Giovannangelo: Blog Post # 4


For this week’s blog post, I reviewed an article written by Rhonda Barton titled “What the Research Says about Effective Strategies for ELL Students”. I really enjoyed reading through the article, and was intrigued about the different points she made as far as educating L2 learners. In the article, Barton explains California’s “Proposition 227” which creates what they call structured immersion for ELL students, which has students transitioning into the regular English classroom after one year, automatically, regardless of progress. Research is still being done to determine whether or not this is an effective model, however the article points out that so far, the research has demonstrated the need for instruction in areas in two languages (native and English), not just one, and certainly for longer than a year. Therefore, it doesn’t seem as though the initiative is that effective. I can see how this would be true. I think that while allowing students the opportunity to work with their English-speaking peers would be beneficial, students who are not fully bilingual will eventually start to struggle with the school content without support and a bridge to fill the gap between what they understand in English vs. their language.

In addition, the article outlines important factors for a strong ELL program:

·       staff capacity to address ELL students' linguistic and cognitive needs

·       school wide focus on English language development

·       standards-based instruction

·       shared priorities and expectation

·       systematic, ongoing assessment with use of data to guide instruction

After reflecting on the above bullets, I do feel like these are points are necessary for any instructional program, but definitely an ELL program as well. Reading about the standards-based instruction brought me back to the beginning of the course when we were asked to review and reflect on the different standards for L2 learners. Once again, I do agree that these are necessary to provide checkpoints along the way for the teacher and students, and to hold teachers accountable for what must be taught. 

Below is link to the article for those interested in reading. I found the language to be a bit technical, and it wasn’t exactly an “easy read” but overall easy to understand and draw meaning. I think it was helpful to see some other initiatives that are being tested around the country when it comes to ELL instruction.





Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 27, 2019 at 3:50 PM

    Hi! The factors related to a strong ELL program seem spot on. One area that I wish was stronger in my school district is the assessment piece. I wish there was more on-going assessment with English Language Learners, and more importantly, that it was shared with all members of the team more than once per quarter. I will definitely be taking a look at the article. Thanks for sharing!

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