Internet Course #2 - Topic III May 2-May 16 Bilingual/Multicultural Ed. Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

During the last topic you explored… the components of a sound early childhood curriculum and the relationship between your philosophy of education, standards for ensuring quality care and education, and teaching techniques Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

What this topic is all about… First and second language acquisition How a sound early childhood curriculum addresses issues related to second language learners What a classroom with second-language learners in it should look like How this impacts your philosophy of teaching A mini-case study that will pull all this together Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Source The information in this power point presentation comes from the following: One Child, Two Languages: A Guide for Preschool Educators of Children Learning English as a Second Language Written by Patton O. Tabors, Ed. D. Published by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company, 1997 Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Introduction Although the title of the book refers to preschool educators, the concepts presented apply throughout early childhood There are three major categories of early childhood settings for second language learners First-language classrooms Bilingual classrooms English-language classrooms Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

First-language classrooms The home language of the child is used as the primary language in the classroom The teachers and other adults are native speakers of that language Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Why first-language classrooms? Children must develop their first language fully as a basis for later literacy skills and subsequent school success Young children are at risk for losing their first language if it is not strongly supported during the early years This support should continue during the early elementary years Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Bilingual classrooms Classroom teachers are either bilingual or teachers have different language backgrounds Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Why bilingual classrooms? Each child’s home language is being reinforced and supported Second language is being added Children have second language input from other children, not just the teacher(s) Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

English-language classrooms Primary language is English Primary language of child may not be supported Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Why English-language classrooms? Teachers who understand the importance of a multicultural curriculum can make this a welcoming environment Teachers can bring parents and other people who represent the child’s language and culture into the culture Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Where does your classroom fall on the following continuum? First languageBilingualEnglish language x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

First and second language acquisition: an overview First language acquisition Second language acquisition Simultaneous acquisition Sequential acquisition Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

First language acquisition Happens within the context of social interaction within the family unit Most oral language skills are acquired by age five More advanced uses of language continue to be acquired well past early childhood Vocabulary acquisition is a lifelong task Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

First language acquisition is monumental! Phonology: sounds of the language Vocabulary: words of the language Grammar: how to put the words together Discourse: how to tell stories or argue or explain… Pragmatics: how to use language Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Babies… Coo Babble Baby talk First words and phrases Begin to understand grammar Begin to understand pragmatics Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Preschoolers… Continue to learn pragmatics Rhyming Identifying initial sounds Amazing increase in vocabulary More complicated forms of grammar Begin to be able to construct discourse Learn to modify what they say according to their audience Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

This might be a good time to go back and think about the C.I.R.C.L.E. project! Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Simultaneous Second language acquisition Child is exposed to both languages from a very early age Children quickly show that they are able to separate the two languages They even know at a very early age which of the languages should be used when Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

No need to worry! It is clear that acquiring two languages from a very early age has benefits Cognitive benefits Social benefits Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Sequential second language acquisition Occurs after first language has been established In this case, the process of language acquisition is somewhat different… Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

How is it different? Child has prior knowledge and about language and its uses Don’t need to discover what language is; need to discover what this language is Can be undertaken at any age It’s riskier! Aptitude differences Social factors Psychological factors Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Developmental sequence for acquiring a second language (sequential) Child may continue to use home language in second-language setting Child may enter a non-verbal stage if first language doesn’t work; during this stage, the child is collecting information and may experiment a bit with sounds Child begins to go public Child begins to develop productive use of second language Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

You were asked to choose a child for a mini case study… What stage of second language acquisition do you believe this child is in? Why? Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Some characteristics of the non- verbal stage Length of time of this stage varies…may last several months or only a few weeks The younger the child, generally, the longer the non- verbal stage Non-verbal communication Not talking doesn’t mean not communicating! You are likely to see Attention getting behaviors Requesting behaviors Protesting behaviors Joking behaviors Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Becoming verbal in the second language Does this look familiar? Phonology: sounds of the language Vocabulary: words of the language Grammar: how to put the words together Discourse: how to tell stories or argue or explain… Pragmatics: how to use language Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

During the non-verbal stage, the child was gathering data about this language What kind of data does it appear your mini- case study child has gathered? Why do you think that? Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Teaching the child who is learning English Start with what the children know…their home language Learn a few simple words in the child’s home language Start slowly Set up a low-demand language environment “Double the message” Say and point Say and do Repeat, repeat, repeat Talk about the here and now Expand child’s utterances and extend child’s utterances Begin to insist on verbal communication before complying with a request Now you can begin to fine tune the second language acquisition! Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Organizing the classroom Provide safe havens Child can feel comfortable, competent, and occupied Learning centers! Help child become a member of the group Establish and stick with routines that second-language learners can recognize and go along with When forming small groups, mix first- and second- language learners Help the English-speaking children develop friendships early on with the second-language learners Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Using the curriculum to facilitate second-language learning Having a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate means you are more than half way there! Meeting the criteria laid out in the ECRS-R means you are even further along towards meeting the needs of second-language learners! Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

But there are a few things to consider Activity time Provide a running commentary to what you are doing and what child is doing Book-reading time Keep it short Read to small groups rather than the whole group Carefully choose books – stories are more compelling for group reading Talk the story, rather than read it Repeat, repeat, repeat Encourage children to “read” to each other Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Also consider… Snacks and lunchtimes Engage in and model social conversation Circle times Keep to a routine Include songs and movements that are highly predictable Introduction of themes should be short, simple, and visual Avoid calling on second-language learners before they are ready…self-confidence must be maintained Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

And last but not least… Outside time Recognize demonstrations of physical competence Encourage highly ritualized games (Duck, Duck, Goose) Pair up English speaking children with second- language learners for cooperative games Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Stop and read this position statement: Go to Find the position statement titled: Screening and Assessment of Young English Language Learners Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Remember your philosophy? How does what you have been reading about in this power point and in the position statement impact your philosophy? Do you need or want to amend it? Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.

Now what? Now that you’ve thought about First and second language learning The relationship between the curriculum and second-language learning The classroom and second-language learners Assessing second-language learners And you have re-visited your philosophy of teaching… Go back to the child you have chosen for your mini-case study and write an analysis of this child in relation to all of the above Include a brief description of the child, his or her family, home- setting, personality characteristics, etc. Ellen Marshall, Ph.D. & Cathy McAuliffe-Dickerson, Ph.D.