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Effective Strategies for Effective Strategies for Developing Academic Developing Academic English: English: A Study of Classroom A Study of Classroom PracticesPractices
Shanan Fitts, PhD, Appalachian State University
Erica Bowers, EdD, University of California, Fullerton
SE TESOL 2009
Atlanta, GA
2
Rationale for StudyRationale for Study Increased testing mandates for ELLsEnglish learners struggle with text-level
comprehension (August & Shanahan, 2006)Long-term English learners (Freeman &
Freeman, 2009)Teachers of English language learners report
feeling ill-prepared (Coley & Coleman, 2004). Increased focus on the concept of academic
English in PD and instructional programsTeaching advanced literacy is complicated
(Fillmore & Snow, 2000)
Purpose of StudyPurpose of StudyObserve upper elementary teachers to see what strategies they used to build their students’ proficiency in academic English
Observe classes with high percentages of ELLs
Research QuestionsResearch QuestionsWhat kinds of classroom teaching
practices are upper elementary teachers using to help students develop advanced proficiency with comprehending and using academic English?◦Which kinds of strategies do teachers report to
be effective?
◦Are these reported strategies observed in the classroom?
◦Which strategies appeared to be effectively implemented?
◦Of those strategies observed, which needed further practice, explanation, or development?
Academic LiteracyAcademic Literacy
Students must be able to develop:
Vocabulary SyntaxDiscourse
genres & Registers
Identities
(Bailey, 2007; Gee, 1996; Gottlieb, 2006)
Large urban school district in Large urban school district in Southern CASouthern CAClassrooms leveled according to
student test performance◦4- Excel or Enriched◦1- Literacy◦3- no special designation
All had students identified as ELL “Normal” & Literacy classrooms
higher % of ELLs at beginning & intermediate levels
Teacher SelectionTeacher SelectionOriginal pool of 108 survey
participants
28 teachers consented to participate observations
8 agreed to observations
Teacher SelectionTeacher Selection
High Self-Report on Survey of Strategies Used
=> 3.0/4.0
Low Self-Report on Survey of Strategies Used
=<3.0/4.0
High Test Scores (=>65% proficient or advanced on CST in ELA)
1 4
Lower Test Scores(=<49% proficient or advanced on CST in ELA)
1 2
Overview of the PDOverview of the PDYear 4 of district PD for Language Arts
(SB 1066)A Focused Approach (Dutro& Moran, 2003;
EL Achieve)
◦Form & Function
◦Brick words– topic specific
◦Mortar words– grammatical forms & general vocabulary
◦Use of sentence stems
◦Frontloading (preteaching)
◦Opportunities for sts to practice language
Overview of the Classroom Overview of the Classroom ObservationsObservations
Researcher-developed protocolTwo researchers observed each
lesson4-6 lessons observed in each roomFour broad areas:
◦Schema building
◦Comprehensible input
◦Explicit Teaching of Concepts and Skills
◦Providing Opportunities for Practice
Overview of the Classroom Overview of the Classroom ObservationsObservations
0-3 Rating scale◦0 = Not Observed◦1= Shows ineffective implementation;
limited understanding of strategies. Done w/out considering sts needs
◦2= Partial implementation. Meeting some sts. needs & trying to take some sts. needs/prior knowledge into consideration
◦3= Effective implementation of strategy. Meets the needs of the student.
A Portrait of an Effective A Portrait of an Effective TeacherTeacher
Higher level of student engagement
Higher teacher engagement
DifferentiationApplying strategies
thoughtfullyResponding to needs
of stsAware of strengths &
weaknessesLook to teaching not
blaming sts
Findings for each areaFindings for each area
Effective Schema BuildingEffective Schema BuildingActivate prior knowledge
(student’s personal experiences)
Link past to prior content learning
Use of graphic organizers or semantic webs to assess & elicit prior knowledge
Preview or teaching vocabulary
T: ….what kind of map is this?SS: Bridge map.T: the line on this bridge map is going to represent
“means.” Where have you heard ped or pod before? Hands down, I want to give you time to think. (2 sec) Okay share with your table.
SS: i-podT: not a brand name (T uses selector spinner on overhead to select students
from tables to share.)St: pedicure. (T writes on the circle map and asks st what the word
means). (Other sts offer words and informal definitions.)T: okay we have lots of words that have ped in them
(names words and underlines the ped part of the word). I want you to think on your own—what do all of these words have in common (no wait time for thinking here) talk to your table.
St—they all have ped.T: we already know that they all have ped—I want you
to think about the meaning of the words. What do all of the meanings have in common?
Effective Comprehensive Effective Comprehensive InputInputEmphasizes distinctive features of new
conceptsProvides examples and/or non-
examples to illustrate new skills/concepts/strategies
Breaks down skills /strategies/concepts into smaller/simpler components
Provides clear input about the concept or content
Clarifies instructionsWait timeLeveled questions or tasks
Comprehensible InputComprehensible InputTeachers emphasize key
concepts & vocab◦Repetition◦Choral response◦Visuals
Teachers are animated:◦Gestures, expression, engaged
teachingTeachers chunk & scaffold:
◦Reading around the room
Comprehensible Input
http://www.sikhspectrum.com/092002/images/gold_panning.jpg
Clarifies InstructionsWhat tools will we be using? (the
pick and the shovel)Wrote the different mining
techniques that they had discussed on the board
Rephrases to clarify: What is the same about those pictures? What is one similarity?
