More Than ELL

Responding Effectively to Differences in Student Culture and Background

daniel.vandendungen@horizon.ab.ca

Dan Vanden Dungen

What to expect from this presentation:

Focus: Struggling ELLs - looking at group trends and patterns, not individuals

• Long-term ELLs - not progressing as well as expected
• Older Newcomers & Refugees
• Students with Limited and/or Interrupted Formal Education
• Students with cultural values / practices affecting schooling

Approach:

• Culturally Responsive Teaching
• Research Based:
• Challenges
• Strategies & Solutions
• Stories and Examples from the Field

What to expect from this presentation: (continued)

“Take Aways”:

• Clearer picture of what these students need and why
• Strategies / solutions that you can begin to implement at:
• School Level
• Classroom Level
• Individual Student Level
• Where to go to find more.
• A different way of looking at the issue; change of perspective.

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My story: It Started With a Joke!

• Teacher in Vauxhall, Alberta since 1994
• Horizon MAP School: Low German Mennonite Outreach School
• Literature Review: Discovery of “SLIFE” research
• Horizon’s 2012-2013 AISI Project
• A SLIFE Community of Practice
• MEd in Inclusive Education and Neuroscience Capstone:

“Inclusion Of Diverse Students Without Coding: Working With Students With Limited Or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) In Rural Alberta”

• 2014 Alberta ASCD Innovative Practice Award
• Principal of MAP since 2014
• Blogger @ http://slifebeyond.blogspot.ca/

What’s Your Story?

• Think of a student or group of students who are your main concern right now (probably the reason you chose this session)
• On you phone / tablet / laptop go to kahoot.it and enter the code that the presenter gives you.
• Comments?

Who are the struggling ELL students?

Tulane Public Relations cc Creative Commons https://www.flickr.com/photos/tulanesally/4307042890

Cultural Differences ≠ Struggling Student

• Not all English language learners or all students with cultural differences are struggling students; many do well.
• Around the world, there is tremendous variety in socio-economic conditions, values and attitudes regarding education, and school systems and availability of educational resources.
• The Organization For Economic Co-operation and Development has collected data on these conditions and compared them to the scores of 15 year-olds on the International PISA exams. From this, they have determined a number of “risk factors” which correlate with Low Performance on the PISA:

“On average across OECD countries, a student of average socio-economic status who is a boy living in a two-parent family, has no immigrant background, speaks the same language at home as in school, lives in a city, attended more than one year of pre-primary education, did not repeat a grade and attends a general curricular track (or school) has a 10% probability of low performance in mathematics...

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OECD (2016), Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How to Help Them Succeed, PISA,

OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264250246-en

image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ucdaviscoe/6303100423

...while a student with the same socio-economic status but who is a girl living in a single-parent family, has an immigrant

background, speaks a different language at home than at school, lives in a rural area,

did not attend pre-primary school, repeated a grade and attends a vocational track has

a 76% probability of low performance.”

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OECD (2016), Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How to Help Them Succeed, PISA,

OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264250246-en

By Alejandro Chicheri / World Food Programme Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6235117

Student Background and Low Performance

OECD (2016), Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How to Help Them Succeed, PISA,

OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264250246-en

Correlation ≠ Causation

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/correlation.png

Student Attitudes and Motivation

OECD (2016), Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How to Help Them Succeed, PISA,

OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264250246-en

School Characteristics and Low Performance

OECD (2016), Low-Performing Students: Why They Fall Behind and How to Help Them Succeed, PISA,

OECD Publishing, Paris, http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264250246-en

Youth Literacy Rates Worldwide

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics, September 2014

http://www.uis.unesco.org/literacy/Documents/fs-29-2014-literacy-en.pdf

First Language Literacy Not Always Available

Some groups do not have a commonly used written form of the language which they speak, or rarely use it. For example:

