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Interesting article on how we view assessments

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This blog post was written by NCTE member Valente' Gibson.
A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to be a member of the Professional Dyads of Culturally Relevant Teaching, a project of NCTE's Early Childhood Education Assembly. The space was created to support educators who teach children of color, children who are emerging bi- and multilinguals, and children from low-income households. In a mutual mentorship, teacher educators and teachers work together to explore and delve deeper into culturally relevant pedagogies.

What can you learn from culturally relevant assessment in comparison to what you learn from conventional assessments?

This question was posed during my work with the Professional Dyad about culturally relevant assessments. The dyad provided an opportunity to suggest culturally relevant approaches for assessing students that get at what they know rather than concealing what they know. Culturally relevant means of assessment give insights about the kinds of assessments that lead and front students' cultural strengths and curiosities and nurture and extend literacies.

The dyad experience was my first introduction and launch into changing assessments in my classroom. My students were bogged down by standardized testing via benchmarks and end-of-the-year state assessments. Instead of griping about these assessments, I wanted to find ways to connect culturally relevant assessments with traditional assessments. I began by identifying areas and insights into what I know about culturally relevant teaching.

"All instruction is culturally responsive. The question is: to which culture is it currently oriented?" -Gloria Ladson-Billings

Assessment is one of the first words that you hear during your time as a student, as a student teacher, and as a classroom teacher. We harp on the positive and negative effects that assessments can have on students in schools. When talking with other teachers about assessment, we understand the importance of getting to know our students. We agree that we cannot create a curriculum that meets their needs, much less their cultural needs, if we don't first get to know them as human beings.

Discussions about the following questions have helped me to refine my thinking about classroom assessments:

Why do we/I assess?

As a teacher, I assess students to find out what students have learned, to hold them accountable, and to help guide and set the pace for the classroom. It was crucial that I offered traditional classroom-based assessments because of standardized testing. I found myself translating the language of standardized testing and created assessments that both students and families easily understood. The creation of these assessments was an ideal way for me to build small groups and change my instruction for upcoming days. During my process of learning about assessments, I realized that I had never considered what my students or families thought about testing. I would observe my traditional assessment results and seek to understand what my students didn't grasp.

It finally hit me that I needed to understand my students first and use my own classroom assessments to accurately understand their knowledge. I wasn't able to effectively help them in the classroom until I understood them as people and understood their culture. This process was a great way for me to improve my teaching practices and guide me to the creation of culturally relevant assessments.

Which assessment methods are most of the teachers I talk with using to assess their students' learning or understanding?

One common tool is a rubric. I've worked with other teachers to learn how I can make rubrics more culturally relevant. One strategy that I have found useful is to collaborate with families, parents, and students to create rubrics. I first discuss home language with my students and send home a questionnaire to parents that helps me understand the students better from a home perspective. I always include a section on my rubric about the student's presentation style, and my students are allowed to present on classroom tasks based on what their parents or guardians answered in the questionnaire.

For example, a student was able to present their writing in spoken word because a mother suggested that the best way they can share their knowledge is to "talk it out." In the questionnaire, the parent answered that their child "talks out" their knowledge at church by speaking in front of the congregation after a Sunday school lesson or vacation Bible school. Talking it out was a perfect way to provide an environment that allowed them to implement their home culture at school.

Another tool that I have used is written conversations. I allow my students to write in their home languages, and in one case, two partners wanted to write their conversation using African American Language. The ease at which the conversation flowed and the investment of both students was such a pleasure to observe. They were actively engaged in their writing and didn't complain that they didn't know what to write because it came naturally.

What is culturally relevant/responsive teaching and how do we become responsive as teachers?

One of the most important lessons I've learned in my journey to become more responsive as a teacher is the need for constant dialogue around assessments. We all need to look into our daily traditional assessments and discover ways that we include students and their cultural knowledge, and scaffold their learning with what students already know.

When we collaborate with other teachers, in addition to parents and students, we are in a better position to learn about cultural literacy practices of our students and more about their community. When I engaged in conversations with parents and students, I was able to find ways of integrating their lives into our classroom. As my students were able to connect with assessments, they were able to be more successful in the classroom.

As you seek to understand culturally relevant assessments, find yourself as a teacher. Question yourself about whether your assessments are responsive to students' learning in the classroom and respectful of their culture. I suggest collaborating with families and inviting them in to have a night of creating assessments.

Also, invite your peers to talk about the assessments that you are using. Share your best practices with your peers to demonstrate how you all can work together to create assessments to be relevant to your students. This collaboration is important and necessary so that we can learn from one another and best aid in the growth and development of our students.

