SIOP- Interaction

SIOP Features for Todayê Opportunities to Interactê Grouping Configurationsê Wait Timeê Clarify in L1

Second Language Acquisition Theory• Preview/Review with Parapros • Using the student’s L1 correctly • Affective Filter

BackgroundWhat are signs that your students are actively engaged?

• Benefits to students being actively engaged– Deeper Understanding of Text– Oral language development– Brain stimulation– Increased motivation– Reduced risk– More processing time– Increased attention

• There should be a balance in linguistic turn taking – between teacher and students– among students.

• Learning is more effective when students have an opportunity to participate in lessons by discussing ideas and information.

• Students benefit from using the target language and practicing expression of their ideas, opinions, and answers in English

Feature 16: Opportunities to Interact• Kinds of Interaction

– Teacher to student– Student to student

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• Typical classroom– Teacher asks a question– Students respond– Teacher asks another question– Students respond

Do the math!If a teacher talks 80% of the time during a 50 minute lesson, how many minutes will he/she NOT be speaking?

If students are talking during the remaining ____ minutes, andIf they are on topic, andIf every student is called upon evenly (though research says that we do not statistically call on ELLs as much), How many minutes will each child speak in a class of 20 students? 30?

Teacher-Centered to Student-Centered

Teacher-Centered: low level of student choice, passive students, power is with the teacher

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Student-Centered: high level of student choice, active students, power is with the students

• SI Classrooms use Instructional Conversation– Teacher introduces a concept, builds background– Intro to text, prediction questions– Text chunking with discussion– Students are asked to support their answers with text

• Instructional Conversation provides a context for learning in which language is expressed naturally through meaningful discussion

• More balance in student talk and teacher talk – Effective in promoting meaningful language learning opportunities for ELs.– Did you know? Teachers often do 80% of the talking during a lesson.

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Instructional Conversations

• Advantages of a conversational approach– Feel out/ discuss background knowledge– Builds rapport– Easier to determine areas of weakness (need for re-teaching or review)

• Extending Student Responses What do you mean by…..?

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Fostering InteractionStudent-Student

• Putting students in pairs, triads and small groups• Types of activities that encourage “table talk”

• Literature circles, think-pair-share, jigsaw readings, debates, science or math experiments.Student-Teacher

• Dialogue journals, pen-pals, blogging, email

Typical Instruction

Teacher-centeredExact, specific answers evaluated by the teacherNo extensive discussionSkill-directedEasier to evaluateCheck for understandingMostly literal level thinking and language use.

Instructional Conversati

onTeacher facilitatesMany different ideas encouragedOral language practice opportunities using natural languageExtensive discussion and student involvementDraw from prior or background knowledgeStudent level of understanding transparentFewer black and white responsesMostly higher level thinking and language use.

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My Two Cents activity: Color the pennies for each group (2 yellow, 2 blue, 2 green, 2 red, etc.). Each student gets two pennies of the same color. When that student contributes his/her idea, the penny goes in the middle. When a student runs out of pennies, they must let others contribute. When everyone has given their “two cents”, all students collect their pennies and start again. Note: coloring pennies is optional, and this can be done with tokens, buttons, etc.

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ActivityWhat is one technique that you use to get students interacting and speaking with one another about content concepts? Write down one great idea on an index card. Share it by passing it to another table.

Let’s talk about… PURPOSE

Grouping Configurations

Benefits of Varied Grouping Challenges with Varied Grouping

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Thoughts on Varied Grouping• When students are working in small-guided instruction groups, the teacher can easily differentiate to meet the

students’ needs regarding: skill focus, language development, and/or assessment of the student’s progress. • Moving from whole group to cooperative groups or partners adds variety to the learning situation and increases

student involvement in the learning process.• Diversifying classroom configurations - whole group, to small group, to pairs to individual work - allows students

to learn new information, discuss it and process it.

Grouping Structures– Whole class

• Develop community• Provide a shared experience

– Small groups• Multiple perspectives• Encourage collaboration

– Partnering• Practice opportunities• Scaffold instruction• Give assistance before independent practice

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Grouping Configurations- Which students do we put gother?• Homogeneous grouping for instruction has serious academic and social effects for student who are not in the

top group.• Example: low, medium, high groups• The practice of providing instruction to students in instructional segregated by ability or performance level is

referred to as “tracking.”

Tracking• Tracking has been found to be inequitable because it often differentiates across socioeconomic and ethnic lines,

and promotes differentiated expectations for students’ success.

When working with low achievement groups, teachers have been found to :• Talk more• Use more structure• Ask lower level question• Cover less material• Spend more time on skill & drill• Provide fewer opportunities for leadership & independent research• Encourage more oral than silent reading• Teach less vocabulary• Allow less wait time• Spend twice as much time on behavior and management issues.

In many schools…• ELLs are placed with the low –achieving students regardless of academic ability.• However, ELLs benefit from whole-class groups, small groups, and partnering.• Developing a classroom community and shared experiences are beneficial and encourages success because it

provides practice opportunities, scaffolding, and assistance for classmates.