• Plautsdietch, or Mennonite Low German, can be written phonetically, but few Mennonites use this. They learn to read and write High German in a blackletter gothic script in Mennonite colony schools, but they typically only use this language for their Bible and for religious services. (http://openingdoors.co/education-in-a-colony-context/)
• The Hmong people of Southeast Asia have only recently had a written form of their language and many of the Hmong refugees who came to North America in recent decades had never learned this form. (http://www.learnabouthmong.net/)
• Few of the Somali Bantu refugees who have come to North America are literate in any language. The native Somali Bantu languages do not have a written form, and although some adults speak Somali as well, few have learned to read and write it. (http://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/academic-engagement-newly-arriving-somali-bantu-students-us-elementary-school)

Kao Kalia Yang: Hmong Immigrant Writer and Teacher

Most Students With Limited Schooling / Literacy Are English Language Learners and/or Refugees

• Descriptions of the characteristics of English Language Learners typically assume that most are literate in their first language (for example, the learnalberta.ca “Supporting English Language Learners” resource: http://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/organizing_for_instruction_characteristics.html)
• Students with limited formal schooling experiences are generally seen as a subset of English Language Learner who may need early identification and additional academic supports (see link above)
• Many of these students also tend to be refugees whose access to schooling was limited by war, environmental disasters, civil unrest, political instability, or conditions in refugee camps (http://teachingrefugees.com/student-background/limited-schooling/)

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But Not All Are Refugees or Even Immigrants

Some students experience limitations and/or interruptions in their education, not as past events that have been left behind, but as ongoing features of their lives.

• This might include students who, for family or socio-economic reasons, often move from place to place, such as the children of migrant workers / agricultural laborers.
• It might also include children who, for cultural or religious reasons, receive limited formal education or education that differs significantly from public school programs of study or is not oriented towards a high school diploma (such as Hutterian Brethren Schools, some homeschool families, many Low German Mennonite families.
• It may also include individuals from other groups such as Indigenous Peoples and Gypsy/Roma/Travellers who wish to maintain a distinct way of life and have had a complicated or turbulent relationship with public schooling.

Long-term English Language Learners

• Seven years or more in public schools (only 5 years funded ESL in Alberta)
• Often bilingual and sound like native English speakers.
• But typically have limited literacy skills in their native language, and their academic literacy skills in English are not as well-developed
• Often are transnational students who have moved back and forth between countries, attending some school in both countries, or
• may have received inconsistent schooling, inadequate ELL programs and/or no language support services in this country.

More:

• http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/apr09/vol66/num07/The_Difficult_Road_for_Long-Term_English_Learners.aspx
• https://www.nea.org/assets/docs/15420_LongTermEngLangLearner_final_web_3-24-14.pdf

“José Miguel is a 10th grader who has experienced significant transnational and intranational moves (Menken et al., 2007). He was born in Mexico and came to the United States when he was 2 years old. For five years, his family lived in New York, where he began school. His family then moved to Virginia for his 2nd grade year. After completing only part of that school year, he went to live in Mexico for nearly two years. He did not attend school during that time. When he returned to Virginia, "They put me in 4th grade," he said, "because of my age." He spent two years in Virginia before returning to New York City, where he attended one middle school and where he is now in his second year of high school.�Because of his frequent moves, José Miguel has faced considerable inconsistency in the programming he has received. He began in a bilingual program in New York City but received English-only instruction in Virginia. His English acquisition was then interrupted when he moved to Mexico. Since returning from Mexico, José Miguel has only received English as a second language instruction in middle and high school, without native language support. His high school first placed him in a Spanish foreign language class, but his proficiency in Spanish caused the school to quickly move him to French class instead.�As a result of his education experiences, José Miguel believes that his literacy skills are more developed in English than in Spanish. He can read Spanish, he noted, "but not perfectly." His grades average 75 percent.”

