Reflections on Teaching Multilingual Learners

English Learner/Emergent Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Collegial Community meeting. Our monthly come-as-you-can meetings welcome all participants who are interested in discussing multilingual literacy research and practice. Sponsored by The Reading League and facilitated by Kari Kurto, Claude Goldenberg, and myself (Jana Echevarria), we meet via zoom on the first Friday of each month.

The next meeting will be on October 4, 2024 at 12:30 pm PST / 3:30 pm EST when we welcome Dr. DJ Bolger, researcher, neuroscientist, and associate professor at the University of Maryland.

We would be delighted to have you join us, whatever your perspective. Please complete the Google Form invitation to get a zoom link. Also, feel free to pass the invitation along to any interested colleagues and friends.

In addition to lively, informative discussions, an added benefit of membership in the community is access to a Google drive folder containing previous recordings and readings — a treasure trove of resources! Hope to see you Friday, October 4^th. 

For many educators, it is the beginning of a new school year – or will be very soon. For both students and teachers, it is an exciting time of preparation, new beginnings, and anticipation. Whether you’re a veteran educator or just starting out, the beginning of the school year can feel both exciting and daunting. For students, especially multilingual learners, there may be a level of anxiety involved about doing well in school, fitting in, and feeling welcome.

To help you get off to a strong start, here are ten tips to ensure a successful year for both you and your students.

1. Use Welcoming Words and Actions

Your attitude and behavior as a teacher have a profound impact on how students see themselves as learners, directly influencing their academic performance. Simple gestures like a smile, eye contact, or a kind word can make a world of difference, helping multilingual learners – and all students –feel valued and included in your classroom.

2. Learn and Pronounce Students’ Names Correctly

A student’s name is a core part of their identity, and pronouncing it correctly shows respect and recognition. I know from personal experience how embarrassing it can be when a teacher mispronounces your name or makes a comment such as, “Oh, this is a tough one. Let’s see if I can say it.” Such comments usually incite laughter from other students. Take the time to learn the correct pronunciation and say their names with the same care you would with any other name, like “Emily Thomas.”

3. Engage Parents and Guardians Early

Strong communication with parents and guardians is vital for student success. Positive communication and interactions between schools and their parents and families can enhance student outcomes, enrollment, attendance, and behavior. Reach out to them early in the school year to establish a connection. Consider sending a welcome letter or email to introduce yourself and outline your expectations for the year. Using tools like classroom websites, newsletters, or apps like ClassDojo can help keep parents informed and involved throughout the year. For many multilingual parents, texting is most effective and apps like TalkingPoints translates messages into multiple languages.

4. Reflect Students’ Cultures and Languages in the Classroom

Display visuals and items that represent the diverse cultures and languages of your students. Photos, posters, and bilingual labels can create an inclusive environment. In elementary classrooms, displaying each student’s photo and name can reinforce that every child is recognized and valued. This idea can be adapted for older students as well.

5. Be Mindful of Back-to-School Activities
   Consider the diverse backgrounds of your students when planning back-to-school activities like sharing summer experiences. While some multilingual learners may come from affluent backgrounds, many may not have had the opportunity to attend summer camps or take vacations. Instead, focus on inclusive activities that allow all students to share and participate.
6. Display Schedules, Routines and Rules for Clarity

Students thrive in environments with clear and consistent expectations. Post your classroom rules, procedures, and daily routines in a visual format that is easy for multilingual learners to understand. Be sure to explain, demonstrate, and reinforce these expectations regularly until they become second nature to your students, setting them up for success.

7. Show Understanding Toward Absences

While it’s natural to feel disappointed if students aren’t present on the first day of school, it’s important to remember that absences are often beyond their own control. Don’t criticize students who return late. Instead, offer support and understanding while kindly letting them know the importance of regular attendance.

8. Take Care of Yourself

Teaching is incredibly rewarding but also demanding. To be the best teacher for your students, it’s important to take care of yourself. Set boundaries to maintain a healthy work-life balance and make time for yourself each day: take a walk, read a good novel, listen to relaxing music. Self-care activities are essential for rejuvenating yourself, and the result will be a more effective and resilient teacher in the classroom.

