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How to use Technology to Engage Multilingual Families

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How to use Technology to Engage Multilingual Families

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Colorado, C. (2021b, August 27). How to use technology to engage multilingual families. Colorín Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/how-use-technology-engage-multilingual-families

Description: This article "How to Use Technology to Engage Multilingual Families" from Colorín Colorado gives educators attainable methods for applying technology to strengthen their relationships with families who speak more than one language. Regardless of language barriers, the resource covers a variety of tools and platforms that can be used to promote communication, share resources, and involve families in their children's education.

Best Practice Support:

This resource supports research-based “best” practices by emphasizing the importance of family engagement in the academic success of ELL students. It supports the belief that supporting ELLs requires effective communication between the home and the school. With technology, educators can use different resources to help families feel empowered and involved in their children's education by bridging language gaps and improving access to school information.

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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have had success in using technology to communicate with families of English language learners (ELLs).

Benefits of this outreach include the following:

families can receive information in their own language

families can attend school events from home (or another location) without having to arrange transportation, child care, or different work schedules

archives of school events can be posted for later viewing.Strengthening Partnerships with ELL Families: 15 Strategies for Success

The following article offers some ideas for using technology to support ELL family engagement and examples of success stories and lessons learned from educators. See additional ideas in our related article, Strengthening Partnerships with ELL Families: 15 Strategies for Success.

Increasing Language Access for Multilingual Families

Before jumping into the nuts and bolts of the tools schools are using, it's important to remember the broader goals of increasing language access for all families. Keep the following in mind:

Families are legally entitled to information in their home language from their children's schools.

As schools must continually adjust to new developments in the pandemic, it is critical for families to have updated, accurate information in real time from schools in their home languages.

Providing information from an official interpreter or presentations from a speaker who is fluent in the home language is the best way to ensure that families get accurate information, even when using technology to get the message out. (See our note on translation tools at the bottom of the article.)

As you review different tools, here are some additional tips to keep in mind:

Start small! This will take some trial and error; you can try new platforms with small groups of families before rolling something out more broadly to see what works best.

Find out what tools and platforms the families are already using and how they want to receive their information. Engaging families in this process will increase your chances for success.

You can learn more about the ways to expand families' language access through our related article, Equity Through Language Access: Best Practices for Collaborating with Interpreters.

A note on privacy

Families may have questions and concerns about privacy when using technology. Please take a look at these privacy and security considerations for ELLs and immigrant families if you are considering using any of the following platforms.

Related videos

Partnering with families in the service industry

Juliana Urtubey, the 2021 National Teacher of the Year, talks about the importance of flexibility and good communication when partnering with families in the service industry, such as her students' families in Las Vegas.

What does appropriate language access mean for multilingual families? This interview features Dr. Jennifer Love, the Supervisor of Language Access and Engagement in Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland.

Using Facebook for Community Outreach

Roseville, MN Area Schools ISD 623 is a school district in the greater Twin Cities area serving many diverse communities. The district has developed a series of Facebook pages for its families, including immigrant communities, African American families, and American Indian families. The pages serving ELL families include translated messages and posts from family liaisons and educators. These pages have been critical outreach platforms during COVID-19.

How it started

Kristina Robertson, English Learner Program Administrator at Roseville Public Schools, realized early in the pandemic that families were getting inundated with bilingual robo-calls, often multiple messages in a day. It wasn't an efficient way to communicate. In consultation with the district cultural liaisons, the EL team created a series of cultural Facebook pages as many families use this social network platform. Facebook posts allowed families to view and respond to messages at their convenience if they had questions or comments.

It's important to note that many of the Roseville Public Schools multilingual communities are refugees who did not have an opportunity to develop literacy skills in their first language or English. It was critical to have visual and audio messages for the families as an alternative to written translations. The cultural Facebook pages became a source not only of posts and updates but of video sharing through Facebook Live sessions on important topics.

The data shows that videos are viewed by hundreds of people after the events, showing how easy it is to share the information with others. For example, one of their first Karen Facebook Live videos was seen by 3,000 people. Kristina notes that it was so rare that the community could find information presented in their own language that they just kept sharing it with others. She says, "We only have about 350 Karen students in our district so it definitely went beyond our district boundaries. I call that a win if it helps others! Families and community members can receive the information and don't really need to navigate much or register."

Creating community Facebook pages

The most important things to consider when developing cultural Facebook pages are:

Audience: What communities will these pages serve?

Name: The name should be inclusive, consistent, and specific to your particular school and location. For example, there are many Roseville Schools in the U.S., so all of the district's Facebook group names include ISD 623.

Content: Will this include school events, information updates, cultural events, and external resources? Can different departments post on it?

How information will be translated: Who will post the content and how will you provide it in families' languages? It's important to have frequent content posted to keep families aware of the site and information. Information translated by an official translator or interpreter, or presented by someone fluent in families' home languages, is best.

Page administrator: Who will be the administrators of the Facebook page? Who can post content or change settings? In Roseville, the schools communications director set up the FB pages and gave Kristina administrative access so she could add cultural liaisons and leaders from other departments to post directly.

Security settings: You want your page to be secure from trolls, but not so secure it prevents families from accessing information. Monitor the pages to ensure there is no malicious activity. In a year of managing cultural Facebook pages, Roseville schools has not had any troll incidents.

Finally, bring in guests to provide interesting content. It's best if video presentations are short (15 minutes or less). If you can do the presentation in the native language rather than having an interpreter, that is best, but don't hesitate to use interpreters. The families will appreciate the information in their languages

Roseville's Facebook pages

To see what this outreach looks like, take a look at the pages below. On the Spanish page (Familias Latinas), you will see numerous presentations from middle school ELL teacher Alonso Jaque-Pino on topics ranging from hand-washing to hybrid schedules. Alonso is just one of the many staff members working actively to share information on these pages.

You can also learn more from our Share My Lesson webinar that features these resources!

Town hall meetings on Zoom

In addition, the district has used Zoom more for school-based town hall meetings. Kristina notes that it can be challenging for families to navigate Zoom. It takes a lot of staff time on the ground to provide direct support for families who want to attend. The other issue is getting Zoom info and log-in information to families. Most people register for events through email and receive a link. That won't work for many of the district's multilingual families who aren't regularly using e-mail, so the district needs to rely on staff to connect with those who express an interest in attending.

One benefit, however, is that Zoom allows for simultaneous interpreters (secured by the district) through a language channel, and so the district has used that feature when possible.

In short, with practice and support, families can get familiar with Zoom and the district can take advantage of the simultaneous interpretation features. More broadly, though, Roseville has found that the Facebook Live events are more public and easily accessible, so the meetings focus on community or district-wide information that families can share with others. As noted above, however, the events will need to include interpretation if bilingual speakers aren't available to present.

Creating Grade-Level Groups on Facebook

Dr. Karen Woodson is the former principal of Mother Jones Elementary School in Adelphi, MD, a school with a large number of ELLs. In this excerpt from her Colorin Colorado article on creating equitable access for ELL families during COVID-19, she shared the following lessons learned from her experience.

"Working to our advantage was our new Facebook page, established one week after the closing of schools. Through our interactions with families, we were aware that many of them were already using Facebook on their cell phones...It was gratifying to see the families interacting with their teachers and counselors by sharing pictures and stories about their experiences living in our new normal."

Teachers and counselors used private grade-level groups to:

communicate with families around instructional expectations

post videos showing families how to log into various portals used for instruction

provide encouraging communication related to self-care and social-emotional health

offer schoolwide activities, such as a spirit week and a dress up day.

In addition, the school used the Facebook channel to broadcast back-to-school nights and parent workshops. Critical lessons learned from their bilingual virtual town follow below:

Use the Facebook chat window and the Q&A window on Zoom, WebEx, or other online meeting platforms, to interact with families and address their questions in real time.

Communicate to families the dates and language to be used for the presentation. Explain that the other language will still be used on both dates, but in a closed caption format. This give families the flexibility to choose the linguistic environment that best suits their learning preference.

Streaming live to Facebook or Youtube creates a recorded archive on your school's page. Families and community members can revisit the information, in the language of their choice, as their schedules permit and as many times as they wish.

Use a platform that enables the presentation to be streamed live to the school's Facebook page (or the school's Youtube page) as it is being presented by school staff.

In addition, Dr. Woodson shared their approach on presenting bilingual information. It's important to take time to figure out what will work best for your families given your staff and technology available. Here are the steps they used:

Their team developed a slide presentation containing the information to be shared in English and Spanish (or any target language) on the same slide. They planned to do the presentation twice, once in English and again in Spanish (or any target language).

When they delivered the presentation in one language, they had it translated to another language via closed caption.