Emphasizes distinct features of concepts and provides examples
Used hands-on activity to emphasize some of the difficulties encountered in gold mining
Used visuals to teach about mining techniques and about gold.
Has visuals on the PP and hands out visuals for each method of mining
“Are the pictures I just passed out modern or from 1848?—what’s different about this picture?”
Used choral repetition to emphasize some key vocab and concepts. For example, “everyone say ore. That’s a noun; it’s not the same as “o-r”
“You swirl it around in the water and then what did we say, is gold heavier or lighter than the water?” SS: “Heavier!”
Key words and idea are underlined or in italics in the PowerPoint.
Explicit TeachingExplicit TeachingModels processes and skills,
strategies, or concepts
Strategy Instruction
Use of Expository Text
Instruct academic language
Explicitly teaches vocabulary
Writing Leveled Questions Writing Leveled Questions to Prepare for a Socratic to Prepare for a Socratic SeminarSeminar
Critical Thinking Question Critical Thinking Question StemsStemsHow did ____ feel about ____?What was ______ probably like?How is _____ different from ____?Why couldn’t ____ do ________?Why did _______ do ________?Why was ______________?How did ____________?What caused the __________ to ______?What will ____ do next?What probably would have happened
if __________?
Modeling with the TitanicModeling with the Titanic“I have these stems that are gonna help me. A
good idea is to find a fact and go from there. Here’s an interesting fact: The Titanic was thought to be the world’s first unsinkable ship. I’m gonna go with this first stem. How did the passengers feel about being on an unsinkable ship?”
(Sts. discuss this question with tables and with the class).
“Okay, so first I’m going to find an interesting fact; something that makes me think. Here’s one (T underlines the fact on the overhead)—the fact that only 700 people got on life boats, but the life boats were suppose to be for 1178 people—that makes me think… that makes me confused… so I’m gonna ask: “what caused the boat to carry only 700 people”
Opportunities for PracticeOpportunities for PracticeStudents orally elaborate concepts
Variety of grouping strategies
Students use content language
Teachers integrate more than one language skill
Writing in content areas
Students practice academic language
Students are given time to Students are given time to explain their ideasexplain their ideas
Lesson on colonial America:Ss had opportunities to tell something
they learned about life in colonial times during the previous day’s activity.
“Scholars, if I didn’t call on you, please turn to your neighbor and tell them what you were going to say.”
e.g.S: traveling wasn’t for fun in colonial
times. T: what do you mean? S: well they didn’t go on vacations or
cruises. T: so when they traveled it was because
they had to and not for fun. Good point.
Opportunities for PracticeOpportunities for PracticeHalf of the teachers we observed
provided very few structured opportunities for students to practice and apply academic language
Summary of findingsSummary of findingsTeachers that rated higher…
Teachers that rated lower…
Used graphic organizers effectively
Used some graphic organizers, but with a lot of teacher talk
Used leveled questions & sentence stems
Used explicit teaching but also allowed for student construction of knowledge
Followed scripted curriculum; not always aware of Ss needs, interest, or level of comprehension.
Used a variety of grouping strategies to scaffold student participation
Relied mostly on whole class teaching with less structured use of grouping strategies
Gave students opportunities to elaborate or clarify ideas and oral output
Used I-R-E which allowed for shorter responses from students
Limitations of current Limitations of current studystudyLimited number of observations
in each teacher’s classAll observations conducted at
end of the year within one monthUnable to collect detailed data on
student outputUsing CST scores to measure
efficacy of teacher when classes are leveled
ConclusionConclusionAll teachers were using strategies learned in
PD◦ Some following script◦ Others incorporating these into their approach
and responding to Ss needsEach area reinforces the othersConnecting theory to practice:
◦ Some teachers seemed to understand why particular strategies were important and were able to communicate that to students
◦ Variation in teachers’ ability to incorporate and apply strategies
Teachers applied GATE trainingLimitations of scripted curriculaWhat is our definition of effective?
◦ Is effective just a matter of getting the S achievement on standardized tests?
32
ReferencesReferencesAugust, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.) (2006). Developing literacy in second-
language learners: Report of the national literacy panel on language-minority children and youth. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Bailey, A. L. (Ed.). (2007). The language demands of school: Putting academic English to the test. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Coley, R. J. & Coleman, A. B. (2004). The fourth-grade reading classroom: Policy information report . Princeton, NJ; Educational Testing Service. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 485193)
Dutro, S. & Moran, C. (2003) Rethinking English language instruction: An architectural approach. In G. Garcia (Ed.), English language learners: Reaching the highest level of English literacy. Newark: IRA.
E. L. Achieve. (n.d.). Focused approach - Overview presentation. Retrieved July 29, 2009, from http://www.elachieve.org/
Freeman, D. E., & Freeman, Y. S. (2009). Academic language for English language learners and struggling readers: How to help students succeed across the content areas.
Gee, J. P. (1996). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses (2nd ed.). London: Taylor & Francis.
Gottlieb, M. (2006). Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges from language proficiency to academic achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Marzano, R. J. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement. Alexandria,VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
