cultural and linguistic diversity in ell student education: educating the whole child nc department...
TRANSCRIPT
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in ELL Student
Education: Educating the Whole Child
NC Department of Public Instruction
Joan Rolston
ESL Program Counselor, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
Today’s Objectives
Content Objectives: to provide participants with the various elements
of cultural and linguistic diversity impacting the ELL student education process—building an understanding of the “whole child”
to bridge connections between ESL teachers, content teachers, school counselors, and other stakeholders in the ELL student education process
Language Objectives: to discuss the relationship between cultural and
linguistic diversity and the ELL student education process
to specify the second language acquisition process and its connection to the other aspects of ELL student education
to identify strategies for stakeholder collaboration-the school’s team for ELL student education
Alphabet Soup
LEP-Limited English Proficient (student)
ESL-English as a Second Language (program)
ELL-English language learner
L1 and L2-first language, second language
SIOP-Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
Alphabet Soup
WIDA-World-class Instructional Design and Assessment
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
ASCA-American School Counselor Association
NCLB-No Child Left Behind
BICS-Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
CALP-Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
National and Local Trends
National Trends
1 in 5 of our nation’s students are immigrants or American-born children of immigrants
In 2001-2002, there were 4.7 million students with limited English proficiency in the U.S. This is 9.8% of the total school-age population.
Source: National Student Profile (NCES, 2000)
6
State and Local Trends
What does NC look like? As of October 1, 2009, our state’s population of LEP students
was 111,926-that’s about 12% of our total student population preK-12.
Let’s talk about your classrooms and why we’re here today.
7
Linguistic Diversity: different kinds of ELLs
Students with advanced academic skills and some English
Students with advanced academic skills and no English
Students with some academic skills and no English (interrupted education)
Students with no prior schooling and no English
The WIDATest
four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing
proficiency levels: Entering, Beginning, Developing, Expanding, Bridging
exit criteria: ACCESS composite score of 4.8, minimum of 4.0 on the reading subtest and 4.0 on the writing subtest
blending objectives—why??
Second Language Acquisition
let’s think about the purpose of language
stages of language acquisition (pre-production, early production, speech emergence, intermediate fluency)
types of language proficiency BICS and CALP comprehensible input affective filter silent period
Myths and Misconceptions
Second Language Acquisition
Is not magical and automatic…
Is much harder than it sounds…
Is different for everyone depending on age and native language literacy skills…
Second Language Acquisition
motivation first language
development-literacy
language distance and attitude
access to the language
home situation
age personality and learning style
peers and role models
quality of instruction
cultural background access to curriculum
Factors which impact SLA
The Iceberg Theory
BICS
CALP
Dual Iceberg
Common Underlying Proficiency
L1 L2
Cultural Diversity and Schooling in the US
• first, lets talk about school and its format here—the impression on ELLs
• next, let’s talk about the role of the ESL teachers, content teachers and school counselor
• collaboration with teachers and the school’s team as part of a learning community
• SCHEDULING, SCHEDULING, SCHEDULING
What kind of data are available with ELLs?
transcripts interview results teacher feedback English language proficiency test results intake information (educational
background)
Why do counselors need to understand an overview of curriculum and the second language acquisition process?
Now let’s talk about educational backgrounds
public school in the US—educating the masses
world-wide curriculum rigor has many definitions specialized diplomas grading systems
Which Years are “High School”
explain the US system during the interview
how similar/different is the international system compared to the US system—explain
some students call Kindergarten their “first year of school”
age-appropriate setting different is just different—not better or worse
The NAFSA Guide
Description:Edited by Shelley Feagles.This book is available again, now as a PDF document on CD. It compiles information on the educational systems of more than 156 countries, from Albania to Zimbabwe, covering secondary as well as higher education. Articles on the methodology of credential evaluation, interpreting foreign grades, and using the internet as a research tool provide critical background information for the novice or experienced admissions professional. (The PDF file on this CD CANNOT be stored on/in a multi-user, network environment.)
