Readings into Practice: Teaching Emergent Bilinguals in Content Classes
The Ideal World: Bilingualism
In Chapter 4 of Educating Emergent Bilinguals, it explain through multiple studies why bilingualism works best for Emergent Bilinguals. In the readings, it mentions why this is not always the case.
Since Bilingualism is not the typical route for English Language Learners and they are often put into an ESL program or transitional program, I am going to explore how we can use these practices in our content area classes.
How can we use these practices in our content classes, based on our readings:
Claude Goldenberg provides us with these 3 steps:
“General effective practices are likely to be effective with ELs"
“ELs require traditional instructional supports”
“The home language can be used to promote academic development” (Goldenberg 5)
Jimenez, David, Pacheco, Risko, Pray, Fagan, and Gonzales provide these tips:
Teachers need to teach their content in a way that they are able to understand
Teachers working with ELs should complete at least two years of foreign language study in at least one other language
Practices that I use in my High School ELA classroom
“General effective practices are likely to be effective with ELs”
Provide a daily agenda outline what we are learning. This is something that I currently do. On this agenda I have learning objectives for each unit. I know that the math department at my school has an objective for each day, but I find that it is better in english to have long term objectives and built up to that. Providing this for the students will give them a clear idea of where they are going in the unit and what they are expected to know.
Give feedback to all students throughout the unit. When I teach writing, we will break the essay into steps. We will begin with the thesis and I will check in with the students and give them feedback before they start writing the rest of their paper. This way they can then use the feedback for the rest of their paper. Another time I check in with them is when they are doing citations and after the first draft. These multiple check-ins allow me to give feedback and guide them through the writing process. For our first class essay, I do the most check-ins, so they know what I am expecting them to do for every paper.
What are some other effective practice that you use or will use that will also be effective for ELs?
“ELs require traditional instructional supports” / Teachers need to teach their content in a way that ELs are able to understand
Give background information on unfamiliar topics. I don’t do anything special with this, but when we are reading an article or a story, I will give them background information that is important to know to understand the texts. I try to do this with everything, especially because I do not know what the students do not already know about the topic.
Use funds of knowledge. This was one of the topics that really interested me in undergrad.
If you are unfamiliar, it is the skills or background experiences that a student already has. They can develop these funds of knowledge from their community/family. Using these funds of knowledge when teaching something new, will help the student understand the new content by linking it with what they already know.
How can you use instructional supports in your content area/ grade level?
“The home language can be used to promote academic development”
This is a step that I am unsure how to use in a content class.
It definitely makes sense in a Bilingualism setting, but, as we read, this is not something that is widely available and students typically go through a transition program and come to our classrooms, I would like to find a way to incorporate this into my teaching. So I would like some input from you all:
How can this be incorporated in a traditional classroom setting?
Teachers working with ELs should complete at least two years of foreign language study in at least one other language
Jimenez, David, Pacheco, Risko, Pray, Fagan, and Gonzales reading also states that is might be nice to live abroad for a semester to have experiences of learning a new language. This is a dream to many, but not feasible to most. However, I had a similar situation, which drove me to want to get my masters in teaching English as a New Language. Last year, I was a chaperone for a spring break trip to El Salvador.
The students at my school have an opportunity to take this cultural immersion trip Junior/ Senior year. That was my first time being to El Salvador and I had not used Spanish since high school. To my surprise, I was able to comprehend a good chunk of what everyone was saying, but I had a very hard time responding in Spanish. This was a big eye opener to me for what my English Language Learners are going through at a much larger scale.
This experience really influenced me to continue my studies in the spanish language. The most cost effective way for me to do that is through the free App Duolingo.
What are some experiences that you have had that contributed to you learning a foreign language?
Additional Resources:
More on funds of knowledge: http://blog.tesol.org/tap-into-funds-of-knowledge/
DuoLingo: https://www.duolingo.com
I would love to hear how other people intend to put what we are learning into practice in Content Area classes. I find that theory is great, but then I don’t know where to start with my classes. What are some of your best practices based on this week’s readings?
What a wonderful blog! I appreciate how when you were in El Salvador, you connected to what your ELLs must experience when they walk into a classroom. In trying to answer the question, "How can this be incorporated in a traditional classroom setting?" I can't help but remember what was said on p. 47 of Garcia and Kleifgen's book: "...bilinguals coming of age today are entering a different job and career market, one that has been transformed not only by globalization and the online era, but also by the growth of a multilingual consumer base" (Callahan and Gandara, 2014, as cited in Garcia and Kleifgen, 2018). I am wondering if you can use social media as a tool or Skype (or another form of technology) that could connect student to their home language. It would also serve the purpose the creating global awareness among students. Is this something that could be realistically done in a elementary class? At a ITW conference, I watched a teacher connect her elementary school class to a program sponsored by National Geographic. Students could communicate - via live feed - with kids in different communities around the world. It is a different scenario; however, it does show how technology - something generally valued by students - can be used.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea, it connects language, technology, and real world application. That would be great, but definitely something that would take a lot of planning. I guess I am curious as how we could do this in our classroom on a smaller scale. I currently have about 2 English language learners in each of my classes. Is it possible to incorporate this more in class?
