The CALLA Model: The CALLA Model: Strategies for Strategies for ELL Student SuccessELL Student Success

Anna Uhl ChamotAnna Uhl Chamot

Jill RobbinsJill RobbinsSecond Language Learning Second Language Learning

ConsultantsConsultants

PURPOSE OF CALLAPURPOSE OF CALLA

Focus on learner.Focus on learner. Improve academic language Improve academic language proficiency.proficiency.

Motivate with content topics.Motivate with content topics. Teach learning strategies.Teach learning strategies.

THE COGNITIVE ACADEMIC THE COGNITIVE ACADEMIC LANGUAGE LEARNING LANGUAGE LEARNING APPROACH (CALLA)APPROACH (CALLA)

AUTHENTIC CONTENTAUTHENTIC CONTENT

Aligned to curriculum standards.Aligned to curriculum standards. Interesting school and cultural Interesting school and cultural topics. topics.

Linked to students’ prior Linked to students’ prior experiential and cultural experiential and cultural knowledge.knowledge.

Taught through hands-on/inquiry-Taught through hands-on/inquiry-based/cooperative learning based/cooperative learning tasks.tasks.

ACADEMIC LANGUAGEACADEMIC LANGUAGE

Language development through content Language development through content across all curriculum areas.across all curriculum areas.

Vocabulary and discourse of content Vocabulary and discourse of content subjects and cultural topics. subjects and cultural topics.

Linked to students’ prior linguistic Linked to students’ prior linguistic knowledge.knowledge.

Development of language awareness.Development of language awareness.

LEARNING STRATEGIESLEARNING STRATEGIES

Thoughts and actions that assist learning tasks.

Ways to understand, remember, and recall information.

Ways to practice skills efficiently.

Fargo, NDFargo, ND

Federal Way, WAFederal Way, WA

Houston, TX Houston, TX

CALLA CALLA SitesSites CALLA CALLA SitesSites

Lowell, MALowell, MA

McAllen, TXMcAllen, TX

Mesa, AZMesa, AZ

New York, NY New York, NY

Ogden, UTOgden, UT

Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia, PA

Washington, DCWashington, DC

Alief, TXAlief, TX

Allentown, PAAllentown, PA

Arlington, VAArlington, VA

Bethel, AKBethel, AK

Boston, MABoston, MA

Chula Vista, CAChula Vista, CA

Dearborn, MIDearborn, MI

El Paso, TXEl Paso, TX

What are your own learning What are your own learning strategies?strategies?

Think of a new skill or process you learned in the past month.

How did you learn it? Describe the process to a partner.

Identify one or two learning strategies you used to learn or remember the new skill.

CALLA INSTRUCTIONAL CALLA INSTRUCTIONAL SEQUENCESEQUENCE

Five Recursive Five Recursive PhasesPhases

PREPARATIONPREPARATION

PRESENTATIONPRESENTATION

PRACTICEPRACTICE

SELF-EVALUATIONSELF-EVALUATION

EXPANSIONEXPANSION

CALLA’S FIVE PHASESCALLA’S FIVE PHASES

PREPARATIONPREPARATION

Identify objectives.Identify objectives. Elicit students’ prior Elicit students’ prior knowledge.knowledge.

Develop vocabulary. Develop vocabulary. Provide motivation.Provide motivation.

PRESENTATIONPRESENTATION

Present new information in Present new information in varied ways.varied ways.

Model processes explicitly.Model processes explicitly.. Explain learning strategies. Explain learning strategies. Discuss connections to Discuss connections to students’ prior knowledge.students’ prior knowledge.

PRACTICEPRACTICE

Use hands-on/inquiry-based Use hands-on/inquiry-based activities.activities.

Provide different cooperative Provide different cooperative learning structures.learning structures.

Use authentic content tasks.Use authentic content tasks. Ask students to use learning Ask students to use learning strategies.strategies.

SELF-EVALUATIONSELF-EVALUATION

Students reflect on their Students reflect on their own learning.own learning.

Students evaluate Students evaluate themselves.themselves.

Students assess their own Students assess their own strategy use.strategy use.

EXPANSIONEXPANSION

Students apply information to own lives.

Students make connections between language and content.

Students relate information to first language knowledge.

Parents contribute to learning.

Guide for planning a CALLA Instructional Sequence

Research FindingsResearch Findings The learning process is mentally active The learning process is mentally active and strategic.and strategic.

Learning involves higher level Learning involves higher level thinking, not just memory.thinking, not just memory.

Social context and interaction are Social context and interaction are critical.critical.

Students learn content by relating it Students learn content by relating it to their prior knowledge.to their prior knowledge.

Students learn processes through Students learn processes through integrative practice individually and integrative practice individually and with peers.with peers.

Learning strategies can be taught and Learning strategies can be taught and learned.learned.

WHY TEACH LEARNING WHY TEACH LEARNING STRATEGIES?STRATEGIES?

Show students how to be better learners.

Build students’ self-efficacy. Increase student motivation for learning

Help students become reflective and critical thinkers.

TIPS ON TEACHING TIPS ON TEACHING LEARNING STRATEGIESLEARNING STRATEGIES

Build on students’ current learning strategies.

Demonstrate how to use the learning strategy by modeling.

Give the strategy a name. Provide ample practice opportunities.

Metacognitive Metacognitive StrategiesStrategies

Planning Understand the task

Organize materials

Find resources

Metacognitive Metacognitive StrategiesStrategies

Monitoring While working on a task:

Check your progress on the task.

Check your comprehension as you use the language. Do you understand? If not, what is the problem?

Check your production as you use the language. Are you making sense? If not, what is the problem?

Social Learning Social Learning StrategiesStrategies

Cooperation: work with others to: complete tasks build confidence give and receive feedback

Metacognitive Metacognitive StrategiesStrategies

Evaluation: after completing a task: Assess how well you have accomplished the learning task.

Assess how well you have used learning strategies.

Decide how effective the strategies were.Identify changes you will make the next time you have a similar task to do.

Metacognitive Metacognitive StrategiesStrategies

Self-Management: Manage Your Own Learning Determine how you learn best.

Arrange conditions that help you learn.

Seek opportunities for practice.

Focus your attention on the task.

CALLA Instruction Is...

• Learner-Learner-centeredcentered

• ReflectiveReflective• SupportiveSupportive• FocusedFocused• EnthusiastiEnthusiasticc