Transcript Alternative Education Programs for English Learners

English Learner and Support
Services
Professional Learning Series
March 31, 2011
Improving
Education for
English
Learners:
Research –
Based
Approaches
Chapter 6
Alternative Education Programs for
English Learners
pp. 323-382
By Kathryn Lindholm-Leary and Fred Genesee
Based on a presentation by
Patty Dineen-Wehn, Sonoma COE
&
Stephanie Wayment, Lake COE
Region 1 COE Leads
Today’s format

Pair discussion

Group discussion

Mini-Collaborative Poster
Three Programs
Transitional Bilingual
Developmental
Bilingual
Two-way Immersion
Overview of Chapter
p. 323
 Provide
rationale for & advantages of
dual language approaches
 Describe
key characteristics of the
three alternative programs
Overview of Chapter p. 323
 Review
research on outcomes of
students who have participated in
dual language programs
 Present
research relevant to program
effectiveness, implementation, and
learner needs in dual language
programs
• Some based on empirical research
Alternative Education Programs:
language, literacy & academic instruction
(pp. 323 & 324)

Use of two languages (English & another
language) to educate language minority
students
• and language-majority students in a two-way
immersion model
Lines of Communication
You need a partner.
Listen for directions.
Lines of Communication
How does schooling in
two languages assist students
in relationship to globalization?
Globalization (p. 324)
Linguistic & cultural competence play key
roles in affording students the tools they
need to take advantage of the
opportunities of globalization
 “Competitive edge” in the global
marketplace.

Lines of Communication
How does teaching in
two languages
help English learners brains’
(neurocognitive
advantages)?
Neurocognitive Advantages
(pp. 324-325)
Advanced levels of bilingual competences
are associated with cognitive advantages
in “executive control process.”
 When problem solving, competent
bilinguals are able to:

1. focus attention when potentially conflicting
information is presented
2. select relevant over irrelevant information
3. switch strategies when a solution is not
forthcoming
Lines of Communication
What are the advantages for
students in an alternative
program related to their
home language?
Home Language Advantages (pp.
325-326)
ELs with advance levels of competence in
certain aspects of the home language
demonstrate superior achievement in English
literacy compared with ELs with lower
competency in home language abilities
 Phonological awareness skills
decoding
 Vocabulary
 Dual language programs systematically use L1
to scaffold the acquisition of English literacy

Lines of Communication
What are the advantages for
students in an alternative
program related to
schooling and cultural
competence?
Schooling & Cultural
Competence (pp. 326-328)
Dual language programs…
 provide many conditions that are essential
for the reduction of prejudice and
discrimination
 provide communication skills & cultural
awareness to facilitate intergroup contact
& appreciation (two-way immersion
programs)
Schooling & Cultural
Competence (pp. 326-328)


Misattributions (behaviors of respect
different from mainstream America) are less
likely to happen
“funds of knowledge” (L. Moll): skills,
knowledge, expectations, and understandings
that children have about the world and their
place in it are different for students from
different cultural backgrounds. Prior
knowledge & experiences are linked to funds
of knowledge. Teachers have an
understanding of cultural experiences.
Program Characteristics
(p. 328- 335)
Review the summary chart on p. 329
Slides 20-22 are for your reference only.
With a partner,
find two similarities and one difference.
Share with whole group.
Transitional Bilingual Program
(pp. 330-331)

“Early Exit Bilingual Education”
• Content subjects in home language with English
Language Development (ELD)
• Once “sufficiently” proficient, move to English
mainstream program
Purpose:
 To ensure mastery of grade level academics
 To facilitate & speed up English acquisition
Developmental Bilingual
Program (pp. 331-333)
“Late Exit Bilingual Education”
Maintenance Bilingual Education
One-way program, only minority students
working to maintain home language, or full
proficiency in home language
Purpose:
 Promote high levels of academic achievement
in all curricular areas and full proficiency in
both home language & English for academic
purposes
 *If master grade level curriculum in home
language, usually decrease achievement gap &
often outperform EOs.



Two-Way Immersion Program
(pp. 333-335)
Two-way Bilingual Education
 Dual Language Immersion

• Provides education opportunities for all
students to become bilingual
• Provides integrated language & academic
instruction for native speakers of English &
native speakers of another language
Purpose:
 High academic achievement
 1st & 2nd language proficiency
 Cross cultural understanding
Program Characteristics
(p. 328- 335)
Comments or questions about
Transitional Bilingual (TBE),
Developmental Bilingual (DBE) ,
or
Two-way Immersion (TWI)?
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT &
PROGRAM OUTCOMES (PP.
335-353)
Oral Language Development (pp. 336-341)
• Monolinguals, simultaneous bilinguals, second-language
learners/successive bilinguals (p. 337)
Literacy Development (pp. 341-344)
Academic Achievement (pp. 345-352)
• Which program is best for ELs?
• Does more English lead to higher achievement in
English?
• How well do students do in dual language programs?
• Identity & Attitude (pp. 353)
Comments?
Characteristics of
Effective Dual Language Programs
(pp. 353-360)
Program & School Structure (pp. 354-356)
Curriculum (pp. 356-357)
Instruction (pp. 357-358)
Appropriate Assessment & Accountability (p. 359)
Quality of Staff Development (pp. 359-360)
ISSUES IN LEARNER NEEDS
(PP. 360-364)
Five Issues
5 volunteers to read please
1. Socio-economic Status
(pp. 360-361)
“… most research on English learners
includes Hispanic students from lowincome families and, thus, there is
insufficient variation in student SES to
discern the true relationship between
differences in SES and variations in
achievement among English learners
(Adams et al. 1994). (p. 360)
2. Length of Residence in US and
Prior Schooling (pp. 361-362)
Recent immigrants tend to attain higher
levels of achievement than do second- or
third-generation Hispanic students. (p. 361)
3. Students with Disabilities
(p. 362-363)
Students with special education needs who
participated in dual language programs
experienced significant positive outcomes
by the upper elementary grade levels.
(p.
362)
4. Language Status
(pp. 363-364)
…several studies have shown that bilingual
Hispanic students have higher
achievement scores, GPAs, and
educational expectations than their
monolingual English-speaking Hispanic
peers. (pp. 363-364)
5. Demographics of School
Population (p. 364)
…English learner and Hispanic Englishspeaking students in predominantly
Hispanic, low-SES schools achieved
similarly to or higher than their peers in
mainstream English-only programs at the
same or nearby schools.
Please stand up.
Find a partner at least 3 chairs away
from yours.
Share with this partner,
one piece of information, idea, or
thought you are taking away from
today’s session on
“ Alternative Education Programs for
English Learners.”
In Conclusion ….
…there is sufficient research to
demonstrate the positive impact of
high-quality dual language programs to
promote bilingual, biliterate, contentarea, and multicultural competencies.
Lindholm-Leary and Genesee p. 367