1999. 398 pp. (ITEM CD2055)
Interview the Student
Getting to know the student is crucial—what are their goals for being in school?
Use clear wording with your questions with ELLs
welcome the help of a bilingual family member
the student may be “twice” as nervous to come to a new school and a new country
a few extra minutes in the beginning will ensure the right courses for scheduling
students from the same country may have different experiences-case by case is best
Review the Transcript
make a “working” copy to use while interviewing the student
make notes about each course on the transcript—documentation is crucial
it’s important to ask about course content—some course names are really different but have very similar content
YES-please use a copy/fax to start with if an original is not available the day of enrollment
Grades and grading scales
Subjective or objective process? most scales are very different from ours
Who gets an A? Anyone? Is there a level for D? What kind of pressure do students feel?
Pass/fail and the GPA honors level classes and rigor
Use a Checklist
look at each academic area for courses completed--remember foreign language
did the student have English? Some kind of R/W?
take your time—it’s another language/system give a copy to the registrar to use for entering grades-history information
if course names will change, explain and document—make sure the family understands
Parlez-vous francais?
What if the transcripts are not in English?
let’s look about “barriers” and access to public education
No records? What now?
oral history form—make it, use it and be comfortable with it
it’s a helpful tool and it’s great documentation
“Official” records may not be available—understanding how to give credit where it’s due
ministries of education—national transcripts
establish a deadline with the student and the family—create a tickle system that works in your school counseling department
Apples to Oranges
school calendars may be different combining classes for credit—another reason to have an overview of curriculum
the NAFSA philosophy—a year of education the relationship with “accuracy” and “consistency” in the counselor’s interview
the regime of “exact” and “fair”
What is ?
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
Purposeful teaching of the language necessary for English Learners to understand content
What Sheltered Instruction Isn’t
“Just good teaching” (it’s more than that)pulling LEP students out of class to work with the ESL teachertranslationshaving all LEP students in the same classroom
Helpful Hints
ask questions-consider more than just language
use the available data—they are most relevant
make notes and keep them with the cumulative records—documentation is helpful for future questions
a student/parent signature is a great idea
some teachers love having ELLs students—some are SIOP trained
scheduling is challenging—and it’s much more than just an empty seat
Let’s look at “CULTURE”
What is culture? How does it impact education and schooling?
How can we use culture to enhance our classrooms?
What is our culture? Is there a culture within our schools?
Whole child considerations are KEY!
considering linguistic and cultural diversity is “KEY” in the process of successful ELL student education
language proficiency AND academic background—remember to look at both
scheduling and transcript evaluations are both very important school counseling functions—graduation/promotion requirements are no picnic
trust your experience and your professional skills—you have lots of knowledge—think outside the box
The School Community
ELLs are a heterogeneous group ELLs are full members of the school community
equal access to curriculum and rigor
classrooms with cultural and linguistic diversity are the mainstream
“Every path to a new understanding begins in confusion.”
-- Mason Cooley
Next Steps—what do we do now!?!?
Think about: How will we use this information in our school? Who are the key people to involve? What challenges will we face? school counselors, ESL teachers, content teachers, SIOP teachers,—helping each other keeping in touch is crucial
Resources and References
o www.nafsa.org
o www.wes.orgo www.asca.org
Today’s Objectives
Content Objectives: to provide participants with the various elements
of cultural and linguistic diversity impacting the ELL student education process—building an understanding of the “whole child”
to bridge connections between ESL teacher, content teachers, school counselors, and other stakeholders in the ELL student education process
Language Objectives: to discuss the relationship between cultural and
linguistic diversity and the ELL student education process
to specify the second language acquisition process and its connection to the other aspects of ELL student education
to identify strategies for stakeholder collaboration-the school’s team for ELL student education
Wrap Up—YOU DID IT!!!!
Questions? Comments?
Super Educators are Still Human
it’s ok to ask each other questions
email if you need ANYTHING--I love to help
Thank You and GOOD LUCK!