Texting Apps

Finally, it's worth mentioning that many schools are using texting apps to communicate with families. In some cases, this might be WhatsApp, which is popular among many immigrant communities.

It might also include translation apps like Talking Points, which translates messages between teachers and families in many different languages.

Here's how Talking Points works:

Parents receive the messages as a text message and do not need to download an app.

It's free for individuals and can be purchased for broader use by districts.

Translations are done automatically but human interpreters are available if needed.

You can send mass texts as well and teachers' numbers are protected.

Illinois multilingual education administrator Sarah Said notes, "It's an application that works as a text message on parents' phones. It enables two-way translation communication with families. You can send mass texts for free! It has been a LIFELINE."

The Talking Points app (or other similar apps) can help give individual teachers more options in reaching out to families directly rather than relying on an intermediary.

When to use what method of contact

Keep in mind that some information may be more suitable for texts (shorter messages, reminders, and check-ins) than lengthy or sensitive information, or information that is legally required to be translated. Please take a look at these privacy and security considerations for ELLs and immigrant families if you are considering using any translation app and review the product carefully before recommending it.

A note on translation

Keep in mind that translation tools such as those in Talking Points, Google Translate, or Facebook's translation tool are not fool-proof; they should not be considered a wholesale substitute for professional, knowledgeable translators and trained language staff who are familiar with:

the language and culture of the families

technical school terms, especially for special education

strategies that can help build trust and community among ELLs and their families.

Building on Successes

The ability to reach more multilingual families through tools that schools are using more widely is a valuable opportunity. That outreach will continue to be critical as schools adapt and adjust to realities on the ground. Families will appreciate the efforts to communicate with them in their languages, even if there are some bumps along the way, and they will let you know what's working. By keeping your eyes on those broader goals of reaching more families, you will chart the course that works for your school community. Bon voyage!

Recommended Resources

For more tips on how to communicate effectively with multilingual families and help them keep their contact information up to date, please see the following:

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How to Use Technology to Engage Multilingual Families

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Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many schools have had success in using technology to communicate with families of English language learners (ELLs).

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How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment for ELLs

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How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment for ELLs

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How to create a welcoming classroom environment for ELLs | Reading Rockets. (n.d.). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/helping-all-readers/english-language-learners/creating-welcoming-classroom-environment-ells

Description: The Reading Rockets article "How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment for ELLs" gives educators helpful advice and methods for establishing a welcoming and encouraging learning environment that is geared towards supporting English Language Learners (ELLs). It also gives great tips for setting up a classroom in a variety of ways, creating a welcoming environment for all students, and encouraging good relationships between teachers and students.

Best Practice Support: This resource emphasizes how crucial it is to create a safe and welcoming classroom environment for English Language Learners (ELLs) which is crucial to their academic and social success. The idea that a welcoming classroom environment can lower anxiety and boost student participation—two things that are essential for successful language learning—is supported by the article.

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How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment for ELLs

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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.Photo by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Age…

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Creating a Language-Rich and Visually Engaging Classroom: 8 Essential Setup Strategies for Teachers of ELLS

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Creating a Language-Rich and Visually Engaging Classroom: 8 Essential Setup Strategies for Teachers of ELLS

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Bell E. (2023).  Creating a Language-Rich and visually engaging Classroom: 8 Essential setup Strategies for Teachers of ELLS – Inspiring Young Learners. https://www.inspiringyounglearners.com/creating-a-language-rich-and-visually-engaging-classroom-8-essential-setup-strategies-for-teachers-of-ells/

Description: This article "How to Use Technology to Engage Multilingual Families" from Colorín Colorado gives educators attainable methods for applying technology to strengthen their relationships with families who speak more than one language. Regardless of language barriers, the resource covers a variety of tools and platforms that can be used to promote communication, share resources, and involve families in their children's education.

Best Practice Support:

This resource supports research-based “best” practices by emphasizing the importance of family engagement in the academic success of ELL students. It supports the belief that supporting ELLs requires effective communication between the home and the school.

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Creating a Language-Rich and Visually Engaging Classroom: 8 Essential Setup Strategies for Teachers of ELLs

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Today, we're diving into practical ways to set up your classroom for the school year, ensuring it's a space where ELLs can thrive and succeed. As teachers of ELLs, creating a language-rich and visually engaging classroom is crucial, as it supports their language development and fosters a sense of belonging.

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15 Strategies for English Language Learners

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15 Strategies for English Language Learners

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Cason, S. (2024, May 25). 15 Strategies for English language learners. Education to the Core. https://educationtothecore.com/15-strategies-for-english-language-learners/

Description: This article "15 Strategies for English Language Learners" by Sara Cason, offers educators an assortment of useful strategies they can use to assist English Language Learners (ELLs) in the classroom. Some of the strategies include Developing a classroom environment that is inclusive, scaffolding instruction, and vocabulary development.

Best Practice Support:

This resource provides evidence-based strategies that are in line with the fundamentals of successful ELL instruction, thereby supporting research-based best practices. Strategies like using visual aids, language scaffolds, and peer interaction, emphasizing the value of differentiated instruction and scaffolded learning for ELL students. These strategies will also enhance overall academic success and language development for ELLs

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English Language Learner (ELL) students do not necessarily learn differently than other students. However, they can have specific educational needs. The term, ELL, refers to a student who does not speak English as a first language. They typically come from non-English-speaking homes and may need modified instruction and additional support in English and other subject areas at school.

Various resources and strategies can be utilized to provide a positive learning experience for ELL students. While many of these strategies for English Language Learners below are helpful for all students, they can be particularly effective when teaching students that have a native language other than English.

ELL Strategy 1 - Build Relationships & Create a Welcoming Environment

It's important that ELL students feel welcome when they come into the classroom. Learning a language can be intimidating. Knowing they are learning in a safe and welcoming space can make a big difference. While they are still learning to speak and read English, relationships can be built through:

Using a daily check-in activity is a great way to start building trusting relationships with your ELL students. I recommend having them draw pictures of how they are feeling that day, or give a thumbs up or down on "yes/no" questions.

2 - Use Positive Gestures and Tone of Voice

Using positive gestures and tone of voice can help ELL learners feel at ease. This can help them feel comfortable and safe in their learning environment. A start for this is to simply smile and keep a calm and relaxed body. Incorporating play-based learning is also an opportunity to model positive gestures. Throughout the day, model acceptance of others to encourage this welcoming atmosphere.

3 - Incorporate Language Skills Throughout the Curriculum

ELL students will benefit from explicit language instruction. However, it is also important to include language skills throughout the curriculum. By incorporating these skills throughout all lessons, language exposure is increased. This will have a positive impact on student learning.

Utilizing the Listen and Color printable from the Kindergarten Monthly Activities allows students to engage with both vocabulary and position words. The activity can be completed using a teacher model to provide additional support for students. This is an opportunity to hear and visualize positional words such as above, between, or next to.

ELL Strategy 4 - Speak Slowly and Increase Wait Time

Speaking too quickly can make it difficult for ELL students to process the new language, so slowing down your words can be helpful. This can allow students additional time to listen and process the information. I also always try and model, point to, or visually show while I am verbally giving directions.

Consider that students might need the extra time to answer a question or might need a question to be restated or rephrased. Be patient and encourage students to become comfortable with asking for more time or asking a teacher to repeat a question. Teaching students to ask for help can benefit them in many ways as they learn the English language.

5 - Differentiate

ELL students have a variety of academic needs. It's important that your instruction is designed to meet students' individual needs. This can be accomplished by getting to know as much as possible about your students, using a variety of research-based instructional strategies, and using ongoing assessments. The Premium Membership from Education to the Core provides you access to a variety of differentiated resources at your fingertips, ready to print and use.

ELL Strategy 6 - Incorporate Technology

Technology may or may not be something that ELL students are comfortable using. However, don't be afraid to give it a try and incorporate helpful websites into your daily routine. The fact that most of these sites will read and speak to your students while they work on tasks is an added bonus. There are numerous sites and apps that students can use individually or that can be modeled and used in a whole group environment. A few suggestions are:

Starfall - A learning website with interactive games, songs and activities.

Kahoot! - A game-based learning program for creating, playing, and sharing learning games.

Quizlet - This program uses digital flashcards for learning vocabulary.

National Geographic Kids - The site has numerous educational videos that allow for closed captions to be turned on which can be helpful for ELL students.

Duolingo - A website and app that targets specific skills to practice vocabulary, grammar, and punctuation.