Resources

Going Public with Assessment: A Community Practice Approach-This volume by Kathryn Mitchell Pierce and Rosario Ordoñez-Jasis shares classroom vignettes, strategies, and resources for "going public" with literacy assessment through teacher collaboration with colleagues, with families, and with the community.
Learn more about the Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching proje ct. Valente' Gibson is a fifth-grade teacher at Jackson Creek Elementary, Columbia, South Carolina. He holds the position of Treasurer with the NCTE Early Childhood Education Assembly. Valenté was a participant in the PDCRT (Professional Dyads and Culturally Relevant Teaching) project. He is also a teacher for the Center for the Education and Equity of African American Students (CEEAAS), where he helps develop learning modules that embed culturally relevant curriculum for effective teaching of African American students.

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Working Toward Culturally Responsive Assessment Practices - NCTE

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This blog post was written by NCTE member Valente' Gibson. A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to be a member of the Professional Dyads of Culturally Relevant Teaching, a project of NCTE's Early Childhood Education Assembly.

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It sounds so simple, but if we as teachers put more effort into who we are teaching, more of the what would take care of itself.

- Katie, Elementary Teacher (Freeman & Freeman, 6)

When asking veteran teachers of English language learners (ELLs) to share the secret of their success, I usually hear the same answer. It is not the name of a particular language instruction model, learning strategy, or new district-wide curriculum. It is, instead, this: getting to know their students. As Katie observes in the quote above, it sounds so simple - and yet it is a necessary step that is often overlooked by teachers and schools at the beginning of the school year and as ELLs arrive throughout the year, leading to misplaced students and missed opportunities.

When these experienced teachers refer to "getting to know their students," it is true that they are referring in part to a student's English language proficiency, as well as strategizing the best way to assess the student's language and literacy skills with valid, reliable measures in order to place student in the appropriate classrooms. But they are also talking about much more than a number or language level - they are talking about prior academic experiences (or lack thereof), cultural and religious traditions, hobbies, personality, family circumstances, and background about the student's home community or native country that can inform their instructional decisions in the classroom.

This related excerpt from ASCD's February 2016 edition of Educational Leadership, which focuses on ELLs, offers more ideas for building productive relationships with diverse ELL families. While the full digital edition is only available to subscribers, a hard copy of this issue can be purchased from ASCD.

Gathering this information not only opens the doors to more fully meeting the student's needs and addressing challenges that may arise, but it also provides an opportunity to create a welcoming classroom environment, engage the student and family, increase the student's confidence, and create opportunities for classmates to learn from each other.

It allows teachers to build upon the student's strengths and successes, which is particularly important as students are acclimating to a new classroom and potentially a new country and culture. And it has the potential to improve classroom management and teacher interactions with the student as certain behaviors are explained and understood (such as not looking a teacher in the eye out of deference and respect).

This article provides some guidance on what information will be helpful to gather about your students, ideas on how to gather what you need and who will be able to help, and recommendations for useful resources. You will also find the video clips below useful as they contain valuable ideas from veteran teachers.

When you are done reading the article, scroll down to the comments section where we welcome you to share your own ideas on how you get to know your students!

Whom to ask?

Students

While it may seem challenging to gather the information you need from students who are still learning English, a little bit of effort can go a long way. Students' actions, body language, drawings, and behavior in the classroom can tell you volumes, even if they aren't speaking English yet. As their English improves, they will be able to share more through speaking and writing. Here are some ideas for ways to learn more from students (with special thanks to Becky Corr and Susan Lafond for their input!):

Start with "get to know" you games and icebreakers at the beginning of the year but don't stop there - keep looking for opportunities to allow students to share information about themselves throughout the year.

Ask a lot of questions to continue building that relationship. Ask about family members, pets, academics, sports, what they do outside of their school day, how they spend their weekends, after-school jobs and prom dresses!

Look for ways to build your student's trust. Share (appropriate) stories of your own about topics such as your family, pets, or favorite activities.

Listen to your students and let them know you're listening by the questions you ask. Tune in to what they are saying.

Take notice of changes and talk to your students about what you are observing.

You can also find ways to incorporate these topics into standards-based classroom assignments and discussions and continue learning about your students through their academic work. For example, you can give students the chance to write about their experiences through journals and autobiographical assignments, even if they start out with very basic information about themselves. (See Christine Rowland's video clip below about her autobiography assignment for her high school ELLs.)
In their 2011 book, Between Worlds: Access to Second Language Acquisition (3rd Edition), David E. Freeman and Yvonne S. Freeman share additional relevant ideas that teachers use when getting to know students:

Provide students with questionnaires that ask them how they feel about reading and writing in English, as well as about their individual strengths and challenges.

Have students interview each other about past schooling experiences and report to the group.

Ask students to submit writing samples and discuss them with students (p. 29)

Families

In addition to building a relationship with your students, meeting with parents, guardians, or family members (referred to as parents in the rest of the article) can provide you with a rich pool of information. If the parents don't speak English, be sure to have an interpreter available when you meet with them in order to make your time together as productive as possible; you may wish to meet without the child present in case the parents want to share any sensitive information.