• There are times that it may be most effective to have students grouped by language-proficiency.• Grouping all ELLs together regularly is NOT good practice, especially when a bilingual aide teachers them almost

exclusively.

• There are times that it may be most effective to have students grouped by language-proficiency.• Grouping all ELLs together regularly is NOT good practice, especially when a bilingual aide teachers them almost

exclusively.

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Grouping Activities• Think-Pair-Share (Calculate{solve}-Pair-Share)• Round robin/ Talking tokens

– Each student gets a turn to contribute• Numbered heads together

– Group shares; T asks one # for the answer; students called can earn points for their team• Three-step interview

– Partners share, then share with group• Inside-Outside Circle• Circle the Sage (wise person, not the spice)• Three Minute Review• Send a Problem• Jigsaw

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Ways to Group• Random• By interest

– Folded value line (heterogeneous)– Corners (homogenous)

• Ability (heterogeneous)

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• Role cards– Facilitator -keeps an activity running smoothly– Recorder -records data and answers questions– Reporter- explains the group’s findings to the teacher/ class.– Safety officer- makes sure safety practices are followed– Checker- makes sure that everyone has finished his or her assignment.– Materials manager- gathers activity materials at the outset, monitors their use during the activity, and

organizes the cleanup and return of materials

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Helping During Group Work• Lecture vs. giving feedback• Disciplining vs. problem solving• Telling students what to do vs. providing resources• Leading discussions vs. observing/ guiding

Wait Time• What is the average wait time in US schools?

• Wait time varies by culture• It is appropriate in some cultures to let seconds even minutes lag between

utterances.• In other cultures utterances can overlap one another.

• In U.S. classrooms, wait time is about 0.9 seconds; this is not sufficient for ELLs.• U.S. teachers are uncomfortable with the silence that follows their questions or comments, and immediately fill

in by talking themselves.• ELLs need extra time to process questions in English and then to formulate their response. • ELLs benefit from a patient approach to classroom participation.• A balance between wait time and moving a lesson along needs to be found.

• To accommodate impatient students, have them write down their responses while waiting, and then check their answers against the final answer.

• A way to help ELs who are unsure of an answer or are unable to articulate it well might ask to choose between these options made popular by television:

– “50-50”:Students can choose between two possible answers provided by the teacher. – Phone a Friend: Students can ask a classmate for help.

Clarify in L1

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Bilingual Assistant Job Description• 1. Provides support to the teacher(s) and assists in lesson preparation directed by the teacher.• 2. Confers, as needed, with teachers concerning programs and materials to meet student needs.• 3. Assists with ELL folders/record keeping, placement of files, achievement data, etc.• 4. Assists certified teachers during testing period as assigned by teacher/school

administrator.• 5. Provides support to the teacher by helping set up work areas, displays and exhibits, operating audio-visual

equipment, operating educational training equipment and distributing and collecting paper and supplies.• 6. Provides translation for non-English speaking parents such as phone calls, notes, and letters between home

and school.• 7. Performs other non-instructional duties as assigned under the supervision of a• certified personnel/administrator and on a limited basis.

Parapros and Subbing• 1. What if the ELL/bilingual parapros feel comfortable teaching a class or subbing for an absent teacher (due to

parapro's experience, knowledge and years teaching) can they continue to sub? • Section 12: Teacher Assistants Substitutes• A. Teacher Assistants should be used as substitute teachers on an emergency basis only, not as a matter of

convenience. An emergency shall be defined as an unforeseen crisis that demands prompt action. • The building administrator shall make a reasonable attempt to exhaust the substitute list prior to assigning a

Teacher’s Assistant to substitute. Assistants, who are used as substitutes for teachers who are absent, shall be compensated at a rate of three dollars ($3.00) per student per day. It will be the responsibility of the Assistant to complete the District’s Class Coverage Form.

• B. The steps for receiving compensation shall be as follows:• 1. The assistant will hand deliver a properly completed class coverage form to Human• Resources to record the date of receipt.• 2. The employee shall be compensated no later than two (2) pay periods after the form has been received by HR

Parapros can: • assist teachers by reviewing, reinforcing, enhancing or otherwise applying what the teacher has already taught• provide instructional services under the supervision of the certified teacher• plan lessons with the teacher• be the link between home and school• enrich the classroom environment with their own cultural background• provide assistance in assessing students• follow ELLs in the mainstream classroom for support and comprehension of lessons Parapros can’t:• make curriculum decisions on their own• be substitute teachers• teach students independently without the supervision of the teacher• answer telephones all day in the main office• give answers in the native language by using the key or teacher’s manual

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• administer tests without the supervision of the teacher• translate lessons verbatim (word for word) to the students The main role of a bilingual parapro is providing instructional support:

Support content instruction for ELL students (help make content understandable). Facilitate Academic English Language learning of ELL students. Work collaboratively with teachers and others in an instructional role

3 principles of successful learning for ELLs1) Increase Understanding: ELL students are struggling to understand what goes on in the classroom.

