Letting go of the doorknob

I was going to title this section "Chapter 2", but I think I am way beyond a second chapter. It has been almost a year since my last post, however, I believe I have a good reason. Allow me to explain...

In May of last year, after much deliberation, I decided that it was time to retire from teaching. I had officially passed my 30-year mark and leadership in our district was changing... again.

As coordinator, I had a wonderful working relationship with our administrative staff. Our ELD program had made great gains with their support and things were finally falling into place and working well.  The EL population within our district continued to steadily increase. The student to teacher ratio was up to 60+ to one in almost every building. Our superintendent and I had discussed this and I was assured that this year we would be allowed to hire additional staff.

My ELD Specialists were stretched thin but they were doing great things for our district. We were also fortunate to have several teachers who were completing their ESOL certification through a grant at a local college. These were teachers who expressed interest and were nominated by me for the program. I was confident these willing participants would enhance our district's program.

I decided it was time to approach the new leadership. I took my time, gathered my data, and felt confident that my plan for adding one additional ELD Specialist and utilizing the newly certified teachers was the best scenario for our district. I presented my plan to the new superintendent. He said he was very impressed. He appreciated my thoughtful planning and promised that he would do all he could to follow through with it and would definitely see that we hired at least one additional teacher to meet the needs of our growing population. This new leader also shared that he was pleased with all the work I had done as ELD Coordinator and that he wanted me to continue in that role possibly making it my sole position in the district. We collaborated on a new plan that would allow me to oversee ELD training, curriculum, paperwork, newcomer enrollment and placement, translation and interpretation services, and any other ELD related issues... If that were what happened, I would probably have stayed working in the district a few years more. God apparently had other plans in the works.

A few weeks passed and I had heard nothing of moving forward with my proposal. As this was the prime hiring season, we needed to move quickly to interview the best candidates. I called and emailed asking for an update with no response. I contacted our human resources coordinator who also had not gotten any information regarding hiring or my position for the coming year.

The next week the HR coordinator had an opportunity to speak with the superintendent who then shared with her that he had decided to make some changes to our ELD department. I was to now share the responsibility of coordinator with a teacher that was newly hired from a neighboring district. I would continue to follow my current schedule. His thoughts were that this would lighten my load. We would also not be going to hire an additional teacher (as was promised) and would make do with our current staff. There was no discussion. I was never contacted.

The following week, I was approached by someone outside our district who asked if I would be interested in applying for a position at the state level. Our current state ELD Director was leaving to take a position that would allow him more time with his young family. It felt that this progression of events was a message that it was time for me to make a change. Funny, that same week I had read in my devotional study that God cannot open doors if you keep your hand on the doorknob. So, I let go. This was the point that, after careful consideration, I decided that it was time to retire from teaching. I applied for and was hired for the state position.  I felt bad for my colleagues in the district but felt this was what I was led to do.

The transition has been so very smooth. It is as if this is where I have belonged all along. There are still days where I question whether I am worthy of the position, but don't we all have those days? I truly feel blessed to have the honor to serve in this capacity and to really make a difference. I learn so much each week. I gain confidence and direction with each accomplished task.

I am happy I let go of that doorknob.

Modifying Instruction for ELs: Chunking

Have you heard of chunking?

Chunking involves instruction being intentionally paced to deliver one idea at a time or one step at a time. The term was first used in 1956 by George A. Miller at Harvard in studies on memorizing codes and musical tones.  Miller found that people could only hold - or chunk - five to nine bits of information in their short-term memories.

In order to increase memory and be able to use more than 5-9 bits of code, letters, words, etc., we "recode" or combine small chunks into larger chunks.  Other researchers have said four bits is all we can store.

There is some evidence the seven-digit phone number was introduced because of this research.  Think about it: Are those phone numbers really seven digits, or are the chunks of three and four digits, now three-three-four with area codes?

