Game-Based Learning Models for Accelerating ESOL/Bilingual Students
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Game-Based Learning Models for Accelerating ESOL/Bilingual Students Presented to: FETC Jan. 31, 2014 Room S310A Presented By: Dr. Barbara Nemko Napa County Superintendent & Ilene Rosenthal Founder and CEO, Footsteps2Brilliance, Inc.
Game-Based Learning Models for Accelerating ESOL/Bilingual Students
In many U.S. school districts, a majority of students speak Spanish as their primary language at home. Our focus is on how to accelerate academic achievement for this group of students through the use of game methodology. As with video games, digital games motivate students to become active learners, and provide a venue for parents to become involved in their children’s education in a non-threatening way.
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1. Game-Based Learning Models for Accelerating ESOL/Bilingual
Students Presented to: FETC Jan. 31, 2014 Room S310A Presented By:
Dr. Barbara Nemko Napa County Superintendent & Ilene Rosenthal
Founder and CEO, Footsteps2Brilliance, Inc.
2. Share Your Tweets! # FETCF2B 3. Napa County 4. Closing the
Achievement Gap A child from a middle class family hears an average
of eight million more words per year than a child from a lowincome
family. 5. Closing the Achievement Gap for ESOL Students The
challenge is even greater for the growing number of young children
from non-English speaking homes. A study of low-income children
entering public kindergarten found that twice as many children from
nonEnglish speaking families scored in the lowest ranges on
standardized tests measuring language skills. 6. Closing the
Achievement Gap for English Learners through Game-Based Program In
June, 2011, we conducted a pilot project in Calistoga for 18
four-year olds, primarily English learners, who had not been to
preschool and were scheduled to start kindergarten in August. 7.
Closing the Achievement Gap for English Learners through Game-Based
Program In addition to the regular summer boot camp curriculum,
children were given iPads and a literacy curriculum called
Footsteps2Brilliance. It was designed for the purpose of increasing
the vocabulary of preschool students who were low-income English
learners. 8. Closing the Achievement Gap for English Learners
through Game-Based Program The Calistoga kindergarten teachers
thought it was a terrible idea to introduce technology into a
preschool program. One teacher came in on her own time, during
summer break, to document how bad it would be. By the end of
summer, all the kindergarten teachers demanded iPads for the fall.
9. Closing the Achievement Gap The teachers were amazed at how
engaged the children were. Interactive iPads are so different from
books or television, and the program allowed the children to read
the books in English or Spanish. 10. Blended Model of Instruction
Calistoga Summer Bridges Program 11. What Results Were Achieved? In
the fall of 2012, we did a pre- and post-test study of kindergarten
students expressive and receptive language ability, using the
nationally normed Peabody Picture Vocabulary test. In the pretest,
59% of students scored at age 6 or higher. In the posttest, the
figure was 88%. 12. The number of English Learners performing at
age 6.0 or higher grew by 35%, with 79% of students overall ready
for first grade. The number of English speakers performing at age
6.0 or higher grew by 39% with 98% of students overall ready for
first grade. 13. Closing the Achievement Gap By Going County-Wide
The program expanded to additional preschool boot camps over the
summers of 2012 and 2013. It also expanded into multiple
kindergarten classes. Even when class size in kindergarten went to
30, teachers reported having much more time for individualization
because students were so engaged there were no discipline issues.
14. Why Use Game Methodology? 1. Accelerated Language acquisition
2. Parental Involvement 3. Formative Assessment LanguageParental
InvolvementInteractionEngagementVocabulary
MotivationAssessmentRepetition Context 15. Accelerated Pathway to
Literacy and Vocabulary Acquisition Vocabulary rich environments,
intensive instruction, high student motivation. (Dr. Katherine
Snow, Harvard University) 12 meaningful experiences to make a word
their own. (McKeown and Beck) 16. Parental Involvement Parents want
to interact with their children through learning games. (Pew data)
17. Formative Assessment 18. Footsteps2Brilliance Early Learning
Mobile Game Platform2011 Footsteps2Brilliance 19. Sneak Preview!
20. Teachers can Gamify Content Through Flashcards 21.
QUESTIONS???? 22. For further information, contact: Ilene
Rosenthal, Founder and CEO [email protected]
202-338-1223 or Dr. Barbara Nemko, Napa County Superintendent
[email protected] www.youtube.com/Footsteps2Brilliance 2011
Footsteps2Brilliance
