Mainstream Teachers of English Language Learners Training

Briana BoodryTamara Hepler

Lindsey SchubertLaura Sowinski

Welcome!!

Questions to be Answered at the End of the Training

1. Why does it benefit your whole class for your ELLs to have success?

2. How can these strategies help all students to feel successful?

3. What do you plan to do differently?

Section 1 of Training

• ELL Background Information

Who are ELL Students?

• Extremely diverse group – many different needs!

• ELLs constitute the fastest growing segment of the school-age population

• Most are born in the US

• Many varying levels of education

Most ELL Students today are 2nd Generation Immigrants

Most ELL students are Latino/Hispanic

Nearly 54 % of all ELL youths born outside the United States are from Mexico

ELL Students in Wisconsin

• 43,659 in 2006-2007 school year• two most common languages: Hmong & Spanish• 80 other languages • It is estimated that by the year 2030:

– the African-American population will grow by 68%– the Asian-American population by 79%– the Hispanic-American population by 197%. [National Education Association May 2000]

Wisconsin’s ELL Population grew 51-100% between 1995-2005

Waunakee’s English Language Learner Population

• In March 2004, the Waunakee school district reported a total of 18 ELL students K-12 to the DPI.

• In fall 2008, there were approximately 61 ELL students K-12.

Waunakee’s English Language Learner Population

• The majority of our students are Spanish speakers• But, we also have students whose first languages are:Hmong Oriya Khmer MandinkaLao ArabicAlbanian AmharicRussianPolishChineseJapaneseAmerican Sign LanguageAfrikaansUkrainian

Trends in ELL

• There are roughly 5.1 million English-language learners nationwide

• The number of ELLs nationwide rose about 57% from 3.2 to 5.1 million from 1995-2005 according to the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition.

By 2010 the ELL Population is Predicted to grow to 13.3 Million

Challenges Facing ELL Students• Learning and using academic language with

confidence • Reluctance to use English in class • Need for classroom support to succeed - Sink or

swim won’t work• ELLs are held to the same reading and math

proficiency targets as native English-speakers• There were significant achievement gaps between

ELL and non-ELL students on the 2006-2007 national math and reading assessment in Wisconsin (math = 24.7%, reading = 23.6%)

Challenges Facing Mainstream Teachers

• Many teachers are not prepared to work with ELLs in their classroom

• Mainstream teachers need more support and strategies to better serve the ELL population

• Accountability decisions are based on the goal that 100% of all students-including ELLs-be academically proficient by the end of 2013-2014 school year.

Factors Factors that may that may

affect affect student student learninglearning

(Page 11)(Page 11)English Language LearnerEnglish Language Learner

The Learning EnvironmentThe Learning Environment

Teacher

School/Community

Class Program

The ESL Program

Other Students

BackgroundBackground

Skills in 1st Language

Geography

Culture

Family Situation

Personality

Family Income and Education

Cultural Differences

• Differences in language and culture can affect students' classroom behavior, participation, understanding, and interaction.

Cultural differences can affect classroom behavior

• Students from other cultures can have different views of how to be a student or to "do schooling."

Cultural differences can affect students' understanding of

content

• New knowledge is built on the basis of what is already known by an individual or background knowledge.

• Often, school texts assume a common experience that, in fact, is not shared by all students.

Cultural differences can affect interactions with others

• Culturally different ways of showing interest, respect, and appreciation can be misinterpreted.

Cultural Quiz

• You will be presented with several cultural scenarios that could happen with ELL students you come into contact with. Take time to read the scenarios and try to come up with a logical explanations.

Scenario #1

• Ming is a smiling 3rd grader from China. She seems well-mannered and eager to please. However, when you speak to her she refuses to look at you.

• In many cultures it is considered rude to look directly at an adult or a person considered of a higher status. This is so instilled in some students that they find it very difficult to learn to maintain eye contact.

Scenario #2

• Haitian brothers Jean-Baptiste and Jean-Pierre are in middle school and they are often late for school. They are also each absent about once a week but on different days.

• They may be staying home on different days of the week to baby-sit for a younger sibling who does not yet attend school. They may be late because they have family obligations to help parents who are working.

Scenario #3

• You have a Puerto Rican student in the 9th grade who speaks English fluently. She participates orally in your classroom and socializes well with her peers. She even translates for other students. However, she is doing very poorly in her content area schoolwork.

• This student has acquired BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills) but has not yet acquired CALP (Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency) needed to learn in content areas. Many of our ELLs are exiting ESL programs at the BIC level. We need to work on CALP before these students are exited. Good BIC skills can fool mainstream teachers regarding the students language capabilities.

Scenario #4• During a parent conference

you tell the parents of your Algerian ESL student that their child is having difficulty in learning English. You suggest that they only speak English in their home. The parents look confused. When you relay this conversation to the ESL teacher in your school, she disagrees with your decision.

• It is better for parents to speak a rich native language than fragmented English. Remember that any concept taught in native language will eventually translate to English. It isn’t appropriate to tell parents to speak only English in their home.

Language Experience

Section 2 of Training

• Strategies that Help ELL Students Succeed Academically

BICS

CALP

Second Language Development

Basic Interpersonal Communication SkillsEveryday/“social” languageNot related to academic achievementAttained after 1-3 years in host country

Cognitive/Academic Language ProficiencyClassroom/“textbook” languageNeeded to function in academic settingsRequires high level of reading and writingAttained between 4-7 years in host country

Lesson Planning

Academic vs. Content

Vocabulary

Lesson Planning

• All lessons include language

• We are here to help!

• SIOP can help!

