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10 Strategies to help support ELLs across all subject areas.

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10 Strategies to help support ELLs across all subject areas.

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https://www.edutopia.org/article/10-strategies-support-english-language-learners-across-all-subjects

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English Language Learners

Teachers of any subject can use these tips to help English language learners be more engaged and at ease in class.

While we bring the mental health needs of our students into laser focus this year, it's still crucial that we keep the social and emotional world of our English language learners (ELLs) front and center. Just like their peers, ELL students come to our classrooms with the burning need to be seen and acknowledged for their unique personalities, life experiences, and talents. But language challenges can obstruct all these amazing facets of their personalities. Additionally, the social pressures of suddenly being in person again and needing to communicate may make them feel anxious, isolated, and embarrassed.

Because of the often-obvious communication difficulties, grade-level and subject-area teachers understandably often rely on ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers to step in and help these students. However, even if you aren't an ESL teacher, there's a plethora of strategies you can use to help these incredible students feel comfortable sharing their strengths and unique perspectives on the world.

Helping ELL Students Across All Subjects

1. Closed captioning isn't just for the hearing impaired. If you're showing video content, turning on closed captioning supports ELL students' comprehension as well as everyone's literacy skills. According to a 2017 study, the simple act of using closed captioning improves learning, even for students without learning challenges.

2. Voice typing in Google Docs (under the Tools menu) provides students with a voice-to-text option that can help learners who have some oral language but struggle with spelling and writing. By clicking the arrow next to the language, students can even dictate a text in their native language, if need be, and then use Google Translate to translate it.

For older students, or for those who are somewhat more advanced in English but need material translated immediately, the Google Translate app also lets you hold your camera (on a smartphone/iPad, etc.) up to a document and instantly see it in another language, no typing required.

3. Offer choices of what students can say if they're called on and aren't sure how to respond. This helpful anchor chart, for example, offers students options other than the ubiquitous "I don't know."

4. Add gestures to reinforce communication.Remember that in order to communicate, we need to ensure that the sounds coming out of our mouth create a mental image or concept in our listener's mind. You can increase comprehensible input (the amount of language that's understood) by using good, old-fashioned gestures. If you want to take it a step further, TPR (Total Physical Response) is a method of teaching vocabulary that uses physical movements to react to verbal input, similar to how young children naturally learn language at home.

5. Draw or write key words frequently as they come up during instruction to help students further decode what you're saying. You can also use Google Image search to help students visualize what your words refer to and share the images.

6. Utilize a chart: A PECS (Pictorial Exchange Communication System) chart can help individuals with communication challenges to express themselves. By pointing to an image on a classroom-themed PECS chart, students can let you know, for example, that they need to go to the bathroom by pointing to an image of a lavatory or that they are thirsty, sad, or confused, need a pencil, and so on. You can give them a laminated copy to tuck into their desk or hang one up on the wall for little learners. You may want to encourage students to say the words aloud as they point to the images to decrease their dependence on the chart. Try searching Google for "PECS chart for classroom" to find a chart that fits your needs.

7. Add images: A picture is truly worth a thousand words, but for ELLs, images are worth exponentially more. Document cameras provide ELL students with much-needed visual input of texts, worksheets, books, and other printed materials or realia. Project pages from a novel or picture book as the students follow along, display handouts and student writing samples, or use math manipulatives to solve a problem together. Document cameras make a world of difference in showing ELL students exactly what you're talking about rather than trying to explain it.

8. Pair up: If you want to pair an ELL newcomer with a bilingual student to help them, ask the ELL student to choose a student or two whom they'd prefer to work with, if possible. This prevents you from inadvertently pairing them up with someone they don't feel comfortable asking for help or with whom they really don't get along.

9. Give students a "language toolbox," a notebook full of pages of illustrated vocabulary words organized by theme that students can use as a reference. This is like a simplified version of an illustrated dictionary that younger ELLs can look through by theme to see vocabulary related to the colors, days of the week, classroom items, family members, and so on. In my classroom, I put these pages in plastic page protectors inside a binder for each student to flip through quickly. They can pull it out to help them fill in missing vocabulary when they write or as an easy reference whenever they need it.

10. Use a microphone or voice amplification system, which can help ELL students hear the nuances of your voice more clearly and understand you better. Record the lesson (if permitted), and digitally share the resulting video or audio with ELL students who might benefit from hearing/watching a replay. Similarly, ELLs have a hard time producing sounds correctly when the speaker's mouth is covered by a mask. Consider sharing posters of mouth formations or videos of you unmasked, creating some of these sounds.

Think about trying these strategies to help alleviate the communication difficulties that can prevent ELL students from becoming fully engaged in their learning and sharing who they are and what they can bring to the classroom.

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10 Strategies That Support English Language Learners Across All Subjects

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Teachers of any subject can use these tips to help English language learners be more engaged and at ease in class.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching A Reflection Guide 

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Culturally Responsive Teaching A Reflection Guide 

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Household Knowledge is a source of teaching and learning in classrooms.

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Household Knowledge is a source of teaching and learning in classrooms.

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https://medium.com/familyengagementplaybook/gfrp-funds-of-knowledge-4d193579c60f

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Household knowledge is a source of teaching and learning in classrooms.
What it is

Funds of Knowledge applies the knowledge and skills of daily household routines to create meaningful and innovative approaches to classroom teaching and learning. This approach rejects a deficit model, where poor and culturally diverse families are presumed to be incapable of offering rich learning experiences at home for their children. Instead, educators recognize and value family expertise. The approach creates a platform for co-creating knowledge from school to home and home to school. As one parent says, "though we may not have a certificate in hand, we are also teachers." ¹

How it works

The Funds of Knowledge approach has its origins as a researcher-teacher collaboration to improve instructional practice among Latinx students. ² Trained and guided by the researchers, teachers assume the roles of researchers and ethnographers as they visit their students' homes and establish rapport with parents. They become learners as they observe the home context and interview family members. Teachers come to understand the ways that students and their families use language, literacy, and mathematics in the home and community. In turn, the data help teachers develop a curriculum that is based on what families naturally do - their "funds of knowledge" - and teachers find opportunities to bring parents into classrooms as experts to demonstrate their skills.

Parents and teachers can get together and talk about a subject like math and discuss not only the content of problems, but their values, and the reasoning behind them. Facilitators structure these conversations as co-equal teaching and learning activities.

Parents and teachers can join together in workshops that focus on the connection between academic subjects and real-world activities.

There are a number of ways to use this model when teacher home visits are not possible. For example:

What changes

In the Funds of Knowledge approach, teachers participate in study groups with researchers and conduct home visits. This experience makes them aware of the home as a learning environment and equips them to be more sensitive to individual students and to be able to personalize classroom learning. ³ Teachers also change the nature of the discussions in study groups and explore not only how school math is taught, but also how to connect everyday and academic mathematics.

In math workshops for parents, shifts happen in the ways teachers and researchers develop relationships with parents. Parents are not passive recipients of information from experts but active learners who share how they solve problems. When parents facilitate math workshops for other parents, they gain confidence and make parents feel that they are contributing equally to learning. Parents in these workshops form relationships with one another and their conversations change to include not only the lives of their children but also mathematical content. ⁴

Approach in Action

Readiness Through Integrative Science and Engineering
The RISE (Readiness Through Integrative Science and Engineering) project develops a curriculum for young children through a home-school collaboration. Designed by a group of researchers, the project builds on the knowledge and practices of families and teachers. It entails dialogue, joint activities, and meaningful learning experiences that result in a continuously evolving curriculum.

Teachers participate in professional development workshops on science and engineering content. They receive individualized support in coaching sessions and take part in professional learning meetings, where they connect with other teachers. Teachers also develop relationships with families through joint science-focused activities and parent-teacher discussion groups.

At the outset, the researchers engaged parents and teachers both separately and together to promote trust building and reciprocal dialogue. Prior to a joint activity with parents, the researchers facilitated a session to create teacher awareness of the need to let parents initiate dialogue. The researchers also structured opportunities for parents to take the lead, asking them to plan routes for neighborhood walks and take photographs of these spaces. The activity enabled teachers to understand children's classroom construction of blocks, buildings, and ramps. Both teachers and parents also worked together to create scrapbooks showing children's learning experiences based on home observations, classroom documentation, and neighborhood walks.

Once a more balanced relationship between parents and teachers was formed, both groups began to co-plan future joint activities and discussions on their own. These activities enabled teachers to draw upon families' funds of knowledge when designing the curriculum. Parents, in turn, became empowered to share experiences and to be active co-creators of their children's curriculum.

Define a clear goal: A consortium of four universities and their school partners sought to promote Latinx mathematical performance by strengthening the instructional strategies of teachers and preservice teachers. The universities in the consortium were the University of Arizona; University of California, Santa Cruz; University of Illinois at Chicago; and University of New Mexico.

Begin with families: The consortium's approach began with understanding family strengths and "funds of knowledge" about the practical application of mathematics. Teaching and learning strategies incorporated community knowledge and the creation of linguistically and culturally responsive learning environments. Teaching and learning sought to bridge formal school instruction and everyday math.

