Teaching is universally a rewarding but challenging job. For ELL teachers, a unique set of challenges present themselves.

Students with Diverse Abilities and Needs

A current ELL classroom in the U.S. can contain students of varying countries of origin, English speaking and writing abilities, and cultural identities. An ELL teacher has to assess, get to know, teach, and support all of these students, often on a tight schedule. In the Colorín Colorado article, Oral Language Development and ELLs: 5 Challenges and Solutions, Lindsey Moses Guccione shares the importance of differentiation as a powerful tool for ELL teachers taking on this challenge, “Differentiation is the key to effective instruction for all students. Students of varying proficiency levels can learn the same content when the teacher provides a wide range of learning opportunities for students with different academic and linguistic needs.”

Lack of Resources and Training

The number of ELL students in the U.S. has been growing rapidly; however, schools and teachers are simply underprepared. The Migration Policy Institute states that over the last 30 years nearly 30 million immigrants have settled in the U.S., many of them bringing families and children. In order to provide differentiated instruction to their students, ELL teachers, and indeed all classroom teachers, specialists, and administrators working with ELLs, need greater access to high quality, research based ELL instruction professional development and assessment tools. “Lessons Learned: New Teachers Talk About Their Jobs, Challenges, and Long-Range Plans” is a report from the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality and Public Agenda that surveyed new teachers dealing with students of increasingly diverse backgrounds and abilities. This report finds that new teachers, particularly in less affluent areas, felt under-supported in dealing with student diversity, and that “teacher preparation programs and new teacher support systems need to be reexamined and updated for the 21^st century.”

Poor Communication Systems

Parent and community involvement and parent-school cooperation has been repeatedly proven to benefit student academic success, and this is true for ELL students as well. A National Education Association (NEA) policy brief shares that in a 2004 study, California teachers reported having a serious issue with “poor communication among students, teachers, parents, and the community.” Because ELL teachers are often dealing with families from multiple cultural backgrounds and languages of origin, successful and meaningful communication can be particularly challenging, though not impossible. School systems can provide translators, opportunities for teachers and families to meet, and structures that support collaboration for improved communication between ELL teachers, the greater school community, their students, and the students’ families.

Helping ELL teachers to face these challenges has to be a concerted community endeavor. In their article, “Challenges confronting teachers of English language learners,” Thi Diem Hang Khonga and Eisuke Saitobwhile say that while strong ELL teacher education programs will help ELL teachers face these challenges, “concerted efforts by educators, local and central administrators, academics, local communities, and lawmakers are necessary” as well.

Seeing the increase of students from many diverse backgrounds underscores the need for multicultural books. Multicultural books allow students of different backgrounds to be able to relate to the story and be more inclined to read and retain the information.

Lectura books provides award-winning multicultural books. Their books are a great tool for students of different backgrounds. The multicultural stories help to engage not only the students but their parents as well. This encourages more reading and speaking of English at home. Visit Lectura Books YouTube page to see some of their most popular book titles.

The Latino Family Literacy Project are experts in working with Spanish speaking parents and can train your staff to work specifically with parents of diverse backgrounds at your school. The company offers both online webinar training and in person workshops.

Stay updated with the latest information about ELLs and follow our Facebook and Twitter pages. We post new information every day.

The post What Issues do Teachers of ELLs Face? appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

Hispanic culture is known to have strong oral traditions, expressed through storytelling, lyric poetry, riddles, jokes, folk prayers and incantations, songs, and many other formats. Samuel G. Armistead, author of Pan-Hispanic Oral Tradition, defines oral tradition as “any manifestation of folk culture that includes the use of language. Creativity, ongoing evolution, and chronological depth are also essential factors.” The University of North Carolina School of Education shares that “Mexico has a strong oral tradition, in which knowledge is passed down through generations via storytelling and the use of proverbs.” Proverbs are statements that share common sense advice in a sometimes metaphorical, concise, and pithy manner. The spoken word being used to impart knowledge and understanding through the use of proverbs, fables, songs, folklore, and other mediums is a central and enduring part of Hispanic familial and cultural routines and structures.

Oral Traditions Share Family Values and History

Oral traditions, such as storytelling, are different from the act of reading aloud because the storyteller knows the story, rhyme, or song by heart. The absence of a book and the storyteller’s use of variations in voice and gesture create a vividness and intimacy between the storyteller and the listeners. In an article called Building Bridges with Stories in The Storytelling Encyclopedia, Melissa Heckler and Carol Birch write, “The longevity of the oral tradition is a testimony to the power of the told story. Stories improve understanding by building bridges of intellectual, emotional, and spiritual connections among peoples.” One of the ways these powerful connections are built in the Hispanic storytelling tradition is within families. Stories may be shared while the family is resting, carrying out domestic tasks, gathered for socialization, or at other times. Many tales are passed down through generations from the old to the young. The young can learn about their family history, family roles, and the expectations and hopes that their family has for them through these stories.

