CALLA: Accelerating Academic Achievement for English Learners

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CALLA Accelerating Academic Achievement for
English Learners

• Oxford Round Table
• March 19, 2007
• Anna Uhl Chamot
• The George Washington University

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Objectives

• Identify English language learners and their
  academic needs
• Describe an instructional model that meets these
  needs
• Provide guidelines for developing content
  knowledge, language and literacy, and learning
  strategies.

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Who are EnglishLanguage Learners?

• Linguistically and culturally diverse.
• Differing educational backgrounds.
• Variety of approaches to learning.
• Range of levels of family literacy.
• Differing family attitudes towards school.
• Differing family expectations.

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What Do English Language Learners Need to Learn?

• Socialization and acculturation to school.
• Conceptual development.
• Linguistic development.
• Literacy development.
• Learning how to learn.

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The CALLA Model An Instructional Approach for
Academic Development

• Cognitive-Social theoretical model.
• Research-based.
• Content aligned to state and national standards.
• Academic language focusing on literacy.
• Explicit instruction in learning strategies.

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CALLA Components

• COGNITIVE LEARNING MODEL Learning is mentally
  active, based on prior knowledge.
• CURRICULUM CONTENT Content topics aligned with
  National and State Standards.
• ACADEMIC LANGUAGE Integrated language
  development across the curriculum.
• LEARNING STRATEGIES Metacognitive awareness,
  explicit instruction, scaffolding.

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Why implement CALLA?

• Promotes academic and linguistic development.
• Benefits diverse students.
• Emphasizes higher level thinking.
• Documented effectiveness.
• Motivates students.

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Alief, TX Allentown, PA Arlington, VA Bethel,
AK Boston, MA Chula Vista, CA Dearborn, MI El
Paso, TX Fargo, ND Federal Way, WA Houston, TX
Lowell, MA McAllen, TX Mesa, AZ New York,
NY Ogden, UT Philadelphia, PA Washington, DC
CALLA Sites
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CURRICULUM CONTENT

• Aligned to National and State Standards for
  content subjects.
• High priority topics from science, mathematics,
  history/social studies, and literature.
• Linked to students prior experiential and
  cultural knowledge.
• Taught through hands-on/inquiry-based/cooperative
  learning tasks.

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ACADEMIC LANGUAGE

• Integrated language development across all
  curriculum subjects.
• Vocabulary and discourse of science, mathematics,
  history/social studies, literature, and writing.
• Focus on literacy in all subjects.
• Linked to students prior linguistic knowledge.
• Development of language awareness.

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LEARNING STRATEGIES

• Thoughts and actions that assist learning tasks.
• Ways to understand, remember, and recall
  information.
• Ways to practice skills efficiently.

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What does the research say?

• Effective learners strategies are varied and
  flexible.
• Use of learning strategies is correlated to
  self-efficacy.
• Strategy use improves academic performance.

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Teaching Learning Strategies

• Focus on the learning process.
• Model and teach learning strategies explicitly.
• Develop students awareness of their own thinking
  and learning - their metacognition.

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Integrating Content, Language, and Learning
Strategies
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PREPARATION

• Teacher provides overview and objectives
• Elicits students prior knowledge
• Develops vocabulary and
• Uses students native language as a resource.

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PRESENTATION

• Teacher addresses different learning preferences
  
• Models language processes explicitly
• Explains learning strategies and
• Discusses connections to students prior
  knowledge.

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PRACTICE

• Students engage in interactive activities
• Practice different cooperative learning
  structures
• Use authentic content and language tasks and
• Use learning strategies.

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SELF-EVALUATION

• Students reflect on their own learning
• Identify preferred strategies
• Keep learning logs and
• Evaluate themselves.

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EXPANSION

• Students apply what they have learned to their
  own lives
• Make connections between language and other
  content subjects and
• Relate new information to own culture.
• Parents contribute to learning.

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CALLA Assessment

• Linked to Standards.
• Standardized test practice.
• Portfolios of best work.
• Self-assessment and reflection.
• Teacher reflection.

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CALLA Instruction Is...

• Research-based
• Learner-centered
• Reflective
• Supportive
• Focused
• Enthusiastic