Linguistically Responsive Teacher Edcuation

Linguistically Responsive Teacher Education

• Preparing Classroom Teachers to Teach English Language Learners
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Essential Understandings for Teaching ELLs

• Conversational language is different from academic language
• Access to comprehensible input just beyond their current level of proficiency and opportunities to produce output.
• Social interactions that posters the development of conversational and academic English.
• Strong native language skills are an indicator of being able to achieve parity with an native English speaker.
• A safe, welcoming classroom environment is essential.
• Explicit attention to linguistic form and function is essential to second language learning.

(1) Conversational vs Academic Language

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• Caption: Harper, A. (2017). Academic language and conversational language. [Image]. Retrieved from http://audreyharper.weebly.com/blog/academic-language-conversational-language
• Conversational language is often predictable and focuses on the speaker's personal experience.
• May become proficient within two years
• Academic language is more complex and is related to content areas like science, math, and social studies.
• Needs 5-7 years to become proficient

(2) Comprehensible Input & Meaningful Output

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• Input should be slightly beyond the learner's current level of proficiency, and play a major role in learning a second language.
• Meaningful output allows students to engage with the language that is different from simply listening.

(3) Social Interaction

• Vygotsky's influential theory states that the individual learning originates in social interactions.
• Allows the ELL the opportunity to interact with comprehensible input and meaningful output.
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(4) Native Language Proficiency

• Proficiency in one language is significant resource for learning a second language.
• Language skills developed in one's L1 transfer to L2.
• Sound-symbol correspondence
• Strategies for making sense of text
• Teachers must acknowledge students' native-language ability to scaffold learning.

(5) Welcoming Classroom Environment

• When a learner feels anxious or fears being embarrassed about speaking English, it prevents him or her from making an attempt.
• Safe, welcoming classroom includes:
• Acceptance
• Fosters different ways of thinking
• Cooperation
• Respect
• Open-minded
• Willingness to learn something different
• Able to be vulnerable

(6) Attention to Linguistic Function and Form

• Teachers should identify and articulate the special characteristics of the language
• Simple past-tense
• Past progressive
• Past perfect
• Functions of language that apply across academic disciplines:
• Language to argue
• Language to compare and contrast
• Language to draw inferences
• Language to come up with conclusions

Linguistically Responsive Pedagogical Practices

• Scaffolds: Instructional adaptations.
• Three types of pedagogical expertise:
• Familiarity with the students' background
• Understanding of language learning tasks
• Using appropriate scaffoldings

(1) Learning about ELLs

• Learn about the language and academic backgrounds of ELL to anticipate the instructional supports they will need.
• Teachers must look at student's proficiency in primary language.
• Use student's prior knowledge and experiences.
• Strategies:
• Ask student to describe prior school experiences
• Interact with the student one-on-one
• Observe the student interacting with others

(2) Identifying the Language Demands

• What aspects of the language will pose a problem with the task?
• Key vocabulary
• Understanding the curriculum content
• Sentence structure and length
• Written vs oral instruction
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(3) Scaffolding Learning for ELLs

• Use extra-linguistic support:
• Images
• Videos
• Graphs
• Supplementing written text:
• Definitions of key vocabulary words
• Make language more accessible
• Highlight key concpets
• Modifying oral language:
• pause for longer periods of time
• Repeating key ideas
• Establish classroom routines
• Clear and explicit instructions:
• Write instructions on the board
• Give the instructions orally
• Have the student repeat instructions back to teacher
• Encourage the use of students' primary language:
• Have a peer translate
• Write first draft/notes in primary language
• Additional resources in student's primary language
• Purposeful activities:
• Increase group work
• Ask how and why questions
• Use instructional conversation
• Minimize potential anxiety in the classroom:
• Enforce classroom rules that respect all students
• Encourage cooperation
• Minimize competition