From “The Difficult Road for Long-Term English Learners” by Kate Menken and Tatyana Kleyn

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational_leadership/apr09/vol66/num07/The_Difficult_Road_for_Long-Term_English_Learners.aspx

José Miguel: Transnational with Schooling Gaps

SLIFE (Students with Limited and/or Interrupted Formal Education)

SLIFE are English learners who:

1. have not had the opportunity to participate in formal education previously or have experienced significant time periods when they were unable to attend school,
2. are at least two grade levels below their peers in subject area�knowledge,
3. have low or no literacy and numeracy skills, and
4. are, with some exceptions, members of collectivistic cultures

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DeCapua, A. & Marshall, H., (2015), Reframing the Conversation About Students With Limited or Interrupted Formal Education: From Achievement Gap to Cultural Dissonance, NASSP Bulletin

1–15, DOI: 10.1177/0192636515620662

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SLIFE (Students with Limited and/or Interrupted Formal Education) - 2

The term SLIFE (students with limited and/or interrupted formal education) was developed and popularized by Andrea DeCapua along with her co-author Helaine Marshall. They have written a number of books and articles, including

Jane Govoni and Andrea DeCapua Discuss SLIFE and ELLs

The Difference

Different Ways of Thinking and Learning

Discussion:

1. “What is education for?”
2. “What are the most important things that high school students need to be successful at school?”

Different Ways of Thinking and Learning - 2

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Teachers in our Western education system generally assume that:� 1. the goals of K-12 instruction are:� a) to produce an independent learner� b) to prepare that learner for life after schooling� 2. and that the learner brings along:� a) an urge to compete and excel as an individual� b) age-appropriate preparation for:� (i) literacy development� (ii) academic tasks

DeCapua & Marshall, 2010, 2011, 2013; Marshall 1998

Different Ways of Thinking and Learning - 3

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SLIFE often come from cultural backgrounds where the preference is for:

• oral communication and information sharing
• pragmatic learning with immediate relevance
• working together and sharing responsibility

This difference results in Cultural Dissonance

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DeCapua & Marshall, 2010, 2011, 2013; Marshall 1998

Cultural Dissonance

Formal Academic Learning vs. Informal Learning

What do rabbits and dogs have in common? (Flynn 2007)

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In the far north, where there is snow, all bears are white. Novaya Zemlya is in the far north and there is always snow there. What color are the bears?

What kind of person are you?

Informal Learning

• School-based academic learning is not the only way (or even the primary way) we learn many things. We all learn by “informal” means as well.
• Informal learning has been described as “side-by-side and pitching-in”
• It involves modeling/observation and collaborative action
• It is based on the eagerness of the learner to belong and contribute and the motive is to accomplish something (meaningful, authentic).
• We often use this style of learning in apprenticeships and sports.
• In many non-Western cultures, this the primary way children learn.

More: http://www.learningbyobservingandpitchingin.com/

Rogoff, B., Alcalá, L., Coppens, A.D., López, A., Ruvalcaba, O., & Silva, K.G. (2014). Children learning by observing and pitching-in in their families and communities. Special Issue, Human Development.

Consequences

• student:
• frustration, not understanding what they want me to do
• lack of engagement (doesn’t seem meaningful, relevant)
• reduced sense of belonging (everyone else seems to know what is going on)
• lack of confidence
• drop-out

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• Teacher:
• frustration, “how can she not be getting it”
• misunderstandings (just not trying, doesn’t care)
• strategies that don’t work (punishments, treat as learning disability)
• disengagement (someone else’s problem)

Misunderstandings

“But don’t they cheat a lot?”

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Why would their parents allow this? Can't they see what they are doing to their children?"

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"How far do we need to go to accommodate for them?" "Why do they get special treatment when others don't?"

Cultural differences are primarily that - differences. They are not primarily deficits. Some cultural traits may result in greater or lesser difficulties depending on the context and the demands of the situation.

Don’t forget, you have your learning limitations as well!

When determining student needs, are we best off using academic ways of learning and knowing (abstracted rules, labeling, categorizing, etc.) or informal ways of learning and knowing (concrete, immediate, context-embedded)?

