# data[].attributes.headline
Video on How to Get Started as an Advocate for ELLs.

# data[].attributes.subject
Video on How to Get Started as an Advocate for ELLs.

# data[].attributes.body
I know that it can be nerve racking beginning to be an advocate for ELLs, so I attached a video on how to get you started!!

# data[].attributes.headline
How to Be an Advocate for English Language Learners.

# data[].attributes.subject
How to Be an Advocate for English Language Learners.

# data[].attributes.body
I provided this article to show how you can learn how to be an advocate for English Language Learners. It takes a lot of preparation, so this will be a helpful guide as you go through your journey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I began my teaching career in 1997 as a mainstream, 3rd grade teacher at a suburban public school near Houston, Texas. Our school had one teacher designated to serve English language learners (ELLs) through a pull-out setting. I understood my job as teaching students the general education curriculum while she taught my ELLs the English language. I never knew exactly what my students did when they were with the ESL teacher; nor was I sure whether she knew what they were doing when they were with me.

Fast forward to the present and my current activities-working with teachers across the U.S. to strengthen their knowledge and skillset for serving students who are learning English as an additional language. From this vantage point, I can see that my early years as a teacher did not provide a great structure for teaching content or language and that all educators need to know how to serve all students.

The problem is that English learning specialists may be preaching to the choir. We gather on Facebook groups, Instagram, or on Twitter to share information with one another. But we need to spread this mission to our educator friends-those who may not see themselves as ELL specialists yet need to know more about teaching students who are learning English as an additional language. We have to become advocates for English language learners. Here's how:

Learn all that you can about the laws and policies concerning ELLs in your state.

How we serve English language learners is mandated by federal law. From that, states build their own laws and policies. Knowing these laws will help you to serve students and teachers. Educators need to understand these important considerations:

Attend meetings that involve English language learners.

While attending PLCs, RTI meetings, etc. use your knowledge about laws and policies regarding ELLs to advocate for students' rights. Be a voice for students during such meetings and share these rights with families of ELLs. One way to connect with ELLs families when there is a language barrier in the messages you send home is through Talking Points , a free app that translates messages into senders home languages.

Volunteer to present strategies that support ELLs.

English language learners spend most of their day in classrooms with mainstream teachers who may or may not be certified to teach ELLs. Either way, ongoing professional development on strategies that support language and content acquisition will help teachers understand how to leverage language to maximize academic growth. Ask your administrator if you can present at a professional learning meeting. Select research-based strategies that are powerful for all students but necessary for ELLs. Even if you share an article or facilitate a book study, your teachers will benefit.

Plan with grade-level teachers.

Regular grade-level planning is the best way to make an impact on instruction. You can support mainstream teachers on the spot with accommodations and scaffolds that meet the needs of their students. If weekly planning is not possible, try long-term planning on a monthly basis. Virtual planning also becomes a feasible option when meeting in real time is impossible. Some teachers use shared lesson-planning templates on Google Drive or other sharable platforms. Planning together is a great opportunity to sneak in small bits of professional learning, too. It can provide a casual space for educators to share teaching techniques that improve student achievement.

Seek professional learning opportunities within and outside your district.

Several years ago, I worked as a professional development specialist in a suburban district with a large ELLs population. We offered to send ESL and content teachers to a Title III symposium for two days to learn about research-based information that would help them serve English language learners. Many coteachers attended together and were able to build relationships while learning as a team. When we only train EL specialists on strategies, we limit the potential for their use and for student gains. , , , your local TESOL affiliate, and ASCD offer opportunities for in-person PD.

