Teaching Strategies for Engaging English Learners ELs

1
Teaching Strategies for Engaging English Learners
(ELs)

• EDSC 440S Resource

Developed by Grace Cho, PhD. and Debra
Ambrosetti, PhD., 2006
2
First Steps

• Know your students backgrounds
• Administer a Needs Analysis
• Identify your students math levels(pre-test)
• Assess students attitudes towards math
• identify the background and prior experiences of
  students (e.g., cultural, linguistic abilities,
  educational experiences, etc.)
• Be aware of cultural differences and include
  modifications in order to develop a culturally
  relevant curriculum
• Example In some cultures, the process of finding
  the answer is not as valued as the product.
• If the teacher asks students to show their
  work, students may not understand this action
  because the process is a mental action and not
  computed on paperthe work is done in their
  head
• Create a positive learning environment in order
  to diminish math anxiety and maximize learning
  by
• Allowing for controlled social interaction
• Utilize group work/cooperative learning
  effectively and correctly
• Incorporating consistent and established
  structure into class procedures
• classroom procedures/routineswhere to hand in
  homework, get paper, text books, etc.
• classroom organizationseating arrangement, free
  walk spaces, teacher areas

3
First Steps (continued)

• Motivate all students regardless of gender, race,
  ethnicity
• Be aware of the historical expectations/stereotype
  s of certain groups
• Lack of females in math related fields
• Asians excel in math.
• Make subject matter interesting, engage students
  in the process
• Make content relevant and meaningful

4
First Steps (continued)

• Demystify Myths about Math as a Universal Concept
• Universal Simple concepts are universal i.e.
  simple concrete number algorithms (224)
• Not Universal Other aspects of Math are
  difficult because of language differences
• Difference between a and the
• Six times a number is 3 more than 10 times the
  number.
• Not all cultures use math, or math symbols in the
  same way
• Use of period (.) instead of coma (,)
• Decimals are indicated by a period in English and
  a comma in many other languages. Commas as used
  in English, may be indicated by a period in many
  other languages
• Two thousand (2,000 in English) (2.000 in
  Spanish, German)
• Dates
• In Spanish and some other languages the day is
  written first, followed by the month, then the
  year.
• January 27, 2003 Spanish 27-01-03 English
  01-17-03 Korean 2003. 1. 27.
• Time May be written as military time 1400
  hours as opposed to 2 pm
• Measurement
• Metric system (kilogram, meter, liter) vs.
  English system (inches, feet, pounds, cups)

5
First Steps (continued)

• Invite and Involve Parents
• Note Dont make assumptionsparents from certain
  cultures may be absent from the school
  environment as a sign of respect for the teacher.
• Modify your lessons for ELs by incorporating the
  following teaching strategies
• Note These strategies are not to be used in
  isolation and they should complement the lesson

6
Modifications for ELs

• Lessons must contain both content and language
  objectives
• ELs need many opportunities to learn all academic
  aspects and complexities of Math (content) while
  developing communicative competence in English
  (language skills).
• Students should be given ample opportunities to
  clarify key concepts in their first language (L1)
  as needed with an aide, peer, or L1 text.

7
Modifications for ELs Promoting Lesson
Comprehension

• Contextualize the lesson
• Progress concepts from concrete to abstract by
  using math manipulative, games, realia, visuals.
• Demonstrate the process of solving mathematical
  problems by using pictures and modeling.
• Visualization-- abstract to concrete
  conceptualization. The ability to explain the
  concept in concrete terms
• Teachers should provide connections to key
  problem solving strategies that assist students
  during mathematical challenges.
• Teach students to make connections within the
  subject and in the real world, to reason
  mathematically, verify their findings, solve real
  world problems, communicate their thinking about
  mathetc.
• Provide many and continuous opportunities to
  learn complexities of math.

