What Should I Do? 1. You’re burnt out because nothing you do seems to work. 2. Your students are out of control and they’re driving you crazy. 3. You want to call your therapist and schedule extra sessions.

Three Major Responsibilities of SDAIE Teachers Lower the student’s anxiety level A high anxiety level creates a barrier (affective filter) that prevents second language learners from acquiring the new language. The teacher needs to create a relaxed and secure learning environment by focusing on communication of ideas and minimizing error correction. The First Responsibility

Reduce Anxiety and Provide For Success  Students who feel smart learn faster.  The more anxiety students experience, the less alert they are to language input.  Language learners need daily opportunities for success in their content classes.  Teachers need to give lots of encouragement.  Remember, students will learn best in low-anxiety situations.

Overcoming The Affective Filter Lecturing Visuals Cooperative Learning Hands-On-Activities Guarded Vocabulary Lengthy Reading Affective Filter Comprehensible Input

The Second Responsibility 2. Provide Comprehensible Input Once a supportive and accepting environment is established, the teacher then provides lots of comprehensible input in all of the content areas. Input is comprehensible if students can understand it. Remember, the key is to get the message across in the most effective way possible. That includes using visual or contextual clues and modified speech.

MAKE LESSONS COMPREHENSIBLE English language learners will benefit from visual aids and realia. Hands-on activities and dramatizations will stimulate their curiosity about learning. English language learners will benefit from seeing key words on the board with picture definitions. All of this will help to anchor important vocabulary from your oral lesson.

Use visuals, realia Set the stage, a great beginning Include pre-reading activities Teacher delivery should be context rich Show that you know modalities Use cooperative learning activities Include pre-writing activities Key vocabulary Designing Comprehensible Input

USING VISUALS Helps students activate prior knowledge Builds schemata Springboard for subject-related language Develops prediction strategies Stimulates imagination Reinforces oral conversation

The Third Responsibility 3. Content must be interesting and motivating The focus is on comprehensible input that is interesting and motivating to the learner so that students get involved in the content and activity. In this way, students will forget that they are learning a language. It is at this point that optimum acquisition occurs.

Just the “Right Goal” Madeline Hunter tells a wonderful story about setting just the “right goal.” If you were teaching students to jump hurdles, you wouldn’t set the hurdle at one inch off the ground. If you did, everyone would be successful and bored to death. On the other hand, you wouldn’t set it at twelve feet high, either, because most students would give up immediately. The art of teaching is finding the right height to challenge your SDAIE content learners, but not turn them away.

MOTIVATING YOUR SDAIE STUDENTS Stephen Krashen speaks of “I + 1.” He suggests that lessons should contain information that most students have already encountered. To make the lesson interesting, however, and to provide material to be learned, he further suggests that teachers add a little something that students don’t know. Challenge your second language learners, but don’t overwhelm them. Start with what they know --- then add a little more.

CONTEXTUALIZE THE LESSON English language learners are most likely to comprehend new concepts if the teacher presents the lesson in concrete, visual ways. Student retention of the material is enhanced when given the opportunity to manipulate the new information through discussion with peers, experiments, graphic organizers, or other concrete hands-on activities. Content specific vocabulary that are used in context, with descriptions that are supported with visuals, are understood and retained. Vocabulary is expanded and comprehension is increased.

Learning Styles (The Basics) Learning styles = learning preferences Individual differences in the way learners approach the task of learning There are no “right” or “wrong” styles Some are more conducive to learning especially when it comes to second language learners in ELD or SDAIE classes

The Three Modalities of Learning Auditory Visual Kinesthetic

Auditory Strength Students who have an auditory strength like the teacher to provide verbal instructions. They find it easy to learn by listening. They enjoy dialogue, discussion, and plays.

Visual Strength Students who have visual strength like the teacher to provide demonstrations. They find it easy to learn through descriptions. They often use lists, maps, and charts to keep up and organize their thoughts.

Kinesthetic Strength Students who have a kinesthetic strength often do best when they are involved or active. These students often have high energy levels. They think best while moving or being involved in hands-on activities or experiments.

Use Their Strong Modes of Learning Of the three learning modes, English language learners are strongest in visual and kinesthetic learning Listening to incomprehensible language for more than a few minutes will force SDAIE content learners to tune out Adding visual and kinesthetic support along with language will provide comprehensible input

What Else Can I Do? Practice oral interaction with your students. Provide opportunities to hear the language, speak the language, and use the language on a daily basis. Encourage your students to use the listen to the language and use the language outside of the classroom and school.

ORAL INTERACTION IN THE ESL CLASSROOM Enhances language and thought Builds knowledge about a topic Provides opportunities to practice key vocabulary Leads to natural, student motivated communication

ORAL INTERACTION ACTIVITIES IN THE SDAIE CLASSROOM Take place before the lesson as anticipatory, motivating exercises Take place during the lesson as comprehension monitoring exercises Take place after the lesson as assessment and cognitive involvement exercises

Facilitating Language and Thinking listening speaking reading writing Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are interlocking parts. In-class oral activities contribute to writing and reading which in turn build on each other and lead back to oral discussion.

Benefits of Cooperative Learning Improves academic achievement for all students. Students talk through the material. Aids language development by promoting dialogue around a task. Improves relations across ethnic/racial boundaries by the use of integrated teams. Alfredo Schifini, Ph.D.

Essentials Elements of Cooperative Learning Positive interdependence – Students must believe that they will “sink or swim” together. Individual accountability – No students are permitted to sit back and let others do all the work. Social skills – Students must collaborate, communicate, and make decisions together. Group processing – Students need to discuss what went well or what didn’t go well in carrying out the task.