Recent research says there is no magic number, rather the ability to hold chunks in short-term memory depends on many factors, especially when it comes to language. Some of these factors include the complexity of the words, whether the person knows the words, and how long it takes for the person to speak the word.  This implies that the more knowledge of language we have, the larger the size of chunks we can hold in short-term memory.

What does this mean for ELs?

There are several studies that have shown that the more academic fluency a person has in their first language, the quicker they will be able to transfer those skills to a new language.

Even with the differing views, this research indicates that chunking is a natural process of building short- and long-term memory.  Therefore, it makes sense to use it intentionally as a tool in education to help students build understanding.

Throughout most of their day at school, ELs need to process new information and language at the same time.  They are constantly trying to match vocabulary, syntax, and register with the content they are learning.

I like this image from Empowering ELLs.com.

  

The pizza example in the graphic is great.  When eating pizza you wouldn't put the whole pizza in your mouth at once. That would be overwhelming and unmanageable.  You could choke!  Instead, we take small bites from one slice which are carefully chewed and swallowed until the portion is eaten.

Our ELs need to learn in a similar manner. If we give the student too much information at once they will become overwhelmed and are likely to "choke" or shut down. This is especially true for newcomers who become easily overwhelmed. So, we need to chunk the information, text, task, and instructions... into smaller more manageable pieces.

How do you chunk information?

Some recommendations for chunking information for ELs include:

• Provide ELs with an overview of key concepts and key vocabulary (defined and used in context).
• Add images to represent an idea.
• Provide text that is accessible to ELs and focuses on the main concepts. Break the text into smaller pieces for the students. For newcomers, make sure your chunks don't have more than one important piece of information per section. Be sure the text is comprehensible for their level of proficiency. Google Slides is a great tool to use for this. 
• Avoid giving a lengthy list of directions all at once. ELs will be much more successful at following the directions when they are chunked into smaller segments. When possible give directions both orally and in writing.  It might also help students to have a visual for the directions.  I created a desk plate for students that had common and frequently used directions accompanied by an illustration.
• Use technology to chunk information by providing ELs with opportunities to synthesize information before going on to the next concept. Some great tools for this include Padlet, Buncee, Adobe Spark, Google Draw, EdPuzzle, and Quizlet.
• At the end of a lesson, review key concepts and ask ELs to summarize the information in 1-2 sentences. Use the summary as an exit slip for the day. A great strategy for this is Somebody Wanted But So. This is also a great time to bring in oral language.  You could incorporate technology by having students complete a FlipGrid to give an oral response.
• Review the exit slips to assess for understanding and to identify areas of struggle/re-teaching needs.
• Provide ongoing formative assessments throughout the lesson to ensure ELs comprehend the material before moving on.
• Prior to introducing a new concept, review the previous material and show how it connects to the new material. Each time the material is reviewed, ELs have additional reinforcement of the material, which furthers comprehension.
• Use Academic Conversation and/or writing from questions with frames.  After the input phase, the partners discuss what they read with academic language frames and skills. They are directed to use specific language frames that build the explicit vocabulary and academic language connected to the content. Frames can be designed to help students express the content ideas and learn specific language skills, or in the best case, both at the same time.
  
  

Chunking takes time.

All this chunking will extend the time it takes to complete the lesson. Pacing is a constant and real concern. The question is, do you want your students to deeply understand key points of the lesson knowing that you might have to forfeit some details, or can you live with them missing vast pieces that went by way too fast? It takes time when you are learning both language and content.  If you go to fast, you sacrifice understanding.

The size and placement of the chunk depends on the age and language ability of the student. Studies suggest that with fluent students, you should consider their age and give no more than that many minutes of input before taking a break, capping at about 10 minutes no matter the age.  This even applies to adults.  Shorten that as needed for ELs at lower levels of acquisition and support the input with visuals and movement. This means that for a five-year-old EL student you should stop every 3 to 5 minutes to check for understanding or demonstrate the learning. For a 16-year-old high school student, you will need to stop every 8-10 minutes.

