Transcript Improving Education for English Learners: Research

Improving Education
for English Learners:
Research-Based Approaches
English Learner and Support Services
Professional Learning Series
January 6, 2011
Chapter 4 (pp. 209-249)
Effective
English Literacy Instruction
for English Learners
by
Diane August, Center for Applied
Linguistics
Timothy Shanahan, University of Illinois,
Chicago
Title III Accountability Institute
• August and Shanahan presented at Institute
• PPT will be posted to the Schools Moving Up
website
http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/cs/smu/pri
nt/htdocs/smu/webinars/upcoming.htm
Based on a presentation by
Jan Mayer, Sacramento COE
and
Olivia Sosa, San Joaquin COE
Title III Regional Leads
Today’s format
• Information on four components
of literacy development
• Your presentations on each of the
eight guidelines for teaching
literacy to English learners
Chapter 4 Overview
Primary Source: The National Literacy Panel for
Language Minority Children and Youth (August &
Shanahan 2006)
Chapter is based on the most up-to-date,
comprehensive review of the best studies on teaching
literacy to ELs.
pp. 209-249
6
– Research includes:
• Literacy learning for language minority children
ages 3 – 18
• Time span: 1980 – 2002 (National Literacy Panel),
2003 -2006 (for this chapter)
• 83 studies included in the review
– Dissertations and Technical Reports
– Reviews of Instructional Methodology
» had to report research (e.g., systematic data
analysis)
» design was experimental or quasi-experimental
» published in peer-reviewed journal
p. 210
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Background of
Literacy Development
Literacy development requires the acquisition of
• word-level skills (those involved in wordreading and spelling)
• text-level skills (those involved in
comprehension and writing).
p. 211
8
“Ultimately, the goal of literacy
instruction is to build students’
comprehension and
writing skills.” (p. 211)
Background of Literacy Development
Although some ELs may progress at slower rates than
native speakers, their growth in literacy generally follows
s_______ developmental paths.
– Word-reading (phonological awareness, decoding)
– Spelling (orthographic knowledge)
Reading comprehension development of ELs compared
to native-speaking peers indicated that the performance
of ELs falls w___ b____ that of their native-speaking
peers.
p. 211
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Background of Literacy Development
1. Role of First-Language Literacy
1. Role of English-Language Literacy
2. Sociocultural Context
3. Social vs. Academic Language
1. Role of First-Language Literacy
Many factors influence cross-language relationships
 L1 Literacy experience
 Similarities of L1 and L2 (language and writing systems)
 Language proficiency
Cross-language relationships:
 Word reading
 Spelling (positive and negative)
 Vocabulary (postive and negative [embarrass &
embarazar])
 Reading comprehension (significant correlation L1 to L2)
 Reading strategies
 Writing skills
pp. 212-213
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1. Role of First-Language Literacy
Language minority students receiving
instruction in both their native language and
English did better on English reading
measures than language-minority students
instructed only in English.
p. 214
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1. Role of First-Language Literacy
…reading programs that used only English to
teach ELs to read in English are showing
promising results, suggesting that if children
receive good instruction with appropriate
scaffolding, they can successfully master
word-level reading skills in English.
p. 214
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2. Role of English-Language Proficiency
Phonological processing skills in English were
much better predictors of word-reading than
was oral language proficiency in either the native
language or English.
•Phonological awareness
•Rapid letter naming
•Phonological memory
p. 214
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2. Role of English-Language Proficiency
…oral English proficiency and the
skills that allow accurate and
effortless recognition of printed
words are essential factors in
comprehension development.
p. 214
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StandUp, HandUp, PairUp
1. What information about
the role of first-language
literacy did you find
reaffirming or interesting?
2. What information about
the role of English-language
proficiency did you find
reaffirming or interesting?
3. Sociocultural Context
A meta-analysis of studies found bilingual
programs were significantly better than
English-only programs in developing English
literacy skills. (Note: Moderate average
effect size)
Programs incorporating culturally
appropriate curriculum resulted in h_____
levels of e__________.
pp. 215-216
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4. Social vs Academic Language
…we are in accord with Bailey (2007), who
stressed the importance of guarding
“against believing that there is something
inherent in social language that makes it
less sophisticated or less cognitively
demanding than language used in an
academic context.”
p. 216
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4. Social vs Academic Language
 It is most accurate to characterize the difference
between academic language and social language
as differences in the relative frequency of complex
grammatical structures, specialized vocabulary,
and uncommon language functions.
 Social and academic language may both contain
complex linguistic responses.
 No direct research was found on the notion that
“Some ELs have problems developing academic
language.”
pp. 215-216
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Think-Pair-Share
Consider the four components of literacy
development: role of first-language literacy,
role of English-language literacy, sociocultural
context, and social vs. academic language.
Which one/s currently have the most impact,
positively or negatively, on the acquisition of
literacy of the ELs in your district/school?
How could you address it/them in the future?
The Eight Guidelines for
Teaching Literacy to English Learners
• Review the information about the guideline
assigned to your group.
• On the flip chart, list 2-4 key points. Feel free
to add quotes, sketches, etc.
• Discuss the possible implications of the
guideline related to your school/district.
• Be ready to share with the entire group.
Guidelines
Key Points
Implications
1.Effective instruction
for ELs emphasizes
essential
components of
literacy. pp.217-220
2. Effective
instruction for ELs is
similar to effective
instruction for native
speakers. pp.220-222
3. Effective literacy
curriculum and
instruction for ELs
must be adjusted to
meet their needs.
pp.222-226
4. Effective literacy
instruction for ELs is
comprehensible and
multidimensional.
pp.227-229
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Guidelines
Key Points
Implications
5.Effective literacy
instruction for ELs
develops oral
proficiency.
pp.229-231
6. Effective literacy
instruction for ELs is
differentiated.
pp.231-234
7. Effective literacy
instruction for ELs
requires well-prepared
teachers.
pp.234-235
8. Effective literacy
instruction for ELs is
respectful of the home
language.
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Conclusion
…we hope the guidelines
will be useful to
practitioners as they
grapple with the
everyday challenge of
educating English
learners, to
policymakers as they
endeavor to create
contexts in which
effective instruction can
occur, and to
researchers attempting
to build on previous
research.
p. 237