Every Teacher Needs to Know about English Language Learners

The Basics


► “Home language” and “Target language” are used instead of L1 and L2


► ESOL and Not ESL (English for speakers of other languages)


► BICS develops social language and CALP works toward Academic language


► Language learning and language acquiring are two different things


► Oral communication skills in a second language may be acquired within 2 or 3 years, but it takes 4 to 6 years to acquire the level of proficiency needed for understanding the language in its academic uses (Collier, 1989; Cummins, 1981).


► Teachers can make a difference for students, no matter what delivery model they are hired to use if their teaching is based on research and best classroom practices


► ESOL teachers should be prepared, to discuss theory, research, and policy in the field of Second Language Acquisition, and articulate their own "philosophy of second language acquisition."





What do teachers need to know?

► The knowledge of linguistics to see speech patterns that children bring to school from their homes.


► Children who are learning in a second language may have language problems in reading and writing that are not apparent if their oral abilities are used to ordeal their English proficiency.


► Quick and easy solutions are not appropriate for complex problems


► Second language learning by school-aged children takes longer, is harder, and involves more effort than many teachers realize


► Critical period hypothesis refers to a first language only. There is not necessarily a "critical age" for learning a second or third language, but age can influence language learning efforts.



What do teachers need to do?

► Teachers are responsible for selecting educational


materials and activities above the bar.


► Be able to communicate with ELLs:



 At the level appropriate to students’ understanding, with slower speed, clear pronunciation, simple syntactical structures, repetition, rephrasing and checking for understanding.




► Be prepared to work with children from many different cultural, social, and linguistic backgrounds.


► Avoid misconceptions about second language learning


► Teachers need to give students feedback for their writing, understand English structure, discuss structural features of written language with their students, and explicitly teach them how to write effectively.



What to Expect from your ELLs

► Teachers should not expect miraculous results from children learning English as a second language in the classroom.


► Learning a second language is as difficult for a child as it is for an adult


► Young children do not have access to the memory techniques and other strategies that more experienced learners use in acquiring vocabulary and in learning grammatical rules.


► Language learners might hesitate or stop speaking for a while before they get used to the new setting


Supporting ELLs in the general  classroom environment


► Help children learn and use aspects of language associated with the academic discourse of the various school subjects.


► Help students become more aware of how language functions in various modes of communication across the curriculum.


► Prepare students for passing writing proficiency assessments.


► Help students understand, and teach them subject matter using simplified English. They need to use pictures, gestures, demonstrations and the like to allow children to acquire English naturally and automatically.


► Avoid indicating the language errors ELLs make so that learners will not be self-conscious and immobilized in using the language.


► Help students to achieve the levels of language and literacy competence required for the various assessments that constitute gateways to completing school successfully, getting into college and finding jobs.


► Engage their ELLs more by asking tiered questions that are tailored to each ELL’s level of second language acquisition.


► Teachers need to assess how much of the content ELLs understand.


Stages of language acquisition & Typical behaviors


► Teachers need to tie instruction for each student to their particular stage of language acquisition.


► Teachers need to work within the student’s zone of proximal development—that gap between what students can do on their own and what they can with the help of more knowledgeable individuals (Vygotsky, 1978).


► Teachers need to gain insights into their students' stages of second language acquisition to meet the requirements of the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, which requires ELLs to progress in their content knowledge and in their English language proficiency.


► Factors influencing language acquisition:


 Socioemotional development


 Academic background


 Family responsibilities


 Cultural identity formation



Classroom Issues


► Teachers need to link concepts to students’ background


► Teachers need to use past learning as a link to new concepts


► Teachers need to highlight key vocabulary and teach throughout the lesson


► Teachers need to actively engage students


► Teachers need to provide opportunities for interaction


► Teachers need to plan a wide variety of activities (student-centered and teacher-centered)


► Teachers need to address multiple learning styles and intelligences


► Teachers need to act as a facilitator during cooperative learning, group and pair activities, learning centers.






Students’ home language & Cultural identity


► Children develop oral proficiency first in their native language.


► Oral language functions as a foundation for literacy and as the means of learning in school and out.


