What’s the “knowledge base” for the education of ELLs?

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What’s the “knowledge base” for the education of ELLs?

Educ 388

Language Policies and Practices

Jan. 17, 2008

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Labels come and go….• Bilingual students• ESL (English as a second language) students• NES/LES (non/limited English speaking)

students• LEP (limited English proficient) students• ELL (English language learners) students…. All refer to students who are not proficient in

English and come from non- or limited-English speaking homes.

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Labels come and go….• Bilingual students• ESL (English as a second language) students• NES/LES (non/limited English speaking) students• LEP (limited English proficient) students• ELL (English language learners) students…. All refer to students who are not proficient in English and

come from non- or limited-English speaking homes.

Labels change but the challenges remain… and are growing

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QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

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QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

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You are a Medieval English Language Learner (MELL)

Your assignment: Translate the Prologue excerpt from Canterbury

Tales. (handout p. 1)

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Use the dictionary if you have to.(handout pp. 2-3)

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Think-Pair-Share

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Think-Pair-Share

• Think (& jot down): What part(s) of the passage could you understand/not understand? Did the dictionary help?

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Think-Pair-Share

• Pair: Discuss answers with someone next to you.

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• Share: I’ll ask some of the pairs to share out: What could you understand, and not? Did the dictionary help?

Think-Pair-Share

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This is the situation faced by millions of children every day:

They understand little or only some of what’s going on in the

classroom.

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Our goal is to (try to) help them understand it all.

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Why is this hard to do?

• ELLs must learn content as they learn the language (if they are in all-English instruction)

• Our “knowledge base” for instructing ELLs (=what works) is limited.

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Why is this hard to do?

• ELLs must learn content as they learn the language (if they are in all-English instruction)

• Our “knowledge base” for instructing ELLs (=what works) is limited.

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T-P-S: Knowledge about teaching ELLs

• Think (& jot down): How do we “know” what to do to help ELs? Where does that knowledge come from?

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• Pair: Decide on 1-2 best sources.

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• Pair: Decide on 1-2 best sources.

• Share…..

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Knowledge from published research …..

• Studies that collect data to make judgments about particular practices

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• Experiments are often a good way to determine “what works,” but it’s not the only way; in any case……

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• Experiments are often a good way to determine “what works,” but it’s not the only way; in any case……

• Research-based knowledge is inadequate--relatively little we can say with certainty.

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So what do we know from the research?

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1. Primary language instruction promotes second language achievement (esp. in reading)

2. What is effective instruction “in general,” generally works for ELLs, but …

3. ELLs need added support due to language limitations (“just good teaching?”)

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1. Primary language instruction (“bilingual education”) promotes second language achievement (esp. in reading)

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Primary language instruction promotes second language achievement

• Approx. 25 experiments in past 35 yrs• 5 syntheses of these studies (“meta-analyses”)

• Consensus is that PL instruction is effective (evidence is strongest for reading)

• Effects are positive but modest• Long-term PL better than short-term?• Quality of instruction, consistency of

program very important

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Why primary language instruction?

Research has shown that teaching students to read in their primary language improves their reading

achievement in English.

Why do you think that is?(discuss in groups; see handout p. 4)

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Why primary language (L1) instruction?

• Ease of learning in L1 vs. L2

• Difficulty of simultaneously learning and acquiring academic skills in L2

• More effective to learn L2 while acquiring and developing academic skills in L1

• Transfer from L1 to L2

• Learn academic skills in L2 as proficiency in L2 increases

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Primary language instruction models (see handout p. 5, “The lingo”)

• Transitional bilingual education (TBE)– Early (1-2 yrs) & Late (3-4 yrs) exit

• Developmental bilingual education (DBE; or “maintenance”)• Two-way immersion (“dual language”)

– 50-50 and 90-10 models

Contrast with “English-only” models:• Mainstream placement (“submersion”) *might be illegal*• Sheltered English• English as a second language (ESL)

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2. What is effective instruction “in general” generally works for ELLs(, but …)

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What is effective instruction “in general” generally works for ELLs

• “Basic” teaching functions (clear objectives, modeling, well-structured activities, active learning, practice, level of difficulty, etc.)

• Building blocks of literacy are the same, e.g., phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing

• What you learn in other courses are the foundation for what you do with ELLs

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3. ELLs need added support due to language limitations (“just good teaching?”)

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Instructional supports for ELLs have different labels…

(see handout p. 5, “The lingo”)

• “Sheltered instruction” (see SIOP)

• SDAIE (Specially designed academic instruction in English)

• “ESL techniques”

(see handout p. 6, “Sheltered” strategies)

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… but have the same basic idea:

Make content comprehensible to students who must

SIMULTANEOUSLY learn English while learning

academic content in English.

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Which sheltered strategies work? Or are best?

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Which sheltered strategies work? Or are best?

We don’t really know.

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But 2 of the best resources are ….

• Building Academic Language by Jeff Zwiers

and

• Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model by Jana Echevarría et al.

Documents

What’s the “knowledge base” for the education of ELLs?