PROMOTING SUCCESSFUL TEACHER-CHILD INTERACTIONS WITH ELLS AND PARTICIPATION AT VARIOUS PROFICIENCY STAGES

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Gorman, B.K. (2014)

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Opening Group Discussion

What observations have you made about the differences in your ELL students’ ability to participate in class successfully?

What are some ways in which you individualize your language facilitation strategies to support ELLs’ participation and achievement of Common Core State Standards?

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Learning Objectives

1. Participants will review commonly documented stages of second language acquisition

2. Participants will learn three strategies for enhancing the quality of teacher-child interaction at each second language stage while supporting ELLs’ achievement of Common Core State Standards

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Importance of teacher-child interaction Persistent achievement gap (NCES, 2010). Significant attention has been given to the

impact of the language of instruction. Significantly less attention has been given

to the degree to which instructional quality impacts ELLs’ outcomes. (a notable exception is Cirino, Pollard-Durodola,

Foorman, Carlson, & Francis, 2007).

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Importance of teacher-child interaction Quality and quantity of language exposure

is a salient predictor of language growth in English-speaking children (e.g., Hart & Risley, 1995; Hoff, 2003).

The most significant educational predictor of preschool children’s language and cognitive development is the quality of teacher-child interaction (Early Child Care Research Network (2000, 2002), our focus today

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Benefits of training

Effective training can increase one’s use of language stimulation strategies with all children, such as dialogic book reading effective use of questions Expansions Recasts

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Benefits of training

These language stimulation strategies positively impact children’s development of language and literacy skills (e.g., Girolametto, Weitzman, Lefebvre, & Greenberg, 2007; Weitzman, Girolametto, & Greenberg, 2006).

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Benefits of training for ELLs’

Likewise, these language facilitation strategies are beneficial for ELLs

Use of these strategies can be tailored to meet the needs of children with varying English proficiency levels

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Collaboration

SLPs are language experts with important role: Enhancing other professionals’ ability to

provide rich language stimulation to ELLs

Identifying children at risk for language impairment who display insufficient language growth despite high quality input.

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GENERAL LANGUAGE FACILITATION TECHNIQUES

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Modeling Adult demonstrates a linguistic option

for a particular situation.

Example Child: He screamed. He was scared. Adult: He screamed because he was

scared.

Language Intervention Techniques

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Focused Stimulation The adult provides numerous, salient

demonstrations of the target. The child’s production is not required.

Example Adult: Here is the moth. The moth

doesn’t have pretty colors. Oops, the moth wants to fly away. Catch the moth!

Language Intervention Techniques

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Imitation Elicited Imitation

Adult can request that the child repeat Spontaneous imitation

Child may imitate clinician as a less risky attempt to communicate

Adult may also imitate child to: validate child’s productions and

maintain topic

Language Intervention Techniques

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Expansion Clinician provides a more adult-like

production of the child’s immature utterance

Syntactic and Semantic

Language Intervention Techniques

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Syntactic Expansion Following the child’s ungrammatical

utterance, the adult restates child’s utterance using a grammatical utterance.

Child: Baby drink.

Adult: The baby drinks. Child: He jump up.

Adult: He jumped up.

Language Intervention Techniques

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Semantic Expansion The adult restates the child’s utterance

using more precise vocabulary or additional relevant content

Child: He built it.

Adult: He built the tower.

Language Intervention Techniques

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Recasting Adult includes a new linguistic structure

embedded in a partial repetition of child’s utterance.

Facilitates development of new language structures

Example

Child: She gimme the book.

Adult: Did she give you the book?

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Prompt A comment or question that encourages

the child to complete a thought or to correct an ungrammatical utterance.

Child: He came out of the water.

Adult: Who came out of the water?

Child: Ramon came out of the water.

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Elaboration question A question that encourages the child to

expand on his/her thought

Child: He was scared in the water.

Adult: Why was he scared?

Child: Because the snakes were gonna

eat him.

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Vertical structuring The clinician asks an elaboration question,

the child responds, then the clinician incorporates the original utterance and the child’s response to formulate a more complex utterance.

Child: He was scared in the water.

Adult: Why was he scared?

