UNIT 8 SEMINAR Special Considerations Please chat informally until our seminar begins.

Agenda  Questions and Announcements  Final project information  LD or ELL?  How do we determine if our ELL’s have learning difficulties that are not related to learning English?  How do we assist ELL’s with learning disabilities?  Unit 8 readings Becker, 2001 chapter and , “How to Address Special Education Needs in the ELL classroom” by Roberton, 2007 “A Guide to Learning Disabilities for the ESL Practitioner” by Root,

Final Project Introduction… As you progressed through this course, you have explored the numerous dimensions of addressing the needs of English Language Learners. These dimensions include support in language development, academic strategies, considering the social and emotional contexts, as well as other issues that have critical effects on students. Your Final Project will be your chance to reflect on all you have learned and consider how you can put this information to work in helping your ELL students!

Final Project Scenario … Imagine you have just begun working in the Mountain Top Elementary School and Miss Diaz, the ELL teacher, has assigned you to work for the next several weeks with a group of four fifth-grade students who have limited English proficiency. While they have varying levels of ability to communicate in English, most of them are shy and often confused when carrying out assignments. You suspect that some of them are embarrassed by their lack of English language proficiency and are trying hard not to stand out among their peers. Considering what you've learned this term, think of some ways you can address their academic, social and emotional needs while also facilitating their learning of the English language.

Final Project Requirements…  What are some ways you can work on their language skills with them?  What academic/organizational skills would you like them to learn?  What emotional issues would you like to help them address?  What social skills can you help them to overcome?  What strategies can you make use of in each of these areas? How can you incorporate technology?  What is the role of the paraprofessional in supporting these learners?

Final Project :Write an Essay  Prepare an essay that responds to the above questions  Support your paper with references  Paper should be 4 pages, double-spaced, and follow APA format  Include a Title Page and Reference Page (these do not count as part of the 4-page requirement)  Include an introductory paragraph, the body of your discussion on the topics, and a concluding paragraph  The grading rubric that will be used to evaluate your projects is located in your class syllabus

Submitting the Final Project … The Final Project is due by the end of Unit 9 To Submit Your Assignment:  Complete your project by using MS Word  Save it in a location and with a name that you will remember  Submit to the dropbox

Learning Disabilities and ELL’s //Why is it important to determine if academic or behavioral difficulties are due to learning disabilities or the challenges of learning English? //What are some common symptoms of learning disabilities? View this article and scroll down to read “What are the signs of a learning disability?” Return to post 3 signs.

Placing ELL’s in special education programs--Over and Under- Representation of ESOL Students  Over-representation in special education programs  Under-representation in special education programs //What factors might explain why this occurs?

Over and Under-Representation of ELL’s  History of associating bilingualism with a disability Over-referring (normal characteristics of ELs often resemble learning disabilities)  Assessor bias  Teacher’s lack of understanding of EL development  Assessments are in English  Quality of instruction

Over-Referring: Learning Issues  Academic Learning difficulties – takes 5- 7 years to gain proficiency in language  Language – ELL’s by definition are not proficient  Attention and Memory Problems – ELL’s may have difficulty paying attention and remembering information (especially if they cannot relate it to personal experiences)

Over-Referring: Emotional and Behavioral Issues  Withdrawn Behavior – silent period, cultural differences  Aggressive behavior– lack of understanding of appropriate language and behavior, cultural differences  Social and Emotional Problems – new language and culture, loneliness, isolation, fear, disconnected, confused

Causes of Under-Referring  Belief that ELL’s must study language for a set amount of time before referring  Policies prohibiting special education referrals before a set amount of time  Invalidity of tests

Signs of Learning or Behavioral Disabilities (these can also be present in normal second language learners for various reasons)  Academic learning difficulties  Language Disorders  Attention and memory problems  Withdrawn behavior  Aggressive behavior  Social and emotional problems

What patterns can we look at that MIGHT suggest a learning disability? The child has a history of oral language delay or disability in the native language. The child has had difficulty developing literacy skills in the native language (assuming adequate instruction in the native language). There is a family history of reading difficulties in parents, siblings, or other close relatives (again, assuming adequate opportunity to learn to read). The child has specific language weaknesses, such as poor phonemic awareness, in the native language as well as in English. (However, these difficulties may manifest somewhat differently in different languages, depending on the nature of the written language; for example, Spanish is a more transparent language than English, so children with phonological weaknesses may decode words more accurately in Spanish than in English.) The child has had research-based, high-quality reading intervention designed for English language learners, and still is not making adequate progress relative to other, similar English language learners.

ELL’s with Learning Disabilities— Identification Field trip: (Please watch the timer and return at 11:11. This video goes on for several more minutes) It is an EXCELLENT webcast that you may want to watch in its entirety later. Questions we will discuss: 1.How do you tell the difference between a learning disability and difficulties experienced by typical ELL’s? 2. Why must you test in 2 languages?

Appropriate Placement  Special ed. programs are designed to support learners who have disorders that interfere with their learning  Placement in special education assigns a label to the student  Programs are expensive  Special ed. programs are not an appropriate learning environment for ELL’s who do not have a disability

Assessment Practices  Wait and See Method (possibility of under-referring)  Diagnostic battery (English only test and assessor bias)  Non-verbal assessments (does not indicate language disability)  First language assessment (may not have academic vocabulary in native language)

Pre-referral Process  Examine performance of the student within the educational setting  Consider multiple factors  Consider current factors, prior external factors, or possible internal factors  Requires a team of people  Focus on promoting success in regular education classroom

Student Factors  Health, vision, hearing, nutrition  SES, home environment  Time in school and ESL program  Prior education  Native language and English proficiency  Academic performance  Behavior and adjustment to school  Learning style

Student Factors  What is the rationale for gathering multiple sources of information about our students?

Referral Process  Recognize that an ELL cannot be evaluated as a native English speaker  Use a variety of assessments (observations, checklists, work samples, student records)  Place less emphasis on standardized tests  Seek information from family  Use native language and English assessments

Teaching ESL Students with Disabilities… Isa’s Story (1 minute)

Teaching ESL Students with Disabilities Elementary Level:  Child stays in regular classroom with support from ESL teacher and special education teacher  With pull-out method, teachers need to work closely together Secondary Level:  Communication among teachers  Collaboration – sharing ideas that work

Strategies that can assist ELL students who have learning disabilities Give the gift of time. Students with learning disabilities may require extra time Give tests in alternative formats such as orally or on computer Whenever appropriate, present material using graphic and/or sensory media Combine both auditory and visual stimuli-- say it and write it on the board whenever possible Make it easy for students to ask for repetition Don't issue too many instructions at the same time. Break tasks down into their component parts and issue the instructions for each part one at a time Allow time in advance for students to think about items to be covered in class. Provide plenty of pre-discussion, pre-writing, pre-reading lead time and other pre-teaching activities Reduce the level of distraction in the room Explicitly state the topic at hand and proceed in a structured, concrete manner Conduct frequent notebook checks of students' work

Teaching ESL Students with Disabilities  What is the advantage of keeping students in the regular education (mainstream) classroom as much as possible?

Questions? Thank you for a another GREAT seminar!