Create continuity of pedagogy: At the preservice level, the center developed teaching modules that incorporated research-based ideas from language and culture into existing mathematics content and pedagogy courses for preservice K-8 teachers. Field experiences exposed students to K-12 classrooms taught by CEMELA-trained teachers. Professional development opportunities included courses of study, study groups, and summer institutes. Faculty and teachers worked together to design the curriculum that brought together mathematics, language, and community and cultural knowledge.

Create a feedback loop: Family perspectives were integrated in teacher preparation and continuing education. Family math programs based on the funds of knowledge approach focused on strengthening family skills and empowering families to promote Latinx math achievement. At the University of Arizona, parents took math courses and discussed their views about teaching and learning. They participated in study groups and their ideas contributed to the CEMELA modules.

Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as
Between 2004 and 2012, the Center for the Mathematics Education of Latinos/as (CEMELA) developed an integrated model to connect mathematics teaching and learning to the social and cultural contexts of Latinx students and to increase the number of mathematics educators and teachers with this integrated knowledge. The model had the following characteristics:

The principles and lessons learned from CEMELA are sustained in new projects such as Hablemos de Matemáticas. In this pre-K-3 project, teachers and parents work together to learn from each other toward the common goal of increasing children's opportunities to learn mathematics. Teacher home visits, parent and teacher leadership development, workshops, community walks, and parent visits to mathematics classes create opportunities for two-way dialogue and bridge the home-school contexts for early math learning.
Funds of Knowledge in Early Childhood Education Handout
Learn more

Endnotes

¹ Civil M., & Andrade, R. (2002). Transitions between home and school mathematics: Rays of hope amidst the passing clouds. In: G. de Abreu, A. J. Bishop, & N.C. Presmeg (Eds.). Transitions Between Contexts of Mathematical Practices. Mathematics Education Library, vol. 27 (pp. 146-169). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-306-47674-6_7

² Moll, L. C., Amanti, C., Neff, D., & Gonzalez, N. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching: Using a qualitative approach to connect homes and classrooms. Theory Into Practice, 31(2), 132-141. Retrieved from https://www.csun.edu/~sb4310/Lessondesigncourse/funds%20of%20knowledge.pdf

³ Civil, M., & Andrade, R. (2002).

⁴ Civil, M. (2003). Adult learners of mathematics: A look at issues of class and culture. In: J. Evans, P. Healy, D. Kaye, V. Seabright, & A. Tomlin (Eds.). Policies and practices for adults learning mathematics: Opportunities and risks. Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of Adults Learning Mathematics (ALM9) - A Research Forum (pp. 13-23) (invited plenary lecture). Stevenage, UK: Avanti Books. Retrieved from https://www.math.arizona.edu/~civil/ALM9Civil.pdf

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Funds of Knowledge applies the knowledge and skills of daily household routines to create meaningful and innovative approaches to classroom teaching and learning.

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Using Collaborative Learning to Build Student Agency

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Making group work not just helpful but necessary fosters student-led learning.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching- Capitalizing on what students bring to the classroom.

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Culturally Responsive Teaching- Capitalizing on what students bring to the classroom.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztnwmVBMfd0

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Increasing Academic Language Knowledge for ELLs

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Increasing Academic Language Knowledge for ELLs

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https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/increasing-academic-language-knowledge-english-language-learner-success

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In college I enrolled at a university in Spain - all courses were taught in Spanish. My comprehension of my courses went something like this... (translated into English and the accompanying gibberish I heard.)

"So it is obvious from the way qyuekfksno , that the Greco style was qyueuoammo . If you look closely you notice xawoeirje and it reminds you of woieysksdufe ."

The only clue I had to aid my comprehension was a slide of the famous painting. I struggled to make meaning of the language, but I could not comprehend the professor's points. I was able to correctly answer in Spanish when asked a question such as, "What is a characteristic of the Greco style?" I would answer, "It is qyueuoammo ." I knew this because I had " qyueuoammo " written in my notes, but I still had no idea what the word meant.

I believe many ELL students have a similar experience in their classes, and that many of them are able to manipulate the English language to supply a correct answer, but still not understand the content. This does not become apparent until the student fails the unit test. The teacher may think the student wasn't listening or didn't try, when actually the student needed more explicit instruction in the academic language connected to the content. When teachers introduce and reinforce academic language they can see some amazing changes in ELL student learning.

There are three things to keep in mind when teaching academic language.

1. Academic language must be introduced and then reinforced.

2. Academic language can be more than content area vocabulary.

3. It is important to create assessments that measure knowledge in a meaningful way.

Introduce and reinforce academic language

What to do

1. Preview the text or topic and identify vocabulary or sentence structures that might be new for the students.

2. Write these words and phrases on the board and have students write them in their notebooks or on index cards.

3. Use visuals, acting, translation or synonyms to relay the meaning of the word to the students.

4. Reinforce the newly learned language by asking the students to draw it, act it out, or use it in an appropriate sentence. You can also ask for a translation if you speak the student's first language.

How to do it

Here are the steps demonstrated in a science lesson on the life cycle of a frog:

1. Preview the lesson and identify academic language vocabulary such as:
Write the words on the board and/or ask students to write them in their notebooks or on index cards.

2. Teach the academic vocabulary.
Science lends itself easily to visuals and hands on learning, so many words would be easily taught through labeling parts and identifying terms by examining frogs. In addition to teaching the vocabulary by labeling items, make sure students understand vocabulary concepts such as "cycle." A visual such as a bike tire that goes around is useful. The stages of the frog's life cycle can be taped to the wheel while explicitly using the vocabulary first, second, third and fourth to describe the life cycle.

3. Have students demonstrate the vocabulary concepts by using them in explanations, or drawing pictures in their journals.
It is important that students be given the opportunity and guidance to use the academic language to answer discussion questions or complete group work. Listen for the use of vocabulary words and praise students who attempt to use it. Follow up with the class by sharing examples, "I heard some really good discussion in the groups. I heard someone correctly describe a step in the life cycle by saying, 'The eggs get fertilized." Reinforce vocabulary not heard by fishing for "other ways" to say it. For example, "Who can tell me another way to say, 'The tadpole turns into a frog?" Encourage students to look at the academic vocabulary on the board, and say, "A tadpole develops into a frog."

Go beyond vocabulary

What to do

In the example above, there were many vocabulary words. Some of them were directly related to visual clues, but some were more abstract such as "cycle" and "developing." Words such as these may be overlooked by teachers because content lessons tend to focus on the "new vocabulary," that is, the specialized vocabulary related to that particular lesson, while assuming knowledge of what I call "functional" vocabulary. Functional vocabulary is the language needed to use the new words meaningfully. The teacher must model the correct use of content and functional vocabulary. ELL students may not feel comfortable using new language phrases in the classroom and benefit from more support and structured opportunities to begin using and fully comprehending academic language and phrases.

Guide students by asking them to repeat a phrase and complete the sentence. "In the life cycle..." Students fill in the blank, and have an opportunity to use the academic sentence structure verbally. It may also be useful to guide students in the use of appropriate academic discussion phrases. If a student says to another, "That's not right," ask them if they can think of another way to say it (using more academic language - maybe referring the student to the word wall or notebook). The student may then offer, "I don't agree with you." Or, "Could you show me evidence of that?"

Measure knowledge in a meaningful way

What to do

Assessments that let students "show what they know" may take some time and practice to develop and teachers may want to start with just one unit in order to practice this new skill. Many textbook series include unit tests that may have a number of multiple choice and fill in the blank questions that may or may not allow the student to demonstrate his/her understanding of the content. A teacher may have observed a student who was very engaged in the lessons and seemed to understand it, yet didn't do well on the test. This is frustrating to the teacher and the student. A meaningful assessment directly addresses the objectives of the lesson and will also measure the student's use of appropriate academic language. Here are a few suggested ways to do this.

How to do it

1. Students write a response to a question following rubric guidelines telling them what will be evaluated. Students tell the teacher in their own words what they learned in the unit regarding the concepts and the language.
In the science example above the rubric may be as simple as:

1. include all the steps in the life cycle

2. use five of the vocabulary words we studied

3. correctly explain why the life cycle is important in our environment

2. If students' verbal skills are stronger than their literacy skills, a teacher may have the students do a presentation - again using the rubric to evaluate their work. The rubric may include a guideline that each person in the group must speak and use a key vocabulary word.

3. Students can work in small groups and respond to some true and false sentences such as, "A frog lays eggs and then they hatch into baby frogs." The students need to explain why that is not true (using the academic vocabulary they learned). For example, a student might say, "That's not true because first a frog lays eggs, then they are fertilized, and then the cells begin to divide until a tadpole develops." Once again, a rubric would be used and students get credit for correct answers and the use of academic vocabulary.

