Working with ELL students

First thing that comes to mind..

0When you think of an ELL student what do you picture in your mind?

0Where does this student come from?0What does this student need?0What can you offer?0What can this student offer to you?

Tell me more about your students…

0Where do they come from?

0Why are they in your county?

0What can you tell me about their background?

0What do you feel you need help with to better serve these students?

ENGLISH!ENGLISH!ENGLISH!

0Everyone agrees that we would like our ELL students to master English.

0How hard is that?

0How long does it take for someone to master a new language?

Just how long does it take?

A key finding of the research by the University of Calgary team found that students who take foreign language classes at school are unlikely to receive sufficient exposure to the language to gain deep fluency:

0 “Learning a second language for 95 hours per year for six years will not lead to functional bilingualism and fluency in the second language. Expectations must be realistic.” (Archibald et al., 2007, p. 3)

Just how long does it take?

Language learning in terms of hours – Apply the “10,000-hour rule”

Though the researchers don’t say how they arrived at the number of 95 hours per year, we can figure it out. Let’s look:0 4 hours per week of language classes x 12 weeks per

semester x 2 semesters per school year0 = 96 hours per year.

If a student begins learning a language in grade six and continues on through to high school completion in grade 12, that constitutes 6 years of language learning.

Taking a Break from that thought

0What kinds of words do we learn faster when we are studying a language?

0What takes us longer?

Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)

The commonly used acronym BICS describes social, conversational language used for oral communication.  Also described as social language, this type of communication offers many cues to the listener and is context-embedded language.  Usually it takes about two years for students from different linguistic backgrounds to comprehend context-embedded social language readily.  English Language Learners can comprehend social language by:0 observing speakers’ non-verbal behavior (gestures, facial

expressions and eye actions);0 observing others’ reactions;0 using voice cues such as phrasing, intonations, and stress;0 observing pictures, concrete objects, and other contextual cues

which are present; and0 asking for statements to be repeated, and/or clarified.

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)

0 CALP is the context-reduced language of the academic classroom.  It takes five to seven years for English Language Learners to become proficient in the language of the classroom because:

0 non-verbal clues are absent;0 there is less face-to-face interaction;0 academic language is often abstract;0 literacy demands are high (narrative and expository text and textbooks are

written beyond the language proficiency of the students); and0 cultural/linguistic knowledge is often needed to comprehend fully.0 Language proficiency alone will not determine when English Language

Learners are  prepared to use their second language (L2) to learn with their grade level monolingual English-speaking peers.  Previous schooling, academic knowledge, and literacy skills that second language learners have in their first language (L1) are also strong determiners (Cummins, 1984, Baker, 1993 ). 

Thinking more about CALPS0 Regardless of the language in which a person is operating, the thoughts that accompany

talking, reading, writing, and listening come from the same central engine.  When a person owns two or more languages, there is one integrated source of thought.

0 Bilingualism and multilingualism are possible because people have the capacity to store two or more languages.  People can function in two or more languages with relative ease.

0 Information processing skills and educational attainment may be developed through two languages as well as through one language.  Cognitive functioning and school achievement may be fed through one monolingual channel or equally successfully through two well developed language channels.  Both channels feed the same central processor.

0 The language the child is using in the classroom needs to be sufficiently well developed to be able to process the cognitive challenges of the classroom.

0 Speaking, listening, reading or writing in the first or the second language helps the whole cognitive system to develop.  However, if children are made to operate in an insufficiently developed second language, the system will not function well.  If children are made to operate in the classroom in a poorly developed second language, the quality and quantity of what they learn from complex materials and produce in oral and written form may be relatively weak.

Just how long does it take?

0 96 hours per year for 6 years = 576 hours of language instruction0 In his book, Outliers, author Malcom Gladwell highlights a study

originally published in the Harvard Business review by Ericsson et al. The general premise has become known as the “10,000 hours to become an expert rule”. In the book Gladwell explains the research behind the notion that true expertise is achieved after an individual has invested 10,000 hours in learning or practicing a skill. This may be a sport, a musical instrument or the study of something.

