Literacy Instruction for Multilingual Learners ED 482 Part 1, Video 1

Summary

In this informative video on literacy instruction for multilingual learners, Annie Delbridge discusses the importance of understanding and supporting the diverse linguistic backgrounds of students, particularly those in Oregon, where many languages are spoken. Around 10% of K-12 students are English learners, with Spanish being the predominant home language. Delbridge emphasizes the use of terms like "emergent bilingual" and "multilingual learner" to reflect the students' capabilities beyond just learning English. She stresses the importance of maintaining high expectations, providing responsive support, and viewing students' multilingualism as a strength. Teachers are encouraged to learn about and incorporate students' home languages and cultures into the classroom environment, using strategies like bilingual books and vocabulary bridging. The goal is to create a supportive and engaging learning environment that promotes both English literacy and the maintenance of home languages.

Highlights

• Around 10% of Oregon's K-12 students are English learners, mainly speaking Spanish 🌐.
• The term 'emergent bilingual' celebrates students’ bilingual abilities 🌟.
• Teachers should aim to view multilingualism as a superpower 💪.
• Learning students' home languages promotes cultural understanding and connection 🌍.
• Using bilingual books enables family involvement and language validation 📚.
• Teachers can point out cognates to help bridge language connections 🌉.
• Encouraging writing in home languages supports bi-literacy and cultural expression ✏️.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the linguistic diversity in Oregon's schools is crucial for effective instruction 📚.
• Using asset-based language like 'multilingual learner' values students' diverse skills 🌟.
• High expectations and responsive support are key to student success in literacy 👏.
• Incorporating students' home languages in the classroom fosters a welcoming environment 🌍.
• Strategies like bilingual books and vocabulary bridging help connect languages 📖.

Overview

In the video, Annie Delbridge explores the landscape of multilingual learners in Oregon, noting that about 10% of students are English learners, primarily Spanish speakers. She introduces concepts like 'emergent bilingual' to highlight their ongoing language acquisition in multiple tongues, not just English. Delbridge emphasizes an asset-based approach, encouraging teachers to see multilingualism as a strength and to integrate students' linguistic backgrounds into everyday learning.

Annie also outlines practical strategies for teachers to adopt, such as using bilingual books, which invite family participation and validate the students' home languages. Further, she suggests using vocabulary bridging, where teachers introduce words in both English and the students' home languages, enhancing comprehension and engagement. These methods aim not just to teach English literacy but to respect and incorporate each student's heritage into classroom teaching.

The video also highlights how simple acts, like greeting students in their home language or allowing creative expression in students’ native tongues during writing exercises, can significantly impact students’ sense of belonging and confidence in the classroom. Providing a language-rich environment with supportive scaffolding, Delbridge believes, can empower students to thrive academically while preserving their valuable multilingual identities.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Overview The chapter introduces the topic of literacy instruction for multilingual learners in Oregon. Annie Delbridge, the presenter, expresses her enthusiasm for the week's learning objectives. She provides a brief background on multilingual learners in Oregon and outlines the main focus of the chapter, which is to discuss strategies for teaching these learners.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Demographics of Multilingual Learners in Oregon The chapter discusses the demographics of multilingual learners in Oregon. It highlights that approximately 10% of K12 students are identified as English learners, with around 76% of them speaking Spanish as their home language. Additionally, the chapter mentions the diversity of languages spoken by these learners, noting that nearly 200 different languages are spoken in the state.
• 01:00 - 02:00: Terminology and Mindset The chapter discusses the terminology and mindset around students who are learning English in addition to their home language. It highlights the use of the term 'emergent bilingual' to emphasize that these students are not solely English learners but are also bilingual individuals. The term 'multilingual learner' is also mentioned, acknowledging the possibility of students speaking multiple languages, not just one alongside English, thereby recognizing their multifaceted language development.
• 02:00 - 04:00: Importance of Knowing Students' Languages The chapter discusses the importance of recognizing and valuing the linguistic skills of students who speak multiple languages. It shares an anecdote about a student who speaks four different languages, none of which is English, highlighting the diverse linguistic abilities that students may possess. The chapter emphasizes the need to acknowledge and appreciate these skills, despite 'English learner' being the legal term used to describe such students due to existing laws.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Creating Inclusive Classroom Environments This chapter discusses the importance of using asset-based terminology, such as 'multilingual learner,' to describe students. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining high expectations for students and providing responsive support. Teachers are encouraged to adopt an asset-based mindset to better support their students.
• 05:00 - 06:30: Using Bilingual Resources The chapter titled 'Using Bilingual Resources' emphasizes the importance of viewing bilingualism or multilingualism as a superpower and a strength. It discusses the need to support bilingual students to thrive in classrooms without losing their valuable language skills. The chapter highlights bilingual abilities as beneficial and crucial throughout students' lives.
• 06:30 - 10:00: Promoting Biliteracy and Bilingualism The chapter discusses the importance of recognizing and understanding the home languages and cultural backgrounds of students to promote biliteracy and bilingualism. It emphasizes the need to actively find out and learn about the students' languages and cultures rather than making assumptions. The chapter encourages educators to leverage online resources and community connections to enhance their understanding and support of bilingual students.