9. Prioritize Relationship Building

Establishing strong relationships, from the classroom to colleagues in your building and beyond, is essential for new teachers and experienced teachers alike. Getting to know your students and their families can be rewarding and creates a sense of community that benefits everyone. Make sure that you seek out supportive, like-minded colleagues in your building and connect with them regularly. It’s also possible to create meaningful relationships with teachers that you meet virtually, such as in online chat groups. The point is to avoid isolation. Building relationships with those in your sphere is essential for your well-being – and theirs.

10. Reflect and Be Flexible

As the school year unfolds, take time to reflect on what’s working well and where you might need to make adjustments. What might you do to make lessons more comprehensible for your multilingual students? Is there sufficient language practice to increase English proficiency? Be open to changing your practices to better meet your students’ needs. We’ve found in our research that regular reflection and a willingness to adapt instruction helps teachers grow as an educator and provides a richer learning experience for students.

The beginning of the school year is an opportunity to set the stage for a successful, enjoyable, and fulfilling year. By being prepared, building strong relationships, and taking care of yourself, you’ll be well on your way to another great year.

I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the plethora of resources available to teachers of multilingual learners, administrators, policy makers, and multilingual families. However, there is often a gap between the resources themselves and their dissemination. In this post I will share some valuable sources that offer information, materials, webinars, and the like. As you can see, several are available in Spanish and English. I hope you’ll find one or more that are useful to you in your own setting.  

English Learner/Emergent Bilingual Collegial Community meeting. Our monthly come-as-you-can meetings welcome all participants who are interested in discussing multilingual literacy research and practice. Sponsored by The Reading League and facilitated by Kari Kurto, Claude Goldenberg, and myself (Jana Echevarria), we meet on the last Friday of each month.

The next meeting will be on April 26, 2024 at 12:30 pm PST / 3:30 pm EST when we welcome Magdalena Zavalia and colleagues from Intelexia. They will describe research conducted on their Spanish foundational skills program, Aprendo Leyendo, both in the U.S. and South America. This is an important presentation for multilingual educators because criticism of the “science of reading” (which is simply research on how individuals learn to read) is that its research is only conducted with monolingual English speakers, OR that the research was done exclusively in other countries. The presentations the past two months were centered around seminal studies conducted with Spanish-speaking students in the U.S.

We would be delighted to have you join us, whatever your perspective. Please complete the Google Form invitation to get a zoom link. Also, feel free to pass the invitation along to any interested colleagues and friends.

In addition to lively, informative discussions, an added benefit of membership in the community is access to a Google drive folder containing previous recordings and readings. Hope to see you Friday, April 26^th. 

Evidence Advocacy Center (EAC). A group of passionate educators and researchers has begun an effort to promote the use of evidence (aka research) by those who make decisions about policies, practices, procedures, programs, curricula, and so forth. Called the Evidence Advocacy Center, it is aimed at policy makers, educational administrators (at the national, state, local, and building levels), teacher educators, interest groups and organization leaders, instructional coaches, and teachers. It is not designed to promote specific curricula, assessments, or other educational products; it is designed to assist those who make instructional decisions locate and interpret trustworthy evidence about education – what works and what does not. Please visit the website where there is loads of information including a powerful video from Ameer Baraka who learned to read at 45 years of age after a stint in prison. This video speaks to the critical need to reach every child in the early grades of their schooling. There’s no time to waste!

Sold A Story Podcast. (English and Spanish)  In this popular podcast series, investigative journalist Emily Hansford reported about what is characterized as American education’s failures to teach reading. To tell the story, Ms. Hansford interviewed parents, children, educators, and others. She heard and reported about problems that were prevalent across the country. The reports have had an impact on the public as well as educators. In part, the series prompted a national discussion that has resulted new laws in at least 15 states to try to change the way reading is taught in schools. 

Just recently, Sold a Story became available in Spanish and can be accessed through your preferred podcast outlet.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sold-a-story-en-espa%C3%B1ol/id1735791319

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/35siysSMOUySvDzPiIftKR

This is the kind of resource that schools should share with Spanish-speaking families. It might prompt a discussion amongst families and school personnel and give families a voice in the national discussion about reading. 

