Optimal SecondLanguage Learning for CLD Populations

1
Optimal Second-Language Learning for CLD
Populations
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Models of Bilingual Education

• Bilingual education has a long history in the US.
• It often occurred in private schools for
  languages such as Swedish, German, Finnish,
  Yiddish, and Spanish (Kayser, 2002).
• For the past 40 years, the federal government has
  served students with limited English proficiency
  (LEP) under Title 1 of the Elementary and
  Secondary Education Act (1965).
• The Bilingual Education act of 1968 provided
  support to help ensure that students with LEP
  would master English and develop high levels of
  proficiency in academic content areas.

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Models of Bilingual Education

• However, when the use of the native language for
  instruction became a federal mandate, bilingual
  education became a political issue that has
  received negative reviews by the public.
• The irony is that some bilingual education
  programs are considered prestigious, while others
  are not.
• Indeed in some places, children from majority
  ethnolinguistic communities are encouraged to
  participate in bilingual education.
• For example, in California, there is a private
  school called the French-American School of
  Silicon Valley.

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Models of Bilingual Education

• Parents are urged to give their children the
  benefit and gift of bilingual education.
• However, children in minority ethnolinguistic
  communities and their parents are told,
  implicitly or explicitly, that being bilingual is
  bad and that they should forsake their language
  and culture in exchange for those of the
  majority.
• In order to maintain students L1 and also help
  them become proficient in L2, ideally these
  students should participate in bilingual
  education throughout the elementary years and
  beyond if possible (Baker, 2000).

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Models of Bilingual Education

• Bilingual education is an educational approach in
  which a student's native language is used in
  instruction.
• Most professionals are aware that the optimal
  situation of maintenance bilingual education
  rarely exists in schools in the US.
• There are three basic approaches to bilingual
  education.
• One uses English and makes little use of the
  student's native language (English-based
  approach).
• Approximately 76 of the children in bilingual
  education receive English-based instruction
  (e.g., English as a second language ESL)

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Models of Bilingual Education

• Students in the English-based approach are
  expected to learn English in 2-3 years.
• Some bilingual program in US schools have
  transitional programs wherein the L1 is used to
  teach academic subjects but an emphasis is placed
  on transitioning the students into English as
  quickly as possible.
• Approximately 40 of CLD students receive
  bilingual education aimed at teaching subject
  matter in the child's native language.
• Optimal bilingual programming makes extensive use
  of the student's native language (bilingual
  approach).

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Models of Bilingual Education

• About 37 of CLD children receive instruction
  aimed at maintaining or improving fluency in
  their home language (e.g., Spanish lessons for
  Spanish speakers).
• In the bilingual approach, students are not
  expected to reach proficiency in 5 or more years.
  
• The time needed to attain proficiency in English
  can vary from child to child.
• It can be affected by such factors as the child's
  age, socioeconomic background, and the amount of
  formal education received in the native language.
  

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Models of Bilingual Education

• Older children who have developed language and
  cognitive skills in their LI before learning
  English generally make faster progress in
  learning English than young children.
• Children from higher socioeconomic backgrounds
  tend to learn the L2 more easily.
• Other factors related to rate of learning English
  include the amount of exposure students have had
  to English, the level of parental support at
  home, and the classroom, school, and community
  environment.

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Models of Bilingual Education

• The US has several predominant curriculum designs
  for bilingual education.
• The designs include
• the maintenance model, which is designed to
  develop bilingualism and biliteracy
• the transitional model, which is designed to use
  the non-English language to facilitate the
  learning of English through curriculum content
• the ESL model, which is usually a component of
  the first two models and

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Models of Bilingual Education

• the high-intensity model, which is found in
  middle and high schools in which students are
  expected to learn English rapidly (Fradd, 1987).
• Transitional bilingual education is the model
  mandated by the reauthorized and revised
  Bilingual Education Act of 1974 (PL 95-561) and
  the Lau v. Nichols (1974) decision.
• Minority language students are instructed in
  their home language until they are able to
  receive instruction exclusively in English.
• These children receive instruction beginning in
  kindergarten in the home language, and , as they
  progress through the grades, they are
  increasingly exposed to the majority language,
  English.

