Effective Education: Engaging

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Many Languages, Many Learners, One World

• Effective Education Engaging
• At-Risk English Language Learners
• Carol Johnson
• Education Research and Evaluation Specialist
• Title III Consortium Monitoring
• Innovative Academic Programs
• Georgia Department of Education
• cjohnson_at_doe.k12.ga.us

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Common Themes

• Students face four major barriers to academic
  success
• Cultural Load
• Cognitive Load
• Language Load
• Learning Load
• (Barriers to Meaningful Instruction for ELLs,
  Meyer, 2000)

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Cognitive Load

• The number of new concepts embedded in a lesson
• Identify the concepts and skills the student does
  not possess
• Fill in the conceptual gaps, relating to
  background knowledge and prior experiences

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Cultural Load

• Language and culture are inter-related
• A certain amount of cultural knowledge is
  required to comprehend meaning or to participate
  meaningfully in an activity
• Students need to learn the English words as well
  as the cultural background that gives the word
  its meaning (i.e. learn the words in context)

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Cultural Load

• Influences the teachers expectations of
  interaction in the classroom
• Respect for the students culture and building a
  personal relationship with the student allow the
  teacher to develop lessons that will enable the
  student to learn American culture while
  continuing to respect the students native culture

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Language Load

• The number of unfamiliar words encountered as the
  student reads a text or listens to the teacher
  talk
• Teacher should preview and highlight academic
  vocabulary before beginning the lesson
• Break complex sentences into smaller segments for
  increased comprehension
• Use texts at different reading ability levels

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Learning Load

• What teachers expect students to do with English
  during learning activities
• Considerations for ELLs should include
  adaptations and support (differentiation) to
  allow participation in academic activities
• Prepare the student (provide background
  information, vocabulary and ample time for
  comprehension)

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What do schools need to do in order to help
English language learners?

• Have high expectations for academic achievement
  of all students
• Value the diversity of linguistic abilities
• Provide outreach opportunities in the target
  language when appropriate
• Use alternative assessments

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Turn Frustration into Success for Language
Learners

• Plan from a base knowledge of second language
  acquisition
• Develop a portfolio of best practices and proven
  strategies
• Greater progress is made when strategies are
  consistently employed in the classroom on a daily
  basis

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Strategies

• While many of the following strategies are
  especially applicable for English language
  learners, the majority represent best practices
  that may be used for instruction of all students
• The teacher must have a clear and concise
  understanding of a strategy before any attempt to
  employ it with students

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Strategies for Language Acquisition

• Create a classroom that promotes a safe learning
  environment, encouraging students to be risk
  takers without penalties
• Model correct language without correcting a
  students speech
• Praise and reinforce student efforts to use the
  language

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Strategies for Language Acquisition

• Listening is the last proficiency skill to fully
  develop so tasks always should be written to
  enhance student understanding
• Check for comprehension of expectations,
  instructions and relevant vocabulary before
  students begin a task

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Strategies for Language Acquisition

• Utilize illustrations and graphic organizers to
  increase students understanding and repeat as
  necessary
• Speak clearly and avoid using unfamiliar
  idiomatic expressions when giving directions for
  any task
• Scaffold instructions (build vocabulary around
  the concepts of each lesson)

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Strategies for Language Acquisition

• Use multi-sensory instruction and hands-on
  activities
• Differentiate instruction and activities to meet
  the needs of all students
• Teacher modeling of the task will increase
  comprehension of the expectations
• Provide collaborative experiences with new
  language concepts

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Strategies for Language Acquisition

• Employ good questioning techniques by asking the
  question, allowing ample wait time and then
  calling on a particular student to answer
• Check for understanding of content with questions
  that require higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy

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Strategies for Language Acquisition

• Students should be encouraged or required to use
  robust, strong vocabulary in oral class responses
  as often as possible
• When possible relate new information and
  associated activities to the interests of the
  students and build on prior knowledge

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Strategies for Language Acquisition

• Teach and assess to reach the different levels of
  language proficiency in the class
• Consider multiple intelligences when designing
  activities and assessments
• Offer students choices among particular
  activities or tasks
• Use a variety of alternative assessments to
  address the range of proficiency levels within a
  class

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Strategies for Language Acquisition

• Assess informally on an on-going basis
• Offer choices of assessment tasks when viable
• Both formal and informal assessments should
  include a variety of formats
• Allow opportunities for reflection and
  self-assessment by the student

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Additional Considerations

• Encourage role play scenarios
• Involve students in the development of activities
  and tasks, rubrics, and informal assessments
• Encourage students to read non-fiction in their
  native languages to familiarize themselves with
  literary language

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Curriculum Instruction

• Wayne Craven
• Program Specialist
• ESOL Title III
• Georgia Department of Education
• 404 463 1858
• wcraven_at_doe.k12.ga.us

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Title III Consortium

• Carol Johnson
• Education Research and Evaluation Specialist
• Title III Consortium Monitoring
• Innovative Academic Programs Division
• Georgia Department of Education
• 678 794 3695
• cjohnson_at_doe.k12.ga.us