How to Help Struggling Students Become Good Language Learners Anna Uhl Chamot & Jill Robbins National Capital Language Resource Center Summer Institute 2006

Who is the Struggling Student? This student has problems with… keeping up with classmates organizing him/herself and the work environment following verbal instructions longer-term work tasks and need work chunked for them social and emotional skills

CALLA-FL: The Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach for Foreign Languages COMPONENTS: AUTHENTIC CONTENT SOCIAL & ACADEMIC LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIES

Five instructional principles in CALLA-FL Recognize and build on students’ prior knowledge. Provide meaningful learning tasks. Engage in interactive teaching and learning. Focus on learning processes and strategies. Help students evaluate their own learning.

DEVELOPING METACOGNITION Model metacognitive awareness. Ask students to describe their thinking processes. Have students take responsibility for their own learning.

CALLA’S FIVE PHASES PREPARATION EXPANSION PRESENTATION SELF-EVALUATION CALLA Five Phases PRACTICE

PREPARATION Identify objectives. Elicit students’ prior knowledge. Develop vocabulary. Provide motivation.

PREPARATION How would this help the struggling learner?

PRESENTATION Present new information in varied ways. Model processes explicitly. Explain learning strategies. Discuss connections to students’ prior knowledge.

PRESENTATION What kinds of presentation methods would help the struggling learner? Are you already presenting with a variety of media?

PRACTICE Use hands-on/inquiry-based activities. Provide different cooperative learning structures. Use authentic content tasks. Ask students to use learning strategies.

PRACTICE What kinds of practice activities would help the struggling learner?

SELF-EVALUATION Students discuss their own learning. Students keep learning journals. Students assess their own strategy use.

SELF-EVALUATION How can you help struggling learners to evaluate themselves more accurately?

EXPANSION Students apply information to own lives. Students make connections between content subjects and the target culture. Students relate information to first language knowledge of content and culture.

EXPANSION How can what has been learned in FL class help struggling learners in their other classes?

CALLA Instruction Summary Teacher Responsibility Changes over time Prepare Present Practice Self-Evaluate Expand Student Responsibility

Preparation Presentation Practice Self- Evaluation Expansion Teacher’s role in . . Preparation Activate Background Knowledge Presentation Explain Model Practice Prompt use of strategies Give Feedback Self- Evaluation Assess strategies Expansion Support transfer Apply

Preparation Presentation Practice Self- Evaluation Expansion Students’ role in . . Preparation Attend Presentation Participate Practice Apply strategies with guidance Self- Evaluation Self-assess strategies Expansion Use strategies independently Transfer strategies to new tasks

CALLA-FL Assessment Use authentic content tasks. Evaluate content knowledge. Evaluate language proficiency. Use self-report for learning strategies. Use self-assessment and reflection.

CALLA-FL Assessment How can you use assessment to better understand your struggling students? Can assessment become a more positive experience for your struggling students?

CALLA-FL Instruction Is... Learner-centered Reflective Supportive Focused Enthusiastic