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Models of Bilingual Education

• When these children are determined to have
  adequate proficiency in English, they are
  transferred to English-only instruction and the
  home language is not maintained.
• Some schools have Sheltered English classrooms
  where subject matter is taught in English that is
  comprehensible to student who are learning
  English.
• Some school programs do not have any support
  services at all.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• Programs of bilingual education appear to promote
  the greatest linguistic, cultural, and cognitive
  benefits when there is active parent and
  community involvement (Coltrane, 2003).
• The effectiveness of bilingual programs depends
  on several variables, including community,
  school, and home resources.
• Optimal teaching and learning strategies for CLD
  students depend upon the climate of the school
  and classroom and the types of techniques
  utilized for English Language Learners and
  special education students.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• At the school level, a supportive climate coming
  from the school leadership as well as teachers
  within the school and district encourages an
  outward respect for the students linguistic and
  cultural backgrounds.
• Grade-level expectations of the material that
  students need to learn as well as the quality of
  student performance is maintained through
  effective teaching strategies.
• Bilingual-trained teachers are important to the
  effectiveness of the instruction.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• Bilingual teachers must understand the pedagogy
  of bilingual education and use both languages to
  educate children.
• Research on the best teaching strategies for
  students who are learning L2 suggest that using
  thematic approaches in the curriculum promotes
  conceptual learning.
• The thematic materials the teachers use and the
  content of these materials must be appropriate
  for the children's needs as well as relevant and
  cognitively related to the subject matter.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• Moreover, students are provided with repeated
  encounters with a set of interrelated meanings as
  they read, write, listen, and talk about the
  theme at hand in a variety of different classes.
• They have the opportunity to practice the L2,
  including exposure to native speakers of the L2
  in linguistically demanding formal contexts as
  they learn to ask questions, solve problems,
  negotiate, and interact with and report to their
  peers.
• In the classroom, students should have a low
  level of anxiety the teacher must be supportive,
  understanding, and sympathetic with reasonable
  objectives.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• The teachers style of content delivery is
  important as well.
• Your book (page 66) provides a list of some of
  the ways in which teachers can improve their
  style of delivery to improve interaction patterns
  between teachers and students.
• Moreover, the use of scaffolding, or graduated
  intervention, facilitates the students learning
  of new materials and skills more independently.
• Again, your text (page 67) provides a list of
  some examples of scaffolding that can be used by
  the teacher as well as the SLP.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• Transforming the social organization of the
  classroom can provide LEP students the
  opportunity to use a variety of language skills
  in group cooperative learning activities.
• The learning environment should allow the student
  to be creative and motivated to take
  communication risks in the setting knowing that
  the clients cultural and communication style are
  accepted.
• Students should have many opportunities to
  communicate.
• Activities should relate to the students
  cultural patterns, customs, and holidays.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• Learning style differences may necessitate that
  the teacher adapt materials to the needs of the
  student.
• Repetition and variety have been suggested as key
  factors to aid learning.
• Tell the student what the lesson is about, and
  why it is important.
• Review concepts discussed and use multiple levels
  of questions to increase the students repertoire
  of useful language.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• What the child brings to the bilingual classroom
  is also important.
• Children in bilingual classrooms come from homes
  that either support or do not support bilingual
  education.
• Students who come into the bilingual classroom
  with adequate linguistic development in their LI
  and an opportunity to continue to develop the LI
  outside the school in linguistically demanding
  formal contexts will feel supported.

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Optimal Teaching/Learning Strategies for CLD
Populations

• If parents attempt to use the L2 in the home,
  then the quality of interaction between the
  parents and children will often suffer.
• They will spend less time interacting with the
  children, as well as providing an inadequate L2
  model.
• Speech-language pathologists and teachers should
  encourage parents to continue to promote the
  development of the home language through such
  activities as retelling family history, stories,
  and using the home language (Appel Muksken,
  1987 Chamot, 1988).

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Incorporating Multiculturalism into Learning
Activities

• The incorporation of multiculturalism into
  learning activities is a way of creating the
  feeling of inclusion that reflects the
  recognition and appreciation of diversity in
  America.
• This approach promotes understanding of other
  groups and reduces the potential racial
  conflicts.
• In the learning setting, the actual physical
  environment, activities, food, music, play,
  literature, toys, animals, holidays, and parental
  involvement are important considerations.

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Incorporating Multiculturalism into Learning
Activities

• The classroom or clinical setting should be
  inviting and inclusive reflecting an appreciation
  for multiculturalism.
• Signs and leisure reading materials should be
  available in the languages of the clients served
  by the clinical program or the school district.
• Therapy rooms or school hallways should be
  decorated with culturally relevant and
  appropriate pictures that reflect a multicultural
  society, such as with large pictures and posters
  depicting persons with various racial and ethnic
  backgrounds, genders, and disabilities, living in
  varied communities and performing a variety of
  activities.

