Category: Myths

The popularity of inquiry–based learning, an approach that emphasizes the student’s role in the learning process, has steadily increased. Traditionally used in science education, inquiry has expanded to other content areas. Students learn by doing which allows them to build knowledge through discovery, experience, and discussion. The process typically involves students formulating a question about a topic that piques interest, collecting data, analyzing the data, and drawing conclusions. Students individually or collaboratively write a report about the findings and present those findings to peers. Inquiry is most effective when it becomes part of the classroom culture, where students routinely think deeply, ask questions, share opinions, and research topics.

In many cases inquiry lessons, or lessons with an inquiry activity, reduce the language demands on multilingual learners by providing opportunities for exploration with visuals, hands-on materials and peer discussion. By allowing multilingual learners to tap their curiosity, follow their instincts, and learn through discovery, they grow and develop as independent learners. Multilingual learners’ participation in the reading and writing aspects of the lesson is scaffolded by working with a more proficient English-speaking partner or small group.

For readers familiar with the SIOP Model for teaching multilingual learners, you undoubtedly recognize many shared characteristics between SIOP and inquiry-based learning. In classes with multilingual learners, teachers using an inquiry approach need to be mindful of several linguistic considerations and instructional supports for these students.

Content and Language Objectives

Research shows that establishing clear learning objectives that are relevant and understandable can lead to improved student motivation and higher academic achievement. Having both content and language objectives for every lesson is a hallmark of SIOP. Both are critical for ensuring that the lesson’s purpose is visible for students. Multilingual learners are learning new content and a new language simultaneously so sharing what will be learned is particularly important for these students.

Teachers sometimes misinterpret objectives as being incompatible with an inquiry approach when in fact all lessons, inquiry or not, have expected outcomes for students. We have seen in science, for example, that some teachers say providing the objectives at the start of the lesson gives away the inquiry process. We have worked with those teachers in two ways:

• Presenting objectives after an introductory exploratory activity. The exploration aspect is preserved yet the purpose of the lesson and learning outcomes are clarified for students.
• Changing the way they design the objectives. For example, the content objective, Students will investigate what factors contribute to water pollution,is better with an inquiry lesson than, Students will investigate the effect of pesticides and trash on water pollution. A language objective such as, Students will fill out an observation report using complete sentences, doesn’t reveal what students will discover. However, Students will describe, using complete sentences, the effects of pesticides and trash on water pollution, gives too much detail

Content objectives are based on content standards and are typically tied to curriculum or pacing guides. Teachers have more latitude with writing language objectives and can connect language learning specifically to each lesson which doesn’t adversely affect the inquiry process.

Students’ Language Development

Sufficient language supports are critical so that multilingual learners aren’t at a disadvantage due to their limited English proficiency. There are many ways to provide language supports with inquiry-based learning that teacher should implement in every lesson.

1. Focus on key vocabulary. At a minimum, multilingual learners need to understand the essential vocabulary and procedures they need to participate productively in lessons. From the sample objectives above, words such as investigate, factors, influence, pesticides and trash would need to be explicitly taught or reviewed and an observation report form would be shown so multilingual learners clearly understand what they’ll be doing. During the lesson, multilingual students likely will become frustrated if they don’t understand the key terms their peers are using when talking about the activity. Previewing key vocabulary and posting it for reference increases multilingual learners’ full participation.
2. Increase word consciousness. With guidance, students can discover how words work and how they can make sense of unknown words. For example, there is exponential power in identifying roots and affixes (prefixes and suffixes) to derive word meaning. Also, students might explore resources for defining words and their meaning.
3. Use vocabulary in context. After the inquiry portion of the lesson, additional vocabulary terms that students need to learn are highlighted or explicitly taught (if needed), discussed, and identified in the product created during group work. This kind of reinforcement of vocabulary in context makes the words more relevant and meaningful for students — and more likely to be retained.
4. Accept translanguaging for student-to-student communication. Multilingual students use all their linguistic resources to make sense of the lesson. That is, they clarify and discuss concepts their home language during the lesson, as well as English, as needed.
5. Provide language frames so students can talk about what they’re discovering.To advance students’ English proficiency, be sure to connect the language frames to a language target such as language functions, e.g., compare, predict, explain, or formulate questions. For example, When I observe _____________ I notice ___________. My prediction is that _________________.
6. Language skills are needed by all students. Many of the skills needed for inquiry lessons can be taught to multilingual learners and other students who need instruction in, for instance, how to read research and take notes, how to write up observations and cite evidence, how to write a summary, and so on.