7 - Utilize Cooperative Activities

Encouraging teamwork and cooperation can build language skills quickly. Cooperative activities allow students to be inquisitive, curious, and learn from each other. Activities that lend themselves well to cooperation are STEM Challenge Stories. These challenges give students opportunities to have discussions and share ideas while completing hands-on learning activities.

8 - Offer Choices

Ensure that students know they have options. For example, if students don't know the answer to a question, it's important to have resources they can use for help. They also should know they have the choice to say they don't know or aren't sure. Having resources in the classroom for students to refer to can be a big confidence booster. Having a Sound Wall in your classroom is a great student reference tool to have.

ELL Strategy 9 - Build on Background Knowledge

Although students are learning a new language, they have many personal experiences that can help support learning. Consider students' background knowledge. How can you help activate that background knowledge in order to make learning more meaningful and impactful?

Even if you don't have any background knowledge to build upon, you can create shared experiences for your students. Read a book on the topic, watch a short instructional video, or create a "being there" experience in your classroom. By incorporating these strategies into your instruction, your students, both ELL, and non, will have prior information they can link new knowledge to.

10 - Use Visuals and Add Images

As often as possible, try to use visuals and add images in daily activities and work. The Monthly Mini-Books resource provides visual support for learners. In each monthly activity, there are vocabulary words with pictures that can be used in a variety of ways. These vocabulary words can then be found in the coordinating mini-books. Each month, there is a themed sight word activity for students. These comprehensive monthly activities can be a good place to start building vocabulary with the use of visuals.

11 - Pair your ELL Students with a Buddy

This is always a student favorite! Pairing ELL students with a buddy who can encourage, and model language skills is very beneficial. Be mindful of student skill level as well as cooperation skills when selecting a buddy. The buddy can help answer questions, work on activities, and provide support for your ELL student.

12 - Use a microphone or amplification device

Using a device such as a microphone or amplification device can allow students to clearly hear some of the sounds of words. While this might not always be an option, it is something to consider adding to your daily classroom routine.

13 - Give both Verbal and Written Directions

Written directions are important so that students can practice reading skills they are working on. However, written directions might not be accessible for ELL students. Including verbal directions as well as written, gives students the opportunity to ask questions if they do not understand. Verbal directions can also prevent mistakes that might occur from lack of understanding of a written direction. Preventing these mistakes and providing students clarification through verbal directions can boost students' self-confidence.

ELL Strategy 14 - Model

Providing students with a model when doing activities can give them the reassurance they need to keep going. You might find that you can slowly take the models away or use them less frequently. However, starting with models is important for ELL students to become comfortable with learning the English language. Projecting the activities onto a large whiteboard or Promethean board with a document camera can easily provide students with a viewable model.

15 - Teach Vocabulary

Vocabulary can be added to daily lessons, but can also be taught in isolation. Pre-teaching vocabulary can be helpful for ELL students. An idea for teaching vocabulary is through the use of Write the Room activities. These activities provide colorful clip art images and incorporate various academic skills. These cards allow your students to associate an image with a vocabulary word. This is an engaging way for students to build vocabulary.

Being consistent with these strategies and practices will make your lessons more effective and meaningful for your students. However, it is also important to be flexible and make modifications based on your students' needs. Utilize these tips and strategies to begin building your toolbox of resources to support ELL students.

Written By - Sarah Cason

At Education to the Core, we exist to help our teachers build a stronger classroom as they connect with our community to find trusted, state-of-the-art resources designed by teachers for teachers. We aspire to be the world's leading & most trusted community for educational resources for teachers. We improve the lives of every teacher and learner with the most comprehensive, reliable, and inclusive educational resources.

If you enjoyed what we have to offer at ETTC, be sure to join our email list, so you won't miss a beat. We are here to help with all your resource needs. Become a Premium Member of Education to the Core and receive immediate access to thousands of printable activities. For one small monthly or annual fee, everything ETTC can be at your fingertips all of the time.

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15 Strategies for English Language Learners

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Explore 15 effective strategies for English Language Learners. Read now to enhance your ELL teaching and support student success!

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Innovative Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

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Innovative Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners

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Innovative strategies for teaching English language learners. (n.d.). www.umassglobal.edu. https://www.umassglobal.edu/news-and-events/blog/innovative-strategies-for-english-language-learners

Description: This article provides an assortment of creative and effective strategies for educators to use when teaching ELL students. It gives strategies such as differentiating instruction, using multimedia tools, and integrating language and content learning to enhance the educational experience amongst ELL students.

Best Practice Support:

This resource offers creative teaching methods that are backed by educational research and proven to be effective in ELL instruction. It also offers multiple ways and strategies to support diverse learning needs by integrating language and content learning which helps ELL students to retain and apply their language skills more effectively.

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If you've ever tried to master another language, you know just how challenging it can be. Perhaps you've ordered a meal at a restaurant and felt your face flush as you fumble over a simple phrase, sighing in relief when the server nods and doesn't ask a follow-up question.

Now imagine feeling like this all day, Monday through Friday, while trying to adapt to a new culture, make friends and learn the fundamentals of science, math, social studies, art and literature. This is the reality for millions of K-12 English language learners (ELLs) in the United States.

According to the National Education Association, ELL students will make up about 25 percent of the children in American classrooms by 2025. Teachers are tasked with helping these students develop English proficiency and meet the grade-level content requirements, in addition to all their other duties. Thankfully, there are many practical strategies for teaching English language learners that benefit the entire class.

To help you enhance your lessons, we created this guide based on a recent webinar presented by Dr. Nicole Schneider, associate professor at UMass Global. Keep reading to learn how to tailor instruction and ensure accessibility for English as a Second Language (ESL) scholars.

What is ESL/ESOL?

While the term "ESL" was the standard for years, many educators today prefer "ESOL", which stands for English for Speakers of Other Languages. This phrase is more inclusive and accurately represents the fact that for many ELLs, English is their third or even fourth language.

ESL and ESOL classes are designed to develop language and comprehension skills for non-native English speakers. In practice, this is very different from teaching students who grew up hearing and communicating English from the moment they were born.

Some ESL programs teach students separately until they reach a certain proficiency level and can join mainstream classes, while other schools integrate ELL into classrooms from the get-go. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that Spanish is by far the most common home language, representing 75 percent of all K-12 ELL students. Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese and Portuguese round out the top five languages spoken in American public schools.

5 effective ELL strategies teachers should consider

While there are many ways for educators to tailor classroom instruction and support toward English language learners, Dr. Schneider recommends starting with the following five tips.

1. Focus on academic language, literacy and vocabulary

Reading, writing and vocabulary exercises are essential building blocks for developing language fluency, but it is only part of what is needed. Students who appear fully fluent in English may nonetheless struggle to express themselves effectively in academic settings, as they lack the words and phrases needed to connect their ideas and discuss them with others.

Dr. Schneider emphasizes the importance of teaching students how to talk about what they know. This is called "academic language," and while some learners adopt this naturally over time, many students - native English speakers included - need reinforcement to develop this skill. She points out that,

If we teach our students the content but never provide them with the language scaffolding that they need to share about it, it's like we're giving them the bricks but we're not giving them the mortar to hold it all together.

This extra help could come in the form of semi-structured small group discussions, adding visuals to a lesson, having students keep a journal and providing instruction in their native language, when possible.

2. Link background knowledge and culture to learning

Numerous studies show that students perform better when their home culture and background knowledge are incorporated into the academic environment. When children and their families are represented and respected in the classroom, they are much more likely to be engaged and successful.

Allowing students to express themselves in a safe environment and learn from one another is also a wonderful social-emotional learning opportunity that benefits the entire class, especially students of color.

Educators should consider implementing the following tactics in their practice:

Become familiar with your students' backgrounds

Use examples that connect to their lives

Represent students' cultures with art, music and literature

Encourage students to tell stories in a variety of mediums: drawing, poetry, visual art, drama, essays, etc.

Ask students to speak and write about their lives regularly in casual, low-stress ways without forcing them to share

Allow students to use their native language and/or translation apps

Dr. Schneider acknowledges that some instructors, particularly high school teachers, may not have enough wiggle room in their schedule to allow for daily sharing in this way. "Think about maybe doing this once a week for 15 minutes," she suggests. "Even though it takes away instructional time, you get so much more from it, that I think it's worth it in the long run."

3. Increase comprehensible input and language output

English language learners learn both through the language they encounter (input) and the language they produce (output). Students should also be given ample opportunities to produce language, and they should receive direct feedback to increase their comprehension and improve their language skills.