The Reading League Compass (English and Spanish) Some of the content on the Compass site includes a resource developed by The Reading League and the National Committee on Effective Literacy (NCEL): a Joint Statement: Understanding the Difference: The Science of Reading and Implementation for English Learners / Emergent Bilinguals. The groups, who are sometimes characterized as representing dichotomous perspectives, came together and found areas of agreement. This Joint Statement was a significant step forward in realizing the areas of agreement and diminishing the perception that there is widespread disagreement in how reading needs to be taught. 

A related resource is a page on the science of reading (SOR) and English learners which contains various resources at your fingertips (or clicks!). Be sure to spend some time exploring the resources there. 

Families in Schools. (English and Spanish) Although the website is intended to serve the greater Los Angeles area, you will find that its themes and resources are universal. For over 20 years, Families In Schools (FIS) has served “low-income, immigrant, and communities of color, knowing that education remains the single most important opportunity for them. The mission of Families in Schools is to involve families and communities in their children’s education to achieve lifelong success.” One resource for promoting early literacy is their ReadLA! Campaign: Literacy and Justice for All. Please visit the site to find ideas that may apply to your district and/or state.

La Ciencia de la Lectura en la Enseñanza de la Lectura (The Science of Reading in the Teaching of Reading). Dr. Horacio Alvarez Marinelli, Education Policy Expert & Creator of Let’s All Learn to Read provides an engaging and informative presentation in Spanish. A link to the transcript of the presentation is found below the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9i2HdN1OHFU. In this presentation, Dr. Alvarez offers data from several countries that show the discrepancy between those who can understand oral language and written language. He characterizes lack of reading ability as “criminal” because of the limits it places on children. It is a very powerful presentation situated in a discussion of worldwide reading data.  

Conclusion

We have a responsibility to help educators access evidence-based resources that will drive classroom practice. Also, we need to reach out to parents so that they are informed about the education of their children. Too often families who are not proficient in English are left out of important conversations taking place in educational circles (including their own schools), conversations in which English-proficient families have a voice. 

The resources in this post are intended to be shared widely with colleagues, families, and others interested in literacy. Please feel free to pass along this post so that the dissemination gap is minimized. 

We have our monthly come-as-you-can collegial community meeting hosted by Kari Kurto from The Reading League, Claude Goldenberg and Jana Echevarria facilitate discussions. Our zoom meetings take place on the first Friday of each month.

Last month, the group engaged in a lively discussion of research shared by Elsa Carenas-Hagan and Sylvia Linan Thompson. There was so much to discuss that we are thrilled to say that we will be welcoming them back March 29th at 12:30pm PST / 3:30pm EST.

This is a reminder that this group will meet this Friday, March 29 at 12:30 PST/3:30 EST for another lively discussion.

For those of you interested in attending, whatever your perspective, please complete the form and share with interested friends and colleagues.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf0RM6IZtW4YJhIy2Fq8p6B_hioaxrzLJ3VB4-H6lmjf0Fdag/viewform

 With more than 5 million multilingual learners in our schools, many teachers wonder how these students can be taught grade-level content in a way that makes the content understandable for them. Yes, teachers want to provide effective instruction for multilingual learners, but some teachers may not be aware that multilingual learners are legally entitled to the same educational opportunities as English proficient students, including access to grade-level curricula. All students, multilingual learners and English speakers alike, should be learning the same content. The idea that multilingual learners aren’t ready for grade-level material simply isn’t supported by research. In fact, literacy research tells us that students learn better with challenging text. However, it is essential that multilingual learners are provided with scaffolding and supports that allow them to access challenging texts and materials.

The following are three ways to help multilingual learners access grade-level content. 

1. Be clear. This may seem like a no-brainer but expressing oneself in a way that is easily understood is more challenging than it may seem. Remember that grade-level content contains vocabulary and language forms that likely will be difficult for multilingual learners to follow. While clear, concise speech is critical for multilingual learners, it is good for all. Think of TEDTalk speakers, newscasters and other professional speakers. They speak clearly, enunciate, and limit the amount of information they give to listeners. Typically, they pause a bit between chunks of words to let listeners process their message. Make sure your presentation of information and especially instructions for completing tasks are well-described, clear and unambiguous. Also consider posting a completed assignment for students to refer to in case they don’t understand all the language used in your instructions. 

