Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Chapter 2-

1. What do you think Pauline Gibbons means when she says to, “scaffold up rather than scale down”?

2. How can we create opportunities for all teachers in the school to become familiar with second language development principles?


3. Please describe the key features in “dialogic talk”.

4.  On p. 43, Pauline explains that a teacher’s speed of talking is different from the speed at which new ideas are being presented. How is “processing” delayed for ELs when teachers move through content very quickly?

15 comments:

  1. 1. The concept of scaffolding is to build upward. PG's ideas in this chapter focus on ways to build on a student's language skills. She states on page 25 that we can build up that language "without resorting to ongoing simplification..." She uses terms such as expanding, stretching, and building to make her point that we should provide opportunities for the student to add on to their already existing language skills, not just simplify things for them which leads to stalled growth.

    2. I learn so much from conversations. I think providing a time for teachers to discuss second language development with specialists as well as just amongst themselves can provide better understanding of the principles. When colleagues express their understanding, concerns, or successes others can reinforce that understanding, help problem solve those concerns, and learn from the successes.

    3. The key features in "dialogic talk" are that it is teacher supported, not teacher led. Dialogic talk allows for "thinking out loud" by students and provides them a chance to explain the big picture in their own words. It allows students to build on each other's ideas which allows for academic and social language practice.

    4. By moving quickly through content teachers do not allow for enough processing time, not only for ELLs but for any student whose language skills are developing. Thus these students constantly struggle to keep up with the new information and never completely process through any of the information. There is not enough connecting to what is being presented and this creates a weak foundation and overall structure of the concepts targeted. I like the term, "message abundancy" and the example of a gps. Information needs to be repeated, modeled, made visual, and checked for understanding for the sake of all students.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's make sure to discuss times when colleagues can meet to have conversations and further understand the principles of language development.

      Delete
  2. Michelle Kotwica

    1. What do you think Pauline Gibbons means when she says to, “scaffold up rather than scale down”?
    Gibbons is talking about not simplifying content and language but rather using scaffolds with learning to make it more meaningful and comprehensible. We want to take what the students know and expand on it and give them opportunities to engage with “stretched” language. Incorporating modeling, visuals, processing time, TPR, sentence stems, native language and background knowledge, etc will aide in student success.

    2. How can we create opportunities for all teachers in the school to become familiar with second language development principles?
    Giving teachers time to meet and have discussions or book talks like this helps start the conversations and open PD needs doors. Like Mary Alice said, when everyone is expressing their knowledge, concerns, understanding, and successes, others tend to feel more comfortable to jump in and share as well. We then can work together and help problem solve, share ideas, relate, and learn from others to help best meet our students needs.

    3. Please describe the key features in “dialogic talk”.
    Dialogic Talk refers to the the engaging dialogue students use while learning. It should begin in a more structured and supported manner in which students are highly supported with language to help begin the dialogues. The teacher support is then scaffolded as they learn to converse, interact, and collaborate with others. On page 33, it states, the dialogic approach offers ELLs increased comprehensible input, which allows for more opportunities to have ideas clarified and revisited as well as more opportunities to make sense of and engage in the academic language related to the content at hand. I like how Mary ALice said it is more teacher supported instead of teacher led. We do need to model and offer scaffolds and supports but with the end goal of more student led and engaged talk.

    4. On p. 43, Pauline explains that a teacher’s speed of talking is different from the speed at which new ideas are being presented. How is “processing” delayed for ELs when teachers move through content very quickly?
    When teachers move through content quickly, they are quite often using language, terms, ideas, and concepts that are new to ELLs or many students for that matter. When quickly going over and teaching the material, ELLs do not have time to process, sort through the information, make connections, or comprehend much. Sometimes when they are close to catching on to something, a new topic or subject is then begun and the students have no time to internalize, interact with, and utilize the material and language to actually learn about/from it. ELLs often constantly feel as if they are playing catch up and trying to keep up while just falling further behind. It is our job as teachers to make sure we are focusing on the big ideas, core understandings, or essential questions and allowing time to interact in various ways with the content within the LSRW domains to help our students really grasp the concepts before having to rush off to something else. It boils down to quality over quantity for our students success.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So glad you mentioned dialogic approach to increase comprehensible input. I also liked Mary Alice's observation about teacher supported vs teacher led.
      When we describe the processing time students take to internalize information provided in the 2nd language, let's find a way to discuss this with teachers working with ELs. Interaction with the content and time for discussions are paramount when working with ELs.

