DIVERSITY

NCATE definition of diversity

“Differences among groups of people and individuals based on ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, gender, exceptionalities, language, religion, sexual orientation, and geographical area.”

ENGLISHLANGUAGE LEARNERS

There are over 5 million English language learners in the United States

The numbers have risen more than 57% during the past ten years

English Language Learners are the fastest Growing population in American schools

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Increasing Percentage of ELL Students

Total PK-12 ELL

Missouri Franklin County Jefferson County St. Charles County

St. Francois County

St. Louis County St. Louis City

-50

0

50

100

150

200

250

Percent Change from 2000 to 2010

Asian Black Hispanic Mixed Race White Total

Areas of Concern

• Nearly 60% qualify for free or reduced lunch

• 8th grade ELL students’ scores are less than half those of English proficient students on the NAEP • ELLs lag 20 points behind in high school graduation rates

Reading Math0

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Eighth-Grade Students Proficient on the NAEP

Limited English Proficient English Proficient

Mainstream Teachers of ELLs • Most mainstream teachers have at least one English language learner in their classroom

• Only 29% of mainstream teachers with ELLs have the training to teach them effectively

• 57% of teachers say they need more training

• Missouri does not require training in working with ELLs

NCATE Standards Applied to ELLs

1. Teachers should acquire pedagogical content knowledge which addresses ELLs

2. Assessment and evaluation data should measure teachers’ preparedness to work with ELLs

3. Field experiences should provide practice and opportunities to see successful teachers model effective techniques in working with ELLs

4. This standard explicitly requires that candidates work with ELLs during clinical practice and that candidates understand the range of diversity among ELLs

5. & 6. The unit should provide qualified faculty and sufficient resources to support teachers’ learning about ELLs

quizPlease answer true or false

1. My newcomer should be referred to the child study team. He is often disruptive in the classroom and kicks and hits others. There is something wrong with him

aside from not knowing the language.

2. The more time students spend soaking up

English in the mainstream classroom, the

faster they will learn the language.

3. English language learners will acquire English faster if their parents speak English at home.

4. Once students can speak English, they are ready to undertake the academic tasks of the mainstream classroom.

5. Students from other countries should learn to read in their native language first because this helps them succeed in U.S. schools.

6. Students should be strongly encouraged to speak English immediately.

Answers1. False. Newcomers who act out in

the classroom are most likely

suffering from culture shock.

Four stages of culture shock before reaching acceptance:

1. Euphoric or honeymoon stage

2. Rejection stage 3. Regression stage 4. Integration stage

2. False. Students do not simply “soak up” language. They need comprehensible input. They need to understand the communication.

3. False. When parents use their native

language, their speech is richer and

more complex which improves the child’s literacy skills.

4. False. Children can speak and socialize before they can use language for academic purposes.

5. True.

6. False. Many students go through a silent period and should not be forced to speak.

How long does it take students to learn English?

Students who have strong literacy skills in their native language learn English faster.

• Students ages 8-11 with two or three years of native language education took 5 to 7 years to test at grade level.

• Students younger than 8 who arrived in the U.S. with little or no native language education took 7 to 10 years to reach grade-level.

Stages of Second Language Acquisition

1. Preproduction 2. Early Production

3. Speech Emergence

4. Intermediate Fluency

5. Advanced Fluency

• View ELLs as a resource; draw on personal experience

• Use concrete objects/visuals to reinforce verbal content (hands-on demonstration)

• Focus on a limited number of vocabulary words and concepts in each lesson

• Limit the amount of information an ELL student needs to learn

Differentiating Instruction for ELLs

• Use graphic organizers

• Teach reading strategies

• Use both oral & written modalities frequently

• Use cooperative learning techniques

• Substitute alternative texts

• Substitute alternative assignments

• Test students in concrete terms

• Allow brief answers instead of full sentences

• Modify assessment tools as necessary

• Use think-alouds

• Allow use of a bilingual dictionary or English dictionary

Thanks for your attention