DeleteMAC, I love the idea of connecting with another classroom online. Do you know of any specific groups that link classrooms up? I think that this type of interaction could work well in a Social Studies classroom. I will have to look some up. Thanks for the idea!
DeleteThe idea of connecting your classroom to a global perspective is so fun! Your kids could have global pen pals, read stories and understand cultural differences across the globe. I did some research and it looks like there are programs that do just that such as PenPal schools. The best part about this idea is it could benefit children k-12 and beyond!
DeleteI had not heard of DuoLingo before. I went ahead and downloaded the app. Now I just need to make the time to check it out. Thanks for the resource!
ReplyDeleteI have always told my bilingual students that because of their ability to speak multiple languages that they will be better off when they enter the workforce. Many of my students have experience with this in their own lives. I have had students taken out of school because a parent was starting a new job and needed their child to translate for them.
I have struggled to come up with ways to use a student's "home language" in the classroom. I recognize that a student's cultural background and life experience give them a unique perspective and has value. I also recognize that language is part of one's cultural background. How do you use a home language, specificallyl, to promote learning in the classroom? By using Jimenez et al. (2015) example of translation? Surely there are other ways to incorporate it but I do not know how. I would love to see examples.
As far as instructional support, I am luck to work with colleagues who are new to teaching ENL but have done tremendous work. One of the things that they are trying to do is to utilize material in their classes based on what we are learning in the classroom. While it is helpful to have their support I do need to take the initiative to do the same. It would help support my students' learning as well as provide support to my colleagues.
I definitely echo these challenges. I know of several students, who struggle academically, have a tremendous amount of pressure on their shoulders. They are the primary communicators in the family and must serve as the primary translator which requires them to grow up quickly.
DeleteI liked the idea from the video to use cross-cultural texts in class. However, this can be limited depending on your content area and the language/culture of the student.
In your post under "The home language can be used to promote academic development" you said you were unsure as how to use this in a content class or incorporate it into a traditional classroom setting. With your question of how to incorporate home language into a classroom setting I thought back to the Supporting Teachers of English Learners by Leveraging Students' Linguistics Strengths reading. In this reading it talked about having students translate things from English into their home language. On page four of this reading it talked on how "Translation has the potential to improve the English comprehension of ELs." This claim was supported a little farther into the reading when the teacher had students translate an English Poem into their home language. On page five students tossed around the English words from the poem and translated them into Spanish and in the end "The translation work had moved the students to better comprehension." I feel that if you are open to it maybe try translation out in your classroom. It is possible to do this with any subject because math, science, social studies, language, etc. all have things that need reading. You could start out small with only having students translate a couple words at a time and then work your way up to translating whole passages like the teacher did with the poem. I feel like this would be a great way to incorporate home language in the classroom and potentially strengthen the students understanding of English.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea of translation to incorporate their home language. This would also be cool because in a way they would be teaching me something new, similar to how the teacher in the video was learning alongside her students.
DeleteI love the DuoLingo site and have already completed a few lessons today! As I read the readings for this week one thing kept standing out to me, with all this research we still don't have an adequate understanding of how to meet the content and language needs of ELs. There are all these practices like systemic functional linguistics, grammar translation, sheltered instruction and using their home language for different instructional support, but none have shown grand or amazing outcomes. It looks like most have been beneficial at least in small increases of progress for ELs, but there is no magic formula to be found anytime soon, putting all the pressure on teachers who don't know the answer either. I don't have any practices that work for me since I don't have a classroom, but I spent a lot of time in elementary schools and think it's important to learn who your EL students are on a very personal and fundamental level and then base your teaching and practices for each individual class. When watching the video on teaching bilinguals she read a book that the ELs in her class could relate to and I think that's so important. A latinx child doesn't want to read about a white family who lives in a two story house on a cul da sac and has picnics in the park every weekend. Current curriculum is so biased, so finding any and all resources to support your ELs will make your bond stronger and hopefully their learning easier.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree. I also liked that part of the video where she read a book that could relate to the students. I try to implement diverse texts in to my curriculum so that students can feel represented in the texts. Are there any books that you or someone else suggests?