      Delete
  3. I think what Pauline Gibbons means by scaffold up instead of down is make sure you aren’t “dumbing down” any materials. ELs need language scaffolding not easier academic tasks to complete. Students need well planned opportunities to speak, not simplified tasks. Some language struggle is necessary in a comfortable setting, so as teachers we do not need to create ultra simplified tasks for our EL students
    We can create opportunities for all teachers in school to become familiar with with second language development by utilizing our bilingual resources. There are at least two language specialists in each building. Last year at Scott we used a blog to share some strategies and ideas that worked really well. As Gibbons mentions, we can even model lessons with teachers asking open ended questions and scaffold the conversation.
    Dialogic talking follows the quality of what children are saying and not the quantity. It is extended talk around big issues. For example, the teacher leads the conversation but does not dominate it. It creates a shared understanding and space for children to explore new ideas, clarify understandings and perceptions and makes their reasoning visible to others.
    Processing is delayed for Els when they can’t keep up with it. They may be processing a word from two sentences ago and haven’t been able to listen to what more the teacher said. By the time they process the first, the teacher has already moved on. But also, they can’t process what they don’t hear, so it isn’t always necessarily a processing issue.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your definition of "scaffolding up" is right on. PG often talks about challenging being more effective that watering down the curriculum for the sake of the students or because it is easier for them to understand/master content.

      Delete
  4. 1. To me, “scaffolding up” would be helping students work in their zone of proximal development. It means pushing students to work with content that is slightly harder than what students can do independently, so they need some scaffolds and support in order to access that level of instruction. “Scaling down” would mean limiting or simplifying the content taught to students to a level that is at or below their independent level, which is less likely to lead to increased learning.
    2. I think we’re doing a lot already to help all teachers become familiar with principles of second language development - book studies, Michelle Yanong’s presentation about sheltered strategies, continued professional development, etc. One strategy that I believe helps as well are the more informal professional conversations we have with each other about students. I find that I learn the most and can also share the most information in these informal conversations because I’m not asking anyone for a huge time commitment and people are sometimes more receptive.
    3. Dialogic talk involves a high degree of teacher support, but also much more student talk that the more traditional IRE approach. Students learn that their opinions and ideas are valued and they are provided the supports necessary to express those ideas themselves, rather than relying on the teacher to always restate or expand on their ideas.
    4. ELs have double the work of everyone else - understanding the English and understanding the content. As a teacher is talking, they first have to worry about processing the English before they can grasp the content, so if the teacher is presenting new information too quickly, they won’t have time to do both. Personally, I can remember that early on in learning Spanish, I translated just about everything I heard or read in Spanish back to English. If I were to have been expected to learn new content in Spanish while learning the language with a teacher who presented the information quickly, I probably would have just finished mentally translating the first bit of content while the teacher had already gone on to teach more. Not only would I have missed the content that was presented while I was mentally translating, but also I would have lost the opportunity to participate in any discussions about the first part of the content which could have helped me to process better.

    ReplyDelete
  5. 1. Gibbons expresses that there are many ways to make language comprehensible to EL learners without simplifying the task. We need to give ELs opportunities to talk more in extended ways and stretch their language. If we scale down what we are asking them to do, they will not be pushed to make growth.

    2. We can create opportunities for all of our teachers by providing sample lessons for students to extend their language. The IRE pattern of interaction is commonly used in the monolingual classrooms. While this interaction can be useful it doesn’t always allow the students the opportunity to use stretched language that is necessary for language development. The type of dialogue the students are engaged in needs to be strategically planned because it carried over to their development of academic literacy. Some of the sample lessons can include explicitly taught subject base language, Joint Constructions in writing, or incorporating their native language as a resource. I think we can work with the LSD’s and coaches to make sure that language strategies and lessons are being modeled in all content areas. These strategies can also be add to our units of study.

    3. Our students’ resource for thinking is constructed by their interaction and dialogue. Their development of speaking a language is a stepping stone to understanding academic language. Dialogic talk is when the exchanges between the teacher and student go beyond one word answers and a continuous exchange of topic related responses happens. Student can make connections between previous learning and they can voice their opinions. Dialogue talk needs to be highly supported by teachers because there are many opportunities to for them to clarify ideas and for the students to understand and use academic language. Students will also have a chance to extend the information while interacting and collaborating with peers.

    4. Students have difficulties when a teacher presents too many new ideas and concepts. Since the language is new to them, they need more time to process what is being said to understand it. By the time they process one idea the teacher may have already more on to the next concept and they fall behind. Teachers need to pace ideas, directions, and longer stretches of teacher talk and allow ELs to express themselves and make sense of what is being taught. Presenting the same information in different ways before moving one can be very helpful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dana, your point about giving students more opportunities to engage in oracy strategies and "stretch" their 2nd language are both effective ways to build language for all our students.
      Your point about dialogic talk is something we need to encourage all teachers to include in their instruction.
      We also need to explain "processing" in a 2nd language to our teachers. It is really difficult and exhausting to listen intently to every word only to miss some messages and language if the speaker is going too fast. There is a feeling of frustration that will naturally happen.

