50 strategies: section i
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50 Strategies: Section I. Dr. Megan J. Scranton Neumann University. Theoretical Overview. By 2030: More than 50% of school-age (K – 12) population in U.S. will be ELLs Vital for teachers to understand language acquisition research so they can provide scaffolding for students - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
50 Strategies: Section I
Dr. Megan J. Scranton
Neumann University
Theoretical Overview By 2030: More than 50% of school-age (K – 12)
population in U.S. will be ELLs Vital for teachers to understand language acquisition
research so they can provide scaffolding for students
This knowledge helps teachers plan instruction, interact verbally, correct mistakes, & assess ELLs
Goal: To produce academically successful students who stay in school & are given every opportunity to participate fully & equitably
Language Acquisition Theory
Traditional methods of teaching foreign language in the United States differ from how students acquire English
- More than repetitive drills & translating
long passages using dictionaries Linguists Krashen & Cummins have been
researching & offering new approaches to language acquisition
Krashen
Makes a distinction between language acquisition and language learning
What is the difference? Why is this distinction important?
Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning
Language Acquisition – unconscious learning of language in naturalistic settings; focus on meaning
Language Learning – conscious rule learning in formal instructional settings; emphasis on form
Language Acquisition
Gradual Natural Based on receiving and understanding
messages Building a listening vocabulary Slowly attempting verbal production of the
language Highly supportive, non-stressful setting
Language Acquisition & the Teacher
Teacher is responsible for providing the understandable language
(comprehensible input) Supports necessary for students to understand Using approaches and materials that add context
to the language (props, gestures, pictures) Rely on using assessment of learner’s needs,
present level, and motivation
Comfortable Rate
Need to be allowed to move into speaking at a comfortable rate
Students must hear and understand messages and build a listening vocab first, before speaking (silent or preproduction period)
Must still involve the ELLs in classroom activities, but structured so the ELLs can participate at a comfortable level How? (Turn & Talk)
Leo van Lier
Most important aspect of effective teaching is understanding the learner Do you agree?
ZPD AAA curriculum
Awareness Autonomy Authenticity
Lier’s AAA Curriculum Awareness: Attention & the role of perception are
vital for teachers & learners
- Must know what doing & why
- Be consciously engaged
- Reflect on the learning process Autonomy: Self-regulation, motivation, & deep
processing – must take responsibility, be accountable, & have free choice in learning activities
Authenticity: Teaching & learning language as it is used in life, being relevant, & basing all learning activities on true communication
Stages of Second Language Acquisition
• Preproduction (AKA Silent Period): Communicates with gestures, actions, & formulaic speech; silent; building receptive vocab. (0 – 6 months after starting L2)
• Early Production: Can label & categorize info.; can say, “I don’t understand” (6 months – 1 year)
• Speech Emergence: Use language purposefully; can produce complete sentences (1 – 3 years)
• Intermediate Fluency: Can produce connected narrative; can use reading & writing within the context of a lesson; can resolve conflicts verbally; can write answers to higher-level questions (3 – 5 years)
• Advanced Fluency: Cognitive academic language production (3 – 7 years)
KEY POINTS Second language
develops much like the first language
Learning a 2nd language is complex
People learn language at different rates
Social language is different than academic language
First language development affects 2nd language development
Students can transfer what they know in their 1st language to their 2nd language
ELLs are diverse Cultural differences can
affect students’ understanding
Collaboration b/t classroom & ESL teachers is essential
Academic standards are for all students
Classroom Environment Students need many opportunities for language
interaction A classroom where children work together to solve
problems and produce projects supports their language development
Give them authentic reasons to communicate & support in refining their language production
Provides students with realization that their verbal communication is not always understood by others
Help students move from receptive, semantic processing (listening to understand) to expressive, syntactic processing (formation of words & sentences)
In 1991 Shifts started…
SHIFTS
Product to process focus Teacher-controlled to student-involved
classrooms Preplanned, rigid curricular to flexible,
open-ended curricula Measuring only performance to gauging
competence & potential Praising correct answers to building on
approximations
How?
Seven Functions of Language
Understanding the functions of language plays an important role in documenting students’ growth in language
Most ELLs will acquire instrumental functions first, to have their needs met
Functions of language: Instrumental Regulatory Representation Interactional Personal Heuristic Imaginative
Seven Functions of Language, cont…
Instrumental – To cause things to happen Regulatory – To control events or the behavior of
others Representation – To communicate facts or knowledge Interactional – To get along with others Personal – To express personality, feelings, or
emotions Heuristic – To acquire knowledge Imaginative – To create an imaginative world for
pleasure or play
Affective Filter
Role of emotions on acquisition of language When a learner is placed in a stressful
situation (where language production is demanded), the student’s ability to learn/produce language is impaired What are the implications of this for the classroom
teacher?
BICS vs CALP
Jim Cummins differentiates between
BICS - Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
(social language, 1 - 3 years to acquire)
CALP - Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (academic language, 5 – 7 years or more to acquire)
BICS vs CALPBICS = Social Language (1 – 3 yrs. to develop)• The day-to-day language needed to interact socially with
other people• Social interactions usually occur in a meaningful context• Conversations are not demanding cognitively, so the
language required is not specialized
CALP = Academic Language (5 – 7 yrs. or longer to develop)• Refers to academic learning about subject area content
material; specialized language• Academic language acquisition includes skills such as
comparing, classifying, synthesizing, evaluating, & inferring
Cummins’s Quadrant
Helps us understand what must be added to instruction to make it comprehensible to students
Identifies 2 dimensions of language: Its cognitive demand Its context embeddedness
- By adding context, students’ have better
understanding of cognitively demanding language
Strategies that Support the Progress of ELLs
Planning language objectives for lessons in all curricular areas
Building academic vocabulary development into all lessons
Building & activating background knowledge Providing opportunities for extended academic English
interaction Integrating vocabulary & concept review throughout
lessons Providing both modeling & feedback related to language
usage in both speech & writing
Five Premises of Effective Instruction of ELLs*
Comprehensible Input Increase verbal interaction in classroom
activities Provide instruction that contextualizes
language Reduce anxiety of the students Offer opportunities for active involvement of
the students
The Role of Assessment
Beginning ELLs often understand much more than they are able to express
Therefore, teachers must create a variety of ways for ELLs to demonstrate their understanding
Teachers need to adjust their teaching strategies as a result of assessments
“Use data to drive instruction” - Differentiation
Jigsaw Activity
Observation and Anecdotal Records Performance Sampling Language Development Profiles Portfolio Assessment
Conclusion: It is crucial that teachers recognize the essential ways in which they must adapt lessons & assessments to meet the unique needs of their ELLs. Effective Strategies to follow…