Best Practices in ELL Instruction Multimodal Presentation Professional

Best Practices in ELL Instruction: Multimodal Presentation Professional Development by: Heather Thomson T 3 845

A Quick Video… n “ESL Struggles and Strategies” – http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=-b. WU 238 Pym. M n n n Are any of the struggles addressed in the video struggles which 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 n What every teacher needs to know about instructing English Language Learners: – Language related knowledge and skills – Effective teaching strategies – Issues in cultural diversity and crosscultural respect – Collaboration with ESL specialists

Language Knowledge and Skills n n 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 n n 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 n n 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 n n n 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? n Use the survey to reflect on your own practices in ELL instruction. n 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. n These multimodal presentations make the content more comprehensible for English Language Learners. n

What is multimodality? n n “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? n n n 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 (2 nd ed. ). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Examples of Multimodal Presentation Objects n Pictures n Movement n Video n Source: Cary, S. (2007). Working with English Language Learners: Answers to Teachers’ Top Ten Questions (2 nd ed. ). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Objects n n 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 (2 nd ed. ). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Pictures n n n 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 readaloud. 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 (2 nd ed. ). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Movement n n “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 (2 nd ed. ). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Video n n n 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 meaningbuilding 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 (2 nd ed. ). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Teacher Collaboration n How do you see yourself using these teaching strategies to create multimodal lessons for ELLs in your own classroom? Form groups according to either: n In your group decide: n – Grade level OR – Content Area – 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 n As soon as you can, try actually using the multimodal lesson/activity which you created today in your own classroom!