Strategies for Working with Multilingual Students

Strategies for Working with Multilingual Students & English Learners

Across the Curriculum

Mark Roberge Associate Professor of English San Francisco State University

roberge@sfsu.edu

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NECESSITY OF A COLLEGE-BOUND PATH

Multigenerational path of economic mobility

First generation

Second generation

Third generation

Labor

Minimal language and

literacy requirements

Skilled

Language intensive

Not literacy intensive

Professional

Language intensive

Literacy intensive

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NECESSITY OF A COLLEGE-BOUND PATH

The Hourglass Economy

First generation

Second generation

Third generation

Labor

Minimal language and

literacy requirements

Skilled

Language intensive

Not literacy intensive

Professional

Language intensive

Literacy intensive

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Standard Community Dialect Dialect

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Learner-like English

6

STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Juan 1 Juan 2

Standard Dialect

Community Dialect

Juan 3 Juan 4

Learner-like English

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Juan 1 “Mainstream” native speaker

Juan 2 Chicano English speaker

Standard Dialect

Community Dialect

Juan 3 Late arrival immigrant

Juan 4 Early arrival immigrant

Learner-like English

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Juan 1: “Mainstream” native speaker Born here or arrived before “critical period” Exposure to “standard English” speakers Probably bilingual But may have forgotten Spanish Standard Community

Dialect Dialect

Learner-like English

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Juan 1: Probably a strong reader Robust oral proficiency > faster uptake Standard dialect > familiarity w/the language of school texts May be aided by bi-literacy Standard Community

Dialect Dialect

Learner-like English

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Juan 2: Chicano English speaker U.S.-born English monolingual; doesn’t speak Spanish Language features look like ESL but aren’t

Standard Community Dialect Dialect

Learner-like English

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Juan 2: Possibly a much weaker reader ESL misdiagnosis Remedial placement / unchallenging tasks Disconnect between English of home/school Stronger language ego defenses

Standard Community Dialect Dialect

Learner-like English

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Standard Community Dialect Dialect

Juan 3: Late arrival immigrant Came from Mexico City at age 16 Lacks oral fluency Non-idiomatic English Non-colloquial English Highly variable ESL errors

Learner-like English

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Standard Community Dialect Dialect

Juan 3: Strong first language reader Can transfer reading strategies to English Needs vocabulary, idioms, some syntax Needs to improve speed Potentially a strong English reader

Learner-like English

14

STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Standard Community Dialect Dialect

Juan 4: Early arrival immigrant Sometimes called “Generation 1.5” Began learning English after critical period Fluent Mixture of ESL and dialect features

Learner-like English

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STUDENT LANGUAGE

Native-like English

Standard Community Dialect Dialect

Juan 4: Possibly a very weak reader No L1 literacy > delayed English literacy Similar difficulties to Chicano English speaker Doesn’t get ESL instruction because of length of residency

Learner-like English