Culture & Climate
This section focuses on cultivating safe and stable learning environments for English learners.
Author(s): none listed
Publication URL: https://www.mynamemyidentity.org/
Category: Culture & Climate, Leadership
Grade Level: All Grade Levels
Keywords: Cultural Responsiveness, Resource Lists, Technology Instruction
Summary:
This website collects videos and materials related to an initiative that guides students in sharing their heritage languages and cultures by discussing their names. It includes examples of video projects made by students and resources for implementation.
Teaching English Language Learners
Author(s): Robert Jimenez
Publication URL: http://www.learner.org/workshops/teachreading35/session6/sec2p2.html
Category: Culture & Climate, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: Upper Elementary (3-5)
Keywords: Biliteracy, Classroom Culture, Cultural Responsiveness, Literacy, Reading Aloud
Summary:
This half-hour video, paired with a thought-provoking set of questions for discussion or reflection, provides a useful starting point for engaging with the unique needs of ELs. It is geared toward teachers in mainstream classrooms with a mixture of EL and non-EL students, with the dual goals of helping teachers implement best practices for ELs and of using students’ diversity to enrich educational experiences for the whole class.
Advanced course enrollment and performance among English learner students in Washington state
Author(s): Havala Hanson, Biraj Bisht, Jason Greenberg Motamedi
Publication URL: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northwest/pdf/REL_2017187.pdf
Category: Community & Family Engagement, Comprehensive Planning, Culture & Climate, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment, Professional Development
Grade Level: High School (9-12)
Keywords: Advanced Courses, College Readiness
Summary:
This research study explores the obstacles that prevent ELs from enrolling and succeeding in advanced high school courses. It shows that schools with large numbers of ELs often provide fewer opportunities for these students to take advanced courses, and it suggests solutions to this gap that will enable more ELs to graduate from high school prepared for college.
Resources for Teaching English Language Learners
Author(s): Ashley Cronin
Publication URL: https://www.edutopia.org/article/resources-for-teaching-english-language-learners-ashley-cronin
Category: Community & Family Engagement, Culture & Climate, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment, Leadership
Grade Level: All Grade Levels
Keywords: Arts Instruction, Content Area Instruction, Cultural Responsiveness, Literacy, Resource Lists, Social Interaction, Student Engagement, Technology Instruction
Summary:
This collection provides five themed sets of practical resources, adaptable to a range of grades and English proficiency levels. In addition to general information and language and literacy resources, the collection also includes approaches to less widely addressed topics including arts integration, technology integration, and student engagement.
Barriers to Meaningful Instruction for English Learners
Author(s): Lois M. Meyer
Publication URL: http://rdg504-socioculturalinfluencesonliteracydevelopment.wikispaces.com/file/view/Barriers+to+Meaningful+Instruction+for+English+Learners.pdf
Category: Culture & Climate, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: All Grade Levels
Keywords: Classroom Climate, Instructional Strategies, Student Motivation
Summary:
This article explains the challenges that ELs face in terms of four ?loads? that impede learning and one ?goad? that can help them overcome obstacles. It gives examples of student problems and teacher responses, and it makes an overall argument for approaches to EL education that emphasize students’ overall development, not just English acquisition.
Strategies for Supporting All Dual Language Learners
Author(s): none listed
Publication URL: https://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/hslc/tta-system/cultural-linguistic/fcp/docs/dll-strategies.pdf
Category: Community & Family Engagement, Culture & Climate, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment, Leadership
Grade Level: Early Childhood
Keywords: Communication with Families, Dual Language Learners, Instructional Strategy, Vocabulary
Summary:
This brief handbook provides teachers and administrators with six guiding principles for supporting dual language learners and a set of questions to verify that the principles are being followed. It also includes several case studies to show different ways of implementing the principles.
Stated Briefly: Suspension, expulsion, and achievement of English learner students in six Oregon districts
Author(s): Arthur Burke
Publication URL: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northwest/pdf/REL_2016112.pdf
Category: Culture & Climate
Grade Level: All Grade Levels
Keywords: Behavior Management, Suspension and Expulsion
Summary:
This article shows that, while ELs in elementary school are suspended and expelled at the same rate as non-ELs, they face higher rates of suspension and expulsion in middle school and high school. The article encourages schools to evaluate their disciplinary practices to ensure that ELs are treated fairly, especially because suspension and expulsion are correlated with lower academic achievement.
Getting It Right: Reference Guides for Registering Students With Non-English Names
Author(s): Jason Greenberg Motamedi, Zafreen Jaffery, Allyson Hagen
Publication URL: http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northwest/pdf/REL_2016158.pdf
Category: Community & Family Engagement, Culture & Climate
Grade Level: All Grade Levels
Keywords: Communicating with Families, Cultural Responsiveness
Summary:
This handbook explains naming conventions for eight language groups with large EL populations in the United States. It also explains how to address and interact with family members and touches on cultural differences that could cause confusion or miscommunication when engaging with families.
One speaker, two languages: Learning opportunities in the mathematics classroom
Author(s): Nuria Planas
Publication Info: Educational Studies in Mathematics September 2014, 87(1), pp 51-66. DOI 10.1007/s10649-014-9553-3
Category: Culture & Climate, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: High School (9-12), Middle School (6-8)
Keywords: Content Area Instruction, Mathematics Instruction, STEM Instruction, Small-Group Learning, Vocabulary
Summary:
This article draws on video recordings of student interactions to describe three main categories of dual-language engagement with mathematics topics. It argues that two types of engagement tend to further development of both vocabulary and content area mastery, but that some engagement can increase confusion.
Extreme Diversity in Cities: Challenges and Solutions for Programs Serving Young Children and Their Families
Author(s): Karen N. Nemeth
Publication URL: http://www.naeyc.org/yc/extreme-diversity-cities
Category: Community & Family Engagement, Culture & Climate
Grade Level: Early Childhood
Keywords: Communication with Families, Community Partnerships, Home Language Support
Summary:
This article discusses ways to work with families and community members to support ELs in diverse urban environments, as well as ways to develop a supportive school climate. While its examples focus on preschool, most of its suggestions and resources can be adapted for students of all ages.