Ch 5: The Learning Environment Created for ELLs Hamayan, Else V., Barbara Marler, Cristina Sánchez López, and Jack Damico. Special Education Considerations for English Language Learners: Delivering a Continuum of Services. Philadelphia: Caslon Publishing, 2013.

Learning environment “Encompases teachers’ preperation and presentation of materials, resources available, the program design, the range of services offered, the value placed on the ELLs’ home language and cultures, and characteristics of instruction and assessment.” pg89 CRITICAL - Systematic attempt to improve Affective & Cognitive

Casteneda v Pickard p89 Established 3 Criteria for adequate ELL classroom 1.Theory: sound/legitimate educational theory 2.Practice:transfer theory in to reality with staff, resources, and instruction 3.Results: if program fails, change it Chapter focuses on #1 and 2: theory and practice

Teachers p main issues: no funding for ELL programs so classroom teachers only teach and schools with greatest needs have novice teachers Suggested ELL training: basic tenants of second-language acquisition, the process of acculturation, instructional and assessment methods that are effective for ELLs, and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy + content/subject are expertise ie. language diversity education AND content/gen ed education Pg 90 citation Calderon, Slavin, & Sanchez, 2001 & Janzen 2008 Solutions: district encourage enrollment in language diversity education (masters, endorsements, etc), mentoring and coaching programs fo novice teachers, interdisciplinary teams, ongoing professional development Check box 5.2 page 93

Teachers p90-94 ELLs who don’t receive are at risk of -Never close the gap btwn their peers -Become less responsive to teaching strategies and expectations -Inappropriately placed in special education -Drop out of school

Available Resources p94-97 ●High quality, age-appropriate academic-content-area materials ●Matching the readers with texts they can actually read : skill level texts ●Variety of language proficiency and reading levels ●Materials in the languages and cultures of the students ●Gen Ed Content area Curriculum guides and standards ●Leisure reading materials ●Interact with other students using academic language to practice new skills ●No isolated instructions - need integration in non academic classes with native-English peers ●Do not isolate in remote location or differ in quality Pictures of classroom? Video classroom tour?

Design of instructional program p ●Understanding of the law, a needs assessment, review of research of pedagogical practices ○At the MINIMUM follow laws: Box 5.3 Laws - federal and state court cases ○Needs Assessment: Appendix E ; beginning of the process ○Pedagogical Practices (Miarmontes et al.) ■Developing proficiency in English ■Learning what the academic curriculum offers ■If possible continue to develop their home language ●Needs to be flexible and improving as diversity of students change from year to year -Use of Home language and culture -Approach to developing proficiency in English as a second or new language -Configurations: self-contained, pullout, resource room -PLC’s -Check Box 5.4

Range of services offered p100 Frequency and duration of instructional services ●One period per day (minimal) up to all day comprehensible instruction ●All day students are not integrated into a gen ed classroom until the students can compete academically with native-English speaking peers. ●Those who receive the minimal assistance are more at risk for academic difficulty

Role of home language and culture in instruction and assessment p Home Language Instruction ●Builds ELs strengths ●Activates Prior Knowledge ●Assists in transferring knowledge to the second language Schools must develop a Language Allocation Plan that teachers throughout grade levels must follow to avoid an uneven experience through year to year.

Role of home language and culture in instruction and assessment p [cont.] Home Culture Inclusion ●ELLs must have relevant and familiar contextual scaffolds on which to build new knowledge and skills ●infusing and relating cultural norms related to an EL’s native countries into SS. ●Instructional methodology, student activities, and assessments should activate the student’s prior knowledge ●All content areas should be conceptualized in a variety of ways that are familiar to ELs. ●Instruction should be reflective of ELL’s background, experiences, and reduce cultural bias.

Role of home language and culture in instruction and assessment p [cont.] Characteristics of Instruction ●Increased comprehensibility ○sheltered English instruction, balanced literacy instruction, content-based ESL, and interdisciplinary and thematic units ●Increased interaction ○cooperative learning, cross-age, peer tutoring, integration with native-English speaking peers, use of hands-on manipulatives ●Higher-order thinking skills ○“languaging”- using speaking and writing to mediate cognitively complex activities, dialogue- oriented interactions Differentiated Instruction- poor instruction leads to hindered learning experiences for ELL students.

Role of home language and culture in instruction and assessment p [cont.] Characteristics of Assessment

Suggestion for gathering and evaluating the adequacy of the learning environment

Suggestions for Systemic Intervention Box 5.5 p

Suggestions for Specific Interventions Modification for specific students Adapt or modify those interventions in box 5.5 for learning needs of groups or individuals

? Do we want to integrate: ? -the questions from the “Study Group” pg 108 -The chronicle/stories? -Any charts/checklists we want to scan and include? Can possibly find some stuff to link to on here

Box 5.5 has almost everything for the chapter in it…..maybe we can break it down by each section and turn in to a visual or interactive somehow

Ideas on format/what you are comfortable working with -Embed videos? -Culturally responsive classroom (Slide 6, perhaps? P102 Role of the Home Culture) Katherines video: