More than Good Teaching: Understanding Language Acquisition for ELLs

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More than Good Teaching Understanding Language
Acquisition for ELLs

• Kathy Salmon

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Where are you located?

• Practice using Elluminate.
• Use a symbol to mark where you are!

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(No Transcript)
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Session Overview

• Myth or Fact?
• Cummins BICS and CALP
• Quadrants of BICS and CALP
• Common Underlying Proficiency
• Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development
• Krashens Comprehensible Input
• Roessinghs Vocabulary Counts
• Oxfords ESL Learner Strategies

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Myth or Fact?

• Read the following statements. Decide if they
  are myths or facts.
• Place an A beside Myths and B beside Facts
• Children have acquired a second language as soon
  as they can speak it.
• Children learn second languages quickly and
  easily.
• The younger the child the more skilled in
  acquiring a second language.
• The more time students spend in a second language
  context, the quicker they learn the language.
• All children learn a second language in the same
  way.

http//www.apples4theteacher.com/resources/modules
.php?opmodloadnameNewsfilearticlesid17
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Myth 1

• Children have acquired a second language as soon
  as they can speak it.

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Iceberg

• BICS (1-2 years)
• Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills
• Surface level Here and Now
• Familiar Content
• Face to Face Conversation
• High Frequency Vocabulary 2000 words
• Simple Sentence Structure
• Low Pressure
• CALP (5 or more years)
• Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency
• Experience and exposure to culture
• Lectures, formal, written text, specialized
  terminology, humour, culture, idioms, textbook
  language, social appropriateness, non-verbal
  communications
• Limited Interaction (textbook)
• More Abstract
• Less familiar content
• Decontextualized
• Low frequency Vocabulary

• The iceberg metaphor

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BICS or CALP?

• Reading a textbook
• Discussing the theme in a novel
• Writing a journal response about personal
  experiences

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Apply it tomorrow

• Think of an ELL in your class.
• What is their level of BICS and CALP?
• What is the level of teacher talk in the
  classroom?
• What is the level of student response in the
  classroom

• Sample student responses
• One hundred fifty-two
• ..this hundred place?
• For expanded notation you have to know place
  value.

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Myth 2
2. Children learn second languages quickly and
easily
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The Dual Iceberg Full Bilingual Proficiency

• The Dual Iceberg Representation of Bilingual
  Proficiency (Cummins, 1980, 36 1996, 111)

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Young Arrivals Low Levels of L1 and L2
(balanced but inadequate bilingualism)
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Young Arrivals Low L1, Better Developed L2
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Junior High Arrivals Uneven L1 and L2
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Older Arrivals Full L1 Proficiency,
Intermediate L2 Proficiency
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Whats your CUP?

• Create a dual iceberg to represent your language
  proficiency in L1 and L2
• If you do not have an L2, think of a student in
  your school or your own child and their dual
  iceberg.

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Apply it tomorrow

• Is this a good strategy?
• Talking to a peer in L2 about a new concept
• Using a translator or bilingual dictionary
• Suggesting a family continue to talk in L1 at
  home
• Supporting a families decision to send their
  children to a weekend language school

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Myth 3
3. The younger the child the more skilled in
acquiring a second language
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Words, words, words

• What is the average vocabulary of a native
  English speaking student entering grade 10?
• Write down a number on the screen

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Roessinghs Vocabulary Trajectories
  Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary Vocabulary
Age Native Speaker Elementary with help Elementary without help Junior High with help Senior High with help
1 0        
2 400        
3 1000        
7 8000        
10   0 0    
12   5000 5000    
13       2500  
15 40000 15,000 15000 10000 8,000
16   20,000   18000 16,000
17   25,000      
18 100000 30,000 18,000 26,000 24,000
http//apollo.ucalgary.ca/eslrw/node/3
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What words do I teach?