DeleteSo, I don't have a traditional classroom; however, I do work with students, some of whom were Bilingual and some internal challenges were certainly presented. Currently, I have one Chin student who is receiving no support from his Probation Officer or the courts, while simultaneously having serious relationship issues at home. I don't feel I have been able to support him effectively either, as the few resources out there have been slow to respond or completely absent. What we do in our program is simply try an accommodate his needs to the best of our abilities, which typically includes one on one engagement (which he prefers), or giving him hands-on tasks. We also try to affirm his identity and discourage self-inflicted assimilation, which he does quite often to fit in with the other students.
ReplyDeleteI really like your approach at multiple check-ins with your students' development of essays. I feel that approach can be transferred into small group settings in general, through one on one engagement. It gives this feel of layered, insulated support, that makes students feel that they're not out here alone or lost and that someone had the intention on guiding them to a successful outcome.
As a relatively new teacher to the profession, I believe instructing ELLs is an area that we are never adequately prepared for. I agree with your statement that effective practices typically will benefit all students. I also found your comments about your trip to El Salvador very interesting. The fact that you could form a basic understanding of Spanish, however, you struggled to respond makes me reflect on those ELLs who are in my classroom. I found the most practical tips for ELL instruction in the Teaching Bilinguals (Even If You're Not One) video.
ReplyDelete1. Acknowledge students' language identities and strengths.
Again, I think back to your experience in El Salvador. My students may be able to understand what I am saying. But, am I providing them with the resources to truly show me what they know?
2. Multicultural literature to develop empathy across difference
This is a strategy that I have not utilized, however, I think this is a great idea to foster cooperation and understanding amongst ELLs and their English-speaking classmates.
3. Become a co-learner
I think this can be related to the reading which stated teachers should participate in at least two years of foreign language. It is never a bad thing to brush up on a language you learned in undergrad or try to learn something new like the teachers in the video.
In short, I found these tips to be the most practical examples from our resources for the week.
Sorry that was me I must've been logged out!!
DeleteI agree that teachers are not properly prepared for EL students. Hopefully, after this class with will be better equipped to provide the proper tools and resources for these students. These tips are going to be very helpful.
DeleteI agree as well. In my role at IUPUI I prepare tutors to support students in K-12 grade schools. I expect that the schools will provide the tutors with resources on how to support students like EL's, but I have found that isn't the case at all. A lot of times they just pair them up with the students with no resources or information at all. This makes me wonder how prepared they are to truly support them. Now that I am in this course I will definitely use the resources and information I have been receiving to help prepare my team before they go out into the schools.
DeleteI want to start off by saying that I really enjoyed your post. The resources you provided were fantastic and I also loved your correlation between your experience in El Salvador and the feelings of EL students in the classroom. EL students definitely go through a lot of transition and have to adapt in the classroom. A quote that stuck out to me from the Jiménez reading was, "Successful teachers of ELs need to have specific understandings gained through formal study and extended contact with native speakers of other languages." This quote perfectly leads into a couple of the questions that you asked throughout your blog. First, I believe that some effective practices that can be used during the writing process for ELs would be one on one meetings and discussions about their paper and guiding them through the process, their struggles, and also celebrating their achievements. I feel like this would be extremely helpful for EL students. Also. I love that you have multiple check in points with your students so this could be just one more in detail check up point.
ReplyDeleteWhat would you suggest to someone like myself who took two years of foreign language and couldn't seem to grasp it? I took Spanish a few years ago and at the beginning I was really excited to get to know a new language and eventually be able to speak it. I thought it would be really cool to be able to communicate with more than just English speakers, but when I actually started the class I was extremely lost. I spent every free period I had in my Spanish teacher's classroom getting extra help but I felt like nothing could help me. I couldn't seem to grasp anything and after I finished two years all I can recall is being able to count to 14 in Spanish. Do you have any tips or tricks for learning a new language? I saw that you mentioned an app but is there other methods you can think of along with the app? I would love to speak more than one language but my first try at it was such a disaster it is frightening to me to try it again.
ReplyDeleteAn effective practice that I will use that is also effective for ELL's would be to allow them time to check and double check their work for errors before turning it in. Also, breaking their work into sections that they tackle one at a time would benefit them an cause them to not feel overwhelmed in the process. A good way to use instructional supports would be to never assume the ELL students know something and I agree with always making an effort to give students background information about unfamiliar subjects. I believe that students that are encouraged to speak their home language to promote academic development can easily be used in a traditional classroom by following the same protocol use to promote the use of home language outside of a traditional classroom setting. This can be done by encouraging students to speak the language that they feel most comfortable speaking during their learning process and to also promote peer interactions that make the students most comfortable.
ReplyDelete