0 There are many ways to define “fluency”.0 If, for the sake of argument, we consider fluency to be the same

as being an “expert” in speaking a language, then a learner may well invest 10,000 hours in their language studies to attain fluency.

Just how long does it take?

0 Let’s look at some different scenarios:0 Scenario #1: One 3-hour adult education course per week

x 8 weeks = 24 hours0 Scenario #2: One year of language learning in school = 4

hours per week x 12 weeks x 2 semesters = 96 hours0 Scenario #3: 1 year of consistent, dedicated self-study (or

homework) at 1 hour per day = 365 hours0 Scenario #4: One year of total immersion in the new

language (Assuming that in a 24-hour day, we allow 8 hours for sleeping per day) = 16 hours per day x 365 days = 5840 hours

Just how long does it take?

0 If we use Gladwell’s of 10,000-hour rule,  here’s how long it would take to achieve “expert ability” in a foreign language:

0 Scenario #1 – Adult education classes – 416 courses of 24 hours per course. If you did 2 courses per year, you’d need 208 years to become fluent.

0 Scenario #2 – Foreign language studies at school – 96 hours of classes per year = 104 years to achieve fluency.

0 Scenario #3 – Dedicated self-study – An hour a day, every single day of the year = 365 hours per year = 27 years

0 Scenario #4 – Total immersion – Approximately 2 years

General Good Practices

0What strategies have you heard are effective with ELL students?

0Pictures0Give them a dictionary0Start with simple tasks0Make sure to modify

assignments0Pair them with a partner0Have them work in

groups0What else?

In Their Shoes

0We are going to do a simple activity that will use these various strategies.

0We want you to walk in your students shoes.

0Pictures0Give them a dictionary0Start with simple tasks0Make sure to modify

assignments0Pair them with a partner0Have them work in

groups0What else?

Forgetting English…

0 I am not going to SPEAK only Spanish.

0 I am going to forget my English and completely immerse you in a language experience.

0The only requirement is that you do all that I ask you to do and clearly follow instructions.

0Simple right???? Creo que si!

Camina en mis zapatos

0 Direcciones

0Quiero que escuchan un libro. 0Despues del libro quiero que me digan un poco de la

historia o proposito de la historia en tus propias palabras.

0Quiero que escriban las respuestas de las siguientes preguntas.

0Pueden trabajar en grupos de 2.

Contesta las siguientes preguntas en su papel en Espanol.

0Que paso en la historia?

0Donde paso la historia?

0Que queria ser el pequeno tortuga en el futuro?

0Porque quiere ser pirata?

Explica a la clase

0Quiero que pasen en frente de la clase y comparta sus respuestas de las preguntas en Español.

How was your experience?

General Good Practices

0So maybe ELL students need bit more than just these few things.

0Pictures0Give them a dictionary0Start with simple tasks0Make sure to modify

assignments0Pair them with a partner0Have them work in

groups0What else?

Fata Morgana- Mirage

0http://vimeo.com/channels/frodokuipers

0 Many educators and administrators find the world of providing instruction for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students to be mysterious and complicated when in fact there exists a simple mantra: good teaching is good teaching. But what exactly is meant by good teaching? Good teaching in all subject areas is employing basic techniques that assist all students in learning. Some of these techniques, such as paired and cooperative learning and hands-on instruction, are ways of differentiating instruction that help meet the needs of a variety of learners. There is no doubt that instructional delivery becomes more of a challenge when there are students whose native language is not English. And when ten or more languages and nationalities may be represented in the same classroom, the problem is compounded. Nevertheless, even with a minimum of instructional delivery modifications, English language learners (ELLs) can and will grow in their abilities to communicate in English.

Differentiating Instruction

0 It is important that teachers differentiate tasks, taking into consideration what educational philosopher John

Dewey suggested long ago: that we begin where the students are, not where we would like them to be.

Differentiating Instruction

0How can you modify assignments for ELL students?