Consider the key points of content where clarification or conversation almost starts by itself.  What is the sweet spot between just enough input to talk or write about, but not so much that the key details are getting lost?  Identify the key plot points for fiction or information points for nonfiction that contribute to the main ideas of the text or lesson.  Plan a chunk break at each key point.

A teacher doesn't have to be an EL specialist to create instruction that is EL friendly. These strategies may seem like they take up valuable class time, but we're trying to go slow to go fast. The strategies really divert class time from teacher talk to student engagement.  As the ELs engage with content, they internalize it. When students internalize they are truly learning with understanding. That learning will transfer over to other content.

English Language Learners and Math

 Many teachers mistakenly believe that "math is a universal language" or that "everyone understands numbers".  When it comes to English Language Learners (ELL's), math can be very confusing. Math may be just as tricky for ELLs as science, social studies, and any other language-based subject.

Consider these points when working with ELLs in your classroom:

• A Newcomer coming to your classroom from another country may not have the same basic mathematical knowledge you expect your students to have. Just as standards and objectives vary from state to state, they can vary even more from country to country. You cannot and should not expect a student to just join in where you are.
• Some countries use different symbols to signify basic operations. Because of this, the flow of the problem may look different to them when working a problem.

          

Symbol	What it is	How it is read	How it is used	Sample expression	Some countries where this symbol is used
+	Addition sign	... plus... ... add... The total of... and...	Sum of values	3 + 5 = 8	Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia Russia, Ukraine, Poland and other countries
-	Subtraction sign Minus sign	... subtract... ... take away... The difference between... and ... Negative...	Subtraction, taking one value away from another, difference between two values	3 - 5 = -2	Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia Russia, Ukraine, Poland and other countries
x	Multiplication sign	... multiplied by... ... groups of... ... times...	Product of two values	3 x 5 = 15	Poland and other countries
.	Multiplication sign	... multiplied by... ... groups of... ... times...	Product of two values	3 . 5 = 15	Argentina and other South American countries, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia Russia, Ukraine, Poland and other countries
÷	Division sign	... divided by... What is... shared between...? How many groups of... are there in...?	Division	3 ÷ 4 = 0.75	Demark
/	Slash	... divided by... What is... shared between...? How many groups of... are there in...? ... over...	Division	3 / 4 = 0.75	Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia Russia, Ukraine, Poland and other countries
:	Colon, ratio sign	... divided by... What is... shared between...? How many groups of... are there in...? ... to...	Division Ratio	3 : 4 = 0.75 2 : 4 = 20 : 40	Norway, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia Russia, Ukraine, Poland and other countries
,	Decimal sign	... point...	Separating whole numbers from decimal points	7,3 + 3,3 = 10,6	Europe: Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia Russia, Ukraine, Poland and other countries

     

• In some countries, they use commas where we use decimals, and decimals where we use commas. For example: In the US the number three thousand would be written 3,000 and in other countries, it is written 3.000.  In the US, the number three and two tenths would be written 3.2 in other countries it is written 3,2.

What does this mean for the math teacher with ELLs in their classroom?

    One of the best tips I can give teachers is to allow every student an opportunity to speak and ask questions in every lesson. We have schedules to keep and lessons to teach, however, we have to resist calling on only those students who eagerly raise their hands. We need to try to call on as many students as possible each day and expect an answer.  Don't let students "off the hook" if they don't have an answer. Tell them you will come back to them. Call on another student and if they give the correct answer have the first student repeat it. If you end up giving the correct answer, have all students repeat it. The use of think-pair-share strategies and cooperative group activities also allows each student to talk about the topic (Coggins, et. al., 2007, p. 11).