Dr. Schneider remarks that the increased use of digital technology in education has opened up many additional opportunities for teachers to supplement lesson plans. Strategies for increasing comprehensible input include:

Read out loud or play audio versions of texts

Front load vocabulary and key concepts before reading

Provide a similar text in the student's first language

Go beyond the textbook and include artwork, videos, guest speakers, stories

Slow down your speech

Use graphs and visuals when presenting

Give students an outline of the information

Use closed captioning for videos

10/2 rule: For every 10 minutes of lecture, stop for 2 minutes of student engagement

In order for students to deepen their understanding, and clarify and negotiate for meaning, they must talk about what they are learning. Strategies for increasing language output include:

Provide multiple opportunities for structured and unstructured talk

Opportunities for students to collaborate with each other

Include open-ended questions in your lessons

Provide daily low-stakes writing opportunities in all content areas

4. Promote classroom interaction

When teaching English language learners, keep in mind that vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation develop faster when there are opportunities for interaction in the classroom using the language being learned. But many new teachers make the mistake of simply presenting a lesson and then pairing students up to discuss without providing guidance, as was the case for Dr. Schneider.

She recommends that teachers explicitly model and practice academic language so that students can more fully engage with one another. This could take the form of question prompts, such as:

Teachers should also provide ample opportunities for more structured classroom interactions with a clear purpose and goal. There are hundreds of activities to consider, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

5. Stimulate higher-order thinking skills and use of learning strategies

Higher-order thinking skills (HOTS) are essentially critical-thinking abilities that go beyond rote memorization, concept formation and reading comprehension. Mastering HOTS is the ultimate goal of the learning process, as these competencies are needed to become an independent and creative thinker.

Teachers can encourage the development of HOTS in their students by modeling and providing language scaffolding such as:

An example of a high school-level lesson plan that emphasizes HOTS might be having students learn about garment factory work in Cambodia, and then pairing them up to do the following:

Discuss what it might be like to sew their own clothes

Review a video about the experience of a Cambodian garment worker

Compose a list of the advantages and disadvantages based on the video

Embrace ELL strategies to maximize student achievement

As an educator, you work hard to make sure everyone in your class has what they need to learn and thrive. Implementing some of these innovative strategies for teaching English language learners is a great way to make content accessible for all students, regardless of language ability.

Looking for more information on how to make your classroom more welcoming for all students? Read our article "How to foster an inclusive classroom environment: Advice for educators. "

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Innovative strategies for teaching English language learners | UMass Global

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A guide to practical strategies for teaching English language learners in mainstream classrooms.

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MultiBrief: Why cultural understanding is essential. (n.d.). https://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/why-cultural-understanding-is-essential/education

Description: This article emphasizes the significance of cultural awareness and sensitivity in an educational setting. This is great for teachers working with a diverse student population and English Language Learners. The article also highlights how cultural sensitivity affects classroom dynamics, student participation, and general academic success.

Best Practice Support: This article supports research demonstrating that, by recognizing and appreciating students' cultural backgrounds, culturally responsive instruction enhances student outcomes. It highlights how important cultural competence is to creating inclusive and constructive learning environments for ELL students.

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This is a continuation of the article, "How cultural differences can affect learning."

ESL professionals need a basic understanding of the effects of cultural contrast on ESL learners. The percentage of ESL students in public schools is a significant factor.

"English-language learners, or ELLs, represent 9.4 percent of the student population in U.S. public schools, according to the most recent federal data available. These students score well below their non-ELL peers on national assessments in reading and math and have a graduation rate of 65.1 percent-the second lowest after students with disabilities," wrote Natalie Gross in The Atlantic.

Add to these the international students coming on study visas and the residents in ABE/ESOL programs and one can see how cultural understanding is essential. As I wrote in the first part of this article, the instructor cannot be an expert on every culture but should be aware of some of the more common areas of potential conflict.

Teachers need to be aware of the challenges they may face that go beyond L2 acquisition.

To this point, Kenneth Shore wrote, "Many of these newcomers are likely to have difficulties adjusting to their new environment. As teachers, we face multiple challenges: We need to teach the content-area curriculum, while at the same time supporting students' English-language development, and helping them adjust to a new school and a new culture. The following are some strategies to consider as you try to meet the educational and social needs of your second-language learners."

Furthermore, as Nicola Prentis wrote in Quartz, "A positive view of the target culture makes learning the language easier. It helps if the learners identify with the people whose language is under study. Language learning is easier if one has a positive attitude towards the countries where the language is spoken whether it is a foreign language or ESL. For example, it is easier to learn Mandarin if you are living in China where you have firsthand experiences with the language and culture."

Cultural competence is an important key for success in today's world. Language learning improves international understanding and tolerance:

" One of these benefits that's not obvious is that language learning improves tolerance. This happens in two important ways. The first is that it opens people's eyes to a way of doing things in a way that's different from their own, which is called 'cultural competence.' The second is related to the comfort level of a person when dealing with unfamiliar situations, or 'tolerance of ambiguity.'"

The Western concept of equality may be difficult for ESL students coming from rigid hierarchical societies. Note the following from Gebhard:

"Unlike Americans, the majority of the world sees equality quite differently. Rank, status, and authority are considered far more important."

India

Even though English is one of the official languages of India, Indian students can still face obstacles. Shabina Kavimandan, from India, had to deal with cultural differences.

"Kavimandan, who moved from India when she was 22, said she often uses her own experiences of culture shock and lack of acceptance to educate teachers on how to deal with ELLs in the classroom."

"Now, along with being K-State's Associate Director of Curriculum and Innovation, she works as the project manager and instructor for the collaboration with Shawnee Mission under Herrera. The program has worked with 10 schools so far in the district.Although Kavimandan knew English when she came to K-State, she said things like accents, cultural differences and unfamiliar skills made the process of interacting with teachers and students a difficult one. 'In India, we come from a very regimented, very disciplined kind of system in classrooms,' Kavimandan said. 'You come here, and I'm sitting in my graduate level class and people were allowed to eat snacks, call the teachers on a first name basis. It was a shock. We don't realize those things.'"

The case of Puerto Rico

Even though they are Americans, people from Puerto Rico face some obstacles. Promised jobs may not be there when they arrive on the mainland, or they may discover that they need additional certification. Cultural differences exist as well. For example, a recent arrival in Florida, Sami Haiman-Marrero, says the following:

"You can't kiss your co-workers on the cheek. Don't start talking about personal things. You are supposed to be there at five minutes to the hour and be ready to work. You need to have command of English."

Companies that seem eager to hire new workers have run out of money. Also, some companies have hired new staff and then cut the positions.

As a result, workers need to be flexible and prepared to work in a different field. Being fluent in English is a priority, especially if one must suddenly seek a new job.

Cultural meaning

Students spend time learning a vast amount of vocabulary, but words may carry a cultural load.

" All material is culturally loaded; teachers may need to pre-teach cultural material especially on tests. For example the content of a reading exercise may be familiar to part of the class, but some may not comprehend the content. Words like 'carburetor' would be familiar to those from a car-centered culture like the US, but students from cultures where cars are not central may not fully grasp the idea. Another example 'punt formation' is relevant to American football, but most students are interested in soccer, which is called 'football' in their countries. Other cultural items may be political or television personalities and geographical areas."

Animal names

Animal names may be a source of cultural confusion. Various cultures give certain attributes to animal names. Consider what it means to call someone a chicken or a hawk for example. Here are some more examples from English:

"Some more exotic animals also have conventional use as epithets ('you baboon!' 'What a hyena!') No such commonplace metaphors exist for some common or barnyard animals ('what a duck she is?'), or for most rarer or more exotic animals, such as wildebeest or emus. Therefore, these are available for more creative use."

Culture and background knowledge

We take our cultural background for granted, but for the L2 learner the lack of specific cultural information may impede communication. Background knowledge is essential, especially for reading. An unfamiliar passage will be more difficult to process than something from the learners' own experiences:

According to Hilde Van Zeeland in The Modern Language Journal, "Thus, research indicates that L2 readers' background knowledge influences their lexical inferencing success, with more knowledge of the next topic enabling better inferencing."

Note what the ACTFL National Standards have to say about the importance of culture:

Standard 2.1: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship betweenthe practices and perspectives of the culture studied.

Standard 2.2: Students demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the products and perspectives of the culture studied (National Standards, 1996).

Helpful hints

Teachers need to know thatlanguage use differs according to its purpose.

"Research comparing different spoken contexts reveals systemic variation in the ways that speakers use language for different communicative purposes based on situational factors."

According to the same article in The Modern Language Journal, "Doctors and nurses will use more future forms such as I will; I'm going to when dealing with patients (195). Also academic spoken discourse is closer to written discourse 196)."

Nowadays it is easier for students to stay connected to their home culture while studying abroad. Technology and social media allow instant communication and world-wide connections. This fact allows teachers to allow access between ESL students and FL students who are studying the ESL students' home languages in a "Global Classroom."