In summary, explicitly instructing students in the academic language needed to be successful in the lesson will be rewarded with engaged students who are able to interact meaningfully with the content taught. If the lesson content is a dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, then the academic language is the plate and silverware needed to digest it. When teachers increase students' academic language knowledge, they are giving them the tools they need to digest a lifetime of learning and continue to expand the limits of their world.
Webcast: English Language Learners and Academic Language
Featuring Dr. Robin Scarcella, providing an overview to academic language instruction for English language learners, as well as teaching strategies, activity ideas, and recommended resources.
ESL/Bilingual Resource Guide for Mainstream Teachers
For a quick guide to working with ELL students, check out this resource from the Portland Public Schools (OR). You'll find useful, practical information in an accessible format that you'll return to again and again, including an excellent language acquisition chart and a glossary of ELL terms.
Catherine Snow: Word Generation
Catherine Snow's new website provides information and resources for educators who would like to learn more about Word Generation and how it is implemented. Includes links to comprehensive academic word list that students need to master to comprehend academic content.
Benefits of Using Sentence Frames
Sentence frames are one easy way to focus on a language structure, provide scaffolded support for ELLs and explicitly teach English language structures.
Best Evidence Encyclopedia: ELLs
The English-language Learners section of the Best Evidence Encyclopedia summarizes the impact of a few online reading programs for English-language learners and other language minority students in the elementary grades.
Vocabulary Activity: Prediction and Confirmation
An activity for vocabulary prediction and confirmation featured on the Florida Center for Instructional Technology website.
Teaching English Language Vocabulary
Here you will find a variety of activities and lesson plans designed specifically for vocabulary instruction for English language learners.
The Clarifying Routine: Elaborating Vocabulary Instruction
From our sister site, LDOnLine.org, comes this excellent article by Edwin Ellis outlining effective techniques for teaching vocabulary.
Building Academic Vocabulary
This site by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) offers lots of information about how to help students build academic vocabulary. Although designed to promote instructional materials sold by ASCD, the site has information that any teacher could use to enhance vocabulary instruction.

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Increasing Academic Language Knowledge for English Language Learner Success

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In college I enrolled at a university in Spain - all courses were taught in Spanish. My comprehension of my courses went something like this... (translated into English and the accompanying gibberish I heard.) "So it is obvious from the way qyuekfksno , that the Greco style was qyueuoammo .

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https://youtu.be/yCzoAmZHlHE

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60-Second Strategy: Cooperative Learning Roles

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Giving students randomly assigned roles in their group work helps ensure that they all participate.

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Teachers use their understanding of the ways that students and their families use language and literacy at home to develop their curriculum to suit what families naturally do (funds of knowledge) and teachers find opportunities to bring parents into classrooms as experts to demonstrate their skills. This creates a learning community!

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What You Need to Know About ELLs in the Art Room

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What You Need to Know About ELLs in the Art Room

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What You Need to Know About ELLs in the Art Room - The Art of Education University

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If you teach in the United States, chances are you have English Language Learners (ELLs) in your classroom. In the fall of 2016, according to The National Center for Educational Statistics, the number of public school students who participated in English as a Second Language (ESL) assistance program…

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Teaching English Language Learners in the Art Classroom: Visuals and Movement

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Teaching English Language Learners in the Art Classroom: Visuals and Movement

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Teaching English Language Learners in the Art Classroom: Visuals and Movement

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Teacher Toolkit: Sentence Stems (High School)

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Teacher Toolkit: Sentence Stems (High School)

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Teacher Toolkit: Sentence Stems (High School)

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Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

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Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

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Chances are that your English language learners (ELLs) come from a culture with traditions and family values that differ from mainstream American culture. These young children not only have the challenge of learning a new language, but also of adjusting to an unfamiliar cultural setting and school system. Imagine what it would be like to step into a foreign classroom where you didn't understand the language, rules, routines, or expected behavior.

On a daily basis, ELLs are adjusting to new ways of saying and doing things. As their teacher, you are an important bridge to this unknown culture and school system. There are a number of things you can do to help make ELLs' transitions as smooth as possible.

Stages of cultural accommodation

In the same way that ELLs go through stages of English language learning, they may also pass through stages of cultural accommodation. These stages, however, may be less defined and more difficult to notice. Being aware of these stages may help you to better understand "unusual" actions and reactions that may just be part of adjusting to a new culture.

Euphoria: ELLs may experience an initial period of excitement about their new surroundings.

Culture shock: ELLs may then experience anger, hostility, frustration, homesickness, or resentment towards the new culture.

Acceptance: ELLs may gradually accept their different surroundings.

Assimilation/adaptation: ELLs may embrace and adapt to their surroundings and their "new" culture.

Classroom strategies: helping your ELLs adjust to new surroundings

Although there are no specific teaching techniques to make ELLs feel that they belong in a new culture, there are ways for you to make them feel welcome in your classroom:

Learn their names

Take the time to learn how to pronounce your ELLs' names correctly. Ask them to say their name. Listen carefully and repeat it until you know it. If a student's name is Pedro, make sure you do not call him /peedro/ or Peter. Also, model the correct pronunciation of ELLs' names to the class so that all students can say the correct pronunciation.

Offer one-on-one assistance when possible

Some ELLs may not answer voluntarily in class or ask for your help even if they need it. ELLs may smile and nod, but this does not necessarily mean that they understand. Go over to their desk to offer individual coaching in a friendly way. For convenience, it may be helpful to seat ELLs near your desk.

Assign a peer partner

Identify a classmate who really wants to help your ELL as a peer. This student can make sure that the ELL understands what he or she is supposed to do. It will be even more helpful if the peer partner knows the ELL's first language.

Post a visual daily schedule

Even if ELLs do not yet understand all of the words that you speak, it is possible for them to understand the structure of each day. Whether through chalkboard art or images on Velcro, you can post the daily schedule each morning. By writing down times and having pictures next to words like lunch, wash hands, math, and field trip, ELLs can have a general sense of the upcoming day.

Use an interpreter

On-site interpreters can be very helpful in smoothing out misunderstandings that arise due to communication problems and cultural differences. If an on-site interpreter (a paid or volunteer school staff position) is not available, try to find an adult - perhaps another parent who is familiar with the school or "knows the system" - who is willing to serve this purpose. In difficult situations, it would not be appropriate for another child to translate.

ELLs can make unintentional "mistakes" as they are trying hard to adjust to a new cultural setting. They are constantly transferring what they know as acceptable behaviors from their own culture to the U.S. classroom and school. Be patient as ELLs learn English and adjust.

Invite their culture into the classroom

Encourage ELLs to share their language and culture with you and your class. Show-and-tell is a good opportunity for ELLs to bring in something representative of their culture, if they wish. They could also tell a popular story or folktale using words, pictures, gestures, and movements. ELLs could also try to teach the class some words from their native language.

Use materials related to your ELLs' cultures

Children respond when they see books, topics, characters, and images that are familiar. Try to achieve a good balance of books and materials that include different cultures. Browse these bilingual books from our sister site Colorín Colorado.

Label classroom objects in both languages

Labeling classroom objects will allow ELLs to better understand their immediate surroundings. These labels will also assist you when explaining or giving directions. Start with everyday items, such as "door/puerta," "book/libro," and "chair/silla."

Include ELLs in a non-threatening manner

Some ELLs may be apprehensive about speaking out in a group. They might be afraid to make mistakes in front of their peers. Their silence could also be a sign of respect for you as an authority - and not a sign of their inability or refusal to participate. Find ways to involve ELLs in a non-threatening manner, such as through Total Physical Response activities and cooperative learning projects.

Involve ELLs in cooperative learning

Some ELLs are used to working cooperatively on assigned tasks. What may look like cheating to you is actually a culturally acquired learning style - an attempt to mimic, see, or model what has to be done. Use this cultural trait as a plus in your classroom. Assign buddies or peer tutors so that ELLs are able to participate in all class activities. Also, check out these cooperative learning strategies you can use with ELLs.

Help your ELLs follow established rules

All students need to understand and follow your classroom rules from the very beginning, and ELLs are no exception. Teach them your classroom management rules as soon as possible to avoid misunderstandings, discipline problems, and feelings of low self-esteem. Here are a few strategies that you can use in class:

Use visuals like pictures, symbols, and reward systems to communicate your expectations in a positive and direct manner.

Physically model language to ELLs in classroom routines and instructional activities. ELLs will need to see you or their peers model behavior when you want them to sit down, walk to the bulletin board, work with a partner, copy a word, etc.

Be consistent and fair with all students. Once ELLs clearly understand what is expected, hold them equally accountable for their behavior.

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Creating a Welcoming Classroom Environment

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Chances are that your English language learners (ELLs) come from a culture with traditions and family values that differ from mainstream American culture. These young children not only have the challenge of learning a new language, but also of adjusting to an unfamiliar cultural setting and school system.

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How to Cultivate Student Agency in English Language Learners

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How to Cultivate Student Agency in English Language Learners

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How to Cultivate Student Agency in English Language Learners | KQED

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Developing an English language learner’s sense of agency can feel like a challenge when so many variables are at stake. Teachers Larry Ferlazzo and Katie Hull-Sypnieski outline helpful strategies for helping students feel they have more control.

