1. Dr. Megan J. Scranton Neumann University
50 Strategies: Section I
Dr. Megan J. Scranton
Neumann University

2. Theoretical Overview
By 2030: More than 50% of school-age (K – 12) population in U.S. will be ELLs
Vital for teachers to understand language acquisition research so they can provide scaffolding for students
This knowledge helps teachers plan instruction, interact verbally, correct mistakes, & assess ELLs
Goal: To produce academically successful students who stay in school & are given every opportunity to participate fully & equitably

3. Language Acquisition Theory
Traditional methods of teaching foreign language in the United States differ from how students acquire English
- More than repetitive drills & translating
long passages using dictionaries
Linguists Krashen & Cummins have been researching & offering new approaches to language acquisition

4. Krashen
Makes a distinction between language acquisition and language learning
What is the difference?
Why is this distinction important?

5. Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning
Language Acquisition – unconscious learning of language in naturalistic settings; focus on meaning
Language Learning – conscious rule learning in formal instructional settings; emphasis on form

6. Language Acquisition Gradual Natural
Based on receiving and understanding messages
Building a listening vocabulary
Slowly attempting verbal production of the language
Highly supportive, non-stressful setting

7. Language Acquisition & the Teacher
Teacher is responsible for
providing the understandable language (comprehensible input)
Supports necessary for students to understand
Using approaches and materials that add context to the language (props, gestures, pictures)
Rely on using assessment of learner’s needs, present level, and motivation

8. Comfortable Rate
Need to be allowed to move into speaking at a comfortable rate
Students must hear and understand messages and build a listening vocab first, before speaking (silent or preproduction period)
Must still involve the ELLs in classroom activities, but structured so the ELLs can participate at a comfortable level
How? (Turn & Talk)

9. Leo van Lier
Most important aspect of effective teaching is understanding the learner
Do you agree?
ZPD
AAA curriculum
Awareness
Autonomy
Authenticity

10. Lier’s AAA Curriculum
Awareness: Attention & the role of perception are vital for teachers & learners
- Must know what doing & why
- Be consciously engaged
- Reflect on the learning process
Autonomy: Self-regulation, motivation, & deep processing – must take responsibility, be accountable, & have free choice in learning activities
Authenticity: Teaching & learning language as it is used in life, being relevant, & basing all learning activities on true communication

11. Stages of Second Language Acquisition
Preproduction (AKA Silent Period): Communicates with gestures, actions, & formulaic speech; silent; building receptive vocab. (0 – 6 months after starting L2)
Early Production: Can label & categorize info.; can say, “I don’t understand” (6 months – 1 year)
Speech Emergence: Use language purposefully; can produce complete sentences (1 – 3 years)
Intermediate Fluency: Can produce connected narrative; can use reading & writing within the context of a lesson; can resolve conflicts verbally; can write answers to higher-level questions (3 – 5 years)
Advanced Fluency: Cognitive academic language production (3 – 7 years)

12. KEY POINTS Second language develops much like the first language
Learning a 2nd language is complex
People learn language at different rates
Social language is different than academic language
First language development affects 2nd language development
Students can transfer what they know in their 1st language to their 2nd language
ELLs are diverse
Cultural differences can affect students’ understanding
Collaboration b/t classroom & ESL teachers is essential
Academic standards are for all students

13. Classroom Environment
Students need many opportunities for language interaction
A classroom where children work together to solve problems and produce projects supports their language development
Give them authentic reasons to communicate & support in refining their language production
Provides students with realization that their verbal communication is not always understood by others
Help students move from receptive, semantic processing (listening to understand) to expressive, syntactic processing (formation of words & sentences)
In 1991 Shifts started…

14. SHIFTS Product to process focus Teacher-controlled to student-involved
classrooms
Preplanned, rigid curricular to flexible,
open-ended curricula
Measuring only performance to gauging
competence & potential
Praising correct answers to building on
approximations
How?

15. Seven Functions of Language
Instrumental
Regulatory
Representation
Interactional
Personal
Heuristic
Imaginative
Understanding the functions of language plays an important role in documenting students’ growth in language
Most ELLs will acquire instrumental functions first, to have their needs met

16. Seven Functions of Language, cont…
Instrumental – To cause things to happen
Regulatory – To control events or the behavior of
others
Representation – To communicate facts or knowledge
Interactional – To get along with others
Personal – To express personality, feelings, or emotions
Heuristic – To acquire knowledge
Imaginative – To create an imaginative world for pleasure or play

17. Affective Filter Role of emotions on acquisition of language
When a learner is placed in a stressful situation (where language production is demanded), the student’s ability to learn/produce language is impaired
What are the implications of this for the classroom teacher?

18. BICS vs CALP Jim Cummins differentiates between
BICS - Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
(social language, years to acquire)
CALP - Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (academic language, 5 – 7 years or more to acquire)

19. BICS vs CALP BICS = Social Language (1 – 3 yrs. to develop)
The day-to-day language needed to interact socially with other people
Social interactions usually occur in a meaningful context
Conversations are not demanding cognitively, so the language required is not specialized
CALP = Academic Language (5 – 7 yrs. or longer to develop)
Refers to academic learning about subject area content material; specialized language
Academic language acquisition includes skills such as comparing, classifying, synthesizing, evaluating, & inferring

20. Cummins’s Quadrant
Helps us understand what must be added to instruction to make it comprehensible to students
Identifies 2 dimensions of language:
Its cognitive demand
Its context embeddedness
- By adding context, students’ have better
understanding of cognitively demanding language

21. Strategies that Support the Progress of ELLs
Planning language objectives for lessons in all curricular areas
Building academic vocabulary development into all lessons
Building & activating background knowledge
Providing opportunities for extended academic English interaction
Integrating vocabulary & concept review throughout lessons
Providing both modeling & feedback related to language usage in both speech & writing

22. Five Premises of Effective Instruction of ELLs*
Comprehensible Input
Increase verbal interaction in classroom activities
Provide instruction that contextualizes language
Reduce anxiety of the students
Offer opportunities for active involvement of the students

23. The Role of Assessment
Beginning ELLs often understand much more than they are able to express
Therefore, teachers must create a variety of ways for ELLs to demonstrate their understanding
Teachers need to adjust their teaching strategies as a result of assessments
“Use data to drive instruction” - Differentiation

24. Jigsaw Activity Observation and Anecdotal Records Performance Sampling
Language Development Profiles
Portfolio Assessment
Conclusion: It is crucial that teachers recognize the essential ways in which they must adapt lessons & assessments to meet the unique needs of their ELLs. Effective Strategies to follow…