Colleagues

Another important source can be found within your building - your colleagues. ESL teachers, bilingual teachers, guidance counselors, previous classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, parent liaisons, or other bilingual staff members might have helpful information about the student or about the larger community to which the student belongs. These individuals are often an underutilized resource within their building, so don't hesitate to ask for their input!

Community

Finally, you may also be able to find valuable information about a particular family or group of families from community members, staff from community organizations, or other parents whose children attend your school. These individuals are likely to have insights on language, religion, culture, or background information on a particular country or conflict. Building relationships with the community at large can also lead to other opportunities throughout the year for your students, and while you may be unsure of how to start the conversation, most people appreciate being given the chance to help their community.

Guidelines for Meeting with Families

In addition to making sure an interpreter is available, there are some important considerations that can help your communication with families go more smoothly.

Start by talking with ESL teachers, bilingual teachers, or family liaisons. Ask them for guidance on partnering with families to learn more about their students' experiences.

Once you have a little context, you may wish to set up a conversation with the family to learn more about the student's educational background. Explain that knowing a little bit more about the students' past experiences can help the school provide the right kind of instruction.

Take some time to get to know the family a little bit rather than jumping in with a lot of questions. Keep the questions focused on your student's schooling, unless the families wish to discuss other issues.

Some families will welcome the chance to share information about their child's experiences. If families are reluctant to answer many questions, however, don't push. Look for clues and continue working on building relationships that will create trust.

Keep in mind that some families may not be comfortable talking about certain aspects of their experience, such as their immigration journey, past traumatic events, or even their cultural identity and home language, as in the case many Indigenous families from Latin America.

While each family's situation is unique and it's important not to make assumptions, families from the same country or region may also share some experiences in common that can inform your work. Noting these trends can help the school partner more effectively with students as they get to know students' better.

Never ask questions related to immigration experiences. All K-12 students have the legal right to attend public schools regardless of immigration status.

What do I need to know about my ELLs?

Learning to Pronounce Students' Names

Taking the time to learn to say students' names correctly can make a world of difference. Read more about why it matters and strategies for learning to pronounce names that are new for you in our related resource section.

Focusing on the following questions will help guide your research as you begin.

1. Where is my student from?

This question may be easy to answer, but you may also find that it isn't as easy as it first seemed! Your students may have:

Recently immigrated from their country of origin

Recently arrived from a different country than their country of origin (as in the case of a refugee camp)

Been born in the U.S.

Moved frequently between multiple countries, such as the U.S. and Mexico

Moved around the U.S., as in the case of migrant farmworkers

Finding out this single detail will also provide your first clues as to the student's prior experiences with schooling, the family's socio-economic situation, and any previous traumas (see below for more information). To learn more about the dangerous conditions that children may experience on their journy from Latin America to the U.S., see this report from Buzzfeed.

Sources of Information: You may be able to learn about the student's background from students themselves, parents, siblings, the home language survey, or student records.

Once you know more, it may be helpful to learn more about:

Country of origin

Cultural and religious traditions

Political or historic situations that may be affecting patterns of immigration

"DOs" and DON'Ts" of social behavior and communication (Cary, 34).

It is easy to get overwhelmed, but focus your research on information that seems most relevant to your student and the family situation.

Recommended Resource: One useful tool is a set of books written by Jeffra JoAnn Flaitz about international students and immigrant/refugee students. Both books include profiles of the most common countries of origin for ELLs in the U.S. with information about culture, language, education, teaching styles, and classroom behavior. A sample chapter about El Salvador is available online.

Note: Since the books were written in 2003 and 2006, they may not have recent information about ongoing global conflicts or trends that are affecting your current students, although they will provide useful background information to more recent developments.

Classroom Ideas: You may wish to have students share information about their background with classmates through use of a globe, world map or class projects. You can also look for related materials such as children's books to share with the class and ways to integrate information about other countries throughout the curriculum so that students can continue to share information about their background as their language skills progress during the year. This is also an important step in helping students develop pride in their heritage.

Keep in Mind: Be mindful of what Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls "the danger of a single story" in her 2009 TED talk; in other words, when learning about another country, remember that what you learn may not reflect your student's experiences in that country. In addition, remember that students who speak the same language or who hail from the same country may not have all that much in common, and in fact may experience some tension if they come from different ethnic backgrounds or groups with histories of conflict.

For example, it is important to recognize the diversity within the Spanish-speaking population in the U.S. Spanish speakers may hail from Central America, South America, the Caribbean, Spain, or another part of the world! Students are likely to identify more with their nationality ("Salvadoran" or "Colombian") as opposed to the broader term "Latinos."