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Student Agency But Were Afraid to Ask

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Student Agency But Were Afraid to Ask

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(This is the final post in a four-part series. You can see Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.)
The new question-of-the-week is:
What is agency and how can teachers encourage its growth among students?
Part One's contributors were Keisha Rembert, Sarah Ottow, Laurie Manville, Dr. Alva Lefevre, Dr. Lynell Powell, Dr. Felicia Darling, Paula Mellom, Rebecca Hixon, and Jodi Weber. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Laurie, Sarah, and Keisha on my BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.

This four-part series is "wrapped up" today with answers from Dr. Rebecca Alber, Andrea Keith, Tamara Fyke, Jenny Edwards, and Michael D. Toth.
Response From Dr. Rebecca Alber
Dr. Rebecca Alber teaches in the Graduate School of Education at UCLA. She is a blogger and consulting editor at Edutopia, a literacy specialist, and a compulsive reader. She dips into the Pacific Ocean as often as she can get away with:
Agency means choice and resources. In other words, as a learner, if I have agency in the classroom, my teacher has presented me with choices and with the resources I need to grow intellectually, emotionally, and socially. My teacher values and invests in me becoming resourceful on my own, becoming an independent learner, and wants me to have a voice in deciding the ways I will learn and how I will show my learning. When I walk into a classroom to observe, I know there is student agency in the room when I hear the students discussing their ideas and their work in meaningful ways with their peers. If I ask students what they are working on, they can explain in detail the project or assignment and they can also explain why it is of value: "We are learning this, ... and it is important to know this because..." When there is student agency in the room, the teacher is comfortable and passionate about her primary roles: "guide on the side" and "collector of resources." The teacher knows they are a facilitator and is strategic about when it is necessary to use direct instruction. And a teacher who values agency follows the lead of her students, even when it diverges from the curriculum or plan (divergent thinking is strongly encouraged, however inconvenient). A teacher who champions student agency will find, create, beg, and fundraise for all needed resources for learning so that students have the tools to empower themselves. Types of statements we teachers can say to students to encourage agency: "What do you think?," "How would you like this assignment to look?," "If you had a choice, what would you like to write about/create?," "What do you need to help you complete this project?," "What would feel best to you?" Response From Andrea Keith
Andrea Keith started her career in education more than 25 years ago, spending time as a classroom teacher in California, Colorado, and Illinois, before working for some of North America's leading ed-tech companies:
Agency is the capacity to create, act on, reflect, and revise goals. In education, the term is often used interchangeably with other jargon, like voice & choice or student ownership. Ultimately, agency seems to be the goal of raising children. No matter what a student's IQ, test scores, or interests are, we as parents and as a society want every child to become an adult who has agency. It's important to recognize that there are multiple components to agency that all must be developed in balance to be effective. The first part is the capacity to create your own goals, which is something education has not historically done. Since school began, someone in authority, be it a teacher or later an education agency, has determined what goals each student must attain. Our entire system of standards and assessment is based on goals that students have had no part in creating. The move toward personalized learning might help give students some practice in setting goals, although it seems much of what is available is more about choosing their own subgoals, while still aiming for the larger, predetermined standard. Teachers must work hard to find opportunities for students to create their own goals. Voice and choice is a first step, but once a student has chosen a book or a project, they need to be guided to set the learning goals that go with it, even if they are only creating their own subset of objectives, the process and practice is important to developing agency. Taking action toward goals may be the component of agency that is most available in traditional schooling. The push for standards to be communicated to students is one way to help students recognize that they are taking action toward goals. Regularly using the term "goals" with students can be a powerful way to help students internalize the value of agency. Reflection on learning is another trend that encourages student agency. Being required to think about how learning is progressing, what worked, and more importantly, what didn't, encourages a growth mindset and student ownership. Digital portfolios are a great tool for this, though a simple journal can work just as well. Understanding when to revise a goal or to change or add to the action plan to achieve it is another crucial component to agency. Iteration is a process that applies to a multitude of subjects, projects, and life experiences, and giving students a chance to master something, to prove competency, rather than get a grade and move on, goes a long way to encouraging agency. All of these components are important to the growth of student agency. Creating a goal without taking action is pointless. Taking action that doesn't work toward a goal is demotivating. Reaching, or not reaching a goal without reflection on the journey or changing the path misses the opportunity to build self-awareness and confidence. Providing frequent and varied experiences with the process of setting, striving to attain, and achieving goals is the way to build agency in our students. Response From Tamara Fyke
Tamara Fyke is an educator and creative entrepreneur with a passion for kids, families, and urban communities. She is the creator, author, and brand manager for Love In A Big World, which equips K-8 educators with a social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum that is both research-based and practical, and also provides the supporting resources necessary to empower students to be socially competent, emotionally healthy problem-solvers who discover and maintain a sense of purpose and make a positive difference in the world. Tamara is the editor of Building People: Social & Emotional Learning for Kids, Schools & Communities, a book that brings 12 wide-ranging perspectives on SEL to educators, parents, and leaders. Follow her on Twitter @tamara_fyke:
Bandura defines agency as the ability to influence one's own course. In other words, agency is choice-the opportunity and power to choose. that determine our behaviors. have helped educators gain a better understanding of the power of positive thinking. Before students can develop a growth mindset, they need to understand that they have a choice-the opportunity and power to make decisions. A Different Pedagogy , which parallel our workplace experiences as adults, empower students. By removing barriers and encouraging creativity, teachers become coaches, who are facilitating the learning. As we know, the key to good coaching is connection. The Power of Personal Stories By intentionally building relationships with our colleagues and students, our students learn that we are here for them to talk through their ideas, doubts, and questions. We become conversation-partners on their road to discovery. Opportunities for Choice in the Classroom . Our goal as educators is to create a safe place for students to learn and grow. The word "safe" encompasses physical, mental, and social domains. In this safe place, we can offer children the opportunity and power to choose with guidance and support so they learn that what they do and say matters. Our aim is for them to transfer their ability to make good and productive choices within the microcosm of the classroom to making good choices in their homes and neighborhoods both now and in the future. Response From Jenny Edwards
Jenny Edwards teaches doctoral students in the School of Educational Leadership and Change at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, Calif. Edwards is the author of Time to Teach: How do I get organized and work smarter?(ASCD), Inviting Students to Learn: 100 Tips for Talking Effectively with Your Students (ASCD), and Research on Habits of Mind (2014, Institute for Habits of Mind International):
According to Klemenčič (2017), "student agency [is] students' capabilities to intervene in and influence their learning environments and learning pathways" (p. 69). Zimmerman (2015) described "student agency" as "the concept that students should be in control of their educational decisions rather than following a prescribed path determined by others" (p. 21). Martin (2004) defined "agency [as] the capability of "individual human beings to make choices and to act on these choices in ways that make a difference in their lives" (p. 135). The Reflecting Conversation in Cognitive Coaching Williams (2017) suggested that librarians are in an excellent position to give students choices. They can create "systems [that] enable each student to take charge of his or her learning, to own the experience of discovery, and follow a course that excites the student" (p. 12). He observed that, "enabling student agency requires that it pervade every aspect of each student's experience" (p. 12). He suggested that librarians can help build agency by valuing student opinions and allowing them to be themselves. In addition, students can choose the books they want to read for recreational reading. Librarians can make the books students write available in the catalog so that other students can check them out. When students can check out their own books without relying on the librarian to do so, they can develop a sense of agency. As teachers, we have a variety of ways to encourage students to develop a sense of agency. What choices might you give your students today and in the weeks and months to come? Response From Michael D. Toth (Costa & Garmston, 2016) can assist students in building agency. In this conversation, students talk about about something they did. The coach asks them questions to enable them to reflect on what they did to create their success. The coach asks questions related to the "Five States of Mind," which are "efficacy, flexibility, craftsmanship, consciousness, and interdependence" with the goal of helping students to grow in these areas (p. 107). Do Students Have Agency in a Traditional Classroom? The American Institutes for Research (AIR) defines student agency as "the ability to manage one's learning." This deceptively simple definition actually implies a significant shift in thinking about the role of the student and the role of the teacher. In a traditional classroom, the teacher manages student learning, delivering direct instruction, monitoring to ensure student understanding and behavior is on track, offering clarification and remediation, and eventually assessing students' mastery of the content. Students have very little agency in this process; teachers have the agency. Systems for Student Autonomy In order for students to effectively manage their own learning, they need an environment of autonomy-that is, a learning environment where students do not constantly rely on the teacher for guidance. However, student autonomy without the proper structures in place would result in chaos. There must be systems which create the conditions for students to take ownership of their own learning. These systems are most effectively implemented through a daily instructional process called academic teaming, where students collaborate, peer coach, and peer teach while engaged in rigorous, standards-based tasks. In their academic teams, students have agency because there is transparency, structure, and peer interdependence built into the teaming process. Transparency comes from students knowing exactly what they are learning, why they are learning it, and how they will know when they mastered it through the learning targets and success criteria which are used for every team task. Structure comes from the team roles, norms, and protocols which explicitly teach students the skills for conflict resolution and self-efficacy so they can function independently from the teacher. Peer interdependence comes from students working together on a cognitively challenging task that requires them to rely on each other and push each other's thinking as they work toward achieving the learning target. From "Student Agency" to "Peer Agency" Students not only gain agency over their own learning in academic teams, they also reach a new level of agency where they take responsibility for their team members' learning, a concept called peer agency. When students develop peer agency, they are able to support and push their team members in a way that would traditionally be performed by the teacher. In fact, when students work in high-functioning academic teams, they can take over many of the responsibilities the teacher holds. Students track their own and their peers' learning and manage their own behavior, assess their own and their peers' mastery of the content (verified by the teacher), and offer timely peer interventions to close daily learning gaps. When students develop peer agency, that means they can actually help other students develop their own agency. Academic-teaming classrooms give students the opportunity to have the most agency possible as they increase their resilience, leadership, motivation, and empathy in ways they wouldn't be able to in a traditional classroom.

