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How This Research Has Changed My Practice in Teaching ELLs

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How This Research Has Changed My Practice in Teaching ELLs

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This research has changed my practice in teaching ELLs in that it has helped me to see how many of the best practices can be incorporated into a few well thought-out and properly-scaffolded classroom initiatives, and how differentiation does not have to come at the expense of organization and cohesiveness in programming. In this way, this research has further confirmed for me how UDL and differentiation can guide decision-making that really does bring together students of diverse backgrounds, language proficiency, and prior knowledge. It has also given me a lot of tools through which to make highly-scaffolded and accessible lessons and units that are responsive and adaptive to a variety of student needs - in planning for ELLs from here on out, I know I will be supporting many other students as well. Although I don't think the journey is over, and I will be mining this research for ideas and reminders for years to come, this ILP has given me a collection of options and perspectives to add to my planning repertoire, and helped me to learn more about how data can inform my teaching practice.

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The process of my professional inquiry in this course began with my interest in how CALP in critical literacy could help foster self-empowerment in ELLs. This led me into a kind of two-pronged inquiry. On the one hand, I began to explore how translanguage portfolios might serve as a kind of composite identity text which includes a growing critical vocabulary, and how they might also aid in self-empowerment through the format's tendency towards student ownership of learning, choice and metacognition. On the other hand, I began exploring best practices for translanguaging in general in the classroom. I think that portfolios sync nicely with some of the practices I found, as well as other best practices for ELL learning that we've studied.

During the first stage I learned about how portfolio use could help to promote pedagogical decision-making that fosters translanguaging in the classroom. I also learned about some best practices for how I might do this, and how portfolios could help track student progress and promote a focus on process rather than just product. I am still interested in how promoting translanguaging can open up discussions about how language can influence our perspective(s).

Next, I learned about how the SIOP model can help support CALP,  and I was drawn deeper into the potential value of portfolios as repositories for students' growing academic vocabulary use. The connection I pursued here was in the SIOP model as a scaffold for combining language and content objectives, and other best practices for supporting CALP, and how these might be coordinated within assessment plans that were ongoing and adaptive to student progress.

The final stage of this inquiry involved learning more about how portfolios in digital spaces maximize student ownership of learning and how they can provide a level of accessibility and demonstration of learning that can reduce barriers for ELL students. At this stage I also learned a bit more about how students, parents, and educators can communicate and collaborate in the service of student achievement and well-being through the digital portfolio format. On this padlet I've linked my two previous inquiry padlets, the research I did for this present one, as well as my thoughts on that research. Finally, at the bottom, I've included how this research has changed my practice.

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> How can SIOP help support CALP?
> How can translanguage portfolios help support opportunities for students to develop CALP through identity-affirming pedagogy and programming decisions that are responsive to student identity and needs?

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> How can translanguaging help to empower ELLs by fostering CALP in critical literacy?
> How might translanguage portfolios help to foster CALP (in critical literacy or otherwise)?

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The Top 4 Reasons to Implement Digital Portfolios in the Classroom

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The Top 4 Reasons to Implement Digital Portfolios in the Classroom

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"1. Portfolios encourage students to become self-directed learners"
"2. "Portfolios facilitate effective assessment"
"3. Portfolios promote productive communication"
"4. Portfolio's prepare students for the world of work"

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> Google Sites
> Brightspace
> Wordpress
> Edublogs
> Kidblog
> Seesaw
> Evernote

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Growing Success TDSB Global Competencies

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"...the benefits of using portfolios for English language learners, including a greater ability to focus on the process of learning (instead of only on outcomes) and the ability to tailor assessment to the needs of each student" (p. 23).

If you can't access the PDF, see this link: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/117005/chapters/Defining-Digital-Portfolios.aspx

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Overall, digital portfolios can provide powerful tools to elicit and showcase some key pedagogical outcomes we've learned about supporting ELLs from this course. These include the benefits of interdepartmental collaboration and the role of content areas in building ELL literacy and numeracy, the value of engaging meaningfully in an ongoing way with parents, centring student bilingual and bicultural identity in a positive and affirming manner, incorporating L1 into additional language learning, and maximizing the accessibility and demonstration of learning in accordance with the principles of UDL. They can also house student-created CALP vocabulary charts as a supplement to physical classroom anchor charts. Lastly, they can help teachers respond to student learning by instituting programming changes and developing culturally responsive and relevant learning environments and goals. Overall, digital translanguage portfolios appear to lend themselves quite readily to supporting the success of ELL students in our classrooms in significant, data-driven ways.