Speak clearly and in standard English

0Teachers need to model academic English with clear pronunciation and diction. Teachers should also refrain from using slang.

Position yourself so that the ELL student can see your face when you are speaking.

0Language learners rely on both verbal and nonverbal cues. Therefore, beginning ELLs will want to watch your mouth when you speak since they are not only hearing the pronunciation but they are also watching the words as you form them with your lips. Also, speaking while facing away from the class can muffle your voice, for example if you are speaking toward the chalk board or wall. Additionally, novice ESL students rely not only on being able to see your mouth when you are speaking but also on watching your face for other nonverbal cues to meaning.

Assign a "buddy" to your ELL student.

0These buddies should be strong students who will help the ELL become inducted into the class and into the school. Initially, seat the ESL student next to the buddy so that the buddy can guide the student and answer questions at any point in the class in as unobtrusive a manner as possible.

0YOU NEED TO KNOW THE ABILITIES OF THE “Buddy”!

Learn and use the student’s name.

0Foreign names can be a challenge for teachers, but it is important to practice their pronunciation. Students tend to say their names quickly; ask them to repeat their name slowly, and tell them you want to learn how to say their name correctly. If you have not received any written information from the administration in the form of student files, ask the student to write his or her name for you. Do not give the student an English name to make it easier for you or the rest of the class to remember or to pronounce.

For middle school and high school students, ask the student what he or

she would like to be called.

0At the middle school and high school levels, some ESL students intentionally change their names to English names because they want to blend in with their American classmates. Honor their choices.

Be as visual as possible

0 It is good to say something in clear, concise English; it is even better to have a picture or visual to use while you are speaking that reinforces what you are saying. For example, if you are teaching a science unit on the water cycle, have as many pictures to visualize each part of the cycle as possible.

Comprehension precedes production.

0 Beginning ESL students understand more than they are able to produce orally. Look for other ways for students to demonstrate comprehension. If you are teaching the science concept of the water cycle, have the student put visuals in the correct sequence of the water cycle to demonstrate comprehension of the topic. Ability to verbalize will follow. Also, do not simply ask students "Do you understand?" to check for comprehension. They will almost always say "yes" to avoid embarrassment. Rather, ask students to demonstrate (if they are preverbal) or to repeat what they understood you to say.

If students can say it, they can write it.

0 In native language development, the normal progression of skills is first to say something and then to be able to read and write what one can say. Therefore, abundant oral practice needs to be made available to students in order to afford them the first steps of creating with language. The converse of this phenomenon is also true; if students are not able to produce an idea orally, they will probably not be able to write it. A corollary to this axiom is that students will usually write at the level at which they speak. Although there will be some students who will read and write at a higher level than their speaking ability, this tends not to be the norm. This notion becomes clearer when we think of the ability of our native-English-speaking students. It is usually true that our best writers and readers are those who have the highest level of spoken language.

Speaking louder does not aid in comprehension.

0Unless the student is hearing impaired, speaking louder does not aid in comprehension. Also, speaking in an exaggerated, slow fashion only embarrasses the ELL student and does not facilitate comprehension

Create certain predictable routines in your class.

0 For example, at the elementary school level, start each day with taking attendance, reading the lunch options out loud, and making announcements. If your cafeteria has dedicated lunch days, such as hot dogs on Mondays and hamburgers on Tuesdays, you may wish to have pictures of the meals for your novice ESL students. An example of a routine at the middle and high school levels would be to have homework assignments written in the same corner of the chalkboard each day. If assignments are listed on the Internet, a reminder on the chalkboard that you point to each day will help the ESL students incorporate this into their daily habits.

Learn as much as you can about the countries represented in

your class.

0 As often as possible, honor the diversity in your classroom. You can do this through reading assignments about a particular culture that the entire class reads, class discussions about cultural practices, or assignments where the students can speak or write about their heritages. Also, learning about the cultures represented in your classroom may explain some resistant behavior or behavioral problems. For example, in some countries, students are taught in single-sex classrooms by teachers of the same sex, so some boys have never had female teachers and some girls have never had male teachers.