" Through teleconferencing software or instant messaging applications on our Smartphones, we connect or foreign language students to English language students in their home countries."

FL students can also connect to ESL students in their own or nearby universities. They can learn more about the target culture and the ESL students can gain insight into the culture of the country where they are studying.

Such an exchange is far better than depending on an outdated guidebook or comments from friends who may have visited an English speaking country 10 or more years ago. The classroom is an excellent way for cultural study and cross-cultural communication.

As Kate Paesani wrote, "Our classrooms are diverse sites where languages and cultures converge and diverge, this providing opportunities for rethinking how to equip students with tools to be critical consumers of linguistic, literary, and cultural content."

Suggested activity

Here is an activity suggested by John Suler:

"Gamblers and con artists long have known that people reveal their inner thoughts through body language without even knowing it. For example, if you place a coin in one hand behind your back and then present your fists to a body-savvy person, that person may be able to detect where the coin is. Your 'tell' will indicate which hand holds it. You may lean your body to one side, hold one hand higher than the other, point your nose, or unintentionally leak some other behavior that gives away your 'secret.'"

This exercise will help students understand that body language differs across cultures and it may even help them avoid being scammed.

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MultiBrief: Why cultural understanding is essential

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ESL professionals need a basic understanding of the effects of cultural contrast on ESL learners. The percentage of ESL students in public schools is a significant factor. Add to these the international students coming on study visas and the residents in ABE/ESOL programs and one can see how cultural understanding is essential.

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Why Culture Matters when Teaching English Learners

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Why Culture Matters when Teaching English Learners

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Fritz, K. (2022). Why Culture Matters when Teaching English Learners. Graduate Programs for Educators. https://www.graduateprogram.org/2022/11/why-culture-matters-when-teaching-english-learners/

Description: This article dissects cultural awareness in teaching ELLs. The article discusses how understanding and integrating students' cultural backgrounds into instruction can enhance their learning experience and improve academic outcomes.

Best Practice Support: This resource supports research-based best practices by emphasizing the importance of culturally responsive teaching in the education of ELLs. The article supports educational research that suggests incorporating students' cultural contexts into the teaching and learning process will improve the relevance and interest of the material. This resource encourages practices that help teachers and students form stronger bonds by urging educators to acknowledge and respect the diverse cultural backgrounds of their students.

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We often think of English learners as simply students who do not speak English. This is a highly over-simplified understanding of students within this population. Our understanding of English learners and how to best serve them educationally is much deeper and wider. There are many myths and misconceptions that, unless otherwise informed, will hinder academic growth and achievement and create harm to English learners.

Even teachers who are student-centered with instruction, create engaging learning opportunities, utilize data, and other pedagogical best practices can still miss the mark with English learners if they are not culturally competent and responsive. We know from Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs that all humans need to feel safe and experience a sense of belonging before reaching their full potential academically.

School cultural norms have evolved little over centuries unless purposefully redesigned by school leaders and teachers who are willing to challenge these norms. Recognizing that everything we do in schools reflects culture and that we, as educators, are transmitters of culture ourselves has led many educators and researchers to realize that continuing to function as we always have is not creating a sense of inclusion and belonging for students of other cultures. Furthermore, research shows that valuing and affirming the identities and cultures of others has a positive correlation to academic achievement in the classroom.

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education

This is where culturally responsive-sustaining education comes in when teaching English learners. The Education Alliance at Brown University cites the work of Gloria Ladson-Billings, credited with the theory of culturally relevant pedagogy, in their definition of culturally responsive teaching as "a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning." It is an approach to teaching English learners that makes meaningful connections between school and the students' cultural experiences, languages, and life outside of school.

What are Cultural Identifiers?

Cultural identity refers to identification with, or sense of belonging to, a particular group based on various cultural categories, including nationality, ethnicity, race, gender, and religion. While we often think of food, music, holidays, and language as primary cultural examples, there are actually many more ways that culture impacts students in schools.

Additional examples of cultural identifiers include gender roles, how parents view their role in education, generational roles, religious beliefs, discipline and behavioral expectations including what respect looks like, personal space, facial expressions, tone of voice, concept of time, notions of courtesy and manners, attitudes toward authority, and more.

How Do They Impact Our Classrooms?

In my role as LIEP Supervisor, I provide professional development to educators around how best to meet the needs of English learners in the classroom. The first thing we discuss are misconceptions that relate to English learners, specifically about culture. In the geographic area that we are in, the primary home language of English learners is Spanish.

When I ask what strategies teachers are using to help English learners in the classroom, their most frequent response is, "I partner the English Learner with another student who speaks Spanish." While this may be a support to some students, what it really displays is a lack of cultural understanding on the part of the teacher.

There are over 20 countries whose primary language is Spanish. All these countries have varying dialects of Spanish, and other languages are spoken within them as well. For example, a student may come from Guatemala so it would be natural to assume that they speak Spanish, but it is not uncommon for Guatemalan students to speak one of the other 18 languages spoken in Guatemala instead of Spanish. It is also essential to understand the implicit hierarchy of power between Hispanic/Latino cultures, as discrimination among native countries of origin is rampant.

Another way that cultural identifiers impact our classrooms is through discipline. It is not uncommon for teachers who lack cultural understanding of familial and gender roles to inadvertently cause harm or escalate a disciplinary situation out of ethnocentrism. In Haitian homes, it is common for young men to be seen and treated as the head of their household.

When that same 15-year-old male student comes to school, they are treated as a child who falls under the authority of the classroom teacher. This role reversal upon entering the school building daily can be hard for a teenager to grasp and frustrating to a teacher if they misinterpret this cultural identifier in their student. Often, small and simple situations can escalate to a point where the teacher and student both perceive that they are being disrespected.

Lastly, some cultures find it disrespectful for students to not look the adult in the eyes when the adult speaks to them. In other cultures, looking the adult in the eyes is disrespectful. This frustrates adults who do not understand cultural differences around communication.

These are only a few examples of how culture can play a role in the classroom with English learners. It is important to note that culture matters in schools and classrooms with students who are not identified as English learners, as well.

We all carry culture with us every day. It's not an option to leave it behind, and no one should have to drop their own culture or assimilate to another to succeed and achieve at work or school. It may also be easier for some of us to code-switch at work or school depending on the degree to which the culture of our school varies from our own and the degree to which a purposeful sense of inclusion and belonging is fostered, and cultural responsiveness is prioritized.
Have a passion for ELs/ELLs education or already work with them and want to advance your career? Check out our graduate education dual language programs today!

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Why Culture Matters when Teaching English Learners - Graduate Programs for Educators

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Culture is essential when teaching English learners. Affirming the cultures of others has a positive correlation to achievement in the classroom.

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How to use Technology to /help ELLs Achieve Language Mastery

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How to use Technology to /help ELLs Achieve Language Mastery

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Continental. (2023). How to use technology to help ELLs achieve language Mastery. Continental Educational Publisher. https://www.continentalpress.com/blog/how-to-use-technology-to-help-ells/

Description: In this article educators are provided with educators with advice on how to leverage technology to support English Language Learners in achieving language proficiency. The article discusses different digital tools and platforms that can be incorporated into classroom lesson to enhance language learning. This includes apps, online resources, and interactive software.

Best Practice Support:

Teachers are better equipped to meet the different needs of ELL students and provide them with both feedback and reinforcement when they use digital tools that provide interactive and adaptive learning opportunities. This article stresses the importance of multimodal learning and differentiated instruction, which are both essential for supporting ELL students’ language development.

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How to Use Technology to Help ELLs Achieve Language Mastery | Continental Educational Publisher

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Struggling with how to use technology to help ELLs in your classroom? Check out these nine effective edtech tools for English learners!

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Math Instruction for English Language Learners

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Math Instruction for English Language Learners

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Robertson, K. (2020, February 18). Math instruction for English language learners. Colorín Colorado. https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/math-instruction-english-language-learners

Description: This article offers tips and techniques for teaching math to English language learners. It addresses ways to improve understanding through the use of visual aids, integrate language development into math instruction, and make math concepts more approachable.

Best Practice Support: This resource emphasizing the integration of language and content instruction, which is crucial for ELLs. The strategies discussed, which include teaching math vocabulary explicitly, utilizing visual aids, and modeling problem-solving procedures align with best practices that support ELLs' comprehension and engagement in various subject areas.