Nearly all of the sources I've researched and linked here conclude that, despite the myriad benefits of digital portfolios, their implementation requires a significant investment of time and energy from students and staff alike. Determining assessment goals and priorities will be critical to achieving a balance between both foresight and ongoing adaptation. The best part about digital portfolios is their flexibility and the creativity with which ELLs can approach their curation, and yet this flexibility and creativity must be invited within a highly-scaffolded context if it is to stay focused and goal-oriented.

Because of the necessities of time and effort in the above regard, digital portfolios are probably best employed in department-wide or school-wide initiatives. Although the requisite coordination will require a great deal of collaboration among staff, the cross-curricular potential seems to be one of the digital portfolio's most promising aspects in regards to supporting ELLs' learning. I have a hunch that this need for collaboration is likely the reason why much of the data and experimentation around digital portfolio use (like portfolio use in general) comes from elementary settings rather than secondary. However, I think that the benefits of learning BICS and CALP across disciplines, the link between literacy and numeracy, and the imperative for student-centred pedagogy, can give secondary teachers of ELLs lots of reasons to consider digital portfolios for their programming.

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"Computers and authoring programs provide students with tools to compile a digital portfolio. Using multimedia tools, students can create portfolios to demonstrate performance using text, sound, graphics, and video, making them highly representative of a varied body of work. Self-reflections can be recorded, as can oral presentations, dramatic performances, musical compositions, and more. In today's connected world, a digital portfolio is easy to retrieve, to store, and to share."

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Create memorable learning archives

Your students are creating fantastic projects to show what they know. You can take their learning, and your ability to assess their achievement, to an even higher level using digital portfolios. Portfolios have long been a mainstay in the visual arts, where skill and expertise cannot be accurately represented by percentage points and letter grades. Electronic portfolios have been around for years, but the advent of powerful new technologies makes building, maintaining, sharing, and archiving student learning in digital form easier than ever before.

A digital portfolio is a computer-based collection of student performance over time. Portfolios make classroom learning more accessible to parents, administrators, and other district support staff because they provide a window into student learning. A portfolio showcases both student achievement and student learning over time. To demonstrate growth, a portfolio will often include similar work done over the course of several years.

What Should a Digital Portfolio Include?

When used as a student assessment tool, digial portfolios should demonstrate that "the student is involved in meaningful performance tasks; there are clear standards and criteria for excellence; there is an emphasis on metacognition and self-evaluation; the student produces quality products and performances; there is a positive interaction between assessor and assessee." (Burke, 1999) The performances students include in their portfolios should be related to the curriculum and evidence their engagement in meaningful learning.

Students should choose the content of their portfolios with the clear understanding that the items must include examples of their best performances, demonstrations of achieving a particular objective, and examples showing personal and academic growth. The content should be indicative of a wide range of skills and abilities and provide clear demonstration of student ability.

One of the most important ingredients in a portfolio is the student's reflection on their work. Students should include reflections on each performance to clarify why pieces are included in the portfolio. This is perhaps the most valuable part of the portfolio, since it provides a much clearer window into the learning of each student. Student reflections help us "discover and observe what our children are really experiencing, thinking about, questioning, wondering about, trying, and attaining." (Niguidula, 2002) In the words of John Dewey, "We don't learn from experience; we learn from reflecting on experience." The tools used for creating digital portfolios make it easy to type or record a voice reflection.

Learn more about how to use Wixie to create digital portfolios.

A portfolio should also include clear criteria for judging the merit of each performance contained in it. Portfolios should include a detailed rubric explaining the effectiveness and overall value of each performance. The rubric helps students understand expectations and provides a guide as they reflect on the different aspects of their performance.

What Is the Teacher's Role?

Because portfolios include a collection of performances that demonstrate growth and include student reflections, they provide additional assessment information beyond what can be gleaned from a traditional letter grade. In the same way that a simple letter grade may not capture learning that has happened throughout the process of a technology project, a portfolio provides a more comprehensive view of each student's learning.

