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Universal Design for Learning supports ALL students, but some students require more intensive, targeted support, especially when the language of instruction is not a student's primary language. Multilingual learners need specific scaffolds and opportunities to access learning experiences and

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The European Language Portfolio – A guide to the planning, implementation and evaluation of whole-school projects

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The guide explains how to use the European Language Portfolio to support the learning and teaching of all foreign languages at all levels in a school. Case studies carried out in ten countries illustrate different approaches to ELP use.

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Learners document their learning journey orally, or written in their chosen language. An opposite mode could be chosen from the common class language. i.e written text in home language with oral commentary in common class language

When sharing their portfolio learners express themselves in their chosen language dependent on who they are sharing with i.e. with a family member in their home language, with a classmate in the class language(s)

Encourage use of video, photos and audio to record words or include captions to describe what a learner is doing, feeling and learning

Generate multilingual words walls around different themes connected to the portfolio /learning process.

Make agreements about the balance of artefacts to be included in different languages

Translate selection criteria into the learner's language using tech translation tools or co create these

Encourage peer to peer language affinity grouping when going through the selection process

Enable learners to use all their languages to write explanations and document learning experiences

Regularly schedule practice opportunities for learners to share their portfolio and explain reasons for a chosen artefact with peers

Build a wall of vocabulary that includes all languages to build up a bank of 'reasons' or 'rationale' for choosing a given artefact

Encourage use of photos videos and images with captions to make their selection multilingual i.e. video reading a story in English, captions to label feeling or what skills learner is demonstrating in their home language(s).

Set the tone for reflection through regular conferring practices to facilitate a strong shared understanding for learners

Scaffold reflection prompts, organising according to purpose i.e. reflection of a goal - then co create vocabulary lists or learners use their own multilingual word books to refer to a compilation of vocabulary

Encourage learners to reflect orally in their home language first and then listen back and identify some key words in the class language(s)

Implement multilingual journaling practices. Learners keep a journal in their home language (video, audio or written) This can become a tool to listen back to and identify main elements of reflection

Provide learners with 'input' in the class language, enable them to process ideas in their chosen language and then give choice over 'output' how they express communicate their personal reflection.

Identify the purpose of any conferring conversation and then offer scaffolding options. Possible areas of purpose could be to:

seek to understand learner thinking

prime the learner for reflection of specific artefact

practice use of reflective language

Scaffold the language for these conferring options:

Brainstorm a list of goals - the learner does this first in their language and then looks together for language connections

Develop sentence starters in English along with the Learners home language to guide reflective conversation

Set up peer to peer language affinity groups to discuss a specific artefact or practice reflection and then repeat with a different partner in the class language(s).

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Elevating Portfolio Practices for All Learners

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Learners document their learning journey orally, or written in their chosen language. An opposite mode could be chosen from the common class language. i.e written text in home language with oral commentary in common class language When sharing their portfolio learners express themselves in their chosen language dependent on who they are sharing with i.e.

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A Guide to Documenting Learning: Making Thinking Visible, Meaningful, Shareable, and Amplified (Corwin Teaching Essentials)

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A Guide to Documenting Learning: Making Thinking Visible, Meaningful, Shareable, and Amplified (Corwin Teaching Essentials)

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A Guide to Documenting Learning: Making Thinking Visible, Meaningful, Shareable, and Amplified (Corwin Teaching Essentials) [Tolisano, Silvia Rosenthal, Hale, Janet A.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A Guide to Documenting Learning: Making Thinking Visible, Meaningful, Shareable, and Amplified (Corwin Teaching Essentials)

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Elevating Portfolio Practices to Honour Multilingual Learner Identities

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Making Learning Connections

Elevating Portfolio Practices to Honour Multilingual Learner Identities

Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash

I recently wrote about shifting our mindsets towards 'honouring all languages' in our learning spaces and communities. As with much that is connected to mindset this can be viewed on a continuum. Sometimes it requires small tweaks and finding ways to elevate current practices, other times it can result in a re-evaluation of pedagogy or practice.

In this post I want to hone in on a practice that is common in many international schools, that of learners collating a portfolio of learning over the course of an academic year. Or, even better, stretching beyond a single academic year. When I started out in international teaching over two decades ago this was a bit of a revelation for me. Right from the very beginning I found the value and power that this practice can give to learners and their families as well as to teachers. In fact, it was one of my initial blog posts, The True Value of Student Portfolio Conferencing. It was also a practice that just seemed so obvious and simple I wondered why it was not more widely used and also extended through Secondary School and beyond. I still wonder this...

Exploring portfolio conferencing

If you are new to the concept of Student/Learner Led Portfolios I recommend taking a look at any of the following online resources below to get further insight into the core principles of portfolios of learning.

I have deliberately chosen from a range of resources that are focused on different age groups and developed to fulfil diverse purposes. This reinforces that portfolios are shaped by the community to serve the needs of the learners within it. The beauty of creating portfolios and the conferencing that sits alongside this as part of the process is that these can be adapted, evolve, and change over time. There are so many formats and possibilities to gain inspiration from. The portfolios that your learners develop may look very different yet still be founded in the same overall values and principles.

As we better gain insight into the experience of multilingual learners, and as a result, explore more deeply into how we honour all languages, some questions emerge in relation to portfolio practices.

How we can elevate current portfolio practices to enable all learners to demonstrate what they can do, understand and know across their full linguistic repertoire?

How can learners' authentic voice be leveraged to enrich the reflective process?

A first step is to look through the lens of multilingual learners at all aspects of the portfolio process. In the diagram below, I explore four points in the portfolio process through which practices can be elevated to ensure that the identities of multilingual learners are affirmed and their voices are celebrated. Ultimately, how these voices can be truly honoured. Click on the icons to read ideas and suggestions of practical strategies and approaches that could be employed.

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Elevating Portfolio Practices to Honour Multilingual Learner Identities

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Photo by Etienne Girardet on Unsplash I recently wrote about shifting our mindsets towards 'honouring all languages' in our learning spaces and communities. As with much that is connected to mindset this can be viewed on a continuum. Sometimes it requires small tweaks and finding ways to elevate current practices, other times it can result...