Transcript MSPA Midwinter Conference 2011

MSPA Midwinter Conference 2011
January 28, 2011
Getting the Most from our Work
with Interpreters
Lionel Blatchley, Ph.D.
Marilyn Leifgren, Ed.S.
Additional Resources
Kao Her, Special Education Interpreter,
Saint Paul Public Schools
Vivian Lezcano-Lytle, Bilingual Academic
Assessor, Independent Consultant and
Immersion Teacher, Wayzetta Public Schools
Elizabeth Watkins,
Minnesota Department of Education
Special Education Policy Division
AGENDA
1. Conferences and meetings
2. Q & A
3. Assessments
4. Q & A
5. MDE News
6. Video
Fun facts
About 124 different languages are spoken in MN
There is a shortage of bilingual school personnel
as ELL students steadily increase.
IDEA (2004) calls for the provision of services in
the student's primary language.
NCLB (2001) requires all students to receive
appropriate academic instruction leading to
proficiency in English language arts.
Collaborating with interpreters is an essential
strategy for effective academic and mental health
services for ELLs and their families.
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Definitions
Interpreting: oral transmission of a message from
L1 to L2 and vice versa
Styles: consecutive, simultaneous, whispered
Translation: written transmission of a message
from L1 to L2 and vice versa
Styles: sight, prepared
Cultural Liaison: one who translates between the
culture of school and that of the family
Role of Interpreters in Special Ed
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Facilitate communication between school staff
and families/students: parent interview
Provide information about special education to
families
Provide information to school staff about
student's background and family view of the
student
Provide cultural information to staff and families
that may impact interactions, evaluation, or
educational planning
Role in Special Ed continued
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Interventions
Interviews with students and families
Parent conferences/due process meetings
Assessments
Oral/written translation of information
Parent education
Skills Needed by I/Ts
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High degree of oral and written proficiency in
both L1 and L2
Ability to convey meaning from one language to
the other/lack of direct translation
Ability to understand and adjust to the
speaker's role and background
Ability to adjust to linguistic variations within
different communities; synthesize verbal and
nonverbal communication in two languages
I/T Skills Continued
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Ability to manage complexity of messages and
personalities
Knowledge about the culture of the people
involved, establishing trust
Familiarity with specific procedures and
vocabulary used in the educational field
Ability to control the pace of communication and
sometimes the sequence of messages
Understanding the function and role of the I/T
Openness to continuous improvement and
learning
Recruitment of I/Ts
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Asking bilingual individuals who lack training as
interpreters should be avoided
Asking bilingual staff who will be serving in
another role with the parent can present
difficulties
Districts should establish full or part time
positions to insure continuity and quality
Avoid using neighbors, relatives, siblings, etc.
Seek candidates with strong educational
backgrounds
Districts need to provide supervisory support
Important characteristics of I/Ts
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Flexibility
Empathy with others, but ability to maintain
neutrality
Honesty
Interest in improving skills
Respecting timelines
Providing accurate interpretations
Keeping all information confidential
Responsibilities of school psychs
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Participate in the selection of I/Ts
Identify training needs of staff and I/Ts
Work together on improving service to students
and families
Review policies, procedures, and terminology
Update community and district informational
resources, publicity, etc.
Support I/Ts as integral members of the team
Preparation
Essential to develop a collaborative relationship
between team member and the I/T
Two factors: Environment and three basic steps:
(briefing, interaction, and debriefing) BID
Two scenarios: Conferences and Assessment
Environment for conferences to gather or share
information:
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Comfortable and non-threatening as
possible
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Talk to the parent directly, not the I/T
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All members of the team pay close attention
Briefing
Conferences: review the purpose and format of
the meeting
Review special terminology and acronyms
Preview materials, documents being presented
Plan to address issues in simple language
Ask questions about culture/language that may
impact the interaction
Discuss alternative scenarios and strategies
Discuss questions, concerns of the I/T
Interaction
Team leader introduces all persons and explains
their roles in relation to the student and purpose
of the meeting
Team members pause to give I/T time to interpret
each message
The I/T interprets all information clearly and
precisely as presented by conference
participants including the parents
The I/T maintains a neutral attitude
The I/T may take notes for later clarification
Interaction
Only one person speaks at a time
Due process issues should be addressed by team
members, not independently by I/Ts
Interpreting requires high levels of concentration
and attention. Side conversations during the
meeting should be avoided
The team leader summarizes the main issues and
conclusions of the conference. Professionals
are ultimately responsible for the process.