Questioning

An important aspect of inquiry-based learning is teaching students how to ask the kind of questions that elicit higher levels of thinking such as analysis or evaluation. Teachers need to think about the kinds of questions that get students to think more deeply about a topic, and then model those questions. Otherwise, students likely will rely on lower-level questions during exploration that can be answered with a Google search. One of SIOP’s Features (#15) is to, Use a variety of questions or tasks that promote higher-order thinking skills. Provoking complex thinking is an explicit goal in both inquiry-based learning and SIOP lessons.

Student Agency

Inquiry learning is characterized by a classroom environment that allows students to learn through exploration and discovery. It is student-centered and encourages independent learning. Self-directed learning allows students to make choices and builds self-confidence in themselves as learners. SIOP teaching also recognizes each student’s background, culture, language and interests and considers each one an asset that can be connected to learning.  Here are several ways that both inquiry and SIOP build student agency:

1. Build background.Teachers can make lessons relevant by connecting, for example, historical documents to students’ lives. Asking students to think about how the Bill of Rights might be different if it were written by people of color allows them to think deeply about the issues from their own perspective. Student-driven inquiry connects students’ interests and curiosity to the lesson by encouraging them to ask their own questions and seek answers. SIOP’s Feature #8 asks teachers to link students’ background experiences to the lesson’s concepts. Teachers encourage students to use what they know and use their lived experiences to make sense of information, guiding them to see the connection between the two.
2. Develop expertise. A goal in many inquiry lessons is for each student to become an expert in an aspect of the content being studied. As students present the results of their inquiry, their understanding of the content is deepened and their knowledge is expanded by the presentations of others. SIOP’s Practice & Application component encourages hands-on experiences, grappling with content, and applying it in meaningful ways including presenting their findings to peers. There are many SIOP activities that encourage students to become experts on a topic.
3. Provide meaningful activities. Inquiry lessons need to resonate with students to be effective. A topic or question is unlikely to spark curiosity or enthusiasm if it isn’t of interest to students or if the activities aren’t motivating. SIOP’s Feature #6 suggests that lessons include meaningful activities that integrate the lesson’s concepts with opportunities to practice and develop reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. In this way, multilingual learners gain proficiency in English while participating in interesting, relevant learning.

Reviewing the Process

An important aspect of being a good researcher is to reflect on your outcomes. Ask students to reflect on both what they learned and how they learned it. SIOP’s Strategies component promotes the use of learning strategies such as metacognition or thinking about thinking. Similarly, students should reflect on what worked and what they might have done differently. Here is an opportunity to bring in the lesson’s content and language objectives. Students can assess whether the outcomes gained from their experiences met the objectives, citing evidence like good researchers do.

The alignment of SIOP with inquiry-based learning is clear. A proponent of inquiry-based learning said, “When teachers design inquiry-based learning activities, they should integrate them with the curriculum, relate them to students’ past experiences and promote them with lifelong learning and critical thinking skills”

That’s a description completely compatible with SIOP.

Even though English learners are a large and growing part of the U.S. public school population, there are a number of myths and misconceptions about these students that persist. This blog series will attempt to dispel some of those myths and misconceptions. By the way, the myths are discussed in no particular order.

The first myth is:

• Content teachers aren’t language teachers (see previous blog).

The second myth is:

• English learners aren’t capable of completing rigorous, grade-level work

This myth is rooted in low expectations for English learners. In the past, many educators  thought that English learners weren’t ready for grade-level materials and activities. In some cases, English learners were relegated to working on simple assignments way below their grade level while the rest of the class learned the core curriculum. Hopefully, academic standards and accountability have eliminated these abhorrent practices. However….low expectations seem to continue.