A student's digital portfolio also provides a vehicle for regular feedback and dialogue with their teacher(s). As students consistently gather and reflect on their work, instructors develop a clear picture of the learning that is taking place and are better able to identify areas that need attention.

Why Go Digital?

Computers and authoring programs provide students with tools to compile a digital portfolio. Using multimedia tools, students can create portfolios that demonstrate performances using text, sound, graphics, and video, making them highly representative of a varied body of work. Self-reflections can be recorded, as can oral presentations, dramatic performances, musical compositions, and more. In today's connected world, a digital portfolio is easy to retrieve, to store, and to share.

How Do You Begin?

Before students begin working on portfolios, be sure to determine your assessment goals, priorities, and outcomes. You need to develop clear definitions for the selection of content. You will want to start by creating a shell, or template, for the portfolio. This will help ensure that students effectively organize the information in their portfolios and will guarantee that reflection and assessment criteria are properly represented. You can organize a successful portfolio around your state's proficiency goals, or by your district's curriculum content.

Just because students start with a template does not mean their portfolios should be formulaic and dull! Be sure to leave room for students to showcase creativity and personality. They can do this when they create the self-reflection and by their choices for portfolio content. You may also want to leave room for them to decorate or personalize their portfolios with photographs, illustrations, music, and original artwork.

In Summary

Electronic portfolios require a large investment of time and effort, but the dividends for improved assessment are worth it. As you incorporate electronic portfolios into your classroom or school, remember that you will want to revise the format and content as you become more practiced at assessing performance and students become more proficient at metacognition and portfolio management.

Bibilography

Niguidula, David. (2002). The Digital Portfolio: A Richer Picture of Student Performance. Oakland, CA: Coalition for Essential Schools.

David Niguidula. Digital Portfolio: A Richer Picture of Student Performance

Barrett, Helen C., Ph.D. (2001) "Electronic Portfolios = Multimedia Development + Portfolio Development: The Electronic Portfolio Development Process." Electronic Portfolios. Washington, DC: American Association for Higher Education.

Burke, K. (1999). How to Assess Authentic Learning. Arlington Heights, IL: Skylight Professional Development.

Popular Topics

What can your students create?

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Your students are creating fantastic projects to show what they know. You can take their learning, and your ability to assess their achievement, to an even higher level using digital portfolios. Portfolios have long been a mainstay in the visual arts, where skill and expertise cannot be accurately represented by percentage points and letter grades.

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Digital portfolio creation can be used as an ongoing opportunity to teach digital tool use.

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"Research suggests selecting artifacts that come from intrinsically motivated learning."

"According to Daniel Pink you achieve intrinsic motivation from autonomy, mastery, and purpose."

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> Presentation
> Learning Story
> Resume

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Process: Portfolio as Workspace (Internal Audience)

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Process: Portfolio as Workspace (Internal Audience)

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> Goal Setting
> Documenting
> Collaborating
> Selecting
> Reflecting

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1. Documentation and Storage
2. Workspace and Reflection
3. Presentation and Showcase

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The artifacts can be shared more easily with parents.

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ELL students truly can exercise more independent ownership over their achievements and creations, as the portfolio itself isn't kept in classrooms, department offices, or other school spaces. They can be accessed more easily.

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Educators across the school can collaborate more expediently based on easier sharing of the portfolios.

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Digital spaces present a wider variety of options for demonstrating learning than physical formats, as students can curate their portfolio with image, video, and audio artifacts in addition to text-based ones. Moreover, the text-based ones can translated using translation software, both by ELL students during demonstrations of learning, and by teachers who are reviewing them.

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Student portfolios tend to come with a host of challenges involved with storage and access. Teachers, departments, and schools can overcome these challenges by using a digital space to store the student portfolios.

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> They "[make] storage easy"
> They make it "[e]asier to access student work"
> "Students can share their learning with the world"
> "Students can reflect on their learning over time"

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Activity 5.6.1 Inquiry: How can digital spaces be leveraged to provide a platform for translanguage portfolios?

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Activity 5.6.1 Inquiry: How can digital spaces be leveraged to provide a platform for translanguage portfolios?