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Best Practices in ELL Instruction: Multimodal Presentation. Professional Development by: Heather Thomson T3 845. A Quick Video…. “ESL Struggles and Strategies” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bWU238PymM
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Best Practices in ELL Instruction:Multimodal Presentation Professional Development by: Heather Thomson T3 845
A Quick Video… • “ESL Struggles and Strategies” • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bWU238PymM • Are any of the struggles addressed in the video struggles which you yourself have experienced with your ELL students? • Can you see yourself using any of the strategies presented in the video? • Discuss with group members. • “ESL Struggles and Strategies” • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bWU238PymM • Are any of the struggles addressed in the video struggles which you yourself have experienced with your ELL students? • Can you see yourself using any of the strategies presented in the video? • Discuss with group members.
Broad Overview of Best Practices in ELL Instruction • What every teacher needs to know about instructing English Language Learners: • Language related knowledge and skills • Effective teaching strategies • Issues in cultural diversity and cross-cultural respect • Collaboration with ESL specialists
Language Knowledge and Skills • Teachers must gain knowledge bases in first- and second- language acquisition theory • ELLs with strong literacy skills in their first language are more likely to succeed in gaining literacy in a second language • For ELLs, conversational language abilities are different from academic language abilities • “A safe, welcoming classroom environment, with minimal anxiety about performing in a second language, is essential for ELLs to learn.” (Li & Protacio, pg. 363) Source: Li, G., & Protacio, M. S. (2010). Best Practices in Professional Development for Teachers of ELLs. In G. Li & P. A. Edwards (Eds.), Best Practices in ELL Instruction (pp. 353- 375). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Effective Teaching Strategies • Teachers must hold high expectations for their ELL students • Teachers must work to make content (i.e. lessons/activities) comprehensible • Teachers must engage ELLs in both oral and written interactions • Teachers must create assessments which are authentic in nature (Li & Protacio, pg. 363) Source: Li, G., & Protacio, M. S. (2010). Best Practices in Professional Development for Teachers of ELLs. In G. Li & P. A. Edwards (Eds.), Best Practices in ELL Instruction (pp. 353- 375). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Addressing Cultural Diversity • Create a classroom community which values student differences • Incorporate students’ diverse backgrounds and heritages into themes of study • Recognize that student behavior may be influenced by cultural beliefs • Recognize that cultural identity may affect student learning styles (Li & Protacio, pg. 366-368) Source: Li, G., & Protacio, M. S. (2010). Best Practices in Professional Development for Teachers of ELLs. In G. Li & P. A. Edwards (Eds.), Best Practices in ELL Instruction (pp. 353- 375). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Collaboration with ESL Specialists • Content area teachers are very knowledgeable about their subject, but may not know how to present their material to ELLs • ESL specialist understand how to make content comprehensible to ELLs, however, they may not have in depth content area expertise • Working together creates the best outcome for ELL students! (Li & Protacio, pg. 365) Source: Li, G., & Protacio, M. S. (2010). Best Practices in Professional Development for Teachers of ELLs. In G. Li & P. A. Edwards (Eds.), Best Practices in ELL Instruction (pp. 353- 375). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Teacher Self Survey • To what extent do you know about or use these best practices? • Use the survey to reflect on your own practices in ELL instruction. Click HERE for Teacher Survey
Narrowing our focus to: Effective Teaching Strategies • One effective teaching strategy is to present content or lessons in multiple modes- i.e. with visual, auditory, and/or kinesthetic components. • These multimodal presentations make the content more comprehensible for English Language Learners.
What is multimodality? • “A multimodal approach to learning requires us to take seriously and attend to the whole range of modes involved in representation and communication.” (Boyd & Thompson, pg. 152) • “Multimodality refers to the modes of representation beyond print, including such domains as the visual, auditory, gestural, and kinesthetic.” (Boyd & Thompson, pg. 154) Source: Boyd, F. B., & Thompson, M. K. (2008). Multimodality and Literacy Learning. In K. A. Hinchman & H. K. Sheridan-Thomas (Eds.), Best Practices in Adolescent Literacy Instruction (pp. 151-163). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Why are multimodal presentations important for ELLs? • Simply reading a text may not be enough for ELLs to fully comprehend the content. • In order to aid ELLs in constructing meaning, we must present the information to them in multiple modes. • “In comparison to native speakers, second language kids missed more aspects of the storyline, nuances of character, and key concepts. Multiple strategies increase comprehension.” (Cary, pg. 45-46) Source: Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Examples of Multimodal Presentation • Objects • Pictures • Movement • Video Source: Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Objects • The use of real objects in the classroom is what is known as Realia. • When presenting ELLs with new content, vocabulary or texts, it is helpful to support the information with Realia so that students have a concrete idea of what you are talking about. • For example, if students are reading the book Stone Fox, in which dog sledding takes place, bring in a sled for the students to see! • “Having a sense of what a sled is and how much strength… is needed to pull one is critical to understanding Stone Fox.” (Cary, pg. 42) Source: Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Pictures • Pictures are another important aspect in creating multimodal presentations • “Images can help readers interpret texts, and visual images can prove to be important tools in supporting students’ comprehension.” (Moje & Speyer, pg. 205) • “ELL kids need the visuals and the many details they contain to help them make better sense of the read-aloud. For students with very low English proficiency, no picture often means no story.” (Cary, pg. 43) Sources: Moje, E. B., & Speyer, J. (2008). The Reality of Challenging Texts in High School Science and Social Studies. In K. A. Hinchman & H. K. Sheridan-Thomas (Eds.), Best Practices in Adolescent Literacy Instruction (pp. 185-207). New York, NY: The Guilford Press. Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Movement • “Whole-class physical involvement” is a great way to help make concepts come to life for ELLs (Cary, pg. 42) • Examples include: • Games (i.e. grammar races) • Acting out scenes from books • Moving letter tiles to spell words Source: Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Video • Videos are a great example of multimodal presentation because they include both visual and auditory elements. • “A video’s images, speech, movement, and music provide a rich mix of meaning-building cues.” (Cary, pg. 43) • “Most teachers find their use of video increasing as their ELL numbers go up.” (Cary, pg. 43) Source: Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions (2nd ed.). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Teacher Collaboration • How do you see yourself using these teaching strategies to create multimodal lessons for ELLs in your own classroom? • Form groups according to either: • Grade level OR • Content Area • In your group decide: • Which strategy you would like to try (Realia, pictures, movement, video/technology) • How each of you could incorporate the strategy into an upcoming lesson to create a multimodal presentation for your ELL students
Extensions • As soon as you can, try actually using the multimodal lesson/activity which you created today in your own classroom!