Literacy Instruction for Multilingual Learners ED 482 Part 1, Video 1 Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 Hello everyone and welcome. I'm Annie Delbridge and I'm so happy to be part of your learning this week. This is your video for literacy instruction for multilingual learners. And let's get started. In this video, I'm going to give just a very brief background on who our multilingual learners are in Oregon. And then we're going to spend most of the time focusing on strategies that we
• 00:30 - 01:00 can use during our literacy instruction to support these students. So in Oregon, about 10% of our K12 students are identified as English learners and about 76% of those speak Spanish as their home language. However, nearly 200 different languages are spoken in Oregon by our English learners, which I thought was very cool. Um, we have many terms that are used to
• 01:00 - 01:30 describe these students. The term emergent bilingual is one that really acknowledges that these students are not just learning English, right? They're also bilingual people who have a home language um that's also developing alongside English. And the term multilingual learner um does the same, but also by using that prefix multi really acknowledges that many of these
• 01:30 - 02:00 students speak more than two languages. um a student just came to my child's classroom who speaks four different languages and English is not one of them. Right? So these students really many of them have just amazing linguistic skills and we want to really acknowledge that. So the English learner term is the legal term. Um, so that's probably not going away unless they change the terminology in the laws that
• 02:00 - 02:30 entitle students to receive services. However, when we're speaking about students, um, we can use a term like multilingual learner to be a little bit more assetbased. When we're working with these students as teachers, it's really important that we maintain high expectations for our students and that we provide responsive support. So, we always want to keep an assetbased mindset and really think of their
• 02:30 - 03:00 bilingualism or multilingualism as a superpower, as a strength, right? As something that's going to be really beneficial and important for them throughout their entire lives. So, we want to make sure that we're supporting these students so that they are able to thrive in our classrooms and also not lose their amazing bilingual skills. So, a big part of this kind of
• 03:00 - 03:30 as a basic first step is just knowing which languages your students speak, right? So, we don't want to make an assumption about what our students home languages are. We want to actually find out what they are and try to learn as much as we can about their language and their culture. And hopefully this is really fun. Um there's a lot of information online. We can also connect with people in our communities who speak these languages. We can definitely
• 03:30 - 04:00 connect with the students parents. And this is obviously best practice for all your students is to really just have a conversation with parents and listen and get to know them and learn a little bit about your students lives outside of school and learn some basic words and phrases. Um, so we can use Google Translate now and use all of our technology, use all of our resources in order to connect with our students and
• 04:00 - 04:30 their families. I have seen students little faces just light up when their teacher says good morning to them in their home language. It really means a lot and it really communicates that you care and that you value their home language, right? As an important part of them and as an important part of the community that you create in your classroom. So, let's talk about literacy instruction for multilingual students.
• 04:30 - 05:00 We want to make sure that we are providing evidence-based reading and writing instruction for all of our students and that we're offering that responsive support. So, multilingual learners will need additional supports and scaffolds in our classrooms. You're going to watch a video this week about tailoring instruction to support English language learners. And in this video, you will see a kindergarten teacher whose class is comprised of English
• 05:00 - 05:30 language learners, many of whom are newcomers to this country. And you're going to see the amazing language that they use and tasks that they complete. So you'll see that this teacher has created a languagerich environment. She's very intentional about using higher level vocabulary and giving the kids lots of opportunities to practice using those words um and to
• 05:30 - 06:00 create a low stress environment for them. You'll also see that she frequently uses gestures and visuals to support her instruction. Another high impact strategy is to help our language learners make cross language connections and build language awareness and to really be intentional about including our students home languages and
• 06:00 - 06:30 acknowledging those bilingual and biiterate skills as much as possible. So, you're going to read a chapter this week where you will see some ideas for how we can include our students biiterate and bilingual identities within our classrooms and how we can allow them to trans language or to use their full linguistic repertoire as they are learning. Even if we don't speak our
• 06:30 - 07:00 students home languages, we can still make an effort to include those languages in the classroom and to provide opportunities for our students to use their home languages. So whether it's in reading, writing, or thinking about vocabulary, there are lots of opportunities throughout the day to do this. One way is for us to use bilingual books in the classroom and to have them
• 07:00 - 07:30 as part of the library and to send them home for families to read together. This is an example of a bilingual book. It tells the story in both English and Spanish. So, um, our students may not have received formal reading instruction in their home language or maybe they have, right? So, um, depending on what our students are able to do, they may be able to read the Spanish. Um, they may be able to take it
• 07:30 - 08:00 home and have the an older sibling or a parent or an aunt or an uncle read it to them or with them. Um, but even just pointing out this book is bilingual, right? This part is in English and this part is in Spanish is a way to bring that Spanish language into our classroom and to validate it as well. Another really easy thing to do is when you're
• 08:00 - 08:30 doing your vocabulary, we're going to have our word in English and then we can also look up that word in our students home language. Um, so in this way we're providing them access to academic language in their home language as well and developing those vocabulary skills. Another really important thing to point out to students is cognates. So as you can see some
• 08:30 - 09:00 words look very similar in English and in Spanish. For example, we have consumer here and then consumor. We have producer and productor. We have needs and necess. So pointing out those connections can be very helpful for students and they will start to notice them and point them out as well and build their vocabulary but also build their language awareness. And you might
• 09:00 - 09:30 hear students saying, "Oh, that looks like this word in Spanish. I think I know what that means." In writing, too, you know, this may seem self-explanatory, but it really does show students that you value their home language if you encourage them to write in their home language. And um it's a great way to also encourage family involvement as well, especially like if your students are doing an activity
• 09:30 - 10:00 where they're maybe interviewing a family member or they're telling a story from a family uh history um and maybe they can write their um book bilingually, right? Um, even if you're doing journaling every day for five minutes or something, you can allow them to choose, do you want to, you know, journal in Spanish today. Things like that really make a difference and can really help to promote biiteracy and
• 10:00 - 10:30 bilingualism in your classroom, even if you are not teaching in a dual language classroom and even if you do not necessarily speak that language. Down here you'll see a student who is sorting words based on sound. So this is a phonics exercise with hard C and soft C. And this is in a bilingual classroom. But even if your classroom is not bilingual, if you're having students look for words that start with C, for example, you can encourage them to think
• 10:30 - 11:00 about words in their home language and to add those onto the chart as well.