► Teachers need to know how is lexicon acquired and structured and how dialects are different.


► Teachers need to be cautious of their using simplified language and asking low level questions.


► Teachers need to be cautious against withdrawing home language support too soon


► Teachers need to be able to communicate. To communicate successfully, teachers must know how to structure their own language output for maximum clarity and have strategies for understanding what students are saying.


► An understanding of linguistics can help teachers see speech patterns that children bring to school from their homes.


► Teachers must be prepared to work with children from many different cultural, social, and linguistic backgrounds.


► Affirm students' home language and/or first dialects as you encourage them to become proficient in SAE


► Teachers can support this development process by honoring students' diverse backgrounds and celebrating the beauty that exists in each human experience.


The role of linguistics for classroom teachers


► Teachers should focus on the opportunity that cultural and linguistic diversity provides.


► Diverse children enrich our schools and our understanding of education in general.


► Students need not to know about the terms "pragmatics" and "semantics" in classroom instruction, but teachers do to deal with the concepts and their implications for ELLs.


► Lexical ambiguity will present challenges in the ESOL classroom.


► Morphology and syntax should be taught as part of grammar instruction embedded in a context- and content-rich approach.


► Teachers need to slow down their speech and enunciate their words.



Concepts of Linguistics and Communication


► Linguistic competence vs. performance Just because you CAN say something and be grammatically correct, doesn't mean you SHOULD


► Creative aspect of language-An infinite number of sentence possibilities


► Sapir-Whorf hypothesis-Does the language itself influence the culture?--also called linguistic relativity vs. determinism


► Semantics vs. syntax-The meaningless sentence that is grammatically correct, or Noam Chomsky's famous sentence that illustrates that idea


► Register-Inappropriately calling Hugh Laurie "Tiger" (very informal) and also complex vocabulary and syntax to sound impressive (very formal)


► The recursive rule-You can add phrases to a sentence to make it longer and longer and still be correct


► The communicative aspect of language-It is most important to effectively communicate your ideas rather than be technically correct


► Morphology-We can understand made-up words like "Hitlerian" and "frillions" because they take advantage of our knowledge of morphemes






Based on Linguistics and second language acquisition theory and research


► https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z3CUpHUBQWUh7RLknd2_sM9KI8OTxx9dBtU5cfYWl5qhE1D0mc6bLW6kmasKSz9nUcCnI8zecEiSSbratTYjErotZl3idJSapgsXlw0DFbb7FL94YdvoBtdaKXmhZgt-S3Virzl3I8ei/s1600/children_holding_hands_around_the_world150.GIF


► Haynes Judie , Stages of Second Language Acquisition


► http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_stages.php


► Hill Jane D. and Björk Cynthia L., Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners Facilitator's Guide, http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108052/chapters/The-Stages-of-Second-Language-Acquisition.aspx


► http://www.apsva.us/15401081182015517/lib/15401081182015517/reepcurriculum/index.html


► Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2007), An Introduction to Language, Thomson Wadsworth: Boston


► Bankss James A., Teaching for Social Justice, Diversity, and Citizenship in a Global World. Retrieved Apr.17.2011


► http://depts.washington.edu/centerme/Fs04Bankss.pdf


► Peregoy, S. and Boyle, O. (2005). Reading, Writing and Learning in ESL: A Resource Book for K-12 Teachers. Boston: Pearson Education Inc.


► Vygotsky L.S., (1978) Mind in Society. The Development of Higher Psychological Processes.


► Hill Jane D. and Björk Cynthia L. , Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners Facilitator's Guide


► http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108052/chapters/The-Stages-of-Second-Language-Acquisition.aspx


► Stages of Second Language Acquisition


► http://www.academicesl.com/docs/09-2Stages_of_Second_Language_Acquisition-Chart.pdf


► Echevarria, J. V. (2004). Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Mode. 3rd ed. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon.


► ***All of the graphics and images are retrieved from Google search engine clip arts. The purpose of this presentation is just educational and no other is intended.

and finally it is here.....