Another way to make sure your message is clear is through modeling and repetition. Multilingual learners may become frustrated or disengage from learning if they can’t follow your instructions or can’t understand the presentation of content. I learned the value of modeling and repetition when I attempted to learn to play the guitar from internet instruction. The videos were easy to follow because the instructor 1) demonstrated what he was talking about; 2) repeated the message several times in slightly different ways; and 3) asked me to practice each step after teaching something. While I couldn’t ask the instructor questions, I could replay the videos and catch what I missed the first time (repetition).  

2. Explicitly teach vocabulary. Teachers select a set of academic vocabulary words and teach those words across several days with opportunities to practice using the words in a variety of instructional activities. Visuals, student-friendly definitions, and opportunities to use the words orally with peers are but a few ways to make the words meaningful for multilingual learners and “stick” so that the words become part of their own vocabularies.

Criteria for selecting words to teach include:

• Words necessary for understanding the text. Often referred to as key vocabulary, these words may be bolded in the text but there are most likely other words whose meaning is necessary for multilingual learners to understand the text. 
• Words frequently used in the text. Teaching words that students will encounter numerous times provides them with multiple opportunities to see how those words are used in text.
• General academic words that likely appear in other content area texts. Word lists may be consulted for selecting cross-curricular academic terms that students will be exposed to across subject areas. 
• Words with multiple meanings. Students will encounter certain words across disciplines with different meanings, e.g., the meaning of pound as a unit of weight in math differs from its meaning, to hit, in English language arts. Explicitly teaching the definitions of these words allows students to understand how words function in different contexts.  
• Words with affixes. Many words are comprised of root words and affixes. For example, view changes meaning when the prefix re– is added to make review. Teaching word parts gives students more bang for the buck. As they begin to understand the meaning of common prefixes such as un-, dis– and mis– and suffixes such as –ism, –ist, and –cy and learn how those word parts alter the meaning of words, their vocabulary expands exponentially. Knowledge of word parts facilitates analysis of the meaning of unknown words.
• Cognates. Teaching words that have relationships across languages such as conclusion (English) and conclusión(Spanish) helps students see that new words are related to those from their home language. 

There are lots of free and inexpensive vocabulary apps available so that students can practice new words, for instance, during free time, center time, and at home. Most apps provide a word’s pronunciation, its definition, translation, and a visual of the word.  Many vocabulary apps work on phones as well as tablets.

3. Provide supports for reading text. Grade-level texts are typically challenging for multilingual learners so scaffolds for reading text are essential. Here are some ways to provide access for multilingual learners:

• Audio books. Students listen to a text being read while they read along. Many commercial reading programs offer audio books, and there are numerous sites that offer free audio books to students.
• Teacher read-aloud. To be most effective, teachers pause after reading a portion of text, ask questions, make connections between the text and students’ experiences, and highlight key vocabulary. Comprehension is enhanced when teachers jot illustrations or use graphics to help multilingual learners understand and remember words and concepts. 
• Partner reading. Younger partners typically can read together and gain practice reading text. With older students consider Read Aloud, Think and Summarize.  In this process, each student reads a paragraph and summarizes it. For example, Partner A reads and orally summarizes while Partner B listens and asks clarification questions. Then partner B reads and summarizes. This technique is effective because students collaboratively figure out the meaning of the text through discussion. 
• SQP2RS  is a process for reading expository text that has been shown to improve reading comprehension. The steps are as follows:
  • Survey:  Students individually preview and scan the text to be read for about one minute to determine key concepts that will be learned. 
  • Question: In groups, students generate questions likely to be answered by reading the text. 
  • Predict: Students come up with three or four key concepts they predict they’ll learn while reading. 
  • Read: While reading, students mark answers to their generated questions using sticky notes or highlighters. 
  • Respond: Students discuss and answer the questions generated by the class. 
  • Summarize: Orally or in writing, students summarize the text’s key concepts.

The SIOP website offers free downloadable posters that outline each step of SQP2RS. The posters are useful for teaching SQP2RS as well as for student reference as they begin to use the process independently.  

There are many more ideas for helping multilingual learners access grade-level content in our book, Making Content Comprehensible for Multilingual Learners: The SIOP Model.

The ideas presented here are intended to facilitate using grade-level content with multilingual learners in your classes. Hopefully, you’ll find the ideas useful. 

(A version of this blog was posted on May 25, 2020)