Debriefing after conferences
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Discuss the outcomes. Did the meeting
accomplish the goal?
Were there specific problems with the quality of
translation?
Give feedback about what went well and/or
what changes might be necessary in the future
Ask for feedback from the interpreter about how
they felt the interaction went for them and for the
family
Schedule follow-up and assign responsibility
Future needs
I/Ts working in education should receive
increased professional recognition and
compensation
I/Ts and special ed team members should receive
some training together
Cultural competence
“Cultural Competence evolves over time. It
begins with understanding one's own culture
and continues through interactions with
individuals from various cultures and expansion
of knowledge. It is important that educators
continually and critically assess their own level
of cultural competence. This process, known as
“cultural humility,” includes critical selfassessment, admission of limits, and ongoing
acquisition of knowledge.”
Hello
Chao
Yobosaeyo
Namaste
Ni hoo ma
Apa Khabar
How Do School Psychologists and
Interpreters Partner to Gather
Information on I.Q.?
By collection of information from
multiple sources:
Partnering on Multiple Sources with
Cultural & Linguistic Lens
• Parent &/or Student Interview
• CLD consideration of..
Student’s strengths and areas of concern
Observations
Formal and informal measures
Pre-meeting before the actual
evaluation :
How can the interpreter coach us?
Tell us what is culturally acceptable such as:
Eye contact
Physical proximity
Shaking hands
Etc.
We need to help the student become comfortable.
(Establish rapport) Interpreter could teach us
how to say greetings in their native language.
Planning our roles during testing:
• Preview administration of all assessment
materials
• Review standardization, validity, reliability &
plan behavioral agreements to protect
• Explain other approaches ex: Cross-Battery
Approach, testing of limits, teach/test, etc
• IT takes notes for debriefing ex: terms difficult
to translate, cross-cultural issues in
communication
Example…
During a verbal subtest, what if a
student does not know what a word
means?
You can only repeat the word
in the native language.
We can’t tell them what the
word means.
Sometimes this can be really
frustrating since the word
may not have a match in
the native language.
Recommended Practices
•
Interpreter and Psychologist sit next to each
other, with I/T sitting slightly behind
– Student can see both directly
Also share and plan for…
• Provide information to
understand context
• Overview of translation
session
• Confidentiality
• Decision of use of Audio
tapes (permission)
• Relevant student
information:
– unusual behaviors or
verbalizations
Partnering on Administration
Beginning the session
• Psych establishes
rapport among all
participants (student
and I/T)
• Speaking: Psych
explains need to speak
in shorter or slower
sentences for I/T
• Avoid idioms, slang,
and metaphors as they
are difficult to translate
In Debriefing, Discuss…
• Outcomes of translation session & and
problems that surfaced
• Cross-cultural issues relevant to responses
&/or behaviors
• I/T’s questions & perceptions about the session
• Explore shared understanding within cultural
context
• How could session have been improved?
Evaluate Data: Consider…
• Quality of translation
• Relational and social aspects (rapport)
• Cultural responsiveness
• Language differences
• Professional and situational context
• Practice context
• The need for additional data or different means
to obtain information ex: bilingual psych.
Let’s put it all together
By working together our goal is to obtain a fair
and equitable measure of the student’s IQ that
will assist with the student’s educational
planning.
References
Lopez, Emilia C. (2008) Best Practices in Working
with School Interpreters in Best Practices in
School Psychology V, Alex Thomas & Jeff
Grimes, Eds.The National Association of School
Psychologists, Besthesda, MD
Rhodes, R.L., Ochoa, S.H., Ortiz, S.O. (2005)
Assessing Culturally and Linguistically Diverse
Students, A Practical Guide, The Guilford Press,
New York