Oral Traditions Transmit Culture

Oral traditions in Hispanic culture can also share information that extends beyond the immediate family to the culture as a whole. Young people may learn about roles in their community, cultural holidays, and important traditions. Members of a culture with a strong oral tradition use these narratives to better understand how to orient themselves in their culture. They will also begin to memorize and learn the songs, stories, and proverbs, which they in turn will pass down to the next generation, possibly with personal, contemporary changes or interpretations. As children’s author Uma Krishnaswami says in a video about the importance of intergenerational storytelling on Colorín Colorado, “The world is diminished in some way if stories from a number of groups of people aren’t shared and made available to everybody…storytelling is our heritage.” Oral traditions, such as storytelling, endure and evolve over time as the cultures they belong to evolve, and oral traditions continue to both record and affect people’s communal and individual identities and lives.

When Hispanic oral traditions are respected and integrated in classroom settings, all members of the educational community can benefit. The Hispanic members are able to feel culturally respected and supported by their school, while members from other cultures are given the opportunity to hear new stories, songs, and jokes and to experience diverse ways of learning.

Lectura Books  is a leading publisher of multicultural books and bilingual books with authentic stories. One popular book title is Maria de Flor. This book has a beautiful story about a family from Oaxaca, Mexico, that describes their deep-rooted tradition of how they celebrate their family members who are no longer here, but who they will always cherish. The Day of the Dead is a popular tradition and celebration from the Oaxaca region.

Visit Lectura Books Youtube page to watch a short clip of the book, Maria de Flor and to see many more examples of bilingual and bicultural books.

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“The Seal of Biliteracy is an award given by a school, school district, or county office of education in recognition of students who have studied and attained proficiency in two or more languages by high school graduation.”

Californians Together was and is a leading force behind this initiative. Dr. Laurie Olsen shares on Colorín Colorado that Californians Together “is comprised of statewide parent, professional and civil rights organizations focusing on improving policy and practice for the education of English Learners.” They produced the criteria, materials, workbooks, workshops, policies, application materials, assessment approaches, awards, and conference presentations that led up to the establishment of the California Seal of Biliteracy. 63 school districts, The California School Boards Association, teachers’ unions, the Association of California School Administrators, proud parents and communities, and Chambers of Commerce also contributed support to this bilingual recognition initiative.

A Seal of Biliteracy can be given by individual schools, districts, or regional entities. It is vital that the communities evaluate whether their seal is meant to serve as a work force training initiative, educational innovation initiative, multicultural connection initiative, or a combination of the three. Schools can use assessment and transcripts to certify student proficiency. Some school districts, such as the Anaheim Union High School District and the Los Angeles Unified School District, tie the initiative into their established goals for preparing students to be active and productive members of 21^st century communities. Some districts are also initiating “pathway” awards for younger students to reward and encourage their developments in biliteracy.

Californians Together shares that “Mastery of two or more languages is an important 21st century skill, with economic, social and personal benefits.”

The Seal of Biliteracy Initiative seeks to honor rather than critique biliteracy and all its rewards. It is growing in momentum and popularity across the U.S., with 17 states implementing seals, eight states working on the construction of their seal, and six states in the early stages of seal development.

Bilingual Resources:

• The Latino Family Literacy Project – A program that teaches Spanish-speaking parents how to read with their children, establish a reading routine, and promote learning of the English vocabulary together as a family. https://www.latinoliteracy.com/programs/
• The Latino Family Literacy Project 2016 Workshops: https://www.latinoliteracy.com/workshops/schedule/
• Family Phonics Workbooks: An English vocabulary program for parents and children learning English that uses a simple method to teach parents strong English vocabulary and proper pronunciation through the use of phonics: https://www.lecturabooks.com/family-phonics-workbooks/
• Lectura Books – Publishes award-winning English and Spanish language development books for children of all ages ranging from infants to teenagers.

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A March 2016 report from the Child Trends Hispanic Institute has found that students of Hispanic descent scored higher on national reading proficiency tests than their non-Hispanic peers in Miami-Dade county in Florida. Across the country, reading scores of fourth and eighth graders were consistently higher by half a grade all the way up to four grade levels over a ten year span from 2005-2015 in children of Cuban, Puerto Rican, Hispanic, and Mexican descent. Although the Institute could not provide definitive data pointing to the reasons why these test scores were higher among certain districts in areas as disparate as Montana and Florida, one of the factors considered was the successful acculturation of these students.