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Incorporating Multiculturalism into Learning
Activities

• Pictures should show nuclear families, extended
  families, multigenerational families, families
  with a person with disabilities, and families
  with mixed races.
• Intake forms should gather information about the
  client/students country of origin, ethnic
  affiliation, the family and community support
  system, languages spoken in the home, food
  preferences and prohibitions, preferred toys and
  leisure activities, and names and roles of person
  in the home and family.

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Incorporating Multiculturalism into Learning
Activities

• Clients/students should be encouraged to share
  information about their culture with the teacher
  and classmates or clinician and other clients.
• Clients, students, and parents who participate in
  culture-sharing activities report that they no
  longer feel invisible and that they feel
  empowered and a part of the learning process.
• Culturally relevant literature can provide an
  excellent introduction for reinforcing culture
  while teaching various aspects of language.

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Incorporating Multiculturalism into Learning
Activities

• Music is an integral social construct in all
  groups and can be incorporated into therapy or
  learning activities.
• Popular styles of music such as rap have been
  found to be effective in teaching different
  language concepts.
• Popular music is an excellent way to promote
  language and include culture in therapy and
  learning.
• Most cultural groups have holidays and special
  celebrations, such as Cinco de Mayo.
• Teachers and clinicians can use these events and
  celebrations to incorporate a multicultural theme
  into the clinical program or academic lesson.

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Incorporating Multiculturalism into Learning
Activities

• A Thanksgiving meal in November could provide
  foods representing various cultures and how
  various cultural groups made contributions to
  America.
• Caution must be exercised with focusing on
  religious holidays.
• Some fundamental and religious groups do not
  celebrate holidays or birthdays.
• Its better to use secular themes such as seasons
  then religious themes.

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Working with Families

• A phenomenon to be aware of when working with CLD
  families is that many parents of CLD students
  believe that school personnel with scold them for
  speaking a language other than English in the
  home.
• Parents may lie to school personnel, saying they
  speak only English at home because they are
  afraid that the teacher or clinician will be
  upset to hear that they are speaking their
  primary language with their child.
• Parents need to speak to their children in the
  language in which they are most fluent.

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Working with Families

• Parents need to provide rich linguistic models
  for their children.
• It is critical for SLPs and teachers who work
  with parents of CLD children to emphasize that
  being bilingual is a great asset in our society
  and that fluent bilingualism is highly desirable.
• Some cultures view parental involvement
  differently from what some professionals expect.
• Some groups may not feel comfortable
  participating in planning individualized
  educational plans (IEPs) or articulation/phonologi
  c exercises for practice at home.

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Working with Families

• Some cultures perceive the teacher/clinician as
  the utmost authority over the childs education.
• They believe that parents are not supposed to
  interfere with this process and may regard
  clinicians or teachers who seek parental
  involvement as incompetent.
• Teachers and SLPs who work with these kind of
  families need to sensitively share that in the US
  parents are expected to be part of the team and
  their input is welcome.
• Some suggestions when meeting with parents at the
  school site or when conducting home visits
  include

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Working with Families

• Bring samples of the students work to show.
• Help parents understand the academic/curricular
  expectations of US school. If a parent has the
  time, encourage him/her to volunteer in the
  classroom on a regular basis.
• Help parents understand common US school routines
  such as waiting in line, volunteering to speak in
  class, and eating lunch in the cafeteria.

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Working with Families

• Help parents understand their role in helping
  their children with homework. Parents accustomed
  to school work being the teachers responsibility
  may need to be oriented to this expectation.
• If parents are nonliterate, encourage them to
  engage in literacy-related activities such as
• Looking at wordless books and discussing the
  stories
• Taking children to the local library to look at
  and check out books
• Finding quality, inexpensive books at garage
  sales and flea markets

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Working with Families

• Coming to literacy events at the school, e.g.,
  book fairs.
• Availing themselves of local adult English
  classes and
• Providing writing tools, such as pencils,
  crayons, markers, and paper for their children to
  play with.
• Remember, many parents are struggling to provide
  their children with the basics of life, such as
  food, shelter, and clothing.
• They may work in low paying jobs and work two
  jobs (per parent) to support their families.
• Respect these families, the challenges they face,
  and their desire to help their children succeed
  in a new country.