Considerations and Practical Implications for Serving Young

Dual Language Learners

2011 National Early Childhood Inclusion InstituteCristina Gillanders, Ph.D, FPG Child Development Institute, University of North Carolina, Chapel HillMichelle Plaisance, MAT,English Language Training Institute, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Limited English proficient? Second language learner? English language learner? Bilingual? Dual language learner?

About the terms we use

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2 to 3 million of children 0-8 in the US are learning English as a second language

One in five children ages 5-17 has a foreign born parent

The representation of DLLs in the US has the highest concentration in early education

Young DLLs come from diverse ethnic backgrounds but the majority are Spanish-speaking, followed by Vietnamese, Hmong, Cantonese, and Korean

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Young Dual Language Learners in the US

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68% of the DLLs in preK-5 grade were in low income families compared to 36% of English-speaking children

Almost 40% of young DLLs have a father who has not graduated from high school compared to 12% of monolingual English-speaking children

Only 30% of DLLs scored at or above the basic level in reading, compared to 71% of non-Hispanics White fourth-grade students

Challenges and Opportunities

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Children from immigrant families are more likely than those from native-born families to live with both parents (84% vs. 76%), to live in homes with four or more siblings (19% vs. 14%) and live with their grandparents (10-20% vs. 5%)

DLLS have the opportunity to become bilingual which has personal, social, economic and cognitive advantages

Challenges and Opportunities

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Developmental characteristics of dual language learners (DLLs).

Socio-cultural factors that influence DLLs’ experiences (e.g., family interactions )

Early education not designed to address the needs of young DLLs.

Considerations

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What do we need to consider when planning an early childhood program serving young dual language learners?

Program characteristics? Curriculum? Instruction? Teacher/Provider characteristics? Home-School Partnerships?

Talk to your partner

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A program that offers high quality early education to DLLs:

Has policies that support first and second language development.

Hires bilingual / bicultural staff. Has teachers who are qualified to work with

bilingual/bicultural children. Offers ongoing professional development and technical

assistance. Uses purposeful communication strategies that take

into account families’ diverse cultures and languages.

Program Characteristics

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A culturally responsive curricula should:

incorporate elements of children’s cultural experiences.

use children’s language and culture as resources for learning!!

Curriculum

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What constitutes the benefit of high quality instruction for monolingual English speakers is equally beneficial for DLLs (Goldenberg, 2006; Shanahan & Beck, 2006).

However…

“High quality instruction …alone would be insufficient to support equal academic success for language minority students.” (August & Shanahan, 2006, p. 448)

Instructional Enhancements

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Strategic use of the home language Separate meta-analyses have found that teaching

literacy skills in the first language is more effective in terms of English reading achievement than immersing children in English (August & Shanahan, 2006; Goldenberg, 2006).

Provides opportunities for rich language and literacy related interactions, and access to academic content.

Facilitates to develop close relationships with teachers.

Instructional Enhancements

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Strategic use of the home language

◦ Explain concepts and ideas

◦ Make connections with children’s background knowledge

◦ Provide instructions

◦ Have conversations with children!

Instructional Enhancements

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Ongoing and frequent assessments that allow teachers to monitor children’s English language acquisition

◦ Assessment of second language acquisition in young dual language learners (AELA)

◦ WIDA/ACCESS for ELLs

Instructional Enhancements

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Make instructional accommodations depending on the stage of second language acquisition

Instructional Enhancements

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Scaffolding for DLLs

Scaffolding

Instructional Enhancements

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Consistent routines Picture walks Gestures, visual clues and props Rhythm and song exercises TPR- Total Physical Response Extended wait time for responses Collaborative learning Frequent checks for understanding Simple, clear, one-step directions

Examples of Classroom Strategies for young DLLs

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Provide intensive oral English language development, especially explicit vocabulary and academic English instruction

Instructional Enhancements

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Requires a combination of direct teaching and learning words in everyday routines

Because they are learning two languages they need purposeful and intentional teaching of words

Essential for reading comprehension

Why vocabulary instruction in DLLs?

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Effective educators of DLLs need to be knowledgeable about:

The structural aspects of language development (e.g., syntax, phonology, etc.) and the development of both first and second language.

The relation between language and culture and its linkage to DLLs’ developmental domains.