Michael D. Toth is founder and CEO of Learning Sciences International (LSI) and leads LSI's Applied Research Center. He is an expert in research-based school improvement models, shifting instructional methodologies, root-causes analysis for school issues, and building 21st-century skills in students; he gives public presentations and advises education leaders on these issues. Toth is the author of several books-his latest is The Power of Student Teams: Achieving Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Learning in Every Classroom Through Academic Teaming with David Sousa, and more of his commentary on academic teaming can be found on https://academicteaming.com/:

Thanks to Rebecca, Andrea, Tamara, Jenny, and Michael for their contributions.
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Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

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Everything You Wanted to Know About Student Agency But Were Afraid to Ask ... (Opinion)

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(This is the final post in a four-part series. You can see Part One here, Part Two here, and Part Three here.) The new question-of-the-week is: What is agency and how can teachers encourage its growth among students?

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The Home Language: An English Language Learner's Most Valuable Resource

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The Home Language: An English Language Learner's Most Valuable Resource

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The Home Language: An English Language Learner’s Most Valuable Resource

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In this article written for Colorín Colorado, Dr. Fred Genesee discusses the research supporting the importance of a child’s home language. In addition, Dr. Genesee explores the question of why an approach that is well-supported by research has been largely ignored in the era of “research-based” policy.OverviewWebcast: ELLs and ReadingLearn more about using the home language to support ELLs’ reading instruction in our Teaching ELLs to Read webcast featuring Dr. Genesee!The education of English language learners (ELLs) is one of the most important issues facing U.S. educators. ELLs are a large and growing proportion of the school-age population — according to National Center for Educational Statistics, in 2007, about 10.8 million (or 20%) school-aged children in the U.S. spoke a language other than English at home (Planty, Hussar, Snyder, Kena, Kewal Ramani, Kemp, Bianco, & Dinkes, 2009). This situation is not likely to change because ELLs are currently the fastest growing population in U.S. schools (National Center for Education Statistics, 2004), with the number of ELLs expected to increase another 50% by 2025 (Passel & Cohn, 2008).The importance of the issues goes beyond the sheer number of ELLs, however. It has been shown in numerous national studies and surveys that, on average, ELLs under achieve in comparison to their English-speaking peers in academic domains and that the achievement gap tends to increase the higher the grade level (e.g., Fry, 2007; Rumberger, 2007; McNeil et al., 2008). As we consider ways to help ELLs increase their academic achievement, then, it is clear that educators need all the resources at their disposal to meet these challenges.Policy and Home LanguageUntil recently, significant efforts were made to enhance the educational outcomes of ELLs by offering alternative forms of education that incorporate use of ELLs’ home language (Genesee, 1999, for a review). These programs were justified on the grounds that educating ELLs in English only posed a triple threat to their educational success since it would require that they simultaneously:learn academic English to high levels,master challenging academic skills and content taught through English,adopt new social skills that would permit them to integrate with their English-speaking classmates and teachers.However, in recent years, recent political and legislative initiatives that disfavor bilingual education have made these educational options difficult to access, despite evidence of their success (Goldenberg, 2009). Along with these politically-motivated changes, it would appear that educators and policy-makers no longer recognize the native language skills of ELLs as an important educational resource and, indeed, it would even appear that they discredit it having any role in the education of ELLs.What does the research say?At the same time that the role of the home language is diminishing in public education policy, there have been growing political and legislative expectations that educational policies and classroom practices be backed up by scientific, empirical evidence. With respect to ELLs, there is undeniable and growing evidence that the home language of ELLs is of considerable benefit to their overall academic success. There are multiple sources of such evidence. First, recent meta-analyses have shown that educational programs that systematically incorporate use of ELLs’ home language result in levels of academic success, including achievement in literacy and other academic subjects, that are as high as and often better than that of ELLs in English-only programs (Genesee & Lindholm-Leary, in press). In a review of these meta-analyses, Goldenberg (2008) notes “Readers should understand how unusual it is to have five meta-analyses on the same issue conducted by five independent researchers or groups of researchers with diverse perspectives. The fact that they all reached essentially the same conclusion is worth noting. No other area in educational research with which I am familiar can claim five independent meta-analyses based on experimental studies — much less five that converge on the same basic finding.” (p. 15).Second, in a study of ELLs in two-way immersion programs, Lindholm and Aclan (1991) found a significant positive relationship between individual student’s level of bilingual proficiency and their achievement in math and reading in English. Furthermore, the students who were classified as “high bilinguals” were able to attain grade level results by fourth grade in English reading and by third grade in English math.Third, a growing body of evidence from researchers around the world has shown that bilingual children exhibit significant cognitive advantages in comparison to monolingual children (e.g., Bialystok 2006; Chin & Wigglesworth, 2007; Kovaacs & Mehler, 2009). These advantages have been demonstrated in executive control processes related to selective attention and inhibition and monitoring of attention when, for example, children are engaged in problem solving.Fourth, and finally, extensive research, again from around the world, has found that children who are learning to read in a second language are able to transfer many skills and knowledge from their first language to facilitate their acquisition of reading skills in the second language. The best evidence of this comes from studies showing that students with strong reading skills in the home language also have strong reading skills in their second language. Much of this work has been done on ELLs in the U.S. (August & Shanahan, 2006; Riches & Genesee, 2006).What we see in the U.S., then, is a push for research-based policy but the creation of policies that contradict the research. Debate concerning the value of using ELLs’ home language in specially-designed programs, such as two-way immersion, will undoubtedly continue, and so it should since it makes little educational sense to diminish U.S. students’ opportunities to become bilingual in an increasingly globalized community.Back to topHome Language in the ClassroomIn the meantime, teachers and students can’t wait for these policy debates to be settled before deciding how or whether to draw upon ELLs’ home language. The question arises how can schools and teachers, even those who are monolingual, act on evidence that clearly shows the personal, cognitive, linguistic and educational value of using the linguistic resources that ELLs bring to school. There is no simple or single answer to this question, but a number of options are worth exploring that, at the moment, are often overlooked and discounted. Cloud, Genesee, and Hamayan (2009, Chapter 3) offer a number of suggestions:To encourage students to see connections between their languages and, thus, to better understand how languages are structured and organized, talk to ELLs about their home language — ask them:How is the home language the same and how it is different from English?Are there words in the home language that sound the same and mean the same thing in both languages?Are there words in the home language and English that sound the same but mean different things?As part of phonological and metalinguistic awareness exercises to facilitate reading acquisition, ask students:to say words that start with the same sound(s) in English or the L1.how words are changed and formed in the home language — singular and plural forms, present tense and past tense forms of verbs — to enhance their word knowledgewho are new to your class, to read books in their home language to show you what they know about reading.By using the collective skills and knowledge of all students (both ELL and English-L1 students) in the classroom, even a monolingual teacher can tap into these valuable language resources that ELLs have and do so with the confidence that these methods will promote their language development — in English as well as the home language.Back to topEducation for AllA hallmark of public education in the U.S. is respect for and appreciation of the individual skills and backgrounds of students as a foundation for furthering their education. Taking advantage of ELLs’ home language resources is asking no more than the same respect and appreciation for this group of learners. At the same time, parents, teachers, educational leaders in local school districts, and politicians should discuss how best to provide all students in the U.S. with high quality educational programs that promote competence in additional languages. At stake is not only the competitiveness of individual students once they enter the work force but, indeed, the ability of the U.S. itself to compete in an increasingly multilingual and multicultural world.Back to topVideo: Using the Home Language as a ResourceDearborn Public Schools ELD Director Rose Aldubaily discusses the value of using students’ home language as a resource. About the AuthorFred Genesee is Professor in the Psychology Department at McGill University, Montreal. He has conducted extensive research on alternative forms of bilingual and immersion education for language minority and language majority students. His current research interests also include language acquisition in pre-school bilingual children, internationally-adopted children, second language reading acquisition, and the language and academic development of students at-risk in bilingual programs. He is the recipient of the Canadian Psychological Associate Award for Distinguished Contributions to Community or Public Service and the 2-Way CABE Award of Promoting Bilingualism. Publications include:Genesee, F., Paradis, J., & Crago (Eds.) (2010). Dual Language Development and Disorders: A Handbook on Bilingualism and Second Language Learning, 2nd Edition. Baltimore, Maryland: Brookes Publishing.Cloud, N., Genesee, F., and Hamayan, E. (2009). Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners: A Teacher’s Guide to Research-Based Practices. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.Back to topAcknowledgementsOur policy section is made possible by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation. The statements and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors.

