Educators are well aware of the oft-cited achievement gap experienced by English learners. The term achievement gap implies that some students don’t do as well as others academically because they aren’t trying hard enough, aren’t motivated, or aren’t as capable as higher performing students. However, in the past decade there has been growing awareness – and evidence – that there is a pervasive opportunity gap for these students.
A recent report provides some interesting results regarding the opportunity gap. The authors observed nearly 1,000 schools across five diverse school systems and concluded that there are ways to close the opportunity gap. The report recommends that each day students should have the following four resources:
- Consistent opportunities to work on grade-appropriate assignments.
The idea that English learners can only be successful if they’re given watered-down materials and assignments has been refuted. Research with the SIOP Model, as well as other studies such as the one linked above, have found that when English learners are provided with appropriate supports, or scaffolds, these learners can be successful in learning grade-level concepts and material and can meet academic standards. Supports are intended to make content comprehensible while at the same time develop students’ English proficiency. Proven supports include:
- Presenting information in chunks, so that students can process both the concepts presented and the language used. Some English learners may be mentally translating the information and need time to do so. After a chunk of information is presented (or read), ask students to do something to actively process the information such as summarizing it with a partner, answering questions, or filling in part of a worksheet. This process makes large amounts of information more manageable.
- Pre-teaching vocabulary. Vocabulary knowledge is key to understanding text, however, vocabulary lists in textbooks are usually created for English-speakers. Be sure to select words and phrases that will support readers’ understanding of the story, text passage, or lesson. For example, a math lesson’s objective might be to divide multi-digit numbers using an efficient strategy. Typically, the teacher would select key vocabulary such as, divide, quotient, multiply, dividend, and divisor. These are essential content vocabulary terms for students to know but English learners would likely also need to learn the meaning of efficient and strategy. It is assumed that students know these general academic words, but they are vocabulary terms English learners need to learn for this lesson and for use across content areas.
- Using graphic organizers. In many content-area lessons there is a lot of information and language for English learners to digest. Graphic organizers provide a visual illustration so that students can better understand the material while also learning its associated vocabulary.
These are but a few of myriad ways to support English learners’ comprehension of grade-level work, and many resources are available to help teachers make grade-level lessons comprehensible for English learners.
- Strong instruction where students do most of the thinking in a lesson.
The authors define strong instruction as, “instructional practices that allow students to grapple with appropriate material in robust ways.” Some teachers maintain a mindset that students are empty vessels in need of filling. In fact, students come to school with lots of experience and knowledge and use what they bring as a springboard for new learning. Teaching involves more than presenting information, it includes equipping students to think for themselves, to find information, and to be challenged by new ideas. Some of the most effective instruction I’ve observed is found in classrooms where teachers introduce a topic (or story, or math or science procedure), then students work together to think more deeply about the topic, followed by regrouping for review or sharing students’ ideas. Teachers move seamlessly from whole class to small groups or partners, then back to whole group. Small groups may be used for a quick think-pair-share or turn-and-talk, and at other times a group of 3 or 4 students work together to grapple with an idea or topic, research the answer to a question, or problem solve. Grouping is flexible and there may be several grouping configurations in one lesson, each designed to encourage students to do the thinking. Two cautions related to this point:
- Be aware of wasted instructional time. A pet peeve of mine is watching time that could be used productively disappear, never to be reclaimed. For example, designed as a way to get students to think about a topic and interact with peers, teachers frequently ask students comprehension or prediction questions such as, “Based on what we’ve read, where do you think our main character will go next? Turn and talk to your elbow partner.” The answer to this question, and most others teachers ask students to discuss, takes about 15-20 seconds, but it is not unusual to observe three to five minutes of valuable instructional time devoted to answering simple questions. Minimal amount of student thinking occurred in this example and the lost minutes add up to hours over the course of a week, a month, a year. English learners are students who can least afford wasted instructional time.
- Be careful not to overuse language frames. Used as scaffolds for oral or written expression, sentence frames are effective in helping students communicate ideas using complete sentences and specific vocabulary. Sentence frames are intended to support students in producing language that they wouldn’t be able to produce on their own, but they can be overused which stunts authentic expression as I discuss in this post.
- Deep engagement in what they’re learning.
Many students go through the motions of participating in lessons without actually being connected cognitively or emotionally. Compliance is not the same as engagement. Student engagement may be easier to see than describe. In this video, you’ll find students across grade levels working together productively. Some specific ways to encourage student engagement include:
- Grouping students to work collaboratively. As seen in the video, students enjoy working with peers on well-structured assignments. Teachers facilitate productivity by first modeling the tasks and showing an example of the final product, then setting time limits on aspects of the assignment, and circulating amongst students to offer assistance as needed.
- Explicitly linking the topic or assignment to students’ background knowledge and experiences. For example, hook students by asking questions such as, What would you do in that situation? Have you ever had a similar experience? If you were in this situation, what would you advise? Tell us about how your family might react, Based on your own experience, how might you solve this problem? An important aspect of asking probing questions is to really pay attention to what students have to say orally or in writing. Encouraging students to express their thoughts based on their own experiences can be a powerful way to engage with the topic whether it be characterization in a story, an historical event, or a topic in science.
- Capitalizing on the assets students bring to the classroom by providing activities that are meaningful, interesting and relevant to them. Create student agency by allowing English learners to research topics that interest them, on their own or with peers, and offering alternative means for completing assignments based on their interests, e.g., drawing, writing, or filming. When students are given voice and choice in how they learn, they are more likely to take responsibility for their own learning and engage more deeply in assignments.
- Teachers who have high expectations for all students and believe they can meet grade-level standards.
All too often, English learners are characterized by what they cannot do: they cannot speak English, they aren’t prepared for mainstream classes, their parents cannot attend school events. Deficit-based attitudes contribute to low expectations for students’ academic prospects. Decades of research has made clear that If teachers believe that their students are unlikely to learn, they tend to teach in ways that make this expectation a reality. In contrast, most of us are drawn to a person who believes in us and we don’t want to disappoint that person. Students perform better for teachers who communicate high expectations for them. These teachers take time to develop relationships with their students which pays dividends in the classroom. Teachers who have high expectations let each student know that they are important and can be successful. They make comments such as, “I see you finished that assignment. I knew you could do it.” “I appreciate you showing up for tutoring this morning. I know it will help you do well in that class.” Authentic expressions of affirmation signal your confidence in students and can have a positive impact on their success. We would all do well to communicate to students the essence of Mr. Rogers’ approach: You are special. I like who you are.