Paraprofessionals can help students understand (comprehend) by :• Providing non-verbal/visual support: pictures, drawings, demonstrations, body language, signs, etc.• Simplifying the language (English)• Explaining/breaking tasks into smaller parts• Eliciting background information (connecting new information to what the student already knows)

2) Increase Student Interaction • Understanding a language is not enough, students must be able to use English. Assessment usually requires

students to speak (e.g., answer questions, explain) or to write (e.g., tests, essays, reports). It is important that ELL students practice these skills, speaking and writing about content subjects, frequently and successfully.

3) Improve Thinking and Teach Study SkillsStudents may not know how to learn in U.S. schools. Paraprofessionals can teach:

Ways to work with the new vocabulary (how to start and manage a vocabulary notebook, use descriptions rather than definitions, add pictures, synonyms/antonyms, native lang. equivalent, use the word in a sentence, word-maps)

Ways to use reading comprehension strategies,(graphic organizers, questioning, etc.) How to take notes How to use higher order thinking skills (asking not ‘who”, ”where”, ”when” ,but “how” and “why”, asking to

explain, justify, analyze, prove, etc.)

Planning for the Lesson (for a parapro)1. Sit down with the teacher to discuss what is the most important thing for students to learn from the lesson.2. Identify key vocabulary (for beginner students reduce the number of targeted words and limit them to the most

commonly used ones)3. Gather realia or pictures/drawings to illustrate the vocabulary.4. How will the students be assessed?5. How can you help prepare the child for the task/test/activity?

Dismantle= take apart

Before the Lesson

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• Activate Background Knowledge (find out what the student already knows about the topic) Use KWL chart, spider web, Think-Pair-Share, Round Robin

• Preview the reading by doing a picture walk.• Using the pictures from the topic/story ask for predictions• Follow the UNRAVEL strategy (or whatever the teacher is using in class)• Identify the main learning objectives (what does the student need to learn during the lesson)• Teach the vocabulary using pictures, descriptions• Explain what the child will have to do after the lesson

UNRAVEL• Underline the title• Now predict the passage• Run through and number the paragraphs• Are the all important words circled?• Venture through the story• Eliminate the wrong answers• Let the questions be answered

After the Lesson• Check for understanding and summarize main ideas. Correct or expand the graphic organizer. • Review (the beginner student can explain/describe what he/she has learned in L1 (native language)• Use higher-order thinking questions if possible (how do you think..? why do you think..? what would have

happened if…) • Prepare students for follow-up classroom assignments

Remember… parapros are VIPs

L1 Clarification• Clarification of key concepts in the students’ L1 by a bilingual instructional aide, peer, or through the use of

materials written in the students’ L1 provides an important support for the academic learning of those who are not fully proficient in English.

• It is important that this does not become a permanent crutch!

• A hard line to toe• Using none: it may take longer to build rapport with the student• Using some: builds rapport• Using tons of it: great for newcomers, but can become a crutch to more advanced learners

• Scaffold your use of students’ L1. – Use it, make sure he/she gets the concept– Use the English word, back it with L1 as needed– Transfer to using only the English word (with supports)

• If you know a lot of the student’s L1, awesome! Use it to– Introduce a topic

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– Clarify– Overcome blank stares

• Be careful not to use the student’s L1 to practice your own use of the language. • Scaffolding takes care of this.

• Review: the Affective Filter• Miss Iowa accidentally supports recreational marijuana: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEWmVyABbGw

Beware of Tracking (continued)• In many schools, ELLs are placed with the low –achieving students regardless of academic ability.• However, ELLs benefit from whole-class groups, small groups, and partnering.• Developing a classroom community and shared experiences are beneficial and encourages success because it

provides practice opportunities, scaffolding, and assistance for classmates.

Grouping Structures/ Activities• Varying grouping structures increases the chance that a student’s preferred mode of instruction will be

matched.• It is recommended that at least two different grouping structures be used during a lesson.

Think-Pair-Share (Calculate/Solve-Pair-Share) Jigsaw Round robin/ Talking tokens Each student gets a turn to contribute Numbered heads together Group shares; T asks one # for the answer; students called can earn points for their team Three-step interview Partners share, then share with group Inside-Outside Circle Circle the Sage Three Minute Review Random

Ways to Group• By interest (four corners- go to the corner that interests you most)• Folded value line (heterogeneous)• Corners (homogenous)• Ability (heterogeneous) {danger!}

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Ensuring Participation• Role cards

– Facilitator -keeps an activity running smoothly– Recorder -records data and answers questions– Reporter- explains the group’s findings to the teacher/ class.– Safety officer- makes sure safety practices are followed– Checker- makes sure that everyone has finished his or her assignment.– Materials manager- gathers activity materials at the outset, monitors their use during the activity, and

organizes the cleanup and return of materials Helping during group work

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• Lecture vs. giving feedback• Disciplining vs. problem solving• Telling students what to do vs. providing resources• Leading discussions vs. observing/ guiding

Role Cards for Small Groups

SUMMARIZER

Gives main idea and important points in the reading.

CLARIFIER

Asks questions of the group to see if they understand all of the vocabulary or directions

given.

RECORDER

Notes ideas of the group and compares to what was read.

FACILITATOR

Leads group discussion of student work.