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Differentiating Instruction: It’s Not as Hard as You Think

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Differentiating Instruction: It’s Not as Hard as You Think

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Differentiating Instruction: It’s Not as Hard as You Think

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Response: Cooperative Learning Can Promote ELLs' Academic Oral Language (Opinion)

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Response: Cooperative Learning Can Promote ELLs' Academic Oral Language (Opinion)

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(This is Part Five in a five-part series. You can see Part One here; Part Two here; Part Three here and Part Four here.)
The new question-of-the-week is:

How do you promote speaking with English-language learners?

Part One's contributors were Valentina Gonzalez, Sarah Said, Mary Ann Zehr, Dr. Jeff Zwiers, and Maneka Deanna Brooks. You can listen to a 10-minute conversation I had with Valentina, Sarah, and Mary Ann on my BAM! Radio Show. You can also find a list of, and links to, previous shows here.

In Part Two, Joyce Nutta, Carine Strebel, Jenny Vo, Dr. Catherine Beck, Dr. Heidi Pace, and Pamela Broussard shared their responses.
Response From Sonia Soltero
Sonia Soltero, Kevin Jepson, Susan Gaer, Michele L. Haiken, Sarah Thomas, and Gloria Pereyra-Robertson offer suggestions in this series' final post. I also include comments from readers.
The reality is that when teachers are doing most of the talking, students cannot develop strong oral-language skills since they will have few opportunities to talk to each other. Even teachers who provide many opportunities for students to dialogue with them are restricted by the ratio of one teacher to 25-plus students. With that ratio in mind, think about how often each student has an opportunity to speak with the teacher. On the other hand, collaborative talk (or accountable talk), cooperative-learning, and other learner-centered approaches provide expanded opportunities for students to engage in authentic oral discussions about academic content with each other. Cooperative learning allows ELs to practice language at their own level of English proficiency in meaningful and authentic ways while providing them access to both comprehensible input and output. Through cooperative learning, ELs work collaboratively in small groups, engage in many meaningful experiences with language and content, and receive more individualized support from teachers, who act as facilitators (Soltero, 2016). ELs, who are at different levels of academic- and second-language proficiencies, can also help each other through cooperative learning by helping each other process information and connect to what they already know. Strategies used in cooperative learning, like Jigsaw, Think-Pair-Share, Three-Step Interview, and Number-Heads-Together, are especially useful in promoting academic oral language. These types of strategies provide the structure students need but also authentic ways for them to use academic oral language through focused discussions about academic content. For example, in Numbered-Heads-Together, small groups of students solve a problem or answer a question together. First, each student in the group picks a number from one through four (if there are four students in the group). The teacher then gives all the groups time to research and discuss possible solutions/answers about a topic/question. All members of the group make sure that everyone understands and can provide the answer/solution to the other groups. After students have solved the problem or answered the question together, the teacher calls a number from one to four at random and asks all the students with that number to report back to the class. For example, the teacher calls on all the students who have the number two to share the group's solution/answer with the rest of the class.The students who report the correct answer or solution then win points for their team. In this cooperative-learning strategy, all students in the group are responsible for knowing the answer to the problem since the members of the group do not know what number the teacher will call. Numbered-Heads-Together provides ELs a support structure for understanding a concept or text through discussions with their peers. An important note, if the classroom has some or many ELs who have a beginner-English-proficiency level, is that teachers should make sure that the groups themselves learn and apply differentiation techniques. For example, once each group finds the solution to the problem or answer to the questions, then students come up with a number of ways of reporting back that takes into account students proficiency levels. These can include an oral response, a graphic organizer, or a labeled diagram, or have the students be ready to answer in their native language. This way, even if a student at the beginner-English level is called, they can still respond. Providing opportunities for ELs to engage in meaningful language "output" is critical for their continuous development of academic oral language. The use of collaborative conversations is another way to increase interactions between students and also between students and the teacher talking to each other to make meaning, solve problems, and think critically together. The difference between instructional conversations and traditional instruction is in teachers' assumption that students have something valuable to say beyond answering questions the teachers already knows. Collaborative talk offers authentic opportunities for problem-solving, making sense of new information, and linking new ideas and concepts to what students already know. Through talking, students can try out new ways of thinking, reshape their ideas in midsentence, respond instantly to others' comments, and collaborate in constructing meaning. ELs can build language through collaborative talk because not only are their backgrounds validated ,but they also can tap and expand on their prior experiences (Sotlero, 2011). This approach is especially effective for ELs because they become active learners engaging in real communication and therefore more likely to take ownership of their language learning in the context of their own experiences. While ELs may have opportunities outside the classroom to develop social oral language, the only place where they can build their academic oral language is in the context of classroom interactions. References Soltero, S. W. (2011). Schoolwide approaches to educating ELLs: Creating linguistically and culturally responsive K-12 schools. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Soltero, S. W. (2016). Dual language education: Program design and implementation. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. Response From Kevin Jepson
Sonia Soltero has been involved in dual and bilingual education for over 30 years as a dual-language teacher, professional developer, university professor, and researcher. She currently is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Leadership, Language, and Curriculum at DePaul University:
The first conversation below is between a grade 5 teacher and students discussing the choices authors make when writing sentences. Notice who's doing most of the talking: Teacher: Even so. Why do we think the author chose to write "Even so"? What does "Even so" signal to you? Think about your own writing. When have you used "Even so"? (pause) Ready? Camila? Camila: Despite? Teacher: Despite. Great. That's another one. What do you we YOU? WE???? call those kind of words? Mariana? Mariana: Coordinating conjunction? Teacher: It's not a coordinating conjunction. It's a ... Martin: Transition word? Teacher: A transition word. Nice job. So, "Even so" acts as a transition word. Because why is it transitioning? Does anybody remember in the text we read what was going on before the author wrote "Even so"? What happened in that story? Remember, this was in the introduction. And right before this they were talking about how they were getting a lot of pressure. "Even so," so see how powerful that word is? It's changing that even though they want something, we want something different. It's showing a contrast. (exchange continues) Teacher: What if I replace "but "with "and"? And is also a conjunction. How would and change the meaning? I'll give you some time to think. Emma, you want to give it a shot? Emma: It is adding on to the, like, the idea, of the first (part of the) sentence? Teacher: Can anyone repeat or rephrase what Emma just said? Santiago: It would have the same idea as the first two chunks (of the sentence). Teacher: Right, and would have the same idea as the first two chunks. Two connecting, same ideas. So how does "but "change that for me? Jazmin? Jazmin: But would change it. Teacher: Can you say more about that, Jazmin? Jazmin: It would change it because "but" would say there are many things happening, but this is the one. Teacher: Right, so does anyone want to add something else to that? Daniel: But is saying this is the main thing happening. Teacher: Right, now it's going to the main factor, or a contrast. but is something that is going to tell us a contrast. (exchange continues) Photo by Kevin Jepson
The Conversation Cues the second teacher uses are inspired by the Simply put, Conversation Cues are questions teachers can ask students to promote productive-and equitable-conversation, based on four successive goals: Goal 1

I'll give you time to think and discuss with a partner.

Can you say more about that?

Goal 2

Why do you think that?

How does this discussion add to your understanding?

Goal 4

Who can explain how your classmate came up with that response?

Do you agree or disagree?