For no-cost, virtual PD, access these resources:

<LINK URL="https://sites.google.com/view/virtuel/home?authuser=0" LINKTARGET="_blank">VirtuEL</LINK> (a free, online conference for teachers of English language learners)

Podcasts (<LINK URL="https://anchor.fm/highest-aspirations" LINKTARGET="_blank">Highest Aspirations</LINK> by Ellevation or <LINK URL="http://voiced.ca/the-boosting-achievement-esl-podcast-with-carol-salva/" LINKTARGET="_blank">Boosting Achievement</LINK> with Carol Salva)

Twitter (EL leaders to follow: <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/LarryFerlazzo" LINKTARGET="_blank">@LarryFerlazzo</LINK>, <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/TanELLclassroom" LINKTARGET="_blank">@TanELLclassroom</LINK>, <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/emilyfranESL" LINKTARGET="_blank">@emilyfranESL</LINK>, <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/MsSalvac" LINKTARGET="_blank">@MsSalvac</LINK>, <LINK URL="http://www.twitter.com/Toppel_ELD" LINKTARGET="_blank">@Toppel_ELD</LINK>)

Online Book Studies like #ELLChat_BkClub (to learn more about this, visit <LINK URL="http://ellchatbkclub.blogspot.com" LINKTARGET="_blank">ellchatbkclub.blogspot.com</LINK>)

Facebook Groups such as Advocating for ELLs, Leading ELLs, Colorin Colorado's ELL Educator Group

Consider sending out an email regularly to spotlight an instructional method that supports ELLs. One colleague created a Padlet with resources (all tied to ELLs instruction) that he's curated. He shares this with content teachers in his district. Another ELL specialist creates a Smore page where she regularly highlights three instructional strategies that teachers can access in either 1, 5, or 15 minutes.

Build a team and momentum.

No matter your role, you can gather a team to support ELL students. Every educator (along with the parents) that works with the students on your campus is a part of their success. The team has a higher success rate when each member recognizes that we can't do it alone. A team can also provide the structure to make this work ongoing. What is regularly discussed and revisited is remembered. We have to bring ELLs and the instructional methods that are most powerful to the forefront, not just at the beginning of the school year and then again at testing season, but all throughout the year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Be an Advocate for English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I began my teaching career in 1997 as a mainstream, 3rd grade teacher at a suburban public school near Houston, Texas. Our school had one teacher designated to serve English language learners (ELLs) through a pull-out setting. I understood my job as teaching students the general education curriculum while she taught my ELLs the English language.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
This is so you can see how many grades are represented by ELs in the United States.

# data[].attributes.headline
The Percentage of Total School Population in the United States.  

# data[].attributes.subject
The Percentage of Total School Population in the United States.  

# data[].attributes.body
I provided this link to a website that shares all that you need to know about the ELL Laws and Regulations. It also has many blogs, articles, and videos to help you understand all of the laws and regulations more.

# data[].attributes.headline
Building Relationships with ELL families.

# data[].attributes.subject
Building Relationships with ELL families.

# data[].attributes.body
In this video, Pedro talks about the impact that empowered ELL parents can have on a school.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Building relationships with ELL families

# data[].attributes.headline
Tips for the engagement of the ELL students' family.

# data[].attributes.subject
Tips for the engagement of the ELL students' family.

# data[].attributes.body
I thought that this website would be very beneficial and helpful because the families of the ELL students need to be present while their student is going through this journey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
6 Tips for Engaging the Families of English Language Learners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Schools can better support students who are still learning English by working to involve their families in their education.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
I wanted to add this picture because I thought it was so cool how they put "hello" in several different languages!

# data[].attributes.body
I chose to attach this link from this website, so that you can comprehend what all goes into having a multicultural classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Schools are microcosms of society, and as such they draw upon the multilingual and multicultural richness and heritages of the societies in which they are based, and of every individual that is part of their community at any one time. I have always been fascinated by the prospect of setting up a teaching, learning, leadership and social environment in the classroom and throughout the school that not only reflects and celebrates the multiculturality of every individual but also uses it to drive every aspect of the school's ethos and philosophy of education.

Designing a philosophy of education that offers every individual, at all times, the opportunity to multilingually across all areas of the curriculum and to co-exist as part of a multicultural classroom and school is one of the core principles that underpins the Joy of Not Knowing ™ (JONK ™ ) philosophy of education and approach to school leadership. There are many studies that assert the importance of establishing a multilingual approach to the teaching and learning process. For example, Marian and Shook (2012) state that 'today more of the world's population is bilingual than monolingual and note that this trend not only facilitates cross-cultural communication but also has a positive impact of an individual's cognitive ability. They explain in their paper The Cognitive Benefits of Being Bilingual (Cerebrum, 2012) that 'the bilingual brain can have better attention and task-switching capacities than the monolingual brain and that bilingualism can have 'positive effects across the whole age spectrum'. The authors also describe how managing multiple languages appears to have 'broad effects on neurological function' and lead to enriched cognitive control, improved metalinguistic awareness (ability to recognise and be playful with language), better memory, visual-spatial skills and creativity'.