Interview with the students and the teachers at Pimmit Center

Adult Community Education

Winter 2011

Assessment

Assessments have always been one of the most worrisome parts of learning a course or a class. I have always been scared of taking tests and quizzes. Most of the time we had to give standardized tests at school, oral reports for part of a chapter of a book, or just pop quizzes at the beginning or end of the class time. Other forms were Open-book tests or End of unit tests. We also had science experiments, writing folders, math puzzles, and just recently, portfolios. At times, we also had to debate certain topics in groups in class.

I have also given assessments to my ESL students. Standardized tests, pop quizzes, writing tests, multiple choice quizzes, grammar tests, debates, open-book tests, oral reports, lectures, and projects.

As an ESL student and teacher, I have experienced many of these assessments in different settings.

Traditional Assessment Practices - Traditional, criterion-based multiple choice tests do not measure higher-order thinking nor do they measure a student's progress. These are not effective practices to assess the diverse learners in our classrooms today (especially with the number of ELLs and Special Needs students increasing.)

Alternative Assessment Practices - Alternative assessment is synonymous with authentic assessment and performance-based assessment. These types of assessments ask a student to generate a response rather than choose a response (matching/multiple choice.) Alternative assessment is aligned with both the curriculum, the instruction, and, in some cases, the authentic problem. Some examples include: rubrics, portfolios, electronic portfolios, projects, oral presentations, and essays.

The most effective ones to me as a student were group projects. They were more detailed and demanding but we also learned from each other. Nevertheless, there was less worry and thus the learning outcome was higher.

I have always tried to assess my students both individually and in a group. The collaboration among group members created a better learning environment and less tension.

Recently, I also took some courses where there was no assessment. There was no assessment of the sort that used to worry me. Surprisingly, everyone studied harder and paid more attention to learning in class. There were no pop quizzes, tests, or lectures, but there were authentic problems. The instructor used to introduce the objectives of the lesson in the form of an authentic problem and we had to solve that problem. The class included all kinds of assessments, but there was no label of “testing.”

The multiple intelligences and different learning styles of Howard Gardner have a very important effect on whether an assessment can be effective or useless. I have had students who demanded tests, because then they forced themselves to study. On the other hand, there were some who expected a more engaged and interactive class with art collections or Science experiments and projects as their assessments. To all of these students, standardized tests have always been a beast.

I also remember,when my teachers prepared us for the big test, we were more prepared and we would have a better result. But sometimes, this ended up with just studying for the test and not the real content learning. “Adequate test preparation significantly improves student attitudes toward test taking.” (Chittooran and Miles 2001)

Other forms of assessments are:

Informal Assessment:

▪ On-the-spot, ongoing opportunities to determine the extent of students’ learning.

▪ Teacher observations, anecdotal reports, informal conversations with students, and quick-writes.

Authentic Assessment:

▪ Application to real life—real life contexts

▪ Multidimensional—ex: students’ writing, taped pieces, interviews, videotapes, observations, projects, discussion, performances, group responses.

▪ Includes multiple indicators to show competency of content objective. Use of a rubric defines the level of learning and is shared with students and parents.

A teacher AND a learner

Specific methods I have experienced as a teacher or a learner

Having been a second language learner myself, I was taught partly by the traditional approach Grammar Translation Method and partly by Direct Method and Audio lingual. I remember I liked audio lingual because I could hear native speakers on the conversations and it felt very real. The grammar translation, I never liked it because it was simply boring and I could not connect it to any of our daily conversations. I also liked the drills and the repetition especially when the teacher would add real examples of daily life sentences that had a connection to each student.

I did learn a lot from all the methodologies I grew up with. For one thing, I always try to connect the content lesson with my students' personal lives. Surprisingly, when they see the connection, they feel it, they pay attention, they participate and they'll get engaged in learning. Lessons with no relevance to students will make no connection and thus we will lose our students right in front of us.

I would know if my method and approach working, when I see my students are learning. If I see engagement in class, full participation, asking and answering questions, follow up, formative and summative good grades; thus, I will know that my approach is working. If I see my students are collaborating with each other, they care about each other's learning, they search for information and use that information, If I see they are knowledgeable about their subjects and are literate, then for sure I know my methods are working. I do need to update myself with new approaches and methods in teaching languages as well. For this, I have also taken courses in Integration of Technology into Schools (ITS) at GMU and am working toward enriching my classes with tools that maximize students' learning. I will also need the support and mentoring of peer teachers and collaboration with other schools to see what is working for students in the 21 st century. We not only need to update ourselves and seek support from our co-workers but also need to be in continuous contact with parents to get to know their kids better and help them with their education.