I have a friend who is a literacy specialist at a predominately Latino elementary school with a high percentage of English learners. Recently, a fifth grade teacher told her that she’s never used the science text with her students because she didn’t think they were capable of being successful. Instead, she uses a fill-in-the-blank science workbook during science.

When teachers take standards seriously, English learners have the opportunity to interact with challenging, grade-level materials and  assignments. Through this exposure, students are able to acquire the language they need to make sense of texts.

But engaging with grade-level materials is only one piece of the story.

The real key for students to be successful academically is having teachers who deliver high quality instruction. Decades of research has concluded that effective teaching can mitigate many of the challenges English learners face, such as cultural and linguistic differences and the influence of poverty.

In practice, we see the impact of high quality teaching when English learners do well in one class while similar students do poorly in another class. The media and professional publications highlight stories of classes or schools whose English learners far exceed expectations. In our own research, my colleagues and I found that with proper supports, English learners can participate fully —and successfully — in grade-level lessons. And, the level of support matters as well.

In other words, the more consistently teachers implement features of instruction shown to be effective for English learners, the better these students perform.[1]

In a nutshell, some of the scaffolds shown to be effective include:

• Post and review content and language objectives so students know the learning targets.
• Pre-teach key vocabulary to facilitate comprehension.
• Tap into existing knowledge and build background to fill in knowledge gaps.
• Provide opportunities for students to collaborate with peers, practicing the lesson’s concepts and academic language.
• Use visuals including multimedia.
• Model what students are expected to do.
• Differentiate instruction and assignments based on language proficiency.
• Assess frequently and adjust instruction accordingly.

With these and other practices in place, English learners can participate in grade-level lessons, and make the kind of academic and linguistic growth that will prepare them for college and careers.

[1] Echevarría, J., Richards-Tutor, C., Chinn, V., & Ratleff, P. (2011). Did they get it? The role of fidelity in teaching English learners. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 54(6), 425–434.

 

 

Even though English learners are a large and growing part of the U.S. public school population, there are a number of myths and misconceptions about these students that seem to persist.  This blog series will attempt to dispel some of those myths and misconceptions.  By the way, the myths are discussed in no particular order.

The first myth is:

• Content teachers aren’t language teachers.

With high academic standards, most students are challenged by the rigorous content and skills associated with the standards.  English leaners are learning the same content as other students but they are reading, writing, listening and speaking in a language in which, by definition, are not completely proficient.  What a difficult job they have!  Further, at the same time that they are developing a level of English language that most students and teachers take for granted, e.g., how to restate an opinion, ask for permission, clarify a statement and read instructions, they also have to learn a high level of academic language.

Academic language, as you’ve undoubtedly heard, differs from everyday language because it is more grammatically dense and formal than the kind of language found in conversations at home and with peers.  It includes more sophisticated and technical vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and rhetorical forms that are used almost exclusively in academic settings.  It’s unlikely that English learners are exposed to this type of language outside of school.

In reality, all teachers are language teachers.  Every content lesson – math, science, language, arts, history – required students to use language in a particular way.  Teachers with English learners in their classrooms must think about how to integrate language into content lessons.

For every lesson, teachers should post and review both content objectives (What students will learn, based on standards) and language objectives (The language students need to be successful in this lesson).  During lesson planning effective teachers ask:

• What vocabulary do students need in order to understand the content?
• What kinds of language functions do I need to teach, e.g., compare and contrast, use of superlatives, or making predictions?

When teachers post and review objectives with students, students internalize the idea that both content and language are the focus of learning.  By way of demonstrating the power of making students aware of the lesson’s objectives, let’s look at what happened in a second grade class.  The class had been reading “How To” books and the assignment was: Think of something you can do. Write a “How To” book of your own.  One English learner surprised her teacher with the following beginning to her book:

It is evident that Angelica learned that both content and language are important.  In fact, her objectives are quite good!  She even listed the materials needed: popcorn, microwave and bowl.

Habitually posting and reviewing content and language objectives helps teachers think about the language demands of the content lesson they are planning.  And, it lets students in on what they are learning and why.  Potent stuff.

So, since language is an integral part of learning content, all teachers need to think through both the language and skill demands of every lesson.  Indeed, content teachers are language teachers.