Enhancing Language Learning for OSY: Professional Development for Instructors

1. GOSOSY Professional Development for OSY Instructors: Identifying and Addressing the Needs of OSY: Working with Language Learners www.osymigrant.org

2. Acknowledgements GOSOSY Professional Development Group and Contributors: • Lysandra Alexander (PA); Susanna Bartee (KS); Odilia Coffta (NY); Joan Geraci (NJ); Tracie Kalic (GOSOSY); Sabrina Rivera Pineda (GA); Kiowa Rogers (NE) • GOSOSY PD Reviewers and Technical Support Team members and the State Steering Support Team www.osymigrant.org

3. Statement of Purpose This module is intended to assist service providers who are working with OSY who are English Learners (ELs). www.osymigrant.org

4. Learner Characteristics • OSY have different levels of language ability • They also have different literacy levels and general educational levels. • These are important factors to consider when developing plans and activities for ELL classes. www.osymigrant.org

5. Social English vs Academic www.osymigrant.org

6. Social English vs Academic • They can talk but may not have skills to persuade, debate, or give oral presentations, • May have decoding skills but lack comprehension of complex text • Get main idea but miss nuances, and technical details • Specialized scientific meaning of everyday words goes unperceived • Write sentences on a test that doesn’t extend to completing a complex report. www.osymigrant.org

7. Social English vs Academic • Academic English is more demanding and complex than social English. An ELL student with social English proficiency may not necessarily have the academic English proficiency. • It is important for you, the teacher, to make this distinction. Academic English is the language necessary for success in school. It is related to a standards-based curriculum; including the content areas of math, science, social studies, and English language arts. www.osymigrant.org

8. Social English vs Academic • Teachers provide clues to modify language of students to help restate words in more academic terms once social words are present. • Help your students over time to describe, explain, question, hypothesize and persuade with newly acquired academic vocabulary. www.osymigrant.org

9. Social English vs Academic The bright amber colored bird perched on the redwood tree outside of my porch. I sat and reflected on the natural beauty of the morning as the mists glistened around the reservoir of spring water. Could you re-state this in words your students could understand? www.osymigrant.org

10. Adults vs Children • Students learn language at their own pace. • OSY cannot be treated like students in a regular Ed classroom. • Teachers should work to get to know them and to help them make and realize goals related to language development. • Learn about their unique abilities and their situations. www.osymigrant.org

11. What do your students bring to class? • Experience • Work ethic • Skills • Resilience • Hope • Desire to learn • Language • Use these things for your benefit and to the students also. www.osymigrant.org

12. OSY need development in all 4 areas • ELs need practice in Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing • Take a minute and think about a quick lesson plan design that would have all 4 areas. www.osymigrant.org

13. Use of Music • Help! (I need Somebody) • Presentation Activity • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cueulBxn1Fw www.osymigrant.org

14. Music & Radio • Smart Phones-SIM Cards • iPods- MP3 Players • Load on all sorts of language resources • GOSOSY resources • Recorded books • Songs in English www.osymigrant.org

15. Music & Radio • IPod exchange program • Record parts of lessons • Digital class • Record children’s books • Make your own language materials • Use music to teach classes • Podcasts- news radio www.osymigrant.org

16. Help your Students be comfortable in your class. • The best language learning occurs when students are at ease. • “The best methods are therefore those that supply 'comprehensible input' in low anxiety situations, containing messages that students really want to hear. These methods do not force early production in the second language, but allow students to produce when they are 'ready', recognizing that improvement comes from supplying communicative and comprehensible input, and not from forcing and correcting production." -Stephen Krashen www.osymigrant.org

17. Language Development Theory • The best language learning occurs when students are at ease. • "Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language - natural communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding." Stephen Krashen www.osymigrant.org

18. Language Development Theory • Second language performance: 'the acquired system' and 'the learned system'. The 'acquired system' or 'acquisition' is the product of a subconscious process very similar to the process children undergo when they acquire their first language. It requires meaningful interaction in the target language - natural communication - in which speakers are concentrated not in the form of their utterances, but in the communicative act. • The 'learned system' or 'learning' is the product of formal instruction and it comprises a conscious process which results in conscious knowledge 'about' the language, for example knowledge of grammar rules. According to Krashen 'learning' is less important than 'acquisition'. www.osymigrant.org

19. The Stages of Language Learning are as follows: • Pre-production (silent period) • Early Production (low beginner) • Speech Emergence (high beginner) • Intermediate Fluency • Fluent • For detailed information see the Stages of Language Learning chart pictured in the next slide Learner Characteristics • For the full document, see Stages of Language Learning document www.osymigrant.org Adapted from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108052/chapters/The-Stages-of-Second-Language-Acquisition.aspx

20. Learner Characteristics • For the full document, see Stages of Language Learning document www.osymigrant.org Adapted from: http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/108052/chapters/The-Stages-of-Second-Language-Acquisition.aspx

21. Working with English Learners: Before the Lesson • Know the EL’s language level. Utilize a screening tool to determine the language level. • The OSY English Language Screener (linked below) is a good resource. • http://osymigrant.org/GOSOSYinstorallanguage.html • This is a basic assessment for beginners. If this screener is too easy for the EL, talk to your supervisor about other assessment options. • Refer to the Stages of Language Learning chart for strategies to implement and avoid at the EL’s language level. • Find out whether the EL is literate in his or her first language. If so, using bilingual materials may be helpful. If not, the following module may be helpful: Addressing the Specific Needs of OSY with Limited Formal Schooling. • For the full module, see Addressing the Specific Needs of OSY with Limited Formal Schooling www.osymigrant.org

22. Working with English Learners: Before the Lesson • Learning English encompasses everything! • Think outside of the box for best results! Be creative in your planning. www.osymigrant.org