    Check out this video on Teaching Channel: Second Set Partner: A Turn and Talk Strategy

    Treat the vocabulary used in math class in the same manner you do in ELA and other courses. According to Coggins, et al (2007) we must first activate prior knowledge about the concept behind the vocabulary, then allow students to experience the concept, and finally discuss the concept using informal language. Once they have an understanding of the concept, the formal language can be taught. Coggins also suggests that we not teach keywords or phrases in word problems. Instead, focus attention on the actions and mathematical concepts within the word problem.

    Provide problem-solving opportunities. Problem-solving is more than following one or two-step directions, it is figuring out what to do when you don't know what to do. True problem-solving requires the students to seek help from classmates in addition to thinking critically. This benefits language and mathematical learning. For students with very limited language, providing sentence frames for discussion allows them an opportunity to share their knowledge and ideas.

    Provide students with the support (scaffolding) they need without reducing the complexity of the problem or telling them exactly how to solve it. Begin by activating a student's prior knowledge on a topic and relating it to something they know in the "real world". Scaffolds include visuals, tactile and auditory aids as well as cooperative groups and pair work. For example, a student may know what a penny is but not know the word. By working with a partner, the student can discuss, ask questions and practice the language while solidifying the concept with hands-on materials (Coggins, et. al., 2007).

    Using concrete objects can help the student focus on content and vocabulary at the same time. For example, using counters or blocks to show "hundreds" gives the idea meaning through visual and tactile experience. Allowing students to draw pictures to solve a problem can be equally effective if manipulatives are not available.

Coggins, D., Carroll, M., Coates, G. (2007). English Language Learners in the Mathematics Classroom. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press.

Did you know that you can use Google Slides to create flashcards?  Did you know that there is a tool that allows you to randomize the flashcards you make?

There is and you can!

I attended a technology conference a few years ago where I was introduced to Google Slides and a few of the things you can do with it... like flashcards. Well, Julie Smith at The Techie Teacher, just shared a way to make those flashcards even better.  (If you don't follow her blog you should.)  This month she shared how to use an add-on to make your flashcards even better.  Of course, I had to try it out!

Here is a simple set of farm animal flashcards I created for my students. Below are the steps I followed to create them.

First, you will use Google Slides to create your flashcards- one card per slide.  Mine are for vocabulary practice, but you could do math facts, sight words practice... whatever you would use flashcards for.  I like to make my flashcards a bit smaller, so I click on file - page set-up and set the screen size to standard 4:3.

Now the fun stuff, if you want to be able to have your flashcards randomize each time you use them, you will need to install the Slides Randomizer Add-On.  Click HERE to get the add-on. After you have it installed, you will find it under the Add-ons menu on your slides deck as shown in the video below.

Click Randomize Presentation and then you will be asked whether you want to keep Slide 1 as a title slide- say yes if you have a title page for your set of cards. If your deck consist of just flashcards, you can click no. After clicking, your slides will automatically change order. Pretty cool right!? 

What if you want to provide feedback and supply the answer after each card?  You can do that too! You just add a text box and animation to each slide. You type your answer in the text box.  Next, click on the text box and then Insert from the menu bar and then select Animation. You will want to choose an animation that causes the text box to move into the presentation when the slide is clicked. You will also want to keep On Click selected. The text box should now appear when the user clicks on the slide in presentation mode. 

Randomizer only works on computers.  If you want to randomize the view for users on an iPad or another device, you will have to randomize the file on a computer for them.  Once you do, it will automatically update on their device.

Jeran Ott has created an example to get you started here.

Have fun and feel free to share any creations you make with me!  I'd love to see how you use this tool.

Modifying Instruction for Newcomers: Scaffolds and Supports

What is scaffolding and support?

Scaffolds and supports are strategies used by the teacher or tools that are provided to the learner. These tools and strategies enable language learners to access the content, understand input, and communicate knowledge despite a lack of language proficiency.

Doesn't scaffolding make it too easy? 
What if they don't need it?

Scaffolds are essential to newcomers! As newcomers gain proficiency, you can easily remove scaffolds and supports they no longer need and allow them to function more independently. Scaffolds can also be adjusted to support students in reaching beyond their current level of proficiency.