      Delete
  6. 1. What do you think Pauline Gibbons means when she says to, “scaffold up rather than scale down”?
    I think Pauline Gibbons’ thoughts are that we should not just simplify a student’s input in order to make it comprehensible. We should use the knowledge they bring and help them expand and grow to ensure their learning is not stale. On page 26 and 27, she discussed how some “struggle with the language - stretched language - is necessary for ongoing language development”. I think this is a great point. Let’s give our EL students the necessary language support while still pushing them!

    2. How can we create opportunities for all teachers in the school to become familiar with second language development principles?
    D83 already has many teachers that are familiar with second language development principles so allowing these teachers to share ideas, lessons, or other teaching resources would be a great initiative. The problem is that there is such limited time to do this. Meetings are abundant and already filled with daily necessities. Maybe utilizing technology to help make this sharing initiative more feasible would help? Personally, I currently truly appreciate the quarterly planning days where some of my counterparts and I spend time planning and assessing our instruction and student learning. Especially with this being my second year of co-teaching, I feel that we have been able to incorporate more second language development strategies.

    3. Please describe the key features in “dialogic talk”.
    Dialogic talk is the engaging conversation a student has that is of quality. For ELs, it should especially include teacher support but not too much. In comparison to a simplistic IRE conversation, dialogic talk will offer an increase in comprehensible input, since there will be far more opportunities to clarify and revisit. A teacher will help make sense of and engage in the academic language too.

    4. On p. 43, Pauline explains that a teacher’s speed of talking is different from the speed at which new ideas are being presented. How is “processing” delayed for ELs when teachers move through content very quickly?
    I was not surprised by Pauline’s point on page 43. She simply states that processing new ideas and concepts, in a new language, takes more time! ELs may be unable to keep up in a fast-paced classroom because they need to process this new information in their new language and also in their native language, so this is more time consuming. In the figures in the chapter, where the conversation between teacher and student is reported, I liked how many times the teacher restates what the student says. This gives the student some extra time to process, along with reassurance.

    Anel

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When meeting with our teachers, we should always explain that speed of talking and speed of processing are different. If these are not aligned, then the message is not received. P. 43 is really specific about processing new ideas and concepts taking more time. That is something we must always be aware about with ELs.

      Delete
  7. 1.I think “scaffolding up rather than scaling down” means that teachers need to provide as many opportunities as possible to build up students’ language by providing appropriate challenges with scaffolded support rather than simplifying the tasks/content.

    2. I think we are fortunate to have many teachers in our district who are well versed with planning and providing opportunities for ELL students. Because of this, we are able to plan and co-teach with mainstream teachers to provide challenging scaffolded lessons, so students can achieve success in the mainstream classrooms. Planning together with the mainstream teacher helps increase their knowledge and understanding of second language development principles.

    3. The key features in dialogic talk consists of opportunities for students to build understanding of new material by engaging in conversations and collaborate with others. Dialogic talk encourages students to elaborate on what they already know and increase language and knowledge, and build new concepts through those conversations.

    4.When teachers move through content quickly, it doesn’t allow ELs enough time to process the information being presented. It doesn’t allow time for ELs to make connections and fully understand concepts. ELs need repetition, modeling, visual supports and time to verbalize thinking which would allow time for the teacher to check for understanding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pat, I agree that we have amazing teachers who understand our ELs and how they acquire language.
      ELs need time and repetition to make connections. Provision of supports really go a long way to help with comprehension and understanding of new concepts.

      Delete
  8. Christy Rodriguez

    1. What do you think Pauline Gibbons means when she says to, “scaffold up rather than scale down”?
    I think Pauline Gibbons is advising teachers to not water down or simplify the curriculum but, rather, to enlarge the delivery of content through multi-modal delivery.

    2. How can we create opportunities for all teachers in the school to become familiar with second language development principles?
    I think early release days are perfect for creating opportunities for all teachers to become familiar with second language development principles. Everyone who comes into contact with students - classroom teachers and special area teachers should have frequent, high-quality professional development on working with second language learners.

    3. Please describe the key features in “dialogic talk”.
    Some of the key features of "dialogic talk" are the use of message abundancy, showing respect and interest toward what the students are saying, and giving students the scaffolds and opportunities to explain the basis for their opinions.

    4. On p. 43, Pauline explains that a teacher’s speed of talking is different from the speed at which new ideas are being presented. How is “processing” delayed for ELs when teachers move through content very quickly?
    When teachers move through content very quickly, the students are trying to process one idea and then the teacher moves on to another idea. ELs benefit from multi-modal information presentations, hearing their peers speak and explain ideas, and think time and opportunities to clarify what they're saying.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When looking at multi-modal delivery of content, let's look at specifics we want to share with teachers. We want to be very specific and share our understanding to support them.
      Thank you for discussing processing. For those of us working with ELs, we can often see the processing in action.

      Delete