YOU are the best person to teach your students YOUR content…

…but WE are here to help!

SIOP – a Crash Course

SIOP = Sheltered Instruction Observation

Protocol

Class Presentation

• General Principles for Teaching ELLs

• Strategies

• Co-Teaching with the ELL teacher or other specialist

General Principles for Teaching ELLs

• Increase Comprehensibility

• Increase Interaction

• Increase Thinking/Study Skills

• Use a Student’s Native Language to Increase Comprehensibility

Strategies

• Realia• Fishbowl• Role Modeling with an English speaking peer• 1 Sentence Summary• Framed Paragraph• Think Pair Share• Dyad• Color Coding• 4 Corners• Jigsaw• Gallery Walk

Co-Teaching

• Lead and Support Model• Speak and Add/Chart Model• Skills Group Model• Station Teaching Model• Learning Style Model• Parallel Teaching Model• Adapting Model• Complementary Instruction Model• Duet Model

Common Co-Teaching Mistakes

• “Bathroom Stall” Planning – planning on the fly• “Leaving on a Jet Plane” – failure to debrief and

reflect on the lesson• “Tightening the Corset” – lack of flexibility; need

to feel control• “Too Many Cooks Syndrome” – role confusion

(who should do what)• “Can You Hear Me Now?” – need for

communication and clarity

Guidelines for Successful Co-Teaching

• Have at least one 45 minute chunk of time to plan together

• Co-teach with NO MORE than 4 teachers (one is best, aim for 3)

• Load classes with similar needs

Homework Issues and English Language Learners

• In general, ELLs have to work harder to complete a piece of homework than native speakers doing the same assignment.

• Time spent on homework should be time spent profitably.

• ELLs experience greater success when class-work and homework are modified to fit their capabilities.

Why do ELLs Struggle with Homework

•Language Issues

•Culture Shock

•Family

•Economic

•Culture

Homework Modification Strategies

• Presentation

• Worksheets

• Time/ Redo/ Amount

• Tasks

• Collaboration/Exceptions

Homework Collaboration Teaching Activity

• You will divide into groups• Each group will have a different category

of homework modification strategies• Take sometime to read through and

choose the most important point(s)• Present the most important point(s) to the

group• You can be creative – role play, drawing,

direct presentation, etc..

Homework Collaboration Teaching Activity

• You will divide into groups• Each group will have a different category

of homework modification strategies• Take sometime to read through and

choose the most important point(s)• Present the most important point(s) to the

group• You can be creative – role play, drawing,

direct presentation, etc..

Assessment

Projects/Assessment

Tasks

Activities

Questions

The GOOD news!

You already planned your assessment when you planned

your lesson!

Some thoughts on assessment…

A test doesn’t tell you if a student is succeeding in

your class…

“Education is all a matter of building bridges…”

-Ralph Ellison

“…and not creating roadblocks…”

-anonymous

What is the logic behind assessing students on

whether they can successfully complete a task you haven’t taught

them?

Assessment should not be a surprise!

Break Time!!

Section 3 of Training

• ELL Program Overview

Federal LawsYear Law Description1964 Civil Rights Act

Title VI “No person in the U.S. shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin … be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance”.

1974 Equal Education Opportunities Act (EEOA)

“No state shall deny equal educational opportunity by . . . the failure of an educational agency to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by its students in its instructional programs.”

2001 No Child Left Behind Act, Title I and Title III

Title I and Title III ensure that the educational needs of limited English proficient children are met and ensure that students who are limited English proficient, Native American and/or immigrants, attain English language proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same challenging State academic standards that all children are expected to meet. It also requires that ELLs be assessed on their English language abilities annually.

Court CasesYear Law Description1973 Lau v. Nichols The U. S. Supreme Court’s decision states that if

English is the mainstream language of instruction, then measures have to be taken to ensure that English is taught to students who do not speak English or are limited English proficient in order to provide equal access to educational opportunities. (Identical education does not constitute equal education if the students are not learning.)

1981 Castañeda v. Pickard

5th District Court of Appeals (Texas) mandated that English Language Learners receive special help. School districts need to take “appropriate action” for these students. This includes:

Pedagogically sound plan for ELLs

Qualified staff for instruction

Effective implementation of the program

An evaluation process for the program.

1982 Plyler vs. Doe

(457 U.S. 202) The Supreme Court ruled that schools were prohibited from denying immigrant students access to a public education.

Undocumented children have the same right to a free public education as U.S. citizens and permanent residents, and are obligated to attend school until they reach the age mandated by state law.

Wisconsin LawYear Law Description1964 The Wisconsin

Bilingual-Bicultural Statute (s. 115.95, Wis. Stats. and PI 13)

If any school, within a school district in Wisconsin, has a trigger number of English Language learners who speak the same language, the district must design a program and prepare a formal plan of services (PI-1849) to meet the needs of these students. The statute requires all such programs to be staffed by licensed bilingual teachers. When bilingual licensed teachers are not available, ESL licensed teachers may be used with bilingual teacher aides except in programs serving Spanish speakers.

•10 students at grades K-3, •20 students at grades 4-8•20 students at grades 9-12

ELL Overview

• Entry/exit criteria

• ACCESS testing

• WIDA standards

• Resources available (handouts, books to check out, US !)

• Websites

ESL Program Overview

Testing Support

English language development support

ELL Pullout/ ELL Class

Classroom teacher support/ Modifications

Monitoring for Successful Academic Progress

Staff Development

Section 4 of Training

• Modifications

Modification

• Group according to grade clusters

• Review Modification Examples (analyze, evaluate, suggest)

• Modify your own material that you brought along

Let’s GO!