In addition, Spanish may be the student's second (or third) language if the student grew up speaking an indigenous language, such as Quechua, a language spoken in the Andes. Remember that cultural traditions and language vary not only across countries but within countries, just as in the U.S.

Vignette #1: Teacher Amber Prentice Jimenez learned this lesson when she discovered that two of her Somali students came from different ethnic groups that had been directly linked to the violence that led them each to come here as refugees, and she was very careful about managing their work together as the students became more comfortable with each other. Learning more about each student's background and the history of the conflict that had affected each of them helped her address these challenges.

Vignette #2: ELL education professor Stephen Cary shares the story of Lenny, a teacher who received a new boy, Ka, in his classroom. Ka told the class that he was from Laos and was "Mung" (as Lenny understood it). Lenny's first search on information about the "Mung" people was fruitless, until he looked for information on Laos and discovered information about the Hmong people. Then the floodgates of information opened and he spent hours online, reading about the Thai refugee camps where many Hmong families waited to receive permission to come to the U.S., as well as learning about the Hmong language and traditional Hmong beliefs.

Lenny's efforts were quite admirable, but he became so absorbed with what he learned about the traditional Hmong beliefs about sickness (as documented in the book The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down) that he when he heard from an uncle that Ka was sick and would miss school, he envisioned an "evil spirit, animal sacrifice, and shaman scenario."

As it turned out, Ka had strep throat, and the uncle reported that they "went to the hospital and got antibiotics." It was a wake-up call for Lenny, who was reminded that adjusting to life in a new country takes place on a continuum and may not be an all or nothing proposition. (Cary, 22-32)

2. What brought my student and/or my student's family here?

People move to a different country for all kinds of reasons. Those might include a new job, a chance to reunite with relatives, cultural exchange, political asylum, or escape from a war zone. For students who were born in the U.S., their parents or grandparents may also have come to this country for the same reasons. When getting to know a student, it's important to ascertain the situation that brought the family to this country to the extent possible.

You may learn that the family is in a very comfortable position and is enjoying the benefits of a new position or scholarship. You may also learn that the family has recently experienced significant trauma, that a parent or sibling is still living in a different country, or that the parents are working multiple jobs here in the U.S. and are not able to provide much supervision to their children.

You may also find, however, that students are afraid to talk about what brought their family here or where they came from. If questions about the student's past provoke anxiety, don't pressure students to respond. You may find the answer from another source or from the student in time.

Sources of Information: Some students or families may be reluctant to share too much information about their personal lives at first, particularly if they are unable to discuss it in English. With time, they may feel more comfortable sharing information with the help of an interpreter when they understand that your primary aim is to support their child.

You may also be able to learn more from community members or organizations who have ties to the family's country of origin. Did a refugee placement bring the family here? Is a new food processing plant opening up in town that is hiring workers? Is the family attending a religious institution where they are receiving support? Look for answers in your community, and keep your eyes and ears open in the classroom as well may to look for clues through the student's conversation, artwork, writing, or play.

3. What should I know about my student's family?

Some questions that may be helpful to answer about the student's family include the following:

With whom does the student live?

Is there a family member at home who speaks English and can serve as a primary point of contact?

Does the student have family members who are living far away?

Does the student have responsibilities such as caring for younger siblings or relatives?

Does the student have a job?

Are there any other stressors that may be affecting the student, such as financial difficulties, immigration status, pressure from parents, difficulty fitting in, or an unstable home life?

Sources of information: If the student is in a fluid situation (such as in a family of migrant farmworkers or in a family where the parents are separating), it might be difficult to determine where the student lives and with whom. Even if the basics can be learned, however, it may not tell the complete story. Nevertheless, it is important to know who the adults are in the student's life with whom you can begin to build a relationship, such as a grandparent or an aunt or uncle.

Some ways to get to know your student's family include:

organizing home visits at the beginning of the year

holding parent meetings in the communities where ELLs live so that it makes it easier for families to attend

looking for ways that parents can help out or volunteer in the classroom.

Keep in Mind: Even young students may have big responsibilities in their family; being aware of those responsibilities and establishing a line of contact with the families may provide an opportunity to find solutions together if those responsibilities conflict with the student's schooling or extra-curricular activities (think Ana's after-school job at her father's restaurant in Stand and Deliver!).

4. What language(s) does my student speak?

Learning about your student's home language or languages can be useful because you can:

Determine if the language is closely related to English (such as Spanish) and if so, build on those similarities with cognates

Find clues to the student's syntax, pronunciation, or communication style in English (called "language transfer")

Look for materials such as books or other educational resources in that language to have available in the classroom

Discover that an otherwise quiet student with "limited" English is in fact fluent in 2, 3, or 4 other languages! Such was the case of one of Michelle Lawrence's students from Buffalo, NY featured in the beginning of our Watch and Learn Story Set-up clip. She was very shy, but we soon learned that she spoke 4 languages, and we finally convinced her to list them on camera!