It is also fascinating to note that research studies demonstrate that establishing a multi-lingual classroom benefits children. Dr Dina Mehmedbegovic, a lecturer at the Institute of Education, University College, UK discusses in an interview published on the Erasmus+ online platform (2016) the importance of communicating to children and their families that every language that a child speaks is important, part of the teaching and learning process and also part of the thinking about the future, their employability, enabling them to convert their linguistic capital into economic capital in the future. Marian and Shook (2012) conclude that the cognitive and neurological benefits they observed from bilingualism are 'not exclusive to people who were raised bilingual; they are also seen in people who learn a second language later in life'. This observation is further supported by Fan et al. (2015) which found a social advantage from merely being exposed to multiple languages, not necessarily from actively speaking those languages. Furthermore, Lauchlan et al. (2012) found that bilingualism has a positive effect on children's ability to think creatively and to problem solve. It is interesting to note that in Ariadne de Villa's (2017) article entitled Critical Thinking in Language Learning and Teaching , critical thinking is seen as an essential tool for second language acquisition. The ability to thrive in a multilingual learning environment is increased if the children are able to develop their critical thinking skills. These studies suggest that there is a symbiotic relationship between critical thinking and a multilingual learning environment i.e. they both complement each other. This article concludes with a range of studies that support the theory of incorporating a multilingual approach to education.

The JONK approach defines three principal means by which practitioners can integrate a multilingual thinking approach to their everyday teaching and learning routine. It suggests that all tasks can be presented in a way that enables the student to:

complete the task in one language and then in another language(s)

use the entire repertoire of language(s) and cultural heritage that they possess to think and engage with a task, where each of the languages is used within a prescribed and structured approach

use the entire repertoire of language(s) and cultural heritage that they possess to think and engage with a task, free from any pre-set conditions in which the language(s) is used.

In the first of these situations, a child for whom the main language of instruction represents an additional language to them, may prefer to write a poem or plan a story, for example in their first language and then translate the work into the language of instruction. This approach enables each individual to launch into a task by thinking and expressing themselves in the language that evokes the most emotion and provides the most meaning to them, from a personalisation of learning perspective.

In the second scenario the child is offered the opportunity to use more than one language when thinking about a task and engaging in the learning process. But the way that the multiple languages are applied is pre-determined, for example, if writing a poem, the structure may involve writing alternate verses in alternate languages or if creating a Mind Map that contains six main branches, the student is tasked to create three branches in one language and three in another.

In the third scenario, the child is completely free to use their entire repertoire of language and cultural heritage to think through and complete a task. There are no pre-set parameters or expectations. In solving a mathematical problem or checking the answer using an alternative method, for example, a child may use a cross-cultural approach, which could involve a different methodology to those being taught as part of the everyday curriculum.

It is fascinating to note that thinking, learning and co-existing in a multilingual and multicultural school environment offers numerous emotional, cognitive, social and neurological benefits in proportion to multilingual as well as to monolingual students, a perception that was wonderfully captured by Nelson Mandela when he stated that 'if you talk to a man in a language that he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart'.

Share your experiences with educators globally by joining the discussion below. How might these inclusive approaches be used in your classroom, or perhaps you have existing practice you could share?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Chartered College of Teaching ¬∑ Multilingual thinking in multicultural classrooms Schools are microcosms of society, and as such they draw upon the multilingual and multicultural richness and heritages of the societies in which they are based, and of every individual that is part of their community at any one time.

# data[].attributes.body
Jean Piaget believed that children need to first develop mentally before language acquisition can occur.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
I provided this graphic to visually show the differences between First and Second Language Acquisition. 

# data[].attributes.headline
The Difference Between First and Second Language Acquisition. 

# data[].attributes.subject
The Difference Between First and Second Language Acquisition. 