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English Language Learners

Zone of Proximal Development

• level just far enough beyond student's linguistic and conceptual understanding
• requires students to stretch their skills
• ever-expanding through instruction and social interaction
• this is where learning of language takes place

Principles of Language Acquisition

• comprehensible input - ELL need to hear comprehensible language all day long
• contextualized instruction - context & clues makes language comprehensible
• low-anxiety environment - Feeling safe = OK to make mistakes and take risks
• meaningful engagement - students need to use language with others for authentic purposes

Comprehensible Input:

• make your speech comprehensible
• make new information comprehensible
• make text comprehensible
• make directions for assignments comprehensible

"Oh Bill, I missed you!" she cried.

Stop. Visualize the scene. Ready?

Then she aimed and fired again. (Pritchard, 2004)

Contextualized Instruction:

How do we prepare students for cognitively-demanding, context-reduced tasks?

The answer lies in Quadrant B. This is what good instruction for ELLs is - cognitively demanding academic content with lots of supports.

Low-anxiety environment

• All attempts to participate are encouraged, accepted, and celebrated
• enough stress to push performance

Meaningful Engagement:

What is the purpose of language?

• communication
• exchange information
• express opinion
• solve a problem

Content Area Teachers

• explain vocabulary in words known to students
• use pictures, tables, maps
• textbooks/books on tape
• readability is key: supplementary books at easier level check; readability of textbooks, etc.
• build background knowledge: pictures, vocabulary, etc. --> Frontloading
• use diagrams, drawings, Thinking Maps to identify concepts and relationships
• use visuals to show information
• use shorter and less complex sentences
• de-emphasize speed and emphasize accuracy of work
• integrate all communication skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) in discussing concepts and ideas
• assign short homework tasks that require reading
• show learning through digital/audio format
• hold ALL students to the same standards

Making Content Comprehensible

Content Area Teachers

• Making meaning from text - What strategies do you use to make meaning?
• Modeling - What are different ways you can model for your students?
• Bridging - What can you say, or have your ELLs do, to make connections to their personal experience? Think of the different cultures they come from and the background experiences they bring. Or connect with their prior learning
• Contextualization - How can you create a context to help make the new learning more concrete?
• Schema-building - What can you do to help students see where or how the new ideas fit into "the scheme of things?"
• Metacognition - What can you have students do that requires them to plan, monitor, and think about their learning? How do you model your own metacognition with students?
• Text re-presentation - What can you have students do to extend and apply their learning?

Making Content Comprehensible:

Scaffolding - reintroduce/spiral concepts at higher levels of complexity

Modeling - small group instruction, differentiation

Bridging - make connections, link new information to prior

knowledge; ask to summarize or paraphrase

Contextualization - manipulatives, video clips, analogies

Schema-building - graphic organizers, Thinking Maps

Metacognition - thinking about your thinking

Text re-presentation - application of learning. Students demonstrate

their understanding by doing something new with text

FOR EVERY LESSON, ASK YOURSELF: WHAT LANGUAGE DO STUDENTS NEED

TO DO THIS WORK (BOTH CONTENT AND SUPPORT LANGUAGE)?

1. Believe in your students

2. Know your students.

3. Know your text.

4. Maintain clear purpose for the lesson

5. Connect learning across the day.

6. Use, teach, reinforce academic language (not just vocabulary;

but also accuracy in grammar and usage, variety of registers for

different audiences, etc.)

7. Structure lessons to include multiple opportunities for

student-to-student interactions (to develop comprehensible output).

8. Provide strong environmental supports.

9. Build background knowledge.

10. Expect students to take responsibility for their learning.

Thank you

for listening!

Questions?