Strategies and Solutions

Contrasting Learning Paradigms

SLIFE generally come into our school systems with a different learning paradigm from the one presumed by our North American education system. This difference can be summed up as follows:

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(adapted from DeCapua & Marshall, 2009)

Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm (MALP)

DeCapua and Marshall (2009, 2011, 2013) suggest that in such situations, we need to adopt an instructional model which combines elements from both paradigms. Under this mutually adaptive learning paradigm (MALP) the teacher would:

1. Accept SLIFE learning conditions (immediate relevance, interconnectedness)
2. Combine processes from SLIFE (shared responsibility, oral transmission) and North American (individual accountability, written word) educational paradigms
3. Focus on activities from our North American education system (academic tasks) with familiar language and content.

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MALP Checklist

A. Accept the conditions for learning:� A1. I am making this lesson/project immediately relevant to my students.� A2. I am helping students develop and maintain interconnectedness.�B. Combine Processes for Learning:� B1. I am incorporating both shared responsibility and individual accountability.� B2. I am scaffolding the written word through oral interaction.�C. Focus on New Activities for Learning:� C1. I am focusing on tasks requiring academic ways of thinking.� C2. I am making these tasks accessible to my students with familiar language and content.

DeCapua, A. & Marshall. H. W. (2011). Breaking new ground: Teaching English learners with limited or interrupted formal education in US secondary schools. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Culturally Responsive Teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning (Ladson-Billings,1994).

Some of the characteristics of culturally responsive teaching are:

1. Positive perspectives on parents and families
2. Communication of high expectations
3. Learning within the context of culture
4. Student-centered instruction
5. Culturally mediated instruction
6. Reshaping the curriculum
7. Teacher as facilitator

More: https://www.brown.edu/academics/education-alliance/teaching-diverse-learners/strategies-0/culturally-responsive-teaching-0

Ladson-Billings, G. (1994). The dreamkeepers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishing Co

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Literacy Intervention

• Be cautious of normed standardized test scores as a measure of the student’s reading. They may read very fluently but completely misunderstand due to limited vocabulary or experiences.
• “Running record” style literacy assessments will be more useful for planning reading intervention. (We are using the Fountas and Pinnell Assessments)
• Interpret comprehension questions cautiously. A student may remember all kinds of details but not understand abstract categorizing type questions (eg. “What kind of person was…?”)
• Leveled books are great, but be careful of “babyish content”
• Hi interest / Low Vocabulary (HiLo) books can be useful, but again, be careful. Some of the content may be culturally offensive.
• Guided reading strategies hold much promise because you can target lagging skills and build language-rich oral conversations.
• Students may have gaps in early skills such as sounding out / word attack. They need explicit instruction in that area (but this doesn’t mean you need to pull out the grade one books).

Other strategies

I have been trying to keep current and relevant information on my SLIFE Beyond the Horizon blog (http://slifebeyond.blogspot.ca/) and I will continue adding to it. If you find anything good, let me know!

Under the More Instructional Strategies tab, you will find some other important things to try. All of these can be positive for more than just your struggling ELL kids, but they probably need them most:

• Increase relevance, meaning, with Project-Based Learning, Flipped Learning, and Blended Learning Strategies.
• Provide stronger support for students in core subjects by Making Text Accessible, Scaffolding Lessons, and using Sheltered English Instruction.

School-wide and Jurisdiction-wide Strategies

• Be an advocate for these populations; help to reframe some of the negative comments and correct misunderstandings.
• Schools need to work collaboratively to address the needs of these students. Sometimes the differences between a student and the rest of the class are so great that it is too much for one staff memeber to handle on their own.
• Focus on relationships and belonging as well as literacy, numeracy and behavior. Make more frequent contact with parents (even though it may be uncomfortable to do so).
• A school intervention plan should address differences in student attendance/engagement.