Effective instructional practices to promote development and learning in dual language learners;

The role of assessment and how to implement appropriate assessment strategies with dual language learners; and

Educator/Provider knowledge & skills

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Families’ child rearing beliefs and practices may vary across cultures, and will influence the way in which children are socialized.

Educators need to understand families’ expectations and effectively communicate program and educator expectations with regard to children’s learning.

Families are viewed as a valuable resource for children’s learning and development.

Engaging families becomes critical in English-only classrooms, since families can provide first language support that children may not receive at school.

Home-school Partnerships

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What are the strengths and needs of your program in terms of:

Program characteristics Curriculum Instructional enhancements Home-school partnerships

Talk to your partner

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Systematic approach that integrates research based instructional enhancements to support educators in English-only classrooms.

Randomized control, longitudinal study funded by NICHD.

Implemented in California and North Carolina.

Nuestros Niños SchoolReadiness Program

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Principal Investigator:

◦ Dina C. Castro, MPH, Ph.D.

Co-Investigators:

◦ Cristina Gillanders, Ph.D. , Donna Bryant, Ph.D.

◦ Marlene Zepeda, Ph.D. – California State University at Los Angeles.

Project Director:

◦ Ximena Franco, Ph.D.

Statistician/Methodologists:

◦ Margaret Burchinal, Ph.D.

◦ Michael Willoughby, Ph.D.

Recruitment & Data Collection Coordinator:

o Adis Liy, M.S

Graduate Students:

◦ Lucia Mendez, M.S., CCC-SLP

◦ Sandra Garcia, M.S.

Research Team

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Components:InstitutesConsultationProfessional learning communities

Delivered through an intensive year of PD and a second year of follow up activities

The Nuestros Niños Professional Development

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Nuestros Niños Instructional Framework

Classroom Wide Strategies

Oral LanguageReadingWritingMath

Phonological Awareness and Writing

Vocabulary

Math

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Strategies to promote language

development in young

dual language learners

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How can I ensure that the DLLs can understand the reading aloud session?

What new words or phrases do I want the children to learn?

How will I ensure that the children can actively participate in the reading aloud session?

Strategies for Reading Aloud

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Preschools give DLLs a chance!

◦ Students entering the K-5 setting as newcomers to the U.S. school system spend months acclimating while their peers continue to move forward.

◦ Children typically require approximately 2 years to acquire conversational English skills (Cummins, 1980)

◦ Demands on Kindergarteners are greater than what is reflected in the SCOS

Growing up: DLLs in early elementary

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Preschools give DLLs a chance…

◦ Assessment begins on the first day- all Kindergarten assessments are language-demanding

◦ Students with a preschool background are more confident and forge successful social relationships more readily than those without

◦ Families understand the system!!

Growing up: DLLs in early elementary

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Unique challenges to DLLs in the early elementary years

◦ Most mainstream teachers have not had adequate training in meeting the linguistic needs of DLLs.

◦ Academic language is entirely different than the social language children bring to the school setting- teachers are fooled into thinking that the child is a fluent bilingual when they still have years of development ahead of them

Growing up: DLLs in early elementary

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Unique challenges to DLLs in the early elementary years

◦ School expectation that parents “help” in the acquisition of English literacy skills- many parents are not English-speaking

◦ Cultural adjustments- students often exhibit signs of culture shock in the first months of Kindergarten, causing the child to exhibit behavior that is deemed inappropriate in a K-5 setting

Growing up: DLLs in early elementary

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Family Connections

◦ The #1 thing that a preschool program can do is create a strong partnership with the families of DLLs- setting a precedent for future school years.

◦ Encourage parents to bring their “funds of knowledge” (Moll, 1992) to the relationship, working together in the best interest of the child.

Growing up: DLLs in early elementary

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Family Connections

◦ Parents must feel that it is their right and responsibility to advocate for their child in the K-5 setting

Continue literacy development in the first language Resist remediation Resist special education referrals Resist retention

Growing up: DLLs in early elementary

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Consider the idea that the development of a model school-family partnership might be as important for your DLLs as the academic instruction you are providing.

◦ What deliberate strategies is your program enacting to cultivate these relationships?

◦ What successes have you had?◦ Where can you improve?◦ What supports do you have in place to support the smooth

transition from a preschool to a K-5 setting?

Talk to your partner

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Nuestros Niños Program: Promoting School Readiness for Dual Language Learners

http://nnrp.fpg.unc.edu/

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