Week 11 discussion post - CLDE 5030

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University of Colorado, Denver *

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5030

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Linguistics

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Feb 20, 2024

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docx

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Week 11 Discission Post This week we are back to reading about early education and younger students. Much of this week’s readings have been covered in previous readings or is obvious to anyone who has spent a moment in education, but this week’s readings all focus on supports, scaffolds, or modifications teachers can make to making content-learning more readily accessible to emerging bilinguals. Ashworth-Cain is filled with obvious statements like “When we think of another way to express our expectations, we may improve the likelihood of newcomers’ understanding” (Ashworth- Cain, 2017, p. 485). Anzaldúa, as cited by Ashworth-Cain, (1999) was more effective and succinct: “Ethnic identity is twin skin to linguistic identity .... Until I can take pride in my language, I cannot take pride in myself” (p. 39). Using cognates helps students to see correlations and similarities in languages. Students should draw on their knowledge and understanding to acquire new skills (like using their understanding of jewelry writing to write informative or explanatory texts). The idea for making a kit for newcomer students with words, pictures, schedules, and basic vocabulary for early elementary students is nice. Try to get to know students, have a “yes” face, and consider a newcomer’s point-of-view of an unfamiliar environment and try to make more of that environment understandable or accessible. Moore-Johnson’s (2019) qualitative study examines the scaffolds (both planned and interactional) used by teachers who are nominated as exemplary. The teachers studied indicated “a scaffold was ‘effective’ because it provided (a) equitable access to language input, (b) opportunities for language production, (c) opportunities for meaningful language inter- actions, or (d) support for reading development. Teachers often referred to several of these factors in explaining their decisions” (Moore-Johnson, 2019, p. 120). Some of the scaffolds were pictures or visuals, rehearsed oral language or vocabulary with sentence stems, partner or small groups for meaningful language interaction, graphic organizers, and connections to proper knowledge. Johnson indicated that “To scaffold effectively, these middle school teachers needed to know how to teach both reading and language, and to consider the ways in which a particular scaffold supports either reading development, language development, or both” (Moore-Johnson, 2019, p. 126). The scaffolds mentioned are the kinds of scaffolds most teachers use regularly. I wonder how often emerging bilingual students are aware the scaffolds are being used, and how often they can metacognitively decipher that they are learning more because of a scaffold which is particularly effective for them based on their learning style, language skills, and existing skills, or if they are struggling to learn or understand because of the absence of a particular scaffolding technique. ‘ Spaulding, Carolino & Amen, 2004, as cited by Robertson and Lafond write that a Student with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) may “need intensive literacy and content instruction as well as an introduction to the basics of the American school/classroom culture” (p. 2). This is so true and more common now with COVID when more students than ever have had some measure of interrupted formal education. Of all the students, including traditional newcomer Emerging Bilingual students, I feel like EM SIFE students need sheltered, intensive instruction. The article is right, is seems so daunting to be able to get such a student to meet the grade-level, content area standards when some of these students are still psychologically traumatized, academically miles

behind their peers, socially learning to live and survive their trauma. The supportive environment suggested in this article does exist in most of our schools; we don’t *yet* have enough trained staff or the rights resources. Newcomer centers also sound lovely, but given the amount of newcomers we have as a district I don’t know if / when SVVSD or Colorado is going to accomplish something similar. Collaborative cross-curricular models are something we *could* do, but is not something I have seen yet. Increase sheltered instruction seems the most realistic at the high school levels, given what educational systems we already have in place, but again I haven’t seen it come to fruition yet. We do have intensive literacy and language instruction available, but we tend to have more students who need these services than seat available in such classes. Hansen-Thomas, Stewart, Fling, & Dollar (2021) also addressed into monolingual teachers using translanguaging strategies in the classroom. We have read several times about the importance of using students’ home / heart language and the literacy or language skills they have in that first language to make learning accessible. By allowing students to use all of their language skills, and not just their English skills, students can access learning, build on previous knowledge, and use their home / heart language to bridge any gaps in language while still acquiring skills and knowledge. Focusing on teaching skills and not just English proficiency prevents a hegemonic classroom and the stigma of being an emerging bilingual. Most teachers, myself included, speak English only, and. – if we are lucky – have a smattering of understanding in a foreign language; therefore using a co-learning environment is critical. Brantmeier (n.d.) as cited by Hansen- Thomas, Stewart, Fling, & Dollar (2021) “maintains that co-learning can effectively change the teacher and student roles from ‘dispensers and receptacles of knowledge’ to ‘joint sojourners’ on their knowledge quest” (p. 153). I dislike the idea of having other students be translators and keeping them from focusing on their own studies and learning so they can relay information, but that is the reality of classrooms now. But it also gives teachers the opportunities to learn from their students, to become more of a team of equals, giving students more agency and authority. References Ashworth-Cain, A. (2018). Seven tips for teachers of newcomer emergent bilingual students . The Reading Teacher , 71(4), 485-490. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1648 Johnson, E.M. (2019). Exemplary reading teachers’ use of instructional scaffolds with emergent bilinguals: How knowledge and context shape their choices. TESOL Quarterly 53(1), 108-132. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.471 Lafond, S., & Robertson, K. (2020, February 5). How to support ELL students with interrupted Formal Education (SIFEs) . Colorín Colorado. Retrived 10 Oct 2021, from https://www.colorincolorado.org/article/ how-support-ell-students-interrupted-formal- education-sifes

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