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Math Instruction for English Language Learners

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Several years ago, I met a high school math teacher named Hillary Hansen who had just taught her first Basic Math course for English language learners (ELLs). She wanted so much to provide the students with the good foundation they needed, but she felt unable to engage them in her lessons. By the end of the year, she was exhausted and frustrated.That summer she had an opportunity to join a district Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) cohort to receive professional development and support the needs of ELLs in content classes. She learned about the importance of language acquisition, building background knowledge, increasing student language production, and explicitly teaching academic language. She began the following school year with a new set of tools and a deeper understanding of the instructional scaffolding ELLs need in order to learn the content while also learning English.While Hillary still felt challenged and was working hard, the second year was much more successful for her and her students. She felt she was providing them with the foundation they needed not only to understand the mathematical concepts, but also to successfully interact within a math classroom in order to learn more advanced concepts.As a result of more effective instruction, her students:Understood the content better and were working together to find creative ways to learnIncreased their participation in discussions and learned how to use instructional supports in the classFelt more comfortable with math and asking questions to get the help they neededYou can learn more about some strategies that Hillary and other teachers recommend for teaching ELLs math in the information below, along with reflection tips and ideas for getting to know your students’ math backgrounds.ELL Math Resource CollectionThis resource collection features several ideas for teaching math to ELLs.Reflection QuestionsHow much math instruction have your ELLs received in their prior schooling?How much do their levels of math background vary?What are some of their strengths related to math?What are some of their challenges?What are some practical ways your ELLs are using math in their daily lives?What kinds of strategies have supported their success or engagement in other areas?What are some ways that collaboration or co-teaching might support your ELLs?What are some leadership opportunities you might give ELLs in pair work or small group work?Learn About Students’ Math BackgroundsTeaching ELLs: Tips for Math TeachersPrint PDF >It’s important to remember that ELLs’ math backgrounds may vary significantly. Some students may have had consistent schooling where they developed strong math skills. Others may have limited or no formal schooling, but may have practical skills related to time, money, or other daily topics. If possible, find out whether students have attended school regularly and what kind of experience they have had with math instruction and with math in general. Look for ways to tie instruction to student interests (like sports) and responsibilities at home that involve math, such as helping with family finances, working in family businesses, and holding other jobs. For example, students from migrant farmworker families may be using math related to agriculture, such as weighing or selling produce. Also keep in mind that students may use other numeric and measurement systems students, such as metric system, Celsius, military time, etc.In addition, Pennsylvania educators Sally Lopez and Erin Minick also encourage educators to:Look for leadership opportunities for all students in math classProvide students with opportunities to “teach” others, work together, and demonstrate what they know in multiple waysGroup students intentionally and with sensitivity, avoiding the designation of specific students as “needing more help” in their grouping, partner assignments, or placement in the classroom(Ms. Lopez and Ms. Minick conducted a book study focused on Teaching Math to Multilingual Students, which you can learn more about from their website.)Keep in mind that veteran educators of ELLs also stress the importance of getting to know students as a key part of supporting student success. For example, in this NCELA webinar, Dr. Haiwen Chu, a national expert on mathematics education for English Learners at WestEd, recalls that visiting his high school students’ neighborhoods provided valuable insights on their experiences and familiar topics.See additional ideas for getting to you know your ELLs in 10 Strategies for Building Relationships with ELLs.The Language of MathAlthough it is easy to assume that many ELLs will excel in math class because math is a “universal language” and students may have had prior educational experience that included mathematical instruction, that assumption can lead educators astray. While computational skills may transfer, ELLs may still need support with language-focused tasks, such as solving word problems, learning (and using) math vocabulary, and writing explanations. All of these skills require a language proficiency that sometimes exceeds our expectations. We tend to think of mathematics as a subject that does not require a strong command of language. In reality, however, mathematical reasoning and problem solving are closely linked to language and rely upon a firm understanding of basic math vocabulary (Dale & Cuevas, 1992; Jarret, 1999), especially when considered along with the demands of college- and career-ready standards.Co-Teaching and CollaborationFor many educators, the challenge of bringing language and math instruction together is a relatively new one. ELL teachers who hadn’t taught content areas previously are now being asked to lead or support instruction in the math classroom, and many math teachers who don’t see themselves as language instructors are now responsible for providing effective math instruction to ELLs. When educators collaborate, however, they can better understand each other’s expertise and combine their expertise for the benefit of students.For example, when planning a lesson, a math teacher and an ELL teacher could collaborate to identify both the target content, such as key standards, concepts, or specific topics, as well as key vocabulary, academic language, and the language-focused tasks students will need to complete the lesson. These tasks might include writing out a proof, reading a math problem, explaining how to solve a problem, or writing out numbers as words. The ELL specialist could walk the math teacher through this process several times so that it becomes a more integrated part of the math teacher’s planning over time. After the lesson, the teachers could identify other areas of focus or clarification needed and share these insights with their colleagues.Another tool content teachers can use is language objectives, which help target the language demands of the lesson. You can learn more about them in the videos featuring Mr. Jesus Ortiz below.Teaching Academic VocabularyVocabulary instruction is essential for effective math instruction. Not only does it include teaching math-specific terms such as “percent” or “decimal,” but it also includes understanding the difference between the mathematical definition of a word and other definitions of that word, as well as understanding the concept a vocabulary word describes.The following example, used in a presentation by Dr. Judit Moschkovich of the University of California at Santa Cruz, underscores why vocabulary must be introduced within the context of the content (Moschkovich, 2008): In this problem, the student is instructed to “find x.” The student obviously knew the meaning of the word “find” because they “found” it on the page and circled it. The student even put a note on the page to help the teacher in locating the lost “x”. The student understood the meaning of “find” in one context, but not in the appropriate mathematical context.I recently helped a math teacher create a sheltered lesson, and I was surprised to find that there were some vocabulary words that I didn’t understand. My lack of familiarity with the words hindered my ability to do the math problem and gave me a deeper empathy for ELLs who struggle in the same way with vocabulary and comprehending math assignments.Following is a list of tips for explicitly teaching mathematical academic vocabulary.Teach key academic vocabularyAfter you identify your target content, identify the academic vocabulary words that students will need to understand that content. Some of these key phrases or new vocabulary words may also be helpful to pre-teach in small groups or mini lessons. Think about:Academic vocabulary (equilateral)Words and phrases needed to solve a problem (less than, given, arrange)Common words needed to solve word problems (train station, dolphin, favorite)Homophones (eight/ate, plane/plain, one/won, two/to/too, four/for, some/sum)Words that students are likely to encounter in other settings (formula, prove)Words that represent a numerical value necessary for solving the problem, such as measurement words (foot, feet, meter, pounds, kilometers)After you identify the vocabulary you wish to teach, use scaffolds for academic vocabulary, such as: Visuals: These can include visual representations of concepts, photos, and illustrations of key vocabulary words, posters, and number lines.Realia (real objects) and manipulatives: These might include hands-on objects related to a topic or small items, such as coins or small blocks for counting, sorting, weighing, etc.Graphic organizers: Graphic organizers are tools that allow students to organize information in a visual or hands-on way.Anchor charts: Anchor charts are posters that students and teachers co-create to highlight key concepts and vocabulary that students will need for reference.Offer students the chance to work with objects and images in order to master vocabulary. If there aren’t enough items for each student, use manipulatives on the overhead or posted throughout the classroom, and demonstrate the vocabulary in front of the students. For example, Hillary created a Math Word Wall that has three parts: key vocabulary, “in your own words” definitions, and a variety of ways to portray a function. For example, multiplication is portrayed by the following symbols: x, *, and ( ).In addition, it can be helpful to ask students which strategies support their learning. Students often can provide valuable information on what is working for them!For examples of how vocabulary can impact students’ understanding of math problems, see the related video with ESL teacher Anne Formato below.Teach words with multiple meaningsDemonstrate that vocabulary can have multiple meanings. Help students understand the different meanings of words, as well as how to use them correctly in a mathematical context. This is also a good opportunity for using visuals and realia. Examples include:YardPlotTableProofAreaEvenPlanePlaceTimesBillQuarterChangeDraw on students’ home languagesUse cognates, which are related words in two languages. English and Spanish have many cognates within academic terms, like fraction/fracción.Use translated words or phrases strategically. For example, New York University has published bilingual glossaries for several topics.Allow (and encourage!) students to use their languages in group work to solve problems, brainstorm, and review material. Students will understand material better if they explain it to another student, and the new student will benefit from hearing the explanation in their first language.Increasing Student Language ProductionThe language demands of math are complex. Working with an ELL specialist can be a good starting point for identifying some of the math demands of the lessons you are teaching, as well as for planning how to teach and scaffold those language demands.As I’ve worked with content area teachers in my district to develop Sheltered Instruction lessons and activities to enhance ELL learning, I’ve told them, “If a student doesn’t say it in your class, they’re never going to say it.” This is a bit dramatic, but it’s true to some extent. When students learn new vocabulary, the opportunity to use it must be presented in class, because students are unlikely to try it out on their own — especially academic words like “parallelogram” or “function”!Here are some tips to increase student-to-student interaction with academic language in the math classroom:Have students translate symbols into words, and write the sentence out. Hillary used this strategy to check students’ comprehension of problems before they solved them. For example, 3x + 4 = 16 would be written out, “Three times X plus four equals sixteen.” This helps students process the operations involved in the question and gives them an opportunity to think through how to solve it. It also gives students a chance to familiarize themselves with important vocabulary words. Writing out the answer to a problem is a very important skill to develop because many state math tests require a constructed response to questions.Create a “sentence frame” and post it on the board. Write the format of the sentence you would like students to use in discussion and then hold them accountable for using it. For example, “The answer is _______ degrees because it is a _________ triangle. (Learn more in our sentence frame and sentence stems strategy.)Have students share problem-solving strategies. This involves asking a simple question, such as, “Did anyone else get the answer in a different way?” Then allow enough wait time so students can think through how their problem-solving process was similar or different to the one offered.Allow students to discuss how they are thinking about math. This is a way of redirecting the lesson from teacher-to-student to student-to-student. For example a student might ask a question, “How do you know what kind of triangle it is?” Instead of the teacher answering and going to the board and pointing out the names and different triangles, the teacher can simply ask, “Does someone have an answer? Or “Would someone like to offer help to Mario?” Allow students to share how they think about the math concept and any tips they have for remembering the information.Incorporate writing activities, such as entrance/exit tickets or math journals. This is an excellent way for students to process what they’ve learned and what questions they still have. The journal or exit/entrance ticket prompt could start with simple prompts such as, “One thing I learned today...” “One thing I still don’t understand…” “One way I can get the help I need…” “The answer to this problem is…” “Something that helped me was...