Child: Because the snakes were gonna eat him.

Adult: He was scared that the snakes in the water were going to eat him.

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Considerations for ELLs

How might children’s individual levels of English proficiency impact the utility of each of these techniques?

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GENERAL STAGES OF SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION

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Stages (Krashen & Terrell)

I. Preproduction (0-6 mos)

II. Early Production (6-12 mos)

III. Speech Emergence (1–3 yrs)

IV. Intermediate Fluency (3–5 yrs)

V. Advanced Fluency (5–7 yrs)

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I. Preproduction

Characteristics Silent period

Note: Always verify skills in home language

Not yet speaking the language Minimal comprehension Nods “Yes” and “No” Gestures, points, draws

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II. Early Production

Characteristics Produces 1-2 word responses. Limited comprehension Participates using key words and familiar

phrases Uses present-tense verbs

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III. Speech Emergence

Characteristics Has good comprehension Can produce simple 3-4 word sentences Beginning to have 2 vocabularies Makes grammar and pronunciation

errors May mix vocabulary and grammar

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IV. Intermediate

Characteristics Has very good comprehension Can produce complex sentences Makes few grammatical errors Can tell stories Developing 2 vocabularies and

grammars

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Standards

English Language Arts/Literacy Standards

Mathematics Standards

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Examples

Understand and use questions words Produce and expand complete

sentences Participate in conversation with peers

and adult in small and large groups Describe quantity, shape, orientation,

and spatial relations Describe similarities and differences

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ELL Strategies: Brainstorm

INDIVIDUALIZATION TO SUPPORT PARTICIPATION AND ACHIEVEMENT

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Preproduction Lots of visual/gestural cues 1-2 word models Option to respond verbally or nonverbally If child is verbal, requests for 1-2

responses with model and cues (if the child is willing)

Simple yes/no questions What/where/who/which…? (with cues) Do you want/Is it the (unlikely choice) or

(the likely choice)?

Safe environment

Allow, do not force, the child to talk Provide safe havens (Tabors, 2008)

where DLLs can play with or near children without having to verbally initiative the interaction (e.g., blocks, playdough).

Learn few key words in L1

bathroom-baño help-ayuda hurts-duele hungry-hambre thirsty-sed hug-abrazo

Here and now

For now

Routines

Routines help children predict the sequence and language expectations

Predictable structure/language may help children learn and remember new skills

Routine language

Identify when children need to communicate and specifically teach the language and expressions to be successful in those situations e.g., bathroom, getting ready to

go outside, clean up, sit on the carpet

Early production

Visual/gestural cues 3-4 word models Requests for 1-3 responses with verbal

model and cues Yes/no questions What/where/who/which…? (with cues) Do you want/Is this a (unlikely choice)

or (the likely choice)? Either/or questions

Speech emergence

Visual cues 5+ word models (e.g., and, but) Tell me something about… Why/How...? What would happen if...? Why do you think...? How are these the same/different? Have child retell short story after

model

Intermediate

Strategies Complex models (e.g., because, so,

that, if) What would happen if...? Why do you think...?

EXAMPLE CLASS SCENARIO

Language and Literacy ActivityObjectives: Identifying picture words

that start with the target letter “F,” then, describing the words with its category and an attribute.

The child points to the word fish by matching the F letter she is holding to the F in the word written under the picture. The teacher responds, “Good, you found a word that starts with the letter F. What is it?.......”

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Preproduction

…..No response from the child. The teacher wants the child be successful in responding, so she asks a yes/no question while smiling affirmatively. “Is it a fish? Yes or no?” while gesturing. The child can respond “Yes” or nod to participate successfully at his language level. The teacher then models use of the word in a short phrase, “A fffish,” and praises the child for participating.

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Early Production

…..No response from the child. The teacher wants the child be successful in responding, so she gives the child a choice, the incorrect choice being a word the teacher thinks the child already knows (an unlikely word). “Is it a shoe or a fish?” The child then knows it must be the latter and imitates “Fish,” thus participating successfully at her language level. The teacher praises the child for participating. She then models use of the word in a meaningful sentence by describing it or asking the group to describe it. “A fffish is an animal (category) that swims in the water (attribute).”

