Don BouchardMaine Department of Education ESL/Bilingual Program Professional development online webinarMay 6, 2009

Technical Information

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Technical information, continued

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1. To examine classroom practices for contextualizing learning.

2. To examine scaffolding as the source for strengthening learning.

3. To examine activities for improving the academic language domains.

I. Classroom Practices

for Contextualizing

Academic Learning

1. Always post the content objective and the

language objective when delivering a lesson.

Consider also including a social objective which

defines the interactional nature of the lesson.

2. Always integrate the four language domains – listening, speaking,

reading, writing.

3. When delivering a lesson, frontload your teaching by

paying attention to the language (words and expressions) you use.

Explain and write on the board for clarification; avoid idioms and slurred language.

4. Use clear, unambiguous referents

when delivering a lesson, e.g., avoid pronouns and use

explicit, targeted words.

5. Use the academic register , i.e., the

language of written, formal English, when delivering a lesson.

6. When delivering a lesson, assign a ‘process partner’ and periodically ask the partners to explain what you have taught to each other. Ask for clarifying questions afterwards.

7. Pose questions that span the range of

Bloom’s Taxonomy in cognitive demand.

8. Post Bloom’s labeled question prompts and stand by them when

posing questions.

9. Avoid the “popcorn” pattern of questioning:

teacher response, student response, teacher response,

student response, etc.

10. Avoid asking close-ended, yes/no

questions

11. Use flexible seating for a range of interactions

12. Engage in Wait Time II: in addition to waiting for a student response

(Wait Time I), pause after a student replies to encourage expanded

use of English.

13. Allow for other student responses

before inserting your own.

14. Teach collaborative routines and always

assign everyone a role in group tasks.

15. Engage learners with several experiences of an activity type before you consider rejecting

it.

Let’s talk about this. . .

16. The evidence is overwhelming that

students of all abilities perform better in

heterogeneous groupings; as a result avoid

homogeneous groupings.

17. Shape student responses by repeating

the answer and elaborating with

expanded language.

18. Periodically ask learners if they

understand, with hand signals (5=completely understand; 4=almost

completely; 1=not understood, etc.)

19. Expect students to use academic language.

20. Allow learners to clarify and/or explain concepts in

their home language; since they must eventually

respond in English, this can help them ‘jumpstart’

their understanding.

21. Post content-related unit vocabulary in the

classroom.

22. Post common content-related

‘sentence-starters’ in the classroom.

23. Post and use academic language category words when delivering a lesson, such as, main idea words, introductions, conclusions; comparing and contrasting idea words, connecting idea

words, etc.

24. Always teach and review vocabulary when delivering a

lesson. Remember the rule: 24/48/7/14.

25. At grade level or above read content-

related material aloud to the class.

26. Always preface a reading requirement by frontloading vocabulary,

engagement in topic related activities, and skimming for general

information.

27. Require a writing journal and regularly

provide a content-related prompt for

response.

28. Use a ‘ticket to leave’ at the end of a

lesson, i.e., have learners summarize in writing what they have

learned.

29. Promote reflection after every lesson, i.e., an examination of how

students view their own learning.

30. One of the most important activity types for processing content learning and engaging in language growth is summarizing. Seek out

and use them!

Let’s talk about this. . .

The practices mentioned above incorporate

important principles for contextualizing

language and content for ELLs. . .

. . . explicitness, formal language register,

collaborative learning, cognitive and linguistic

processing, and expanded language use.

These activities are vitally important for

ELLs to learn language meaningfully and

comprehensibly as they engage in content

learning.

II. Scaffolding to

Strengthen Learning

Scaffolding is the process of ‘setting up’ and then

gradually pulling back on content delivery to create an easier and

more successful learning experience.

Scaffolding involves:Continuity, i.e., repeated tasks with variations;

Support with audio, visual, or tactile-kinesthetic modalities;

Engagement in a supportive setting;

Contingency, i.e., adjustment depending upon the action of the learners; and

Handover/takeover to more independent student involvement;

1. Modeling by an expert;2. Collaborating with others;3. Interacting with others

less capable; and 4. Working alone as

concepts and practices are internalized.

ModelingKeep examples of student

work for demonstration purposes. They not only

set performance guidelines but motivate

students .

BridgingUse anticipatory guides

to activate students’ prior knowledge.

ContextualizingSearch out and use

metaphors and analogies to bring complex ideas closer

to the students’ world experience; use

manipulatives, pictures, film whenever possible.

Schema BuildingProvide graphic organizers or outlines for a top-down

understanding of the relationship of what they are learning (“forest thru

the trees”)

Re-presenting textEngage learners in activities that require transformation

from language into other modes, such stories, plays into drama; poem into a

narrative; . . .

. . . historical narrative into an eyewitness

account; scientific text into letters; or quotes

into a poster, etc.

Developing MetacognitionHelp students monitor their

level of understanding by engaging them in learning

strategies andplanning their future learning by evaluating

their past performance.

Let’s talk about this. . .

Scaffolding is an important pedagogical tool for strengthening

the framework of engagement for ELL academic content

learning.

III. Activities for Improving

Academic Language Literacy

Moving DictationPost 8-10 content summary sentences from a lesson or

unit on each of three or four separate sheets of

paper. Place the sheets in different locations in the

classroom. . .

. . .With students in pairs, ‘A’ is responsible for numbered sentences; ‘B’ is responsible for even numbered sentences. ‘A’ and ‘B’ alternate in going to one of the posted sheets, returning and dictating to the other partner.

Give and TakeFor reviewing after a lesson or unit, have

students write 1-10 on a slip of paper. They write three things they have

learned. . .

. . . They then interact separately with at least seven other students , sharing their information and adding one new piece of information to their list from each student.

Tarzan/Jane SummarizingHave students number a

sticky note for each paragraph and place notes

next to each paragraph. They provide a very short

few word summary of each paragraph on the sticky

note. . .

. . . and after completing the reading gather the sticky notes together, arranging them sequentially. They then provide expanded oral and written summary based on what they have read.

Structured DictglossAs a lesson or unit

summary, select or create a content sentence for

dictation. Students first listen to the sentence, then individually write

down. . .

. . . As much as they can remember. In pairs or small groups they share what they wrote. Next they listen to the teacher repeat the sentence and individually continue reconstructing the sentence, sharing with others, etc. until they recreate the original sentence exactly.

Let’s talk about this. . .

ELLs can strengthen their academic content

knowledge and improve their academic literacy with the teacher contextualizing

learning (Objective I), scaffolding the . . .

. . . delivery of content (Objective II), and by searching for strategic, content-based activities for improving the language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing (Objective III).

1. Fisher et al (2008). Content-Area Conversations. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

2. Fisher et al (2007). Language Learners in the English Classroom. Urbana, IL: NCTE.

3. Freeman & Freeman (2009). Academic Language for English Learners and Struggling Readers. Portsmouth NH: Heinemann.

4. Walqui, Aida (2006). “Scaffolding Instruction for English Language Learners: A Conceptual Framework.” In The International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 159 – 180.

5. Wormelli, Rick (2005). Summarization in Any Subject. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

6. Zweirs, Jess (2008). Building Academic Language. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Thank you!