• Word Lists
• Ogdens Basic Words (850) http//ogden.basic-engli
  sh.org/words.html
• Comprehensive Vocabulary Word List (by topic)
  http//www.manythings.org/vocabulary/lists/c/

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Some Types of Vocabulary?

• Subject specific - the words related to
  curriculum topics (These might also be in context
  defined.)
• Context-defined - multiple meanings -
  transferable words across subjects i.e., role,
  noun clusters i.e., global warming
• Academic Words the language of thinking
  processes required to do academic tasks i.e.,
  compare, contrast
• Connectors words and phrases used to show the
  relationship of ideas i.e., whereas, the most
  important
• Figurative Language Words or phrases that go
  beyond literal meaning and require contextual,
  social and/or cultural reference for
  understanding i.e., fork in the road

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Identify the type of Vocabulary

• Math Dictionary Certain
• We use the word certain in probability to
  describe events that will definitely happen.
  July is certain to come after June. If a coin is
  tossed it is certain to land with either heads or
  tails face up.

• Subject specific
• Context-defined
• Academic Words
• Connectors
• Figurative Language

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Identify the type of Vocabulary

• Certain
• We use the word certain in probability to
  describe events that will definitely happen.
  July is certain to come after June. If a coin is
  tossed it is certain to land with either heads or
  tails face up.

• Subject specific
• Context-defined
• Academic Words
• Connectors
• Figurative Language

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Where to find different types of words?

• Word Lists
• Subject Specific Word list http//www.vocabulary.
  com/dir-wordlist-word_list
• Words with Multiple Meanings http//www.webenglis
  hteacher.com/multmean.html
• Academic Word List http//www.victoria.ac.nz/lals/
  resources/academicwordlist/Publications/awlsublist
  s.pdf
• Connector Words - Common Transition Words
  http//csd.mcmaster.ca/accesstomac/images/common.p
  df
• Figurative Language http//www.kidskonnect.com/sub
  ject-index/20-language-arts/343-figurative-languag
  e.html

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What words for which age?

• http//www.lextutor.ca
• Kids list (http//www.lextutor.ca/vp/kids/kid_list
  _display/ )

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Apply it tomorrow

• Put a sample of your spoken language in the
  vocabulary profiler on lextutor.
  http//www.lextutor.ca
• Put a sample of some students spoken language in
  the vocabulary profiler
• For your next lesson
• Look at the vocabulary required for your next
  lesson?
• Recognize the vocabulary level of your students.
• Decide what vocabulary to teach

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Myth 4
4. The more time students spend in a second
language context, the quicker they learn the
language.
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Quality and Quantity Time

• ELLs benefit from
• Explicit language instruction
• Appropriate resources
• Language learning strategies
• At the just right level

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Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development

• is the difference between what a child can do on
  their own and what they can do with assistance.
• It includes all things that a child can do only
  with the help of a more-knowledgeable other.
• It is a scaffolding process, where supports are
  provided by a parent, teacher, or peer who has
  already has mastery of the task.

http//www.learningandteaching.info/learning/const
ructivism.htm
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Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development

• Practice
• Think of a learner in your class
• Think of one thing they can do on their own
• Think of one thing they can do with assistance
  now

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Krashens Comprehensible Input

• Comprehensible means to understand
• Input means what goes in
• Learning takes place when the brain can connect
  new information to existing knowledge.
• It is important to provide students information
  at their language level.
• Language proficiency is increased by gradual
  steps always working from students present
  language level.
• Use 1st language to help make connections in 2nd
  language

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Comprehensible Input Hypothesis

• The learner learn language he can understand by
  connecting it to known concepts and prior
  knowledge.
• Language that is not understood is just L2 noise

http//www.sk.com.br/sk-krash.html
http//www.languageimpact.com/articles/rw/krashenb
k.htm
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Comprehensible Input 1 (CI 1)

• CI 1
• CI 10

• Input must be comprehensible and also needs to be
  one level of linguistic complexity beyond the
  learners level to develop L2 proficiency.