Sources of Information: You might find information about the student's home language on the home language survey, although it is important to take that information with a grain of salt in case the family is reluctant to have a child placed in ESL or bilingual classes. Speaking with the student and family in person is likely to give you a better picture of their language background; however, they may need more information about the kind of language instruction and its goals available at the school first before they disclose much detail about their language background.

Keep in Mind: Students who have been living in the U.S. may have moved between different kinds of language programs and classrooms even within the same school, and there may be significant gaps in both their home language and their English skills. As you learn more about their language proficiency levels, look for signs of both social and academic language in both languages in order to inform your instruction. Remember, too, that even if students can read in English, they might not be literate in their home language if all or most of their prior schooling was in the U.S.

Classroom activities: Once you know what languages your student speak, give them opportunities to teach their classmates and teachers words or phrases from their language.

Vignette: Stephen Cary describes the approach in Dolores Espinosa's K-1 class, in which students take turns being the "language teacher" for one week at a time. Students teach informal phrases to the class, which the students naturally incorporate into their interactions with each other over time. Native English speakers also have the opportunity to teach a heritage language of an earlier generation. Phrases are posted around the room, and a parent or relative will come in to do an activity with the class in the language of the week, such as a game or song. (132-133)

Not only does Dolores' approach provide a rich, multilingual experience for all students, it validates the student's background and identity, creating an opportunity to be an "expert" - a welcome break from being the one learning (and learning in) a different language all day long!

Recommended Resources: Jeffra Flaitz's books on understanding international, refugee, and immigrant students, mentioned above, include a guide to the linguistic systems of the featured languages as well as information about nonverbal behavior.

Additional information about language transfer for particular languages can be found in these tip sheets from Cengage Learning and MacMillan.

5. What kind of schooling has my student had?

This question may be fairly straightforward if a student arrives with a transcript or summary from previous schools, or if the student can demonstrate proficiency in other academic subjects such as math (even without advanced English skills). However, the picture may also be incomplete; records may not be available or the lack of information may reflect inconsistent, interrupted or limited schooling experiences, as in the case of refugee or migrant students.

Sources of Information: The student might be able to tell you about prior schooling experiences, but the input of a parent would probably yield more information. In addition, having another adult from the child's home country, such as an interpreter, school aide, or community member present may offer more context on a likely schooling scenario.

For students who have been in the U.S. at least a year, you may also be able to glean useful information from prior student records, portfolios, or teacher notes, particularly if the student attended your school the previous year.

What to look for: Useful information to determine includes:

Years of schooling

Types of school attended

Literacy background

Academic record

Prior English instruction

Any learning disabilities or special needs

Areas of giftedness

Favorite subjects

If possible, it may also be useful to find out about the student's school experiences; did the student like independent work or group activities? Did the student struggle with any subjects in particular? What was the student's behavior like?

Learn more: To learn more about other countries' educational systems, take a look at Jeffra JoAnn Flaitz's books mentioned above, which include detailed information on educational approaches, classroom behavior, teacher and student interactions, and how schools operate in the profiled countries.

6. What are my student's interests?

Last but not least, don't forget to find out about the fun things! What are some favorite hobbies, sports, and activities? In some cases, those activities may be a hook to student engagement, speaking more English or to making new friends - although there are no guarantees!

Vignette: In chapter 4 of his book (also available online through the Heinemann website), Stephen Cary shares the story of Cathy, a second-grade teacher who tried using her students' personal interests to engage them in the classroom. In the case of Erica, who loved music, some encouragement to look through the class CD box and write music reviews brought her out of her shell and provided a foundation for what soon became rapid language development; however, in the case of Gustavo, an avid soccer player, all of Cathy's soccer-themed activities fell short. Then over winter break, Gustavo made a friend who was also a soccer player, and his English took off (Cary, 53-55).

Even if your efforts don't yield big dividends in the classroom, though, knowing what those favorite activities are and talking about them with your students will show your student that you care about him or her as a person and that you see the student as more than an English language learner.

Sources of information: Look for signs of student interests in book selections, writing assignments, conversations, and artwork. Even if your student can't communicate very much about those interests at first, the signs may still be there. Parents are also an important source of information and will likely be happy to talk about the activities that their child enjoys when given a chance, such as in the case of Clara's parent letters mentioned above.

Concluding Thoughts

There is never enough time to do as much as you would like, and at first you may feel discouraged at all the information that you won't be able to learn. Nevertheless, taking some small steps may yield big results in your classroom and you will learn information that will serve you well when teaching other students in the future as well. Just remember Katie's message - if you focus on the who, the what will start to care of itself!