For additional ideas, see Concrete-Representationa
l-Abstract.
8
Modifications for ELs Promoting Lesson
Comprehension (continued)

• Employ Speech Modification
• Use language that is appropriate for proficiency
  level
• Use more pause between phrases, enunciation, and
  simple sentence structure for beginners
• Clearly explain the academic tasks
• Speak slowly and clearly without overdoing it
• Provide sufficient wait time
• Use a variety of techniques/strategies to make
  content concepts clear
• use visuals, hands-on activities, demonstrations,
  gestures, body language and model
• Develop and emphasize technical (content)
  vocabulary
• Introduce, write, repeat, and highlight key words
• Use vocabulary building strategies (see next
  slide)

9
Modifications for ELs Promoting Lesson
Comprehension (continued)

• Display a chart depicting commonly used
  abbreviations and symbols
• Pt. pint, lb.pounds, ft.feet
• Continuously review previously learned key
  concepts throughout the year
• Incremental learning, in which skills are
  developed slowly over time through repetition and
  extension, is an effective strategy for this. 
• Review key terms whenever necessary such as
  mathematical terms that may be too abstract or
  confusing
• Multiplication of 2-digit numbers review
  product, sum, carry, exchange and equals
• Introduce key vocabulary using visuals, realia,
  modeling and demonstrations.

10
Vocabulary Building Strategies

• Clarify expressions, words, and symbols that have
  multiple meanings.
• rationalize, column, table, simplify
• X and(.) Indicate the multiplication process
• Teach technical terms.
• percentage, square root,
• Word Tree given one term, the students generate
  3-4 words that denote the same meaning
• Subtraction take away, minus or difference

11
Vocabulary Building Strategies (continued)

• Recognize and generate attributes, examples and
  non-examples of a concept.
• Using a geoboard, have students identify the
  unique characteristics of a shape they have
  created
• Have students provide and explain an analogy
  based on content/concept.
• Negative numbers are like the overdrawn amount
  in a checking account.

12
Modifications for ELs Tap Prior Knowledge

• Link concepts explicitly to students background
  experiences
• Percentage
• Restaurant bill calculating the tip
• Percentage of taxes taken out of a pay check
• Sales discount
• While giving examples, use vocabulary relevant to
  the students lives
• Links explicitly made between past learning and
  new concepts--Help students make the connection
  between what they know to what they need to learn
  for math.
• Multiplication is repeated addition.
• Use concept maps to relate prior knowledge to new
  concepts and terms
• Assess or validate prior knowledge
• PODProblem of the Day
• KWL- What I know, what I want to know, and what I
  learned

13
Modifications for ELs Promote Academic
Learning

• Teach study skills
• Cornell notes
• Use of a student planner
• Questioning skills
• Accommodate different learning styles
• Visual (Graphs, charts, tables) auditory
  (discussion, lecture), kinesthetic (manipulative,
  games)
• Highlight the visual side of math since many
  students may not be auditory learners.
• Incorporate cues such as facial expressions,
  body language and visual aids
• Use concrete manipulatives such as base ten
  blocks, geoboards, algebra tiles

14
Modifications for ELs Use Curriculum Adaptations

• Adapt the text to the language level of Els
• Tailor the curriculum to meet ELs need
• Assist students in rewriting word problems in
  simpler terms
• Teach content concepts which are appropriate for
  age and educational background levels of your
  students.
• Use supplementary materials to make the lesson
  clear and interesting (e.g., graphs, models,
  visuals, trade books, )

15
Modifications for ELs Consider Affective
Issues

• Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural linguistic
  diversity
• Use alternative grouping and interactive learning
• Heterogeneous cooperative learning groups,
  think-pair-share, peer work, peer evaluations,
  jigsaw
• Foster supportive learning environment (i.e. low
  anxiety environment)
• Encourage elaborated responses in Teacher student
  interactions
• Prompts
• Can you tell me more?
• and how would you do that?
• Would you explain that to the class?

16
Modifications for ELsUse variety of Assessment

• Use authentic or real assessment
• interview, portfolio, quick write (In one
  paragraph, explain the Pythagorean theorem.),
  teacher observation, project, demonstrations
• Vary ways of showing concept attainment
• Modify forms of assessments to fit lesson
• graphic organizers, oral presentations, student
  generated test, concept maps, projects