“Challenge students to create their own math problems. This can be a fun activity if students create a problem similar to the ones you have used in class and they exchange problems with a partner. By creating the problem and checking the answer they are reinforcing their own learning.Teach students how to read, interpret, and summarize data. Provide students with explicit, step-by-step instructions in how to read charts, graphs, tables, and infographics, as well as how to describe what they observe in visual representations of data.Model the kinds of writing students are expected to complete (e.g., written explanations). Students need to see and understand what they are expected to do and produce, such as explaining how they solved a math problem. This is a great opportunity for the “gradual release” strategy -- I do, we do, you do.Try AI tools. Consider using AI tools to rewrite math problems for students at early levels of proficiency or to generate math problems with familiar vocabulary that achieve your target objective. Bilingual Glossaries in Content AreasNew York University has published several bilingual glossaries in multiple languages that cover different content areas, including elementary math, middle school math, Algebra 1 and 2, Calculus, and related math terms.Reading and Understanding Written Math ProblemsWritten word problems present a unique challenge to ELL students and teachers alike. In Reading and Understanding Written Math Problems, Brenda Krick-Morales writes, “Word problems in mathematics often pose a challenge because they require that students read and comprehend the text of the problem, identify the question that needs to be answered, and finally create and solve a numerical equation — ELLs who have had formal education in their home countries generally do not have mathematical difficulties; hence, their struggles begin when they encounter word problems in a second language that they have not yet mastered” (Bernardo, 2005).Teacher Xiao-lin Yin-Croft has encountered this pattern in her classroom of bilingual Chinese students in San Francisco. She has developed a very creative way to use her students’ background knowledge of math as a stepping stone for other language learning. She does this by accelerating math instruction at the beginning of the school year and then building on what students have learned in math in reading and other content areas. In Building Bridges for the Future, Xiao-lin explains her strategy:First, we read math word problems; I demonstrate the logical thinking process while translating words into pictures and, finally, into number sentences. Soon, they start to explain their own thinking after reading complicated word problems that involve several steps. They correct each other and argue about which number sentences they should use to arrive at the correct final results. As they sharpen their math skills, I capitalize on their enthusiasm to teach them how to extract the most important information from texts, and move them toward the oral and reading fluency they need to understand and discuss more challenging texts.Even if you aren’t accelerating math instruction, however, there are a number of ways to help students master word problems. Krick-Morales offers suggestions in the previously mentioned article, such as explicit instruction of key vocabulary, daily practice of problem solving, repeated readings of the word problem together as a class, and hands-on activities such as movement, experiments, or drawing to help students comprehend the problem. As students become more familiar with math vocabulary, they will be able to solve problems more easily.Identify key background knowledge in math problemsIt’s important to identify what kinds of background knowledge students will need to understand a math problem. For example, Ms. Lopez and Ms. Minick used this activity with a conference session: Ms. Lopez chose four math problems from her son’s math textbook and asked session attendees to brainstorm the kinds of background knowledge students might have questions about, some of which were relevant to solving the problem and some of which weren’t. Here are some things that attendees came up with:A math problem about a coupon and sales tax at a dog groomer: What is a dog groomer? Why do people take their dogs to get groomed? What is sales tax? What is a coupon? What is “deluxe”? What is an estimate and a discount?A math problem about people receiving a voucher for a free water bottle at a football game: Is football different from soccer? What is a voucher? Does the water bottle come with water inside it?A math problem about a fishing pole on sale: What is “percent off”? What is a sale? What is “regularly priced”? What steps have to be followed to solve this problem?A math problem about calculating a tip in a restaurant: What does “leave a tip” mean? What is a tip? Does the fact that there are four sisters (Emilia and three sisters) impact the outcome of the problem? Why aren’t they using an app like Venmo?As seen from the example above, this can be a powerful area in which math teachers and ELL teachers can collaborate.The Role of Background KnowledgeWhen it comes to background knowledge that impacts students’ understanding of new concepts, students may have relevant experiences to what you are teaching that just need to be drawn out (as in the vignette below). In other cases, students may not have the needed background knowledge. My colleague Hillary found that sometimes her students would get “lost” in a problem simply because they didn’t understand the context. Following are some tips to help in tapping into and building background knowledge of students.Identify connections to your students’ experiences. When planning the lesson, consider whether they might have relevant experiences, and as you introduce the lesson, find out what they know, giving them an opportunity to make connections. They may come up with connections you never had imagined!Modify the linguistic complexity of language and rephrase math problems. Students will understand the problem better if it is stated in shorter sentences and in language they understand. This may be an area in which you wish to experiment with AI tools that can rewrite problems.Guide students to cross out the unnecessary vocabulary in word problems. Doing so allows students to focus on the math function required. For example, one problem Hillary’s students came across referred to a “school assembly.” Even though the meaning of that phrase wasn’t important in the solving of the math problem, students didn’t know it wasn’t important, and the lack of understanding contributed to their confusion.Build knowledge from real world examples. Try to reinforce concepts with examples that students can picture and talk students through the situation. For example, if you need to paint a room, you need to know how much area will be covered so that you know how much paint to buy. Look for familiar ideas or props that can be used to engage students such as recipes, news stories about the economy, or discussion of personal spending habits.Use manipulatives purposefully. This is important at all grade levels. Hillary has found math cubes to be very useful in having students represent the numbers in the problems and then manipulate the cubes to get the answer. She used the cubes and the terms “hot” and “cold” numbers when teaching with the concept of negative numbers. Students would use the red cubes as “hot” or positive numbers and the blue cubes as “cold” or negative numbers. As students laid out the number of hot cubes and cold cubes represented, they could easily see if the answer would be a positive or negative number by which color had the most cubes. A problem such as -2 + 1 = -1 would look like this: The student then removed pairs of cubes — one red, one blue — until they could no longer remove any blocks. The remaining blocks represent the answer. Classroom vignette: A moment of humilityA middle school math teacher was trying to teach points on a grid and vertical/horizontal axis to her ESL students, three boys from Vietnam. She tried many approaches, including visuals, games, simulations, and manipulatives, and was just about to give up after very little progress. Suddenly, a student said, “Oh, I know — same same you drive a boat!” (“The same as you drive a boat!”) It turns out the child had helped his uncle use the stars to navigate a raft when they were fleeing Vietnam and trying to reach refugee camps in Thailand. He explained the concept to the other boys in Vietnamese with gestures and drawings on the board, who knew exactly what he was talking about. The teacher reflected, “I felt so humble. These boys knew a lot more about math than I had given them credit for. I had failed to activate their prior knowledge, and in the process had almost given up.“Source: This vignette is presented in Chapter 4 of Special Education Considerations for English Learners: Delivering a Continuum of Services. Using TechnologyTechnology can also be a powerful tool in math instruction for ELLs. Here are some ways you can play with technology in a math lesson:Look for educational resources that accompany your school’s technology tools and programs. There may be online or software programs available for teachers. For teachers who have an electronic whiteboard in the classroom, there are many resources available on links that can be easily accessed and brought into the classroom.Find out what’s available online. Both PBS Learning Media and Vital NY (Video Teaching and Learning for NYS Educators) on Teachers’ Domain offers an online library of free public media resources. Teachers’ Domain resources include video and audio segments, Flash interactives, images, documents, lesson plans for teachers, and student-oriented activities. (Free registration required.)If students are using a calculator or other device, ensure that they learn how to use it. Based on background and prior educational experience, students might not be familiar with how to use a calculator, graphing calculator, or math apps on devices such as phones or tablets. Give students a chance to practice solving problems with their calculators once you have reviewed different functions. Texas Instruments offers numerous activities and product tutorials in their educational materials.Learn more about how to use AI tools in math. AI tools can be used to generate, differentiate, or rewrite a math problem; create a summary of a lesson plan; and many other tasks. Keep in mind that AI-generated content always need a careful review and edit. (See more in Using AI in Math from Edutopia.)Look for interactive games that offer students a chance to practice their mathematical skills. Nintendo DS has an educational game called Brain Age, which is not language specific. The game provides excellent mathematical training for numbers and tracks results, showing student improvement over time.Books About Math and MathematiciansIn addition, there are lots of books about math and mathematicians that you can incorporate into your classroom and classroom library. You can see a wide range of titles for different ages in our Math Resource Collection.Closing ThoughtsEven if it doesn’t come easily at first, there are ways to get ELLs excited about math. By keeping their language skills and needs in mind when planning mathematical instruction (and by helping your colleagues do the same), you will be taking important steps in helping students master mathematical concepts and skills. You never know — your students may be the next generation of economists, rocket scientists, and math teachers just waiting for the tools they need! Note: I’d like to thank my Minnesota colleagues, Hillary Hansen at Burnsville Senior High School and Kim Olson at Hidden Valley Elementary, as well as Xiao-lin Yin-Croft from San Francisco, for providing many of the helpful math teaching tips in this article. It is inspiring to know that there are talented, creative teachers who are always finding better ways to teach and are willing to share the knowledge.Related VideosHow vocabulary can get in the way of solving a word problemELL Specialist Anne Formato talks about the trouble a student had in understanding a written math problem based on a vocabulary word. Teacher Alejandra Rojas: Why cognates are your “best friend” in math classElementary teacher Alejandra Rojas, who teaches in a dual-immersion program, explains why cognates support vocabulary development in her Spanish-language math class. Teacher Alejandra Rojas: When bilingual students translate for their parentsAlejandra Rojas, a teacher at a dual-immersion school in Arlington, VA, shares some of her experiences as a child and teenager translating for her mother. How to Write Language Objectives: Tips for ELL EducatorsIn this video from Syracuse, NY, Jesus Ortiz, a bilingual teacher, learns how to write a language objective from Areli Schermerhorn, a peer evaluator with expertise in ELL and bilingual education. Teacher Observation Cycle: A Math Lesson on PictographsThis video highlights Mr. Ortiz’s math lesson on pictographs. While the main topic of the video is teacher evaluation, numerous best practices and strategies related to math instruction for ELLs are mentioned in the video. Recommended ResourcesNCELA Teaching Practice Brief: Math (A related podcast is available as well)Supporting English Learners in Math and Science: Effective Instructional Practices and Examples from NCELA’s Teaching Briefs PBS Learning Media: Math LessonsEngageNY: Common Core and MathCommon Core Math and ELLs: Blog PostsDiscovery Education: PuzzlemakerCatherine Snow: Word Generation SMART Notebook Lesson ActivitiesTranslating Word ProblemsColorín Colorado Webcast: English Language Learners in Middle and High School