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Getting to Know Your ELLs: Six Steps for Success

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It sounds so simple, but if we as teachers put more effort into who we are teaching, more of the what would take care of itself. - Katie, Elementary Teacher (Freeman & Freeman, 6) When asking veteran teachers of English language learners (ELLs) to share the secret of their success, I usually hear the same answer.

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Resource worth keeping an eye on

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Comprehension is the reason for reading, but it can be the most difficult skill to master - especially for English language learners (ELLs). ELLs at all levels of English proficiency and literacy development will benefit from improved comprehension skills. These resources, strategies, and videos offer ideas such as comprehension checks with questions at different proficiency levels and acting out scenes from a story.

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Comprehension is the reason for reading, but it can be the most difficult skill to master - especially for English language learners (ELLs). ELLs at all levels of English proficiency and literacy development will benefit from improved comprehension skills.

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#88 Language Scaffolds

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One of my most viewed posts is on the three main types of scaffolding: sensory, interactive, and graphics . Galina (Halla) Jmourko commented on the post saying that I actually left out two other important forms of scaffolding: language and emotional scaffolding.

Jmourko was right!

These two additional forms of scaffolding further help ELs access content, communicate their understanding, and feel safe being a part of our schools. I'll describe language scaffolding in more detail today and will explore emotional scaffolding next week.

Jmourko's detailed list of these two scaffolds is included below. What she calls "Verbal and Textual Supports" can be grouped under what I call "Language Scaffolding". Though our terminology is different, the concept is the same: make the language more accessible to empower ELs to communicate.

I adapted her list and organized the scaffolds into two categories:

language scaffolds for Beginning ELs and

language scaffolds for Developing ELs.

Because Beginning ELs are learning language at the vocabulary and phrase level, there are particular scaffolds used for them. Developing ELs are learning language at the sentence level, so they also get specific scaffolds that are not appropriate for Beginning ELs.

Language Scaffolding: Beginning MLs

Oftentimes, the language we speak or the texts we give students are significantly beyond some ELs' current ability to comprehend. Therefore, to scaffold challenging language for Beginning ELs, we can:

Use labeling: connect key words with visuals

Use repetition: develop familiarity with the words by having ELs repeat them

Provide word banks: take the guesswork out for students by identifying key words

Incorporate a student's home language: let ELs process content in their native language

Because the first three strategies are widely used, I will zoom in on one of the most shunned yet most effective practices for ELs at any stage - incorporating their home languages.

Home Language: A valuable tool

When working with students who are brand new to English, I reach for the asset they already bring with them from their home countries: their home languages . There's no English-only policy in my classroom! All languages are welcomed at anytime.

I like to think of allowing ELs to use their home languages as being like swimming with both our arms and legs. Conversely, English-only policies are like trying to swim with your just arms. It's possible to swim with just your arms... but it's tiring, less effective, and frustrating.

Don't assume that your content teachers will automatically be opposed to this strategy either. Using students' home languages is appealing to content teachers because it helps ELs quickly access content without a language barrier. ELs can process content in any language!

For example, Mr. James (a 7th grade Individuals and Society teacher - IB language for social studies teacher) wanted students to watch a video about the that was, understandably, narrated in English. However, we have several Beginning ELs who would not be able to understand the complex language used in it. So we allowed them to watch the video using subtitles from their own language to scaffold their understanding and make sure they were getting a fair shot at comprehending what was actually going on.

Doing this allowed our Beginning EL students to:

1. learn the same content as other students and

2. feel that they are like other students - capable of understanding complex information.

Teachers who use this asset-based approach to supporting ELs believe that ELs can learn grade-level content and that home languages are a powerful tool that facilitates learning.

Language Scaffolding: Developing MLs

Once our ELs have progressed further in English, we should still continue to offer language scaffolds that foster their academic language skills . While scaffolds for Beginning ELs mainly focus on building vocabulary, Developing ELs need more guidance on communicating in sentences and extended texts.

The following five types of scaffolding help Developings ELs:

Understand complex ideas in written and spoken texts, and

Communicate complex ideas in writing and in speech

1. Modified Texts

Some texts have more information than is really needed, while others don't provide enough context. When modifying a text, teachers can add in the missing context or omit details that aren't essential to the main idea.

I sometimes like to modify the language of the text to be more EL-friendly. This includes restructuring overly complex sentences filled with dependent clauses that overwhelm an ELs reading skills. If ELs have developed academic language skills in their home languages, then I leave sentences with complex structures intact to give them a chance to read in academic English.

Additionally, when there is a challenging vocabulary word, I might add a short definition or provide a synonym beside it. This keeps the academic register of the text at a high level, while also making it easy for new academic language to be incorporated into an EL's lexicon.

For example, the image below is taken from a text by NPR called " This scientist aims high to save the world's coral reefs ". I copied the entire article into a Google Doc and added "waste from companies, factories" behind the term "industrial waste" to make the concept more understandable.