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Apply it tomorrow

• Think about what is being taught.
• Think about the Comprehensible Input Level of the
  student
• Are any adjustments required?

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Myth 5

• All children learn a second language in the same
  way.

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Learner Profiles

• On the screen write the different aspects of the
  learner profile (preferences, modalities, affect,
  attributes etc.)

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More Krashen Affective Hypothesis

• Motivation, self-esteem, and interpersonal
  acceptance can limit or enhance the speed and
  amount of L2 learned.

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Affective Filter Hypothesis

• A filter or mental block can prevent L2 from
  getting in if a learner is anxious, afraid to
  take risks and in a stressful learning
  environment.
• Relaxation, confidence to take risks, and a
  pleasant learning environment help to lower the
  filter.

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Aptitude Hypothesis

• Learners do have innate (natural abilities)
  aptitude to learn L2.
• More impactful than aptitude is the learners
  attitude, which can enhance or impede the natural
  abilities to learn L2.

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The Learners Affective Traits

• Self-Concept
• The way I see my self
• The way I interact with others
• My disposition towards learning tasks
• The way I deal with problem solving and
  challenges
• Skills (related to literacy, numeracy,
  relationships and problem solving etc.)
• Strategies cognitive, meta-cognitive,
  linguistic, socio-affective etc.
• Cognitive Potential
• Motivation (Intrinsic, Extrinsic)

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Rebecca Oxfords ESL Learner Strategies

• Avoidance/reduction strategies
• Message replacement (try to simplify)
• Topic Avoidance (change the subject)
• Message abandonment (give up!)
• Achievement/Compensatory Strategies
• Circumlocution (talk around describing when word
  is unknown)
• Approximation (word that is close to intended
  word
• Restructuring (re-stating in a different way)
• Literal Translation (from L1 to L2 or L2 to L1,
  occasional errors)
• http//www.cal.org/resources/digest/oxford01.html

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Rebecca Oxfords ESL Learner Strategies

• Stalling or time-gaining strategies
• Fillers, hesitation (um, like, ahh, you know)
• Self and other repetition (echoing and copying)
• Self Monitoring Strategies
• Self-initiated repair (recognize own errors and
  ask for correction)
• Self-rephrasing (re-state independently and self
  correct)
• Interactional Strategies
• Appeals for help
• Direct What do you call..?
• Indirect I dont know the word in English
• Meaning Negotiation Strategies
• Clarification requests What does this mean?
• Confirmation requests Does this mean _______
  or ______?

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Learner Profiles

• Think of language of assessments and language
  level of student
• Learning Styles Self Assessment
  http//www.ldpride.net/learning-style-test.html
• Student self assessment of language
  http//www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/selfassess
  2.html
• Student self assessment of language
  http//www.acceleratedlearning.com/method/test_lau
  nch.html
• ESL K-12 Proficiency Benchmarks
  http//education.alberta.ca/media/1111060/esl_benc
  hmark1.pdf

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Think about it

• What things do you currently know about your
  students?
• What other additional information would you like
  to find out?

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Where weve been

• Myth or Fact?
• Cummins BICS and CALP
• Quadrants of BICS and CALP
• Common Underlying Proficiency
• Vygotskys Zone of Proximal Development
• Krashens Comprehensible Input
• Roessinghs Vocabulary Counts
• Oxfords ESL Learner Strategies

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ATA Webinar and Print series Understanding ESL
Learners
Graphic by Ray Campbell
http//www.teachers.ab.ca/Professional20Developme
nt/Specialist20Councils/Special20Projects/Pages/
Index.aspx
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Wiki - Entry

• http//erlcdpl.wikispaces.com/message/list/Getting
  StartedinESL-IntakeStrategies
• Type in one aha or question

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Thank You!
Your participation was appreciated! Please
complete the session evaluation which Jann will
email you. Join us for a session on
Differentiation for ELLs by Carla Fisher on March
2, 2010