What is needed to access language and content will vary from student to student and is based on the student's level of proficiency. When looking at the student's proficiency levels, it is important to look at each domain rather than only the overall score. Students may need more assistance in one language domain than in another.

Scaffolds should be appropriate for proficiency levels.

For our newcomer students, we are providing very simple input with simple sentences, common phrases, and basic words and expressions. Our expectations for production should be based on learned words and phrases, small chunks of language, and basic vocabulary usage. This is what we need to be scaffolding students toward, so the strategies we use should be geared toward the level of language proficiency.

What kind of scaffolds and supports should I use?

Every student is unique and what works for one may not work for another. I have heard it said that working with ELs just requires good teaching strategies. Research shows that while the strategies that work for all students sometimes help ELs, the strategies that help ELs will benefit all students. 

Since we are a WIDA state, when introducing teachers to scaffolds and supports, I point out the three types identified by WIDA: Graphic, Sensory, and Interactive. WIDA also offers a list of possible supports divided by content area.  Again, this list is not exhaustive.

Here are some of my favorite scaffolds and supports for newcomer students, all of which are pretty easy to begin implementing:

Personal Word Walls: Personal word walls are excellent for your ELs. They can fill it with words they need and take it with them from class to class. For each new word they can include a picture and even the word in their own language. They can even use Read & Write for Google or an extension called Picto4me to created personalized visual word walls.

Word Banks: Word banks are one of the easiest tools you can include for your ELs, especially on tasks they are expected to produce language. For newcomers, perhaps on of the most difficult things is often remembering the vocabulary they need to express an idea or demonstrate knowledge. Word banks for ELs should include words they already learned and are relevant to the topic.

Classroom Word Walls: You may already have a word wall, but are you using it to its full potential? Classroom word walls can be an excellent scaffold for newcomers when used effectively. They should be visible, interactive and relevant.

Sentence Frames: Sentence frames can really help students at all levels, but they are particularly effective for newcomers who have little to no understanding of the structure of the English language. They may have the mathematical ability or the scientific knowledge to answer a question, but they don't have the language to communicate their answer. Use sentence frames to review and model sentences so that students know how to use them effectively. After a few days of using the frames in speaking and writing, you can usually remove them.

Visuals: The use of visuals is more to provide support for your newcomers as he or she is processing input. If the student can associate a word or phrase with a visual image then they are more likely to understand and acquire the word into their own language bank. You can create class picture cards using images from a Google search, insert images into a powerpoint, add images to your word wall. Picture dictionaries are also very helpful.

Technology: Technology is a great way to help your EL acquire English. I recommend no more than 30 minutes of solo computer time per day for ELs. It is really important that they participate in whole group activities and interact with peers during class time. 

• Learning Chocolate - helps students practice vocabulary using all four language domains. 
• Quizlet - Practices vocabulary with visuals and audio. 
• Read & Write for Chrome 
• Rewordify: a tool that simplifies language in a text. 

My number one guide for scaffold and support are the Go To Strategies for ELs found here.

I hope these tools help you as you modify instruction for your ELs.  Check out the next post on Comprehensible Input to learn more on how to modify instruction for your ELs.

Modifying Instruction for ELs

One of the most difficult tasks for mainstream and ELD teachers is receiving a newcomer student who doesn't speak any English at all. How do we include these students in daily learning activities? How do we ensure that their day is spent in meaningful learning activities? How do we help the student acquire English? It is possible to provide instruction that allows your newcomer to not only participate but also to learn.

What is a newcomer?

In this blog, newcomers will refer to students who have a very low level of proficiency in English.  Our state uses the WIDA screener and ACCESS test to determine proficiency on a scale of 1 to 6.  Newcomers generally enter our schools with a score of 2.0 or below, though it is possible that they have had previous English instruction and higher proficiency levels.  Every student is unique. We used to identify these students as those who were new to the country and new to English, however, many of the newcomers in our schools today are second-generation language learners born in the United States.

