Student discourse is imperative to students developing their academic language and supporting their comprehension. During virtual or concurrent hybrid instruction, it has become more important than ever to find ways for students to take part in discourse. Participating in discourse helps students feel a sense of belonging and keeps them engaged in the lesson and it also serves as a formative assessment opportunity for teachers to check for understanding. Below are four strategies that provide opportunities for student discourse in all content areas. Talk Moves are five types of prompts and response starters that encourage students to think about their response, share their thinking, and listen to the reasoning of others. Talk Moves are meant to be used teacher with students, students with teacher, and students with students. Talk Moves provide equity of voice because the question, the answer, the justification, and additional thoughts are equally valued.
Think-Pair-Share is a an effective way for each student to think, practice, rehearse, and share their responses in a safe environment because they are working with a partner. During face to face instruction there is probably not enough time for each student or pair to share out with the whole group or there is only sufficient time for each pair to take part in one conversation. Using edtech tools such as Padlet and Flipgrid. With both tools teachers can pose a prompt to students. Students can respond by recording audio or video. Then, their partners can respond to their post. SWiRL is an acronym that stands for speaking, writing, interacting, reading, and listening. When planning for instruction it's important to remember to plan for consistent SWiRL opportunities. Jamboard is a white board allows for SWiRLing to take place because students can draw, record, or write their response. Both the teacher and students are able to see all of the jams (student) pages. After students create the jam, they can use them as a reference and discussion point with their partner or group during academic conversations. Whiteboard.chat is an interactive whiteboard that has multiple writing, audio, video, and multiple other tools. The teacher is able to see student work in real time. This interactive whiteboard allows students work collaborative and dig into the content they are learning. QSSSA is a structured conversation strategy shared by Seidlitz Education. This strategy provides the needed scaffolds and supports that will guide students participate in discourse. QSSSA cam be implemented with students face to face, using break out rooms, or Flipgrid. Below is a mathematics example of QSSSA.
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A student's first (L1) or native language is one of the best tools they have readily available that can help them support their own learning. If a student's L1 is Spanish, then they will already have a large bank of Tier 2 vocabulary (cross curricular) that they already know. Tier 2 vocabulary is important because these are the words that tend to lead to breakdown in understanding because they are not the the common (Tier 1) vocabulary they used to using with their classmates or the math vocabulary (Tier 3) that is being emphasized during instruction. Furthermore, Tier 2 vocabulary is the "testing vocabulary" that students will encounter on standardized assessments. Sometimes in an effort to increase a student's English language acquisition & development, students are encourage to use English and discouraged from using their L1. However, students can benefit greatly from using their L1 during "self-talk" & thinking time because they are able to focus on content rather than the English language & vocabulary that they should use. I find that when I am tired, I start thinking in my L1 (Spanish) and that is OKAY! I also find that when I am doing computations it is easier to do so in Spanish and that is OKAY! I know two languages and I am going to use switch when needed or use both to support my work & thinking. Our emerging bilingual students need the support & encouragement to know that it is OKAY to use all of their languages.
Scaffolds are temporary supports that students practice using to support their learning & understanding. Scaffolds are meant to be temporary and students should internalize the strategy they have practiced to such a degree it becomes a permanent fixture of their toolkit.
One of the most popular questions that I am asked by teachers, coaches, and administrators is What is something that can be done right away with minimum preparation time and supplies that have a great impact on student learning? As I visit campuses and observe teachers, one instructional move that I see often is teachers asking a lot of questions at a rapid pace. Most of the time the questions asked are closed/recall type questions that should quickly be answered by students. Many times are trying to ask all of their questions that they do not allow for student think time and when students don't automatically respond they end up sharing the response to their own questions with their students. Other times teachers try to provide wait time for students by having them Think-Pair-Share. However, they often they ask a question and prompt students to turn to their partner and share their response. One of my suggestions is usually for teachers to plan 3-5 rigorous questions during a mini-lesson that will prompt students to think critically, make connections/apply what they have learned, and use grade level academic vocabulary. Focusing on only 3-5 questions will not work if the students do not have sufficient wait time. Providing a 2 wait times is another way to lower the number of questions being asked and encourage students to formulate deeper responses. Implementing narrated wait time provides teachers with something to do during the awkward silence of wait time. Narrated wait time can take place during wait time 1 or wait time 2. The teacher says encouraging phrases aloud in a soft, slow, and calm manner. Narrated wait time can help students feel more confident and maybe give them an idea of how to get started on putting their response together.
The end of the school year is near and it is a perfect time to reflect about the most effective strategies to support English Learners! Below are some of my go to instructional strategies.
Across the U.S. there are numerous types of Bilingual/ESL programs. As a bilingual educator, I have rarely questioned the overarching intent of these programs and models. To me the main goal has been about helping students develop their English skills by using their L1 and previous knowledge. It’s been about working with students to have the reach the English proficiency of their monolingual English speaking peers.
However, the phrase transitioning students to English is one that is often used to describe students in many bilingual programs. This phrase implies moving from using L1 to exclusively using English & leaving L1 behind. While the language of instruction might include more English and less L1 as students move up in grade levels, it does not mean that L1 should be pushed out of the way. If the phrase transitioning students to English is used to describe a bilingual/ESL model, what is the mindset or the purpose of the model? A student’s L1 is something powerful and part of who a student is and therefore should be encouraged and maintained while they work on acquiring & developing their English. I don’t think the objective of the Bilingual/ESL model is to erase L1, but I do think it sometimes ends up happening based on the structures of the program itself and underlying mindsets/biases. Instead of saying we are transitioning kids to English, let’s adjust out language to say we are supporting students as they develop their English proficiency. What can teachers do to promote the idea of biliteracy among our students that are part of programs where that is not the main goal? A mnemonic is a learning technique that helps students remember information. They can help students make a connection that will allow them to recall information more quickly. In the elementary classrooms I usually see mnemonics as an acronym or phrase to help students remember vocabulary. The following is a common example a mnemonic for students to remember the the name of the planets in order from the shortest distance to the longest distance from the sun. The following are common mnemonics used for division in the mathematics classroom as a way to help students remember how to divide using the standard algorithm.
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