Classroom Management and Design

As the 19th century American philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson quoted “If you only learn methods you will be tied to them, but if you learn principles you can devise your own methods.” One way and I believe the best way to provide accountability for what I know and am able to do as a teacher for classroom management plan is addressing Organization, Discipline, Instruction, and Motivation in all classrooms.


The main issue in a classroom management is students’ engagement throughout the lesson. Repeated research has validated that active student participation and engagement with each other are vital for effective learning and promoting improved retention of information and vocabulary. Teacher lecture will only result in a 5% retention level, reading a 10% level. Practice by doing can result in a 75% retention level and students who teach material to each other will retain 90% (PWC). Classroom management consists of three critical factors of consistent discipline, quality instruction (assessment) and effective motivation. Consistent discipline and quality instruction go hand in hand. Good classroom management provides the structure and expectations for effective lesson delivery. Good assessment drives lesson plan and quality lesson plan promotes student engagement which ultimately will reduce time spent on CM. These all must function together. Self-assessment is a valuable commodity for any teacher – when beginning the profession. It takes skill and practice to build a firm foundation. The more a teacher spends time in effective application of these key factors, the less time is needed in classroom management and thus maximizing actual teaching time.


Organization:
• Organize a safe environment for learning
• Create an effective harmonious classroom by using various instruments.
• Know the academic, social and cultural backgrounds of their ESL students
• Use proper body language and word selection especially with ESL students and their diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Acquire plenty of information about students including family backgrounds, countries of origin and levels of education.
• Pay close attention to the federal mandates of students IEP’s.
• Accommodate special necessities for special education and also ESL students.
• Plan ahead, be consistent and be proactive. Prevent, earn respect and limit unexpected surprises.
• Set the physical learning environment according to different levels and grades to maximize learning, motivation and students’ interaction.
• Do not preach or lecture. Facilitate learning and engage students


Discipline:
• Manage your classroom with Day One.
• Show no fear
• Be ready to offer information about yourself in a professional and exemplary way.
• Get to know students from the very beginning.
• Integrate interactive instruction with communicative skills that include discipline strategies.
• Obtain discipline through proximity and non-verbal communication
• Make a clear distinction between the “helpless hand raiser” and the student who requires help
• Take the time to help the dysfunctional student in classroom by achieving a realistic and mutually satisfying conclusion for both you and the student.

Instruction:
• Make meaningful instruction and engage students all the way through the lesson.
• Relate the lesson with students’ lives. Teach and make it fun and watch students learning on the run.
• Have both the agenda and syllabus ready. Distribute an approved course syllabus and guide students for note taking through the agenda.
• Incorporate instructing strategies into one’s teaching profession.
• Observe students use of language in other contexts.
• Do not water the instruction down. Instead differentiate and scaffold learning.
• Use pre-planned handouts, guided instruction, visual and graphics, simplify language and use realia for students of lower grades. Make learning more precise and comprehensible
• Scaffold by means of comprehensible input, modeling, visuals, supplemental materials and pairing with selected students ( in case of special or ESL presence)
• Create cooperative learning for IEP and ESL students as well as understanding heart
• Generally remove scaffolding when students reach learning goals.
• Employ collaborative problem solving with a student displaying helpless behavior
• Give repetitive modeled SOLs and WIDA tests to students to prepare them for the real high stakes tests and provides them with more language proficiency.
• Recognize and assess if your instruction is in lieu with other elements of teaching.
• Offer help and model learning yourself
• Teach partner teaching, engage student pair work in teaching each other
• Instruct along with continuous feedback both for yourself and students.
• Be ready for change and try out new strategies in teaching
• Seek feedback and do not be self- critical

Motivation:
• Take extra time to encourage or seek alternatives to make subject matter more comprehensible
• Maintains a wonderful balance of structure and flexibility as well as a great incentive system
• Foster a culture of success and promote diligence.
• Create a safe environment, active learning and high expectations to encourage success.
• Apply proactive incentives in any classroom or subject area.
• Develop intrinsic motivation and a love of learning in all students.
• Instill confidence and inspire potential
• Promote cooperative learning
• Create a culture of success
 
Cited works

Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners..