We provide modified texts so that ELs can have greater access to the content. Texts in content classes should not be reading assessments for ELs. Instead, they should be sources of information. In short, if ELs don't understand the text, they won't gain any information so it is more important in content classes to make the language accessible to them so they can understand the highest level content possible.

2. Guiding Questions

ELs with developing academic language skills also benefit from having guiding questions as they watch a video, read an article, or engage in a discussion. Guiding questions help narrow in on the details that the ELs have to focus on. For example, when the ELs were reading the above article about coral reefs, I asked the students to look for the consequences of a highly acidic ocean.

3. Leveled Questions

Jmourko also suggests using probing and clarifying questions. I have housed these two types together under the category "Leveled Questions".

After students watch a video or read a text and are about to engage in a discussion, we can ask identifying and describing questions, such as those that begin with , , , , and . After students correctly answer these questions, we can move to more higher-order questions, such as those that begin with .

If I notice that my ELs are struggling to answer the identifying questions, I stop to clarify their understanding by re-watching or re-reading a selected section. The magic of Leveled Questions is that it has this built-in formative assessment feature that can double as differentiation.

4. Sentence Starters

Academic language has a particular way of structuring sentences which is quite different than social language. The example below illustrates the difference:

When we use sentence starters with ELs, we model the language of academic writing. Sentence starters provide just the first part of the response; ELs are expected to pick up where it leaves off.

Without sentence starters, ELs might know the answer but not know how to start it off or become stuck on how to form the sentence. If your ELs say they don't know how to communicate an idea, that's a sign to use a sentence starter.

5. Sentence Frames

The ability to logically string ideas together like pearls on a necklace is an indicator of deep understanding and critical thinking. ELs are highly critical thinkers but often need some support. And one such form of support is Sentence Framing. A sentence frame provides the beginning of an idea and also contains a transition to another related idea. The transition is what ELs often omit in their writings or discussions and is what distinguishes this scaffold from sentence starters.

The example below is from Mr. Arno's science lab report template . We designed sentence frames so that students could use science-specific language correctly. Additionally, these sentence frames steered students' thinking as they designed their experiments.

Takeaways

When we scaffold language for ELs, we create a bridge between language and content. Teachers who expect ELs to learn grade-level content and master content-specific skills scaffold language to make this possible. Contrary to popular perception, scaffolding language is not about lowering the rigor of a task. Instead, it's about providing lots of support to maintain high academic standards.

How do you scaffold language in your class? Leave a comment below.

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#91. Language Scaffolds: Lowering the Barriers to Comprehension - ELL Strategies | TanKHuynh

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Maintain high academic expectations by reducing the language barrier by providing specific language scaffolding for Beginning to Developing ELs.

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#93 Language Objectives

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This guest post was written by none other than the legendary, Dr. Katie Toppel who co-founded #ellchat_bkclub.
In her keynote presentation for the #VirtuEL18 Conference, Dr. Jana Echevarria very powerfully stated, "Our English learners are students who can least afford wasted instructional time" (Echevarria, 2018). In other words, instructional time that is not explicitly tied to developing skills in reading, writing, speaking, and listening can be considered a lost opportunity for English learners (ELs) to further advance their proficiency in English.

ELs not only learn of the English language, but they also learn content through English, so their exposure to targeted language instruction throughout the entire school day is paramount. For this reason, all teachers serve an important role in supporting students who are learning English.

Let's take a look at a few compelling ways every teacher can support language development for English learners.

It is common for teachers to identify solely as content teachers because that is their area of expertise (TESOL, 2018) and many content teachers do not feel prepared to support ELs in meeting the Common Core State Standards in their particular content areas (Education Week, 2014).

TESOL (2018) indicates that successful schools for English learners have a shared sense of community and responsibility for ELs, which stresses the necessity of collaboration between content teachers and language teachers in order to meet students' linguistic needs in all aspects of their schooling.

When teachers come together with the shared goal of helping all students achieve at a high level, English learners will benefit. Also, investing time in ongoing professional development, in partnership with colleagues, is fundamental for better serving English learners. Collaboration, co-teaching, and participation in professional learning communities (PLCs) are all effective ways for teachers to share and increase knowledge around best practices for English learners.
Where to start:

Create Community: Connect with colleagues outside of your specialty area and learn a little about what they teach. Ask questions, observe, and/or take a look at the standards in their discipline area. Try to see the bigger picture of what students experience as they go through their school day and look for ways you can support colleagues by sharing what you know and your strengths. Don't hesitate to ask for help in areas where you may need support. Form Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) or take some time in existing PLCs to talk about language development and language instruction.

Collaborate: If you are a teacher who does not feel confident supporting English learners, utilize your colleagues who have specialized training and knowledge around language development and acquisition. Ask for suggestions around what language forms and functions support your content. Language specialists can share information and strategies. They may even be able to model a lesson or team teach with you in order to support your learning.