Keep a student’s linguistic ability in mind when selecting reading & writing

assignments.

0 Learning to read is a major key to any student’s success. Research says that to remain academically competitive, a student should be able to read at grade level by the end of the second grade. Imagine, then, the challenges for LEP students who arrive in the United States in middle or high school. Those challenges are compounded if the students cannot read in their native language. The teacher must plan for differentiated instruction. For example, teachers can help beginning language learners read for key points or underline topic sentences. You can also provide students with essential core vocabulary words for the lesson. The number of words should be manageable so that the student does not become overwhelmed.

Reading Activity0 Read the following paragraph

0 “Tomar mucha leche podría no ayudar a tus huesos, según un estudio(CNNMéxico) — La idea de que el consumo de leche puede fortalecer tus huesos podría no ser cierta, e incluso, el abuso de este producto podría acelerar tu envejecimiento e incrementar la mortalidad, de acuerdo con un estudio publicado en el British Medical Journal.

Los investigadores analizaron los hábitos de consumo de productos lácteos de más de 100,000 personas en Suecia, durante periodos de tiempo que van de los 11 hasta los 20 años.

El estudio encontró una relación entre aquellos que consumían más de tres vasos de leche diarios y un incremento en la mortandad y fracturas. Mientras que aquellos que tuvieron consumos bajos o moderados presentaron una mejor salud y menos fracturas.”

Reading Activity0 What words do you understand?

0 “Tomar mucha leche podría no ayudar a tus huesos, según un estudio(CNNMéxico) — La idea de que el consumo de leche puede fortalecer tus huesos podría no ser cierta, e incluso, el abuso de este producto podría acelerar tu envejecimiento e incrementar la mortalidad, de acuerdo con un estudio publicado en el British Medical Journal.

Los investigadores analizaron los hábitos de consumo de productos lácteos de más de 100,000 personas en Suecia, durante periodos de tiempo que van de los 11 hasta los 20 años.

El estudio encontró una relación entre aquellos que consumían más de tres vasos de leche diarios y un incremento en la mortandad y fracturas. Mientras que aquellos que tuvieron consumos bajos o moderados presentaron una mejor salud y menos fracturas.”

Importance of Native Language

0http://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2014/10/15/conoce-a-la-mujer-camaleon-que-se-camufla-en-los-retratos-familiares-de-otras-personas/

0https://www.lensculture.com/articles/dita-pepe-self-portraits-with-men#slide-14

0How does native language help?

Translators

0Use them to help explain core concepts and then help with vocabulary development.

Language learning is a long process

What the levels mean?0 Pre-Production: Students start speaking whatever language that is spoken within

their home and interact with you and other children the best way they can.  After a while, they become aware that their speech is different and will try to learn what they can by listening to others.  During this period, they may not say or write much or anything.  This is the silent period.  Learning is taking place, but you may not see much evidence.

0 Early Production: Students begin talking and tend to use telegraphic speech, one- or two-word utterances to convey basic needs (e.g., bathroom, book, have pencil).

0 Speech Emergence: Students begin to use formulaic speech, or stock phrases that serve a somewhat wider range of purposes than telegraphic speech.  With enough stock phrases, children can appear to be quite proficient.

0 Intermediate Fluency: Students demonstrate intermediate fluency (see BICS below).

0 Native Fluency:  At this point, students demonstrate language with proper grammatical and syntactical dimensions (see CALPS below).

Simplifying Language

0The ruby colored bird perched close to my right on a branch. I sat and enjoyed the wonderful melodic song he sang. I began to notice an orchestra of natural sounds around me. I sat and contemplated the beauty of nature and soaked it all in. I marveled that I had not noticed these wonderful sounds before.

How can we simplify this information?

Sample Resource

0 It is important to have realistic expectations.0These help you think about how you can make

modifications.

Contact informationJessica Castaneda

TOPS Program Coordinator931-668-4139

migranted@blomand.netwww.tnopportunityprograms.org