Photo by Kevin Jepson Across the school year, Conversation Cues are introduced one goal at a time. In this context, they slowly build the capacity for all students to speak, thus helping to level the playing field and establish equity. The sense of equity can come as ELLs find a comfortable entry point into a conversation, regardless of proficiency level or personality, and whether they start by sketching their thoughts or are ready to elaborate on another student's idea. For example, in the conversation around "but" above, the teacher said, "I'll give you some time to think." This Goal 1 Cue provides ELLs who need more language-processing time a chance to formulate their message. "Can anyone repeat or rephrase what Emma just said?" encourages all students to listen closely. Furthermore, that Goal 2 Cue gives beginning ELLs a chance to voice language they have already heard so that they can play with phonology and begin attaching language to content. Inviting students to "add on" in Goal 4 promotes higher-level language and cognitive skills. It's amazing to see classroom roles begin to shift when teachers use Conversation Cues. Teachers become "facilitator" of the conversation, rather than "driver." They can enjoy getting to know students and their ideas. Each ELL is invited to be a participant in the conversation: expressing their thinking (e.g., " 'But' would change it."); deepening their ideas (e.g., " 'but' would say there are many things happening, but this is the one."); and refining thinking as a group (e.g., " 'But 'is saying this is the main thing happening."). One grade 3 teacher reports that Conversation Cues have changed her practice and have even shifted the power dynamic in her classroom: "They've made me a better teacher because I've learned to ask my students better questions. I've learned to actually listen to their answers and build off of their answers rather than driving a lesson myself." At the same time, the teacher is building the foundation for ELLs to have independent, small-group conversations, where they can use their own Conversation Cues. For students, moving from thinking to expressing thinking to refining thinking supports important processes in language and content acquisition, including grappling and critical thinking. As a result, ELLs may feel more comfortable contributing to the conversation knowing that their thinking is respected and knowing that they will be given the chance to refine their ideas with their classmates. For teachers, Conversation Cues provide an opportunity to listen carefully to student thinking and to ask students to provide rationale or evidence for their thinking. Teachers then have the data they need to consider how to adjust instruction in response. In the first exchange around Even so above, the more typical Initiate-Response-Evaluate (IRE) pattern emerges: The teacher asks students a compelling series of questions, selects one student to respond, and evaluates the student's answer: "Great!" or "Not quite." The consequence can be that ELLs feel hesitant to respond for fear of being consistently "wrong." And it's more difficult for teachers to assess student understanding if they are focused on identifying a correct response. I am not suggesting that we completely abandon IRE, which can show benefits to certain students in certain contexts. Rather, I am suggesting we dramatically decrease the focus on IRE to reap the benefits we can gain from increasing the support and time we give students to engage in rich conversation. This is not only a call to action but continues to be my own professional aspiration. Ample opportunity for productive and equitable conversation is an important part of the process of acquiring literacy skills for any student. For English-language learners, these conversations are critical to overall language acquisition. A teacher can begin by setting aside at least 3-5 minutes in each lesson to use Conversation Cues and allow ELLs enough time to think and talk with one another and their classmates. Ideally, this time expands until students spend more time talking than the teacher, thus enjoying the opportunity to experiment with using language to express complex concepts. Conversation Cues can take a good deal of time, but they are worth the investment.

Response From Susan Gaer : Think with others to expand the conversation Top Three Techniques for promoting speaking in the ELL classroom I have been teaching ELLs for more than 30 years. Although I have mostly worked with an adult student population both here and abroad, I believe that some of my techniques will be applicable to all ages of student populations. Here are my top three techniques.

1. Engage learners with meaningful material. Instead of coming in with a laundry list of grammar structures and vocabulary to teach, find out what the students are interested in. It is possible to get information from your ELLs even at the lowest language level. Find out what their hobbies are, or if you are working with an adult population, what their jobs are. Use that information to inform your instruction and more highly engage your students. I really like using Newslea (http://newslea.com
) for student engagement as it has topics that are current and can easily be differentiated for level. It is also free to use, which is a bonus in my book. You can pay for it if you want to receive data on student use and allow students to annotate; you will need to contact them for a price quote. Once you have engaged your students, they will volunteer to speak.

2. Teach language in context. Oftentimes, ELLs are scared to speak and are overwhelmed with the language. Their reticence to speak is based on a fear of what they will sound like. I have found that teaching grammar, vocabulary, and complicated structures in context helps students to express themselves. As you engage them (see my number 1 tip), ask questions and clarify vocabulary and structures as they answer.

3. Use sentence frames. Jeff Zwiers (http://jeffzwiers.org/) has a whole host of tools on his website to develop academic-thinking and -speaking skills. He also has published many books on the topic of academic- and oral-speaking skills, all which include the use of sentence frames. At a very basic level, use a series of frames to teach students how to talk with you and other students. A good list of sentence frames can be found here.

Throughout the years I have taught students from beginning-literacy to advanced-academic ESL. All of my students have told me that these techniques help them to become better speakers. If you have specific questions, feel free to email me at Response From Michele L. Haiken : Listen carefully to one another and seek to understand : Encourage all students to talk and be understood To help ELL students develop academic language, consider having students respond orally using a video discussion platform, such as On Seesaw, students can add written reflections and draw their responses. Students have more options for how they might share and reflect by adding a drawing to explain their thinking or their steps for solving a math problem. Students can view each other's written responses and add peer feedback with the app. Providing discussion starters or sentence frames can help students scaffold their response and plan out what they will say before posting a response on a video discussion platform. Response From Sarah Thomas , Last year, I finished my dissertation and had the pleasure of observing an ESOL teacher who had her students create videos at the beginning and end of each unit. Furthermore, the students would display their work in a class viewing party, and she told them that if they did a phenomenal job, she would show their videos to future classes. I loved this because students were actively engaged in their learning and were motivated to revise and revise until they had the best quality product. Response From Gloria Pereyra-Robertson , or Looking Through the Eyes of an ELL Student The other day, at our school's assembly, one of my former ELL students received the Student of the Month award. Her teacher, an ELL student herself, talked about how proud she was of her, because she understood, just like I understood, how hard it is for many ELL students to learn new academic concepts,and follow directions in a language they don't speak. Unfortunately, there are people today in our public schools who do not stop for one moment to think about how ELL students like this child are having to adapt to a new culture, environment, climate, food, fashion, and relationships, while still having to learn how to read, write, comprehend, and communicate in a different language. This is why what this teacher shared at this assembly was very important because by reflecting and comparing her personal struggles as an ELL student for others to hear and see, she demonstrated that ELL students are very capable of success in our schools. Shining the light on ELL students who are capable of overcoming their language obstacles provides the opportunity to start changing mindsets from pity to empathy for all ELL students. Once we can change mindsets, we can begin promoting speaking with English-language learners. I say this because every year I have new "English Only" volunteers who, at first, feel like they can't help in my class because I have many ELL students who do not speak English yet. So, how do I begin the process of changing the stereotypical mindset that plagues our ELL students in our classrooms? First, I ask any "English only" volunteer in my classroom to view the following links, in order to see how using a simple free app such as Google Translate on their cellphones can help them become a successful volunteer who can speak and work with ELL students. Google Translate: Alberto's Story -YouTube Google Translate: From Syria to Canada I know people may criticize me for using this app as a tool to help "English Only" people communicate with ELL students because it is not yet a 100 percent perfect translation. But let me ask these two questions: Is it better to have no communication and not take down stereotypical barriers that ELL students face? Or is it better that a person is wiling to try to speak and communicate with the help of a tool that can help begin to build relationships with an ELL student, even if the translation is not perfect yet? Well, let me tell you, that I have personally witnessed a very depressed ELL student who did not communicate with anyone at her school or have any friends for 90 percent of the school year because she had no means to communicate with anyone in her own language. I was asked to teach her teacher how to use Google Translate through the phone app, so she could communicate with her student. A day later, I was sent pictures of her communicating for the first time with her classmates using an iPad that the principal provided for her the next day. Providing the tools and opportunities for ELL and EO students to communicate begins to take down the language-barrier walls that exist in many of our classrooms today. Being able to use a tool to communicate can change the lives of ELL students, and it can impact the relationships between ELL and English Only students on a level that can only be imagined. So, I would like to leave you with this inspirational summary of Girl Hailed for Using Google Translate to Befriend New Student by McKinley Corbley (Nov 7, 2016). It's a short story that demonstrates how being able to speak with an ELL student empowers random empathy and kindness. The story talks about a student who saw how sad a new Spanish-only-speaking student looked in her class and how her feeling of empathy kicked in to help this situation. This student decided to take out her cellphone and used Google Translate to write the student a note in Spanish, inviting him to sit and eat lunch with her. Because this student used a tool that was literally at her fingertips, it empowered her to communicate with this ELL student. Having the ability to speak with an ELL student quicker and sooner begins the process of forming new relationships. It's not easy being an ELL student in our schools today ... but can we empower all students to have the opportunity to speak with each other and build relationships that can impact our society in the future? ¡Si, se puede! Follow me on Twitter @GloriaOTOY17 for more ideas on how to use Google Translate in your classroom. Responses From Readers . These tools remove the stress of performance in front of the class and give students the opportunity to present knowledge and ideas orally while at the same time build verbal communication. With these video discussion platforms, you pose a question for which students can record responses. You set the amount of time that students have to respond to a question; for example, students have one minute to answer a question or 90 seconds. Students can listen to each other's reflections to learn from them and respond to one another. Flipgrid also offers stickers, similar to those on Snapchat, for students to digitally accessorize their look on camera. For students who don't like to show their face on camera, you could keep a collection of masks or selfie props on hand for students to use when sharing. research by Sarah Michaels at Clark University and Cathy O'Connor at Boston University. Rebecca Blum Martinez, a bilingual/ESL professor at the University of New Mexico, helped us at EL Education apply the Talk Science structure throughout our newK-5 Language Arts Curriculum. In our curriculum, we call the structure "Conversation Cues," and we use them to create the comprehensive foundation for rich, collaborative discussions between ELLs and their classmates.
Based in California, Kevin Jepson is a professional-development specialist and ELL curriculum specialist for EL Education. He was born in Korea and lived and worked abroad for 15 years in five countries. In the United States, Kevin has worked with kindergarten through adult language learners and teachers for the past 16 years, teaching, designing curricula and assessments, and coaching:

Susan Gaer is a retired professor of ESL, Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, Calif. Currently, she is the president-elect of CATESOL (California Association of Teachers to Speakers of Other Languages):
Just a reminder;you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email or RSS Reader. And if you missed any of the highlights from the first seven years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below. The list doesn't include ones from this current year, but you can find those by clicking on the "answers" category found in the sidebar. Look for the next question-of-the-week in a few days.
Michele L. Haiken is a middle school English teacher and adjunct professor of literacy in Westchester, N.Y. She is the author of Personalized Reading: Digital Strategies and Tools To Support All Learners

Speaking is one of the core literacy skills, but ELL students might be shy or overwhelmed to participate in a large class discussion because of their language skills. Initiating small-groups discussions and one-on-one discussions is a way for students to share thinking, questions, connections, and synthesis of a text, while at the same time building language and speaking skills. Doing so also addresses Common Core State Standards, which require students to initiate and participate in a range of collaborative discussions (CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9- 10.1). Technology tools can help ELL students meet the demands of the curriculum and build understanding so they can meet learning objectives. As authors Heather Parris, Lisa Estrada, and Andrea Honigsfeld (2017) explained in ELL Frontiers: Using Technology to Enhance Instruction for English Learners, "The use of digital media provides a low-anxiety environment with a focus on the traditional four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing), plus the skill of viewing, which must be included in today's classroom. ELs need ample production opportunities to develop language skills."