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How do We Support English Learners Success in Mathematics?

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How do We Support English Learners Success in Mathematics?

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Milyutin, E & Meyer, L. (2018). How do we support English learners success in mathematics?.  Higher Logic, LLC. https://my.nctm.org/blogs/evgeny-milyutin/2018/02/27/how-do-we-support-english-learners-success-in-math

Description: The article discusses strategies for supporting English Language Learners in mathematics education. In order to help ELLs succeed in math, the article examines a number of instructional strategies, such as the use of visual supports, language scaffolding, and culturally responsive teaching practices.

Best Practice Support: This article provides teachers with way to bridge the gap between language barriers and math content. The articles focus on visual supports and scaffolding goes hand in hand with research that emphasizes how crucial it is to give ELLs an assortment of representational options to help them comprehend challenging arithmetic concepts.

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By Evgeny Milyutin and Lisa Meyer

Put yourself in a students' shoes for a minute. Imagine that throughout your whole life, the only language you've heard or spoken is Spanish. You're from a rural town in Honduras, the only home you know, and then at age six your family moved to the USA. Once there, you were signed up for 1s t grade at the local elementary school, and you were thrown right into an English-speaking classroom. While at school, you received some English language support, but what you heard all day long at school is English.

Take another look, you used to love math class in Honduras; yet, in your American classroom you feel bored, exhausted and frustrated. In fact, instead of feeling smart and capable, you're actually starting to believe you'll never be a good student in your American math classroom.

This is the scenario that many immigrant students face upon arriving in the United States. Even students who were born in the USA may grow up with a different home language. School might be the first place they hear English for prolonged periods of time. Today, 1 in 10 students in public schools are ELLs (English Language Learners).

Implications for the Mathematics Classroom
Federal law requires that school districts ensure that ELLs can "participate meaningfully in schools' educational program," and that schools strive to bridge language barriers. Math is challenging subjects itself, adding language barriers to it is making success in it unreachable . More recently, legislation has gone as far to require that districts use strategies and programs to help ELLs that are backed by scientific evidence. ( 1)

While this legislation is important and it sounds agreeable, supporting ELLs presents a challenge for teachers. Teachers may not speak the native language of the child or have the resources and tools to properly address ELL needs. Training and learning how to include these students takes time and effort, which is hard in schools where a myriad of other needs must be met. Many schools offer special ELL pull-out classes and groups to support children as they learn English, but, in the main classroom students continue to struggle with English. This barrier may cost students academically as they fail to grasp concepts in math, science and, of course, language arts.

I interviewed Lisa Meyer, Director of Programming for Dual Language Education of New Mexico, on the best practical strategies for supporting English language learners in bilingual programs. Designing the right program to support a district/ school's specific ELL population is a challenging and important task. That support depends on many factors, such as availability of resources, percentage of ELLs, and language(s) represented. With that in mind, there are at least three important DON'Ts when it comes to teaching math to ELLs in a bilingual program:

1. DON'T constantly translate while teaching. It is important that the student learning is focused on the math, not on its translation in different languages.

2. DON'T re-teach the same content in one language, and then again in the second language. Instead, introduce the concept in one language and then plan how to transfer the language and apply the learning in the other language.

3. DON'T approach it as the responsibility of one teacher. Instead a bilingual program should be carefully planned so it is coherent across the grade levels and all the participating educators should align their efforts.

Now consider some of the DOs - what can we do to reach ELL students in mathematics classrooms? How might these suggestions benefit all learners?

1. DO front-load mathematics vocabulary . Introduce vocabulary before lessons, so that ELLs have access to and can build understand of the math language. Be aware of multiple meaning words that cause confusion for language learners: "Draw a table. Make up a word problem. Show the translation of the figure".

2. DO provide multiple representations of mathematics concepts . Support ELL students by modeling, creating visuals, describing with words, symbols, or numbers .Chart key vocabulary and examples with students. Leave these anchor-charts up so you and the students can refer back to them.

3. DO encourage ELL students to represent their understanding with multiple representations . A Frayer Model or a Four Square Model for solving word problems are examples of such support tools .

4. DO expect all students to participate in math . Provide supports such as sentence stems, think-pair-shares, intentional groupings for cooperative learning activities, and guided math groups so ELLs can be successful.

5. DO build on language and concepts that students already have . Observe students to see what they have learned in their language (understanding of place value, strategies for multiplying/dividing, or the names of geometric figures).

Your turn now -- what are your DOs and DON'Ts when it comes to teaching math to ELLs? The comment box below is yours!

#ElementarySchool #ELL

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How Do We Support English Learners Success in Mathematics?

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By Evgeny Milyutin and Lisa Meyer Put yourself in a students' shoes for a minute. Imagine that throughout your whole life, the only language you've heard or spoken is Spanish. You're from a rural town in Honduras, the only home you know, and then at age six your family moved to the USA.