Find Mentors: Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter also offer multiple avenues to pursue convenient and free professional development through groups and chats specifically geared toward improving instruction for ELs. These groups and chats are led by experts in the field of language development and involve educators who are both passionate about ELs and more than happy to support other teachers. Advocating for ELLs and Leading ELLs are two helpful groups on Facebook. Additionally, Twitter offers many chats where teachers can share information and ask questions. A few popular chats are: #EllChat, #EllChat_BkClub, #BoostingAchievement, and #CoTeachat.

When language is taught as decontextualized skills, students may achieve proficiency on those particular skills, yet they may not understand or be able to use those skills in the context of connected language. They also may not understand how to leverage their language skills for content learning and demonstrating what they have learned in content classes. If language instruction is embedded within all content areas, the target language is essential and consequently, used, and practiced.
Where to start:

Use Language Objectives: The direct correlation between the content being learned (content objectives) and the language required to demonstrate an understanding of that content (language objectives) not only provides ELs access to the core curriculum, but it also supports them in acquiring more language and provides them more opportunities to practice English. Language practice that aligns with content instruction provides students with a context and a purpose for their language use.

SWIRL: SWIRL is an acronym that stands for speaking, writing, interacting, reading, and listening. The idea behind SWIRLing is to incorporate a connective thread between the language domains and to make sure students utilize all language domains during content area lessons. This will help students improve their skills in those language domains, while also helping them obtain new knowledge and proficiency around the target content.

Design for Language Use, and Provide Appropriate Supports

Too often, English learners remain quiet for the majority of their school day due to a myriad of factors such as confusion around expectations, anxiety/nervousness about speaking in front of peers, or lack of confidence in their language abilities. In many cases, expectations for language production, particularly speaking and writing, are lowered simply because of students' status as language learners.
Where to start:

Provide Time to Talk: Talking about content is a vital strategy to process new learning. ELs need to practice speaking, but they also need additional time to think and process. Additionally, make sure that the grouping configurations allow them to feel comfortable to share their ideas. Partner practice, small groups, and recording functions on technology can all be used to help ELs feel safety and comfort so they are willing to talk in class. Teachers should also make it a habit to build in wait time before asking English learners to respond to ensure they have had time to think and prepare before sharing. English learners also benefit from opportunities to use their native language to process what they are learning.

Provide Clear Expectations/Directions: Provide both verbal and written directions so students can hear and see what they are expected to do. Use visuals to support instruction and directions to help make concepts and expectations comprehensible.

Model: Before asking students to produce verbal or written language, provide a model of what it should look and sound like. This can include modeling expectations for talking with a partner such as making eye contact, leaning in, and using academic language or showing students a sample of a writing piece.

Scaffold: Use sentence starters or sentence frames to support students in their language production. Make sure keywords and sentence starters/frames are posted so students can use them as they speak or write.

Teachers worry that requiring and expecting English learners to produce language in class will heighten their stress and further impede their success, therefore ELs are permitted to remain quiet with the expectation that they will participate when they are ready. It is important to clarify that simply having ELs in content or mainstream classrooms does not ensure that they will develop the academic language needed to engage in rigorous academic tasks.

The success of English learners is dependent upon many factors. Of utmost significance is that all teachers embrace the importance of supporting language development in conjunction with content instruction so that English learners have meaningful and continuous language instruction and practice. Helping ELs succeed is the responsibility of all teachers. All teachers are language teachers because no matter what we are teaching, we rely on language as the medium help students develop content knowledge.

Dr. Katie Toppel is a K-5 English Language Development Specialist in Oregon. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Portland State University in the area of ESOL. Dr. Toppel's instructional background includes experience teaching Kindergarten and First Grade in addition to being a K-12 Support Services Teacher at the Franconian International School in Germany. She is also the co-founder of #EllChat_BkClub on Twitter, which is a virtual book club aimed at improving instructional practices for English Learners.

References

Echevarria, J. [Jana Echevarria]. (2018, May 13). How much should we "push" English learners? [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R49oVkd4MJg&feature=youtu.be

Education Week. (2014). From Adoption to Practice: Teacher Perspectives on the Common Core. [PDF file]. Bethesda, MD: Education Week Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.edweek.org/media/ewrc_teacherscommoncore_2014.pdf

TESOL. (2018). The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners. Alexandria, VA: TESOL International Association.

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93. How Every Teacher Can Be a Teacher of Language | Empowering ELLs

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This guest post was written by none other than the legendary, Dr. Katie Toppel who co-founded #ellchat_bkclub. In her keynote presentation for the #VirtuEL18 Conference, Dr. Jana Echevarria very powerfully stated, "Our English learners are students who can least afford wasted instructional time" (Echevarria, 2018).