Principle #2 Home Language and Culture
Instruction leverages ELLs’ home language(s), cultural assets, and prior knowledge. ELLs’ home language(s) and culture(s) are regarded as assets and are used by the teacher in bridging prior knowledge to new knowledge, and in making content meaningful and comprehensible.
What Teachers Do
- Teachers value students’ native language(s) and cultures and use it as an entry point when and where needed, regardless of whether or not the teacher speaks students’ native language.
- Instruction draws on students’ native language(s) to help make content delivered in a second language comprehensible.
- Teachers communicate with families.
- Teachers encourage explicit instruction of the characteristics of disciplinary discourse in native language and English to accelerate language transfer.
- Instructional materials for available for ELLs to access grade level content.
- Teachers provide a variety of complex texts that challenge students to build and expand their current literacy, language and content knowledge.
-Students benefit from lessons using culturally relevant topics and/ or materials designed intentionally for groups represented in classrooms
-Students benefit from point of view discussions regarding cultural differences on schools and ways of learning transfer or to help ELs communicate in meaningful ways
-Students receive 'comprehensible input' from teachers' use of time-honored EAL techniques (i.e. modeling, visuals, concrete objects, paraphrasing, use of primary language, gesturing, taped lectures, etc.) -Students participate in school communication medium using both languages (i.e. English & primary languages)
-Students receive explicit contrastive language instruction comparing/ contrasting the characteristics between their native languages and English to accelerate language transfer or what is referred to in current academic literature as 'translanguaging' (e.g. mini-lessons, bilingual word banks, cognates if applicable, etc.)
-Students use bilingual resource materials, including electronic translators or bilingual dictionaries, primary-language instructional materials, shadow readings (e.g. first in native language & then in English), same-language buddies, and bilingual word banks or anchor charts as "instructional entry points" in order to enhance cross-language
-Students have access to classroom libraries containing age-, grade-, and content-appropriate books and materials in English and the students’ native languages
-Students use materials carefully chosen by the teacher to support access to content and language targets (e.g. alternative readings, rebus materials, etc.)
-Students use scaffolded content material through any of the following strategies: advance organizers, outlines, leveled study guides, highlighted text, taped text, jigsaw text reading, primary language material, margin notes, etc.
-Students use a variety of complex texts that challenge them to build and expand their current literacy, language and content knowledge
-Students actively listen to, read or view multiple kinds of texts and references aligned with curriculum standards in class and in libraries (e.g. textbooks, trade books, magazines, newspapers, primary language or bilingual materials, student-developed materials, short video clips of content being studied, audio stories or recorded materials, etc.)
-Students use technologies (e.g. word processors, digital photography, calculators, small electronics, cassettes, computer-assisted instruction, laser videodiscs, APPS, satellite networks, the internet, etc.)
Areas of Concern
-Assumptions that a second language is a barrier to learning content rather than a vehicle (i.e. immersion vs. submersion language acquisition environment)
-Implementation of English-only policies due to lack of knowledge on the research regarding the relationship between the first language and English-language acquisition
-Overreliance on previous experiences (e.g. 'the way we used to do it at my other school') OR on language acquisition myths (e.g. 'the more English, the better')
-Lack of forethought to ensure 'comprehensible input'
-Assumptions that parental involvement and communication patterns do not look different in an international school setting
-Assumptions that contrasting the two (or more) languages will confuse and/ or delay second English-language acquisition
-Assumptions that ELs should not be allowed to study their primary language while they are acquiring English
-Overreliance on one textbook or on simplified texts on current English language reading levels without taking into account primary language reading levels
-Avoid what older ELs might perceive to be 'dummy' materials in place of grade-level materials instead of as 'entry points'
-Use of technologies as episodic events, and not as a way of thinking about daily classroom life (i.e. a mindset)