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Speech Emergence

….The child says “Fish.” The teacher responds “Yes, fish starts with the letter F that makes the /fff/ sound. Tell me something about a fish.” The child does not respond, so the teacher cues “Is it a food or an animal?” The child responds “Animal.” The teacher then expands and cues, “A fffish is an animal that swims in the (pause)... Child finishes with “water.” The teacher praises the child for participating.

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Intermediate

…..The child says “Fish.” The teacher responds “Yes, fish starts with the letter F that makes the /fff/ sound. Tell me something about a fish.” The child responds “A fish is an animal that has fins.” The teacher asks “Why do you think a fish has fins?” The child answers, “So they can swim.” The teacher then models the complex utterance, “A fish is an animal that has fins so it can swim in the water.”

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ACTION PLAN

Which 3 will you try tomorrow/next week?

Lesson plan: objective, activity, outcome measure

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LARGE GROUP SHARING

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Summary

Teacher-child conversation enriches children's’ language skills

Peer interactions and observation also enrich children’s language skills

Optimal instruction for ELLs includes planning to facilitate and support ELLs’ peer-interactions in the classroom

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Follow-up

Assignment Three-month follow-up reflection and

trouble-shooting

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Contact Information51

References

Cirino, P. T., Pollard-Durodola, S. D., Foorman, B. M., Carlson, C. D., & Francis, D. J. (2007). Teacher characteristics, classroom instruction, and student literacy and language outcomes in bilingual kindergartners. Elementary School Journal, 107(4), 341-364.

Cosentino de Cohen, C., Deterding, N., Chu Clewell, B. (2005). Who's Left Behind?: Immigrant Children in High and Low LEP Schools. Program for Evaluation and Equity Research, Urban Institute: Washington, D.C. Retrieved at http://www.urban.org/publications/411231.html

Early Child Care Research Network. (2000). The relation of child care to cognitive and language development. Child Development, 71, 960-980.

Early Child Care Research Network. (2002). Early child care and children’s development prior to school entry: Results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care. American Educational Research Journal, 39, 133–164.

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References

Girolametto, L., Weitzman, E., Lefebvre, P., & Greenberg, J. (2007). Th e eff ects of in-service education to promote emergent literacy in child care centers: A feasibility study. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 38, 72-83.

Hart, B., & Risley, T. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday lives of American children. Baltimore: Brookes.

Hoff, E. (2003). The specificity of environmental influence: Socioeconomic status affects early vocabulary development via maternal speech. Child Development, 74, 1368-1378.

Limbos, L.M., & Geva, E. (2001). Accuracy of teacher assessments of second-language students at risk for reading disability. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 34, 136-151.

Krashen, S.D. & Terrell, T.D. (1983). The natural approach: Language acquisition in the classroom. London: Prentice Hall Europe.

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References

Menken, K., & Antunez, B. (2001). An overview of the preparation and certification of teachers working with limited English proficient students. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse of Bilingual Education. Retrieved July 28, 2003, from http://www.ericsp.org/pages/digests/ncbe.pdf.

Rolstad, K., Mahoney, K., & Glass, G. V. (2005). The big picture: A meta-analysis of program effectiveness research on English Language Learners. Educational Policy, 19(4), 572-594.

Rosenberg, M. S., Boyer, K. L., Sindelar, P. T., & Misra, S. (2007). Alternative route programs to certification in special education:  What we know about program design, instructional delivery, and participant characteristics. Exceptional Children, 73, 224-241.

Slavin, R. E., & Cheung, A. (2003). Effective reading programs for English language learners: A best-evidence synthesis. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed At Risk (CRESPAR).

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References

Strunk, K.O. & Robinson, J. (2006). “Oh, Won’t You Stay?: A Multi-Level HGLM Analysis of Teacher Attrition,” Peabody Journal of Education, 81(4), 65-94.

Weitzman, E., Girolametto, L., & Greenberg, J. (2006). Adult responsiveness as a critical intervention mechanism for emergent literacy: Strategies for Preschool Educators. In L. Justice (Ed.), Clinical Approaches to Emergent Literacy Intervention (pp. 127-178). San Diego: Plural Publishing.

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