Supporting English Language Learners

Dr. Julie R. GradyArkansas State University

November 6, 2009Arkansas Curriculum Conference

Common Terms• Language minority: Children whose native

language is other than English regardless of proficiency in English

• LEP: Limited English proficient-official designation originating with Civil Rights law

• ELL: English language learner in the process of learning English

• Immigrant children: Children with at least one foreign born parent

• Newcomers: recent arrivals to the U.S.(Crandall, Jaramillo, Olsen, Peyton, & Young, 2008;

Garcia, Jensen, & Scribner, 2009)

Our Growing U.S.English Language Learner (ELL) Population

• One in five children comes from an immigrant family• Children from immigrant families are the fastest-growing

segment of the child population; are more likely than their peers to live in poverty and to be behind grade level (Hernandez as cited in Sadowski, 2008)

• Living in poverty in 2000: 68% of ELLs in preK-5, 60% of ELLs in grades 6-12

• 2004: Foreign-born reached 34.2 million; 11.9% of population

• 2000: 20% of preK-12 students were children of immigrants• Grades preK-5: 7.4 % of students ELLs; in grades 6-12: 5.5%

(Capps et al., 2005)

Arkansas’s Growing ELL Population• One of largest state percentages of increase from

1990-2000 for pre-K-8: 243% (Capps et al., 2005)

ELLs at higher risk for underachieving in schools than native English-speaking students because of 3 of 5 risk factors:1. Parent education levels2. Family income3. Parent English-language proficiency4. Mother’s marital status at time of birth5. Single versus dual-parent homes

(García, E. E., Jensen, B. T., & Scribner, K. P. , 2009)

How Well Are Teachers Prepared to Support ELLs?

• Teaching ELLs is the responsibility shared by ALL educators

• Most teachers do not feel prepared to support the academic needs of ELLs

• 1999-2000 study: 87.5 % of teachers who reported teaching ELLs had less than one day of professional development

(National Center for Educational Statistics, 2001)

Common Myths about Learning English and ELLs

1. The more time students spend soaking up English in the mainstream classroom, the faster they will learn the language.

2. Children learn a second language faster and more easily than teenagers and adults do.

3. Students should be strongly encouraged to speak English from the first day.

(Haynes, 2007)

What Experts Know about Learning A New Language

1. English language learners need one to three years to master social language in the classroom.

2. Students don’t always acquire social languages naturally in informal contexts. They may need to be taught how to communicate appropriately in social situations.

3. Learning academic subjects in their native language helps ELLs learn English.

4. Parents of English language learners should be encouraged to speak their primary language at home.

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

6. Students need more than two-three years in bilingual or ESL classes to succeed in school.

(Haynes, 2007)

Practices to Avoid

1. Emphasizing that one group’s language is superior to others

2. Forbidding ELLs to speak in their native languages3. Recommending that ELLs speak only English

outside of school4. Giving praise only to new language skills

(Agirdag, 2009)

What Can You Do?1. In your school:

• Celebrate cultural and language diversity with classroom assignments, bulletin boards, assemblies, banners

• Encourage parent involvement, get to know the families, spend time in their communities, invite parents to share culture, mentor the family, interview families, have special programs for newcomers

• Embrace a school-wide culture of caring

• Add materials in students’ languages, add bilingual books, include newsletter and Web page information in other languages

• Hire multi-lingual staff

• Investigate the wide variety of ELL programs and choose the one best for school community needs

(Agridag, 2009; Aleman, Johnson, & Perez, 2009; Haynes, 2007; Ramirez & Soto-Hinman, 2009)

2. In your classroom • Welcome all languages• Establish a routine• Assign bilingual buddies• Have high expectations • Insist on deep understanding

• Remember that ELLs are a very diverse group• Create special space in classroom for ELLs• Have same language students help each other

• Learn and practice communication skills that support ELLs

• Ask students to share their languages• Learn how to differentiate instruction for ELLs

3. Read all that you can about how to support ELLs in your subject area, classroom, school and community.

4. Demand professional development in your content area and for the grade level you teach.

(Agridag, 2009; Haynes, 2007; Ramirez & Soto-Hinman, 2009)

ReferencesAgirdag, O. (2009). All languages welcomed here. Educational Leadership,

66(7), 20-24.Aleman, D., Johnson, Jr., J. F., & Perez, L. (2009). Winning schools for ELLs.

Educational Leadership, 66(7), 66-69.Capps, R., Fix, M., Murray, J., Ost, J., Passel, J., & Herwantoro, S. (2005). The

new demography of America’s schools: Immigration and the No Child Left Behind Act. Washington, DC: Urban Institute.

Crandall, J., Jaramillo, A., Olsen, L., Peyton, J. K., & Young, S. (2008). Diverse teaching strategies for immigrant and refugee children. In R. W. Cole (Ed.), Educating everybody’s children (2nd ed., pp. 219-278). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

García, E. E., Jensen, B. T., & Scriber, K. P. (2009). The demographic imperative. Educational Leadership, 66(7), 8-13.