Sarah Thomas, Ph.D., is a regional technology coordinator in Prince George's County public schools. She is also a Google Certified Innovator, Google Education Trainer, and the founder of the EduMatch movement, a project that empowers educators to make global connections across common areas of interest. She is also a national adviser for the Future Ready Instructional Coaches Strand and an affiliate professor at Loyola University in Maryland:

Gloria Pereyra-Robertson is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and is the third Hispanic bilingual teacher in 64 years to be named the Oregon teacher of the year. She is also a National Education Association Teaching Excellence recipient. Her teaching style and teacher-leadership roles are a reflection of her experience as an ELL student, who has overcome language barriers and racial and discriminating situations throughout her life. Gloria has worked in Title I schools for the last 22 years as a kindergarten teacher who helps find innovative solutions to break down language and racial barriers for all students and their families:

Communicate with them!

-- kelly b (@KellyBRBrown) January 17, 2019

work with communicative audiovisual tapes to instill motivation to learn. Use diagrams and flip charts. let students role play, so that they understand perfectly well what they are doing.

-- foncha anang emmerencia (@AnangFoncha) January 17, 2019

Thanks to Sonia, Kevin, Susan, Michele, Sarah, and Gloria for their contributions.

Please feel free to leave a comment with your reactions to the topic or directly to anything that has been said in this post.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It's titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching.

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Response: Cooperative Learning Can Promote ELLs' Academic Oral Language (Opinion)

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(This is Part Five in a five-part series. You can see Part One here; Part Two here; Part Three here and Part Four here.) The new question-of-the-week is: How do you promote speaking with English-language learners? Part One's contributors were Valentina Gonzalez, Sarah Said, Mary Ann Zehr, Dr. Jeff Zwiers, and Maneka Deanna Brooks.

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"Empowering educators & Inspiring students"Benefits of Music Instruction for English Language Learners (ELL's)

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"Empowering educators & Inspiring students"Benefits of Music Instruction for English Language Learners (ELL's)

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Dr. Grennor’s Music Academy Benefits of Music Instruction for English Language Learners (ELL’s)

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Music and English language arts have three fundamental learning processes in common. First, music and language learning are auditory and involve the ability to hear and manipulate sounds (Butzlaff, 2000; Hansen, Bernstorf, & Stuber, 2014). Second, music and literacy uses a system of written

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MultiBrief: 7 tips for engaging ESL students in music education

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MultiBrief: 7 tips for engaging ESL students in music education

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GRAPEVINE, Texas - "So many of my students enter my room, and I see a wave of relief wash over them," says Angela Ammerman, a speaker at NAfME's fourth-annual conference at the Gaylord Texas Conference and Resort.

Ammerman is referring to her English language learner (ELL) students who face the daily pressure of taking classes in a variety of subjects in a language and country that are unfamiliar to them. For centuries, music has been used as a way to not only bridge cultures, but also as a form of expression that doesn't explicitly require words.

Music educators are in a unique position in that they provide a way for ELL students to communicate and express themselves without having to simultaneously remember grammar rules. And because of that, ELL students can relax when they walk through those band room doors .

As the demands for ELL courses continue to soar, music educators must find new ways to engage these students in music performance at school. Ammerman, who had just one ELL student in her beginning orchestra class during her first year at Annandale High School in Virginia, shares seven tips on how she was able to grow that number to 11 by the next year.

1. Welcome them

A small, but powerful gesture music educators can do to welcome ELL students is smile. If you're not already greeting your students as they enter your classroom, start now. And play some music while you're at it. Ammerman likes to play popular music from different countries before class starts, which is an easy way to get her ELL students talking.

For Composer Heritage Days, choose composers from ELL students' home countries to show them you value them. For middle language learners, have them create a bilingual musical terms chart or select warmups - something that will make them comfortable.

One of Ammerman's students taught her the phrase "instrumentos arriba" - the Spanish translation to "instruments up" - which she now says in her classes.

2. Show, don't tell

Gain mastery over nonverbal cues and instruction through "call and response" modeling. If you want your students to know how to properly hold a violin, have them immediately follow each of your movements.

And always remember that repetition is key for any student and especially so for ELL students who already have to process so many things at once.

3. Enunciate

Enunciate your S's and R's, and speak slowly enough so your students have time to process what you say.

4. Tri-instruct

Write it, speak it, draw it, show it and show them - do them all! Students, ELL or not, process information in a variety of ways, so always strive to convey information through written, aural and visual formats.

5. Chamber ensembles for the win

Chamber ensembles are a great place for ELL students. It allows them to develop relationships with their peers and to build confidence in playing their instruments. But if you can, try to keep them there for a year.

Ammerman goes one step further when placing her ELL students in chamber ensembles by pairing students taking Spanish language classes with native Spanish speakers.

6. Value their experience

Do some intel on your ELL students' background. Talk to their ESOL teachers and their counselor to find out where they're from, who they live with and what they do outside of school.

"Some of these kids have come from their countries to America living with an aunt who they've never met, and this is common," Ammerman says . "When a student says, 'I'm tired,' they mean it."

A quarter of the room during the presentation raised their hands when asked if anyone knew of ELL students who go to school and then have to head to a 12-hour work shift. So it's important to inquire about their lives, because you never know what the circumstances are behind "I'm tired."

7. Cast the net wider and enjoy

When recruiting ELL students for your ensemble, use their language. If you're recruiting at a certain school that has a high number of, let's say, Korean kids, bring a current Korean student who can speak their language. Music brings people together, so don't just use western classical music in your recruiting concerts.

And let's not forget one of the most powerful marketing tools in your arsenal: word of mouth. Many ELL students aren't even aware they can learn an instrument in the U.S. Encourage your current ELL ensemble students to share the word.

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MultiBrief: 7 tips for engaging ESL students in music education

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GRAPEVINE, Texas - "So many of my students enter my room, and I see a wave of relief wash over them," says Angela Ammerman, a speaker at NAfME's fourth-annual conference at the Gaylord Texas Conference and Resort.

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Accomodations for ELLs in the Music Classroom

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Accomodations for ELLs in the Music Classroom

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5 Strategies To Help Your English Language Learners - The Art of Education University

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5 Strategies To Help Your English Language Learners - The Art of Education University

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5 Strategies To Help Your English Language Learners - The Art of Education University

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A day in the life of an English Language Learner (ELL) can be overwhelming. First, there are the morning routines and figuring out what is being served for lunch. What in the world is Salisbury steak?! Then comes the reading and writing in a language filled with idioms and exceptions to the rule. Yo…

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The closed captions are great and we are interested in using the voice typing in the future. 

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The closed captions are great and we are interested in using the voice typing in the future. 

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The culturally responsive videos reminded me of Maslow. This is true for all students and people.

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I have had amazing experiences with ELL students over the years, who aren't yet speaking in English on a daily basis but who become very comfortable singing in English. It often leads to greater confidence and they will start speaking to me using the English they are learning.

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Home language in the classroom is valuable if you speak the language yourself or have someone in the classroom who does. 

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Home language in the classroom is valuable if you speak the language yourself or have someone in the classroom who does. 

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I love the idea of making my classroom more student-centered! I would love to change our units and assessments to be more focused on PBL!

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I thought the strategies provided in this article are very useful- adding pics, matching with students they're comfortable with, and giving other options to answer all seem very accomodating

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I thought the strategies provided in this article are very useful- adding pics, matching with students they're comfortable with, and giving other options to answer all seem very accomodating

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Student Agency and Cooperative Learning articles

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Student Agency and Cooperative Learning articles

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I really liked some of the ideas here.  I do group work, but this reminded me that kids have learned to retreat into the background through COVID.  This will help them move forward again by giving specific roles that won't be intimidating.

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Student choice always gives students ownership to their learning.