Cushman, K. (2003). Fires in the Bathroom. New York: The New Press. (Middle School)

Greene, R. (2008). Lost at School.

Jones. (2007). Tools for Teaching. Santa Cruz: Frederick H. Jones & Assoc. .

Vogt. Short, D. (2008). Making Content Comprehensive for English Learners. Pearson Education Inc.

Prince William County Public Schools Website: http://pwcs.schoolfusion.us/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=102442&sessionid=ee4cd95828fa8b0bda2de1fcee11106b

Goal-Setting Policy for Virginia Adult Education and Literacy Programs, Policy 3.1

If only Designers knew of Learning Styles... !!!

Human beings have many different ways to learn and process information or intelligences. Gardner suggests that each individual manifests varying levels of different intelligence, and thus each person has refined skills in subsequent years. Dr. Howard Gardner of Harvard University developed the theory of multiple intelligences in 1983. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence is much too limited. In 1999, Gardner lists eight intelligences as linguistic, logic- mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily, kinesthetic, naturalist, and interpersonal and intra personal.

Learners tend to have a dominant intelligence. All people have all intelligences, but in varying amounts. Understanding one’s dominant intelligence can help identify learning styles that work best. This even works best with ESOL learners or ELL students.

1. VISUAL-SPATIAL intelligence: the ability to "think in pictures," to perceive the visual world accurately, and recreate (or alter) it in the mind or on paper. Spatial intelligence is highly developed in artists, architects, designers and sculptors.

2. VERBAL-LINGUISTIC intelligence: sensitivity to the meaning and order of words.

3. LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL intelligence: ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems.

4. BODILY-KINESTHETIC intelligence: the ability to use one's body in a skilled way, for self-expression or toward a goal. Mimes, dancers, basketball players, and actors are among those who display bodily-kinesthetic intelligence.

5. MUSICAL intelligence: the ability to understand and create music. Musicians, composers and dancers show a heightened musical intelligence.


6. INTRAPERSONAL intelligence: an understanding of one's own emotions. Some novelists and or counselors use their own experience to guide others

7. INTERPERSONAL intelligence: an ability to perceive and understand other individuals -- their moods, desires, and motivations. Political and religious leaders, skilled parents and teachers, and therapists use this intelligence.

8. NATURALIST intelligence is the ability to perceive the natural world.

9. EXISTENTIAL is the new one, I found, which is an intelligence on deep questioning of the world and being.

These intelligences are located in different areas of the brain and can either work independently or together, can be nurtured and strengthened, or ignored and weakened.


Sources:

Armstrong, T. (2011) Multiple intelligences. Retrieved from http://thomasarmstrong.com/multiple_intelligences.htm

Gardner, H. (2011). Multiple intelligences, Howard Gardner. Retrieved from http://howardgardner.com/MI/mi.html

Digital Video

In video, a non-linear editing system (NLE) is a video editing (NLVE) or audio editing (NLAE) system which can perform random access on the source material. It is named in contrast to 20th century methods of linear tape and film editing. 

I wish I had told this very simple differentiation between video and digital video to my students before they started recording their Final Day Project Interview Video. When they asked me what's the difference between the two, I did explain everything but the notion of Linear and non-linear! ok, I forgot.

It is very important to know the difference between the two. I think the day is gone, where we used to record videos and publish them on cds or just watch them from our TVs and load the cassessts! of video in our shelves. Nowadays everyone is looking for a way to record their memories online, so they can always have access.

With Digital Video, and a simple program like Windows Movie Maker, all those dusty piled up pictures and the ribbons of movie can easily be published online, with no dust! What's more friends and relatives all over the world can see them as well. If you want to cut some pieces because you didn't look good on that piece, it's just a piece of cake! Just keep the best part and decorate it with some background music, effects or transtions and voila!