Haynes, J. (2007). Getting started with English language learners: How educators can meet the challenge. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

National Center for Educational Statistics. (2001). Schools and staffing survey., 1999-2000. Washington, DC: Author.

Ramirez, A. Y., & Soto-Hinman, I. (2009). A place for all families. Educational Leadership, 66(7), 79-82.

Sadowski, M. (Ed.). (2008). Teaching immigrant and second-language students. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

SupportingTammy Gillmore

Batesville High SchoolNovember 6, 2009

Arkansas Curriculum Conference

English Language Learners

Share Time…coming up!– Would you please share

how your schools workwith this sub-pop?

Batesville School Stats

ELL’s are the fastest growing sub-population.

~Jane D. Hill and Kathleen M. Flynn, 2006Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners

The Testing Reality• 2008-2009, in order to graduate…

– students must pass • End-of-Course Geometry • End-of-Course Algebra Exams.

During their first year in the United States, students with an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) may be excluded from the reading/language arts test.

NCLB, 2004

The Testing Reality• Literacy exam is an End-of-Level

– not an End-of Course exam– Do not have to pass….yet…– 2014:

• Literacy exam moves to the 1oth grade• Becomes an End-of-Course = have to pass!

Students must still take the math test, even if they enroll in a school on the day of the test.

NCLB, 2004

Peer-Buddy Program• Teachers select a student per class to work

with each ELL. • Submit nominees via a Google Document. • Peer-Buddies receive “training.”

According to Department of Education (2007), peer tutoring and response groups were found to have

positive effects on the language development of ELLs.

Vocabulary• Emphasize jargon

of the classroom– Math Classroom:

• difference, sum, even, odd, plot, and point

• Everything a teacher does should revolve around vocabulary attainment.

~Suzanne Irujo, 2007

Language learners need five to seven years to attain the academic literacy necessary to succeed within the mainstream classroom.

~Jane D. Hill and Kathleen M. Flynn, 2006Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners

Dictionaries: Word-to-Word• 75,000 Words• May use on any AR state test!

– If checked on their LPAC formas an accommodation

Language learners need five to seven years to attain the academic literacy necessary to succeed within the mainstream classroom.

~Jane D. Hill and Kathleen M. Flynn, 2006Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners

ELL English Class• Class of eight

– Score 1 on the LAS exam to qualify

ELLs need early and intensive instruction in phonological awareness and phonics.

~D.J. Francis, M. Rivera, N. Lesaux, M. Kieffer, & H. Rivera, 2006

Kathy Walter

English Class ~ Spanish Teacher• Meet Ms. Insell = bilingual (English/Spanish)• Students placed in her classes.

This enriched language environment, taught by highly qualified teachers, includes utilizing both the native language and English, for not including both can stifle cognitive

development. Should a bilingual teacher not be available or if a district cannot afford one, then schools should provide a language specialist

Garcia & Jensen, 2007; Decapua, Smathers, & Tang, 2007

Faculty Meetings = PDPresent test-taking tips

– Math– Literacy– ELL

Present life-long skills

Talk slowly…

ELL ~ Professional Learning Network (PLN)

ELL ~ Professional Learning Network (PLN)

• Book Study– Strategies That Work– Classroom Instruction That Works

with English Language Learners

School staff must now assume the responsibility of teaching language skills to these students; this is not just duty of the ELL faculty.

~Jane D. Hill and Kathleen M. Flynn, 2006Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners

ELL ~ Professional Learning Network (PLN)

Dr. Grady Recommendation

School staff must now assume the responsibility of teaching language skills to these students; this is not just duty of the ELL faculty.

~Jane D. Hill and Kathleen M. Flynn, 2006Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners

ELL ~ Professional Learning Network (PLN)

• Learning in the 21st Century– Blogs

• Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day

ELL ~ Professional Learning Network (PLN)

• More Blogs…– ELL Classroom – Engaging Parents In School – ESL Teachers’ Blog of Substance – ESL/EFL Sister Classes – ESL/EFL Student Showcase – Teaching EFL & ESL

Share Time!– What are you doing

at your school?

Sharing Our Sources…– This PowerPoint may be accessed here.

ReferencesArkansas Department of Education. (2006, Oct. 9). Rules governing the Arkansas comprehensive

testing, assessment, and accountability program and the academic distress program. Retrieved September 21, 2008, from http://www.arkansased.org/rules/pdf/current/ade_247_actaap06_current.pdf

DeCapua, A., Smathers, W., & Tang, L.F. (2007, Mar.). Schooling, interrupted. Educational Leadership, 64 (6), 40-46.

Francis, D. J., Rivera, M., Lesaux, N., Kieffer, M., & Rivera, H. (2006). Practical guidelines for the education of English Language Learners: Research-based recommendations for instruction and academic interventions. Retrieved September 2, 2008, from the University of Houston, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics at the University of Houston for the Center on Instruction: http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL1-Interventins.pdf

Hill, J.D., & Flynn, K.M. (2006). Classroom instruction that works with English Language Learners. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Irujo, Suzanne. (2007). What does research tell us about teaching reading to English Language Learners? Reading Rockets. Retrieved September 16, 2008, from

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/19575?theme=print