One of the most important first steps is determining the student's previous educational background. This can help you plan the most effective instruction possible. Upon enrollment, families are required to complete a language usage survey which answer such questions as:

• When did the student first attend school?
• How many years of schooling has the student had?
• Have there been any periods (other than holidays) when the student did not attend school?
• Is the child a refugee or suffered trauma prior to coming to the US?
• Is the student literate in their home language?
• What is the student's home language?
• Has the student ever been diagnosed with a learning disability?

Knowing these answers will help you better understand the needs of the student and where they may struggle socially and academically. In addition, Missouri requires schools to maintain records (an IAP) for every student to document demographics, proficiency levels, accommodations, and goals for every identified English language learner.

Once we understand the student's background, we can begin to look at the instructions we provide. So, if newcomers possess a proficiency below a 2.0 what does that mean? What are these students realistically able to process and produce at this level? 

In order for instruction to be appropriate for students at this level of proficiency, we need to modify the input we provide to students so that it is comprehensible, and we need to modify our expectations for student expression. As you can see, for our newcomer students that means providing very simple input with simple sentences, common phrases, and basic words and expressions. Our expectations regarding production should be based on learned words and phrases, small chunks of language, and basic vocabulary usage.

When working with newcomers I recommend keeping it simple and modifying instruction in 7 basic ways:

1. scaffolds and supports
2. comprehensible input
3. chunking
4. alternative response and assessment
5. extended time
6. modeling
7. environment

See my next post to learn more about scaffolds and supports.

Modifying Instruction for Newcomers: Comprehensible Input

What is Comprehensible Input?

Stephen Krashan introduced the concept of comprehensible input in the early 1980's. Krashen's hypothesis states that ELs learn and acquire language when they receive input (oral or written) that is only slightly about their current level (i+1). This means that the oral and written input we provide students should be mostly understandable, with only a few words or structures that are unknown or new to the students. Students will be able to understand the message and learn additional language in the process. 

At the newcomer level, comprehensible input is made up of short, simple sentences with known or learned words and phrases, with a few new words or language structures, added to get the +1 in the i+1.

The following video is an excellent example of how a teacher can take unknown information and make content comprehensible in the target language for ANY language learner.

Why is comprehensible input important?

This example demonstrates how much a newcomer might be able to understand if attention is not given to making input comprehensible. As you can see, the student is only understanding high-frequency words, some numbers, and some articles and common prepositions. Is the newcomer in this scenario able to learn the new information? Is the newcomer understanding enough to even know what they are being asked to do? At best, we can tell that it seems like some sort of math problem.

When the input a newcomer is being asked to understand is not comprehensible, they will most likely just shut down. When the student shuts down, no further learning of language or content is possible.

How do I make my input comprehensible?

There are many ways to make input comprehensible for students. Some of these include:

              Appropriate Speech

              * Moderate speed
              * Free from figurative language
              * Moderate volume
              * Use consistent vocabulary (e.g.: restroom and bathroom)

             

              Simplified Language/Text

              * Free from figurative language
              * Simple sentences
              * Highlighted text
              * First language (L1) clarification

You can also provide visuals with oral or written input. Do you know how to find images with Explore while using Google docs or slides? It is very easy. Just click Tools - Explore- type in the object you want a picture of - click Image. You should get a display of images to pick from. I like this method rather than using Insert - Image, because Explore documents the source of the image and most images are from Creative Commons. I suggest creating a folder in your Google drive of images you will use again.  It would be great to share these with fellow content area teachers. 

To make oral language comprehensible, Total Physical Response (TPR) is a great tool. For TPR you use gestures, body language or act things out for the students.

Comprehensible input is NOT 'dumbing things down'!

When you focus on comprehensibility you are simplifying the language, not the content.  It is possible to convey complex ideas in simple language, especially if you are using appropriate scaffolds and supports.