Reframing English Language Learners in an Enrichment Model SED 407 Beliefs Guide Practice

What do you know about ELLs? True or False. All children, regardless of immigrant status, are eligible for free public elementary and secondary education. If you have ELLs who come from the same country, they will have the same academic preparation. Teachers in Rhode Island are responsible for meeting the WIDA standards (standards for ELLs). Schools are ahead of business and government when it comes to addressing the needs of non-native speakers. If you want kids to learn English, you should not let them talk, write, or read in their native language.

English Language Learners in R.I. In 2006, 22% of children between the ages of 5-17 spoke a language other than English at home. 78% of ELLs live in the core cities. 85% of ELLs live in low-income households. More ELLs live in two-parent households than the general population. 18% of ELLs are enrolled in high school. One third of ELLs drop out of high school (document—major types of ELLs) (source: 2008 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Factbook)

Pedagogic Orientation: Critical Pedagogy as Strategic Alignment Thought collectives of the profession (research, teacher knowledge) Students’ needs, rights, and backgrounds Mandated curriculum and standards

Multiple Literacies Approach Academic literacies: mastering the discourses of schooling and of the content areas; learning abstract thinking, the skills outlined in Bloom’s Taxonomy, etc. Social world literacies: the literacy practices students bring with them (life experiences, work, family, media, technology, etc.) Critical literacies: the ability to understand how power structures impact social worlds; that is understanding how mainstream discourses shape social and cultural relations

Deficit versus Enrichment Models Deficit: students who don’t know English are somehow lesser than other students. Diversity is a problem. Enrichment: Students who know multiple languages have a rich array of literacy practices. Language is a resource and asset. So is diversity. Common Labels Chart ( in pairs)

GOAL: Students become not just emergent bilingual, but emergent biliterate.

Learning English Ain’t Easy Figure 2.1 Chart (overhead) WIDA chart (handout) Note difference in levels Note four different areas of proficiency (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) What does this document tell you about the ELLs you may encounter in your classroom?

Basic Concepts in Teaching ELLs L1 supports L2: it is important to let kids speak/read/write in their native language—see their native language as a literacy practice that supports their academic learning Some kids may have strong conversational English skills but weaker academic English skills Native speakers have a reservoir of tacit skills and knowledge that ELLs do not Thus, ELLs need longer to process language as they move back and forth between L1 and L2. Need more time for assignments, test-taking, etc.

Teaching ELLs Academic Literacies Each content area has specific language demands and discourses. These need to be explicitly taught. Focus on functionality of language, not correctness. Each content area has a particular “lexical density.” Science is one of the denser content areas. Students also need to learn genres: what it means to Explain or Describe or Analyze. One strategy for writing: Tell me (what is it?) Show me (describe it.) Sell me (why is it important?)

Interpreting your Resources Many Voices Language Simplification on Tests Resource Guide (Verbs for Planning ESL Instruction, back of last page) Zwiers, chapter 1 RTE charts For Thursday, read over these sources for the purpose of planning, teaching, and assessing a lesson in your content area. Bring the above resources to class. Who has a laptop with wireless capability? Bring that too.