Improving Educational Opportunities

for Latino Students in Catholic Elementary

Schools

Demographic Imperative

• Nationally:– Fastest growing sectors: 2015: over half of our students

will be from culturally diverse backgrounds– Vast majority of students who are ELL are Latino, but

many of other linguistic heritages

• Catholic Sector:– Dioceses with highest number of empty seats are located

around the largest metropolitan areas with large numbers of Latinos

– Number of Hispanics enrolled in Catholic schools has remained stagnant in past 15 years

Opening thoughtTwo necessary and sufficient ingredients for constructing social identities of achievement:

1) Normalize success (Membership = Achievement)

2) Scaffold necessary behaviors and practices

Theresa Perry

Overview

I. Linguistic diversity as an asset

II. Knowledge, skills, and dispositions to support bilingual students

III.Cultivating culturally responsive schools

I. Linguistic Diversity as an Asset

- English proficiency = common goal- Affirming the home language as a strength• Supports English proficiency• Affirms the parents as primary

educators• Creates new opportunities

What’s in a name?• English language

learners• Limited English

proficiency • English as a

second language• Linguistically

diverse families• Spanish speakers

• Bilingual

Hows does this apply to schools?

a) How do schools communities (not just Catholic) treat linguistic diversity as an asset?

b) How do schools communities (not just Catholic) treat linguistic diversity as an deficit?

II. Supporting Bilingual Students

Dispositions- We are Catholic - All are

welcome - We expect success from all

students- We are all language teachers

II. Supporting Bilingual Students

Knowledge & Skills

- Knowledge of Language Acquisition

- Skills to support bilingual students

A) Stages of Language Acquisition

I) Pre-production –listening and repeating in the second language (500 words)

II) Early production – developing receptive and active vocabulary (1000 words)

III) Speech emergence – communicating with simple phrases and sentences (3000 words)

IV) Intermediate fluency – using more complex sentences in speaking and writing (6000 words)

V) Advanced fluency – achieving cognitive academic language proficiency

B) Socio-CulturalI) Different registers of text

(field, tenor, mode)II) Registers fit contexts

• Developing school-related language is simply a matter of time and that it will be "picked up" eventually

B) Socio-CulturalViewing language development as a process of learning to control an increasing range of registers suggests that while all children are predisposed in a biological sense to learn language, whether or not they actually do, how well they learn to control it, and the range of registers and purposes for which they are able to use it are a matter of the social contexts in which they find themselves"

(Gibbons, 2002, p. 5)

Academic English Register• “Academic English is a register of

English… characterized by the specific linguistic features associated with academic disciplines…” (Scarcella, 2003, p. 9)

• Reading and writing:CritiquesSummariesReportsCase studies

Research projects Expository essays Narratives

Academic English • Powerful –Where is academic English most

essential?• Dynamic – Changing over time and setting–Not acquired once and for all

C) Scaffolding: Verbal

Student Independence

TeachModel

Practice

Apply

Teachers use verbal scaffolding to prompt, guide, and support English language learners by using a variety of questioning techniques that promote higher levels of thinking as students develop their language skills.

Paraphrasing… Repetition… Questioning

C) Scaffolding: Procedural

Student Independence

Whole Class

Small Group

Paired/ Partner

Independent Work

Procedural scaffolding refers to the use of grouping configurations that provide different levels of support to students as they gain greater levels of language proficiency and skills.

Second Language Learning

(Cummins, 1981)Cognitively Demanding

Cognitively Undemanding

Context Embedded

(Concrete)

Context Reduced

(Abstract)

Developing survival vocabularyFollowing demonstrated directions

Participating in hands-on science and mathematics activitiesMaking maps, models, charts, and graphsSolving math computational problems

Engaging in telephone conversations Reading and writing for personal purposes: notes, lists, sketches, etc.

Understanding academic presentations without visuals or demonstrations: lecturesSolving math word problems without illustrationsTaking standardized achievement tests

ReviewDispositions• Catholic• Expect success • All teachers =

language teachers

Knowledge A) Sequential

B) Socio-cultural context

C) Scaffolding

Skills to support bilingual students

Instruction– Accessing / building prior

knowledge– Small group work– Whole group work– Modifying texts and supporting

writing

Accessing Prior KnowledgeWhat is this?

Relate background experiences and knowledge to the content being taught

Who cares?• Critical component in planning instruction• Linking new information to relevant prior knowledge• Learning should be made explicit so students

understand they are building on knowledge frameworks acquired through prior schooling and life experiences

Accessing Prior Knowledge

How do we do this?

• Charts• KWL• Lesson Connections• Student Journals• Questioning

22

Types of Prior Knowledge• Academic– Background knowledge built on traditional

schooling in core subjects• Non-academic– Background knowledge built on survival

experiences, i.e. real life

- On one hand, explicitly building on cultural capital that students brings from home and life

- At the same time, need to recognize that all students do not come with the same privileges

Building Prior Knowledge• Read alouds• Presenting the information explicitly-

concept definition maps• Generate & plan discussions about the topic• Using pictures• Videos• Guest speakers• Field trips• Anchor charts

Strategic small group work

1. Redundancy in directions2. Require talk3. High cognitive demands / low English

demands4. Integrated into curriculum5. Basic group dynamics

Find the difference game

Modifying Language in Whole Class Setting

• Use schema-building: Incorporate prior knowledge (general & specific) to

• make predictions• ask questions• visualize• draw inferences• confirm hypothesis• demonstrate understanding

Modifying Language in Whole Class Setting

• Clarify directions – Verbally and visually– Rewrite difficult texts into simpler terms– Define /explain new & difficult words

• Teacher-guided reporting–Use open questions – Slow pace of dialogue

Modifying Texts

• Aim toward appropriate Language Proficiency and Reading Levels

• Modify texts to make content more comprehensible for students by:–Using graphics–Using outlines–Using audio recordings– Providing demonstrations –Using alternate books or materials

Supporting Writing1)Write aloud

2)Shared writing

3)Guided writing

4)Collaborative writing

5)Independent writing

III. Cultivating Culturally Responsive Schools

- What does culturally responsive mean?

- Students’ identities, life experiences, families, and backgrounds are resources for optimizing learning

- Sociocultural learning theory- Funds of knowledge

How does culturally responsive teaching fit with Catholic identity?

• Mission and vision• School philosophy• Parish identity or religious

charism

• How are we culturally responsive?–Cultural celebrations–Parent partnerships

Recap

I. Linguistic diversity =an asset

II. Knowledge, skills, and dispositions to support bilingual students

III.Cultivating culturally responsive schools

Contact InformationPlease feel free to contact us:

Melodie Hessling–

Martin Scanlan –

GMCEC Website

hesslingm@njms.org

martin.scanlan@mu.edu

References• Cummins, J. (1981). The role of primary language development in

promoting educational success for language minority students. In "Schooling and language minority students: A theoretical framework." Los Angeles: California State University; Evaluation, Dissemination, and Assessment Center.

• Echevarria, J., Short, D., & Vogt, M. D. (2008). Implementing the SIOP Model through effective professional development and coaching. Boston: Allyn& Bacon.

• Garcia, E., Jensen, B., & Scribner, K. (2009). The demographic imperative. Educational Leadership, 66(7), 8-13.

• Gibbons, P. (2002). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching second language learners in the mainstream classroom. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann 

• Goldenberg, C. (2008). Teaching English language learners: What the research does - and does not - say. American Educator (Summer), 8-23, 42-44