23. Working with English Learners: Before the Lesson • GOSOSY Resources • Life Skills • ELL • Reading • Writing www.osymigrant.org

24. Working with English Learners: Before the Lesson What can you do in your planning session when you know that you are going to be working with students of multiple language levels, educational backgrounds, literacy levels, and different interests? www.osymigrant.org

25. Working with English Learners: Before the Lesson Mind Set Always Learning • There is a certain mind set that is needed in both an instructor and a learner when it comes to language development. • Both the student and the teacher HAVE to work together to help the student advance. www.osymigrant.org

26. Working with English Learners: Before the Lesson • Identify key vocabulary • Prepare visual aids to teach vocabulary: • Real objects • Images • Flashcards • Dry erase board, markers, sketch pad and pens to draw vocabulary • Identify Technology Resources available for your lesson. • Think of simple phrases to describe or explain key vocabulary • Plan activities that the EL can do to practice the vocabulary: • Games • Simple worksheets • Conversation starters • Role plays www.osymigrant.org

27. Working with English Learners: Before the Lesson What is accessible to OSY? • Smart phones • Internet • Sometimes CD’s and books • Television • Radio • Music The world is at their fingertips if these resources are used right. Incorporate these tools into your lessons. www.osymigrant.org

28. Internet Resources! • Recorded books and interactive stories and games • Craigslist • Kelly Blue Book • Free Typing Courses-http://www.freetypinggame.net/play.asp • Myriad of ELL sites to Learn English • Conevyt-http://www.conevyt.org.mx/ www.osymigrant.org

29. Conevyt resources Math Courses http://saeses.conevyt.org.mx/WEBSAESES/SAESESU/default.htm Other Computer Programs http://www.aulafacil.com/cursos/c68/informatica/excel-word-powerpoint-access Recipes http://www.aulafacil.com/cursos/c28/cocina Looking for a job resources • http://www.conevyt.org.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=431&Itemid=811 Myriad of Educational Courses • http://www.cursosinea.conevyt.org.mx/ Construction and Mechanics information • http://www.conevyt.org.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=538&Itemid=1096 Learning Computer Programs Like Word • http://www.conevyt.org.mx/tareas/cd2/cursocomputo/word/indice.htm www.osymigrant.org

30. Working with English Learners: During the Lesson • Help the EL feel at ease: • Relax • Show confidence that you can communicate • Use positive body language (i.e. smile, nod) • Focus on communication rather than grammar or pronunciation: • Encourage the EL to respond and speak • Model correct grammar and pronunciation • Rephrase rather than overtly correcting mistakes • Use a dictionary or online translation site • Provide opportunities for the EL to interact and show understanding in a variety of ways: • Through pictures • Through actions • Through verbal responses www.osymigrant.org

31. Working with English Learners: During the Lesson • Example: Topic – Protect Your Back While Working • Lesson can be found at: http://www.osymigrant.org/For%20Your%20Health%20back.pdf Teacher to student in silent period: “Lift the box.” Teacher to Low Beginner: “What is she doing?” Teacher to Intermediate student: “Why do we need to lift correctly?” www.osymigrant.org

32. Working with English Learners: During the Lesson • After asking a question, allow plenty of wait time for the EL to respond: • 8 seconds is recommended as a minimum • Encourage any response, but don’t rush students to respond • Watch the student’s body language. If s/he seems confused (fearful look, blank stare), be ready to modify the way you are presenting the lesson. • Try a different approach if the EL doesn’t respond as expected: • Present the question in a different manner (rephrase, write, draw) • Allow the EL to respond non-verbally by: • Pointing, gesturing, acting out a response • Selecting from a group of pictures • Choosing a word card www.osymigrant.org

33. Checking for Understanding • Review the vocabulary you taught. Check for understanding by having the OSY: • Match pictures to words (pre-production, early production) • Use the word in a sentence (high beginner) • Do a role play using the vocabulary words (speech emergence, intermediate) • Describe or explain the words (fluent) • For additional ideas, see the Stages of Language Learning document linked below • For the full document, see Stages of Language Learning document www.osymigrant.org

34. Working with English Learners: After the Lesson Create your assessment based on your students’ stages of language Example: Silent Period: Match the pictures to the correct words. Low Beginner: ___________ a box correctly keeps your back safe. Intermediate: Write the steps to correctly lift a box. Word Bank: Joint Lifting Stretch out Squat Pressure • For the full document, see Stages of Language Learning document www.osymigrant.org

35. Working with English Learners: After the Lesson • Learn from your students: • Reflect on how their responses can help you improve the way you communicate with the EL in the future: • Which strategies did the EL seem to embrace the most? • What other topics / vocabulary has the EL expressed interest in? • Reflect on what opportunities you can give the ELs to communicate effectively with you: • With which response type did they seem most comfortable? • (drawing, selecting pictures, actions, role play, writing, etc.) • Use student responses and ability to select materials for the next lesson. • Do not hesitate to change/adjust future lessons based on what you observed. www.osymigrant.org

36. Participant Feedback Fill out the GOSOSY online evaluation below: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PGY5NK5 Facilitator follow-up questions for group training: • What did you learn? • What did you find most helpful or beneficial? • How will you be using this with your youth? • What recommendations do you have for future training? www.osymigrant.org

37. CONTACT INFO Jessica Castañeda Spark Innovations Web/Educational Program Consultant Office: 931-668-4129 Cell: 931-273-4050 sparkedinnovations@gmail.com www.sparkedinnovations.net Sabrina Rivera Pineda Resource Specialist Georgia Department of Education Region 1 Migrant Education Program 201 West Lee Street Brooklet, Georgia 30415 Cell: (404) 576-3133 spineda@doe.k12.ga.us www.osymigrant.org