In the case of the 2016 report outlining how Hispanic children outperformed their white counterparts in reading proficiency, acculturation may have played a large role because it allowed for them to approach the language in the same manner as those of us who were born here. These children, perhaps through their parents or the influence of their peers, have learned to adapt to our culture and thus found easier entry into their reading, not by looking at the written word through the prism of a foreign born citizen, but as a child born within these borders. Studies have shown a connection between second language proficiency and successful acculturation, fostered by a positive view of the new culture and confident interaction with other individuals within that culture group.

For fourth and eighth grade students, we may be able to conclude that assimilation without some form of acculturation is certainly possible, though it might prove an obstacle to the successful evolution of their reading skills. This is not to suggest that they should lose their own identity, but embracing the one in which they live as readily as their own might have positive effects on their education.

Lectura Books has exceptional bilingual children’s books that will encourage Spanish and English speaking parents to read to their children. The bold illustrations will foster many multicultural experiences that the whole family can enjoy.

Acculturation and Assimilation

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There are many ways for parents to be involved with kids in Preschool and Elementary grades, but what about when kids are in middle school and high school at the very time in their lives when their developmental age is naturally pushing their parents away?

In the middle and high school years, students may be seeking more autonomy from their parents, which makes the home school connection even more challenging for parents. That is why schools need to consider a structured way for parents to come to campus with their middle or high school student and be involved in encouraging their teen’s next steps. It’s just as crucial to be involved at this stage as being involved in their younger years with reading and homework.

And, if the teen years aren’t already challenging enough to stay close and connected, many Hispanic parents face a language barrier with teens who have been schooled in English, but the parents may not have the same English language skill set. Often parents are left feeling like they cannot help or even sometimes communicate with their teenaged children.

For these important reasons, Lectura Books publishes books and curriculum in Spanish and English so that the needs of the family are met. One of the main tools for this is the College Awareness Program, which uses a dynamic 10-chapter book to help parents and students learn about how to get to college.

The book is told through one family’s journey and how they worked out their challenges, discussed their old belief system, and financial concerns about college. The book is culturally relevant to a Latino family’s experiences as well as equally relevant to all families who wonder about how to support and encourage their teen with their dreams, which may be radically different than their own parents’ journeys, particularly if the parents did not go to college.

This is an age-appropriate novela style book that is enjoyed at the heart level and is far from the average cut-and-dried informational book.

Parents discover that they are their teens’ biggest supporters and they also learn how to maximize their help, because it really matters!

The program includes an engaging chapter book (in both English and Spanish) with illustrations and an interactive parent- student journal that introduces key educational terms. A step-by-step Teacher’s Guide with English As A Second Language curriculum is also included. Teachers can register online for a program training workshop or an online webinar.

The Latino Family Literacy Project can train school staff to provide a parent and student family engagement program using a 6-week curriculum, a culturally relevant chapter book, a premade PowerPoint, and parent/student handouts.

The post Middle / High Parent Involvement for College Awareness appeared first on The Latino Family Literacy Project.

New Mexico Public Education Department has provided a comprehensive guide for the implementation and policies regarding Title III Programs and state-funded bilingual multicultural education programs in New Mexico. In summary,

The Title III English Language Acquisition Act provides funds to local districts to implement language acquisition programs to ensure English Language Learners and immigrant students:

• attain English proficiency;
• develop high levels of academic attainment in core academic subjects; and
• meet the same challenging state academic standards as all children are expected to meet Federal Laws, Court Decisions, and OCR Policy Concerning English Language Learners

Under federal Title III programs, there are three funding options. These include:

• Formula-Based Program where funds may be used by local education agencies (LEA) to improve the education of limited English proficient (LEP) children.
• Emergency Immigrant Funding where funds may be used to assist eligible LEA that experience unexpectedly large increases in their student population due to immigration.
• Recognition for English Language Learners where the Bilingual Multicultural/Title III Bureau recognizes schools where English Language Learners are succeeding. To be eligible, schools must provide evidence of effectiveness according to several performances criteria.

The guide also covers topics such as research about second language acquisition, program content, identifying and assessing English Language Learners, program placement, and implementation policies. If you would like additional information, New Mexico’s Bilingual Multicultural Education Bureau (BMEB) provides leadership and technical assistance to support New Mexico districts and schools implementing Bilingual Multicultural Education and Title III Programs. You can visit their website here.

For information on The Latino Family Literacy Project and how our programs support Title III goals, please take a look here.

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