ACTION 4.2
Support teacher agency and expertise in professional learning opportunities
We used to think...
Professional Learning (PL) for teachers of Multilingual Learners (ML) should focus on curriculum-specific content so that teachers could teach curriculum with fidelity.
Now we know...
Professional learning for teachers of MLs should focus on growing teacher expertise in language, literacy and their curriculum so that they can adapt and flexibly implement curriculum, embedding specific strategies that are effective for MLs and are responsive to the cultural and linguistic needs of students in the classroom.
Best Practice Strategies
To cultivate a supportive multi-language learning environment:
Teachers
Engage in professional learning on universally-designed learning and its support for effective learning for multilingual students.
Engage in professional learning on the specific needs, essential shifts and strategies that ensure equitable outcomes for MLs in literacy and how curriculum materials may need to be enhanced and adapted to meet the needs of MLs according to their home language, academic assets and skills, their English proficiency, and educational histories .
Gain deep expertise in the core components of the curriculum and how it provides equitable, discipline-specific language and literacy instruction in order to make informed and research-aligned instructional decisions.
Engage in explicit PL about English Language Development and the similarities and differences between English and other languages (phonics, syntax, language structures, etc) so they can best support students in making connections between the languages and in DL settings, attend to instruction in both languages.
Resources
Why UDL Matters for English Language Learners
Katie Novak/Language Magazine
Katie Novak explains in this article why and how implementing Universal Design for Learning is best practice to increase engagment and success for multilingual learners.
3 Ways to Support Multilingual Learners With UDL
Katie Novak
This posting (blog and video) provide concrete ways to use UDL to support MLL learners through funds of knowledge, instructional practices, and technology.
EdReports Quality Instructional Materials Tool focused on Foundational Skills Development K-2
Ed Reports
A rubric/tool focused on Foundational skills created by Ed reports to support curriculum analysis.
Curriculum Analysis Rubric
Mike Ray, Romy Trigg-Smith, Sandra Prades-Bertran and Dr. Bernadette Pilar Zermeño, Design Group/Oakland Unified School District
This rubric allows district members and teachers to analyze curriculum for HQIM with a focus on MLLs.
Differentiation: The Route to Access and Amplification with ELL
Heather Mann, Design Group
This professional learning session supports teachers in learning how to differentiate their instruction in the classroom using best practices with MLL. It includes specific strategies to use in the classroom that can be implemented immediately.
Linguistic structure: English vs. Spanish
Dr. Desirée Pallais-Downing & Amplify Education Inc. Science of Reading podcast
In this podcast, Dr. Desirée Pallais-Downing dives deep into the linguistic structures of Spanish versus English.
Capitalizing on Similarities and Differences between Spanish and English
Colorín Colorado
This article explains words that are related in different languages- called cognates - to support English learners' academic language development across content areas.
Language Functions in SEAL
Sobrato Early Academic Language
This resource supports teachers as they develop lessons to incorporate thoughtful connections between language demands and opportunities for student thinking/writing/learning.