Essential Program Components for Meeting the Learning needs of Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education, keynote address by Jill A. Watson, Ph.D., November 12, 2015
1. Closer Connections Conference / Sioux Falls, SD / Nov. 10, 2015
Keynote address by Jill A. Watson, Ph.D.
Watson Educational Consulting
Adjunct Graduate Faculty, Hamline University
2. 1. Overview of SLIFE population
2. Learning challenges of SLIFE in
schools
3. Key program components for
meeting SLIFE learning needs
3. Prior to entering U.S. schools:
No or limited prior education
No or very little literacy in ANY language
No or very little English proficiency
Often, no or little academic or literacy
history in family
“Refugee Experience” (CAPM, 2012)
4. Minnesota: Exact figures impossible,
prior education data not collected in
the past
A careful estimate:
15,000 – 25,000 SLIFE in MN schools
(Watson & Bigelow, 2014)
22 – 36% of all ELs in MN schools
are SLIFE
5. Trauma / PTSD: family loss, violence (WIDA, 2015)
Acculuration challenges (WIDA, 2015)
Limited English / literacy / academics
Age of initial literacy / schooling is major
factor in learning rate (Thomas & Collier, 1997, 2002)
Poverty, vulnerable to crime, gangs (Ouk, 2015)
High drop-out rate
25% of all HS drop-outs are ELs,
70% of EL drop-outs are SLIFE
(Fry, 2005)
6. Second Language Acquisition research,
teacher preparation, and PD: focus on
K-12 language learners with previous
schooling and literacy in L1
(first language)
Recent increase in K-12 SLIFE focus
Bigelow (2010); Bigelow &Watson (2012); Bigelow,Tarone, Hanson (2009); DeCapua & Marshall
(2011), Freeman & Freeman (2002) , Menken (2013); Montero, Newmaster & Ledger, 2014);Watson
(2010, 2012);WIDA Focus on SLIFE (2015)
7. Administrators & teachers (even ESL)
are often unaware of the particular
profile and needs of SLIFE
This group often not recognized as distinct
from ELs with significant / age-level prior
schooling
8. NewYork DoE: offical SLIFE guidelines
Boston: consent decree to educate SLIFE:
Hyde Park HS for SLIFE (Walsh, 1999)
Faribault, MN: specific SLIFE Newcomer
Program (Ouk, 2015)
Minnesota: since 2014, official SLIFE
definition and data collection requirement
in MN law, per LEAPS Act
9. Have come of age in an
oral paradigm rather than
a paradigm of literacy.
Cognitive / social maturation in an oral
paradigm brings with it characteristic
orientations to learning and life.
(Akinnaso, 2001; Battiste & Henderson, 2000; Bigelow, 2012; Bigelow &Watson, 2012; Bryce
Heath, 1983; DeCapua & Marshall, 2013; Mosha, 2000;Olson &Torrance, 1991;Ong, 1982;
Tarone, Bigelow, & Hansen, 2009;Watson, 2010, 2012)
10. Specific Skills
transfixed listening, oration,
memorization
Favored Forms
stories, proverbs, fixed expressions,
long / epic poetry
11. Literacy-based education Orality-based education
Grounded in sight, phonetic alphabetic
literacy. Much learning is done alone:
reading, writing. Lettered = educated,
intelligent.
Grounded in sound, the oral-aural
dimension. All learning is physically
proximal, face-to-face, premised on
mentoring.
Values definition, precision, abstraction,
categorical thinking, formal syllogistic
reasoning. Discursively sparse, favors
detachment, objectivity, subject / object split.
Values contexual understanding, lived
experience, practical relevance. Discourse
is additive rather than concisely
subordinative. Volubility, formulaïc,
repeated expressions. Empathetic and
participatory.
Knowledge based on referentiability to
written authority and demonstrability via
objective methods.
Knowledge based on authority of elders,
family and kinship relations, lessons of
experience, tradition.
Careful, sequential planning, pre-determined
outcomes (objectives, standards), meeting
goals.
Heuristic—trial and error, development of
practical skill and judgment (phronesis).
Individualistic: individual performance Collectivistic: the common good
12. Think about it…
Curriculum theorist James MacDonald once quoted Einstein’s
question: “What does a fish know about the water in which he
spends his life? (MacDonald, 1988, p. 102). From the literacy
perspective, the fish knows nothing about water, not the
chemical formula, not the temperature of freezing and boiling,
not how to purify water or mix it with other substances, nor any of
the scientific minutiae that are the province of hydrologists. From
the orality perspective, the fish lives and breathes water, is
enveloped by water, is born, finds a mate, gives birth in, and dies
in water. A fish knows how to navigate water, sensing and
responding to its slightest undulations every minute of its life. No
one knows more about water than a fish. The difference is
precisely to what extent knowledge is conceived as empathetic
and participatory as opposed to something one has or wields
from a state of separation. Both kinds may be considered
knowledge, but not of the same thing, and not with the same
costs and consequences (Watson, 2010, p. 201).
13. 1. Learning based on abstraction & formal
categories rather than experience,
tradition, or the teaching of elders
Abecedary classification
Luria’s (1976) example:
tools and wood
16. 2. Learning by definition: Meaning as
contained in decontextualized
vocabulary or formalities of definition
rather than experience, tradition, or the
teaching of elders
Dictionaries, textual, or technological
authority
17. Is X really X?
Your mom says you are aT-rex,
but are you really?
18. Does X count as an example ofY?
Classification tasks
Frayer model
19. Example of an activity practicing definitional sufficiency from ESL Sheltered
Science (WIDA 1 & 2 combined, 75% LFS), MN high school
20. 3. Learning that is based on formal
reasoning and logic rather than
experience, tradition, or the
teaching of elders
21. In the far north, where there is snow, all
bears are white. Novaya Zembla is in the
far north and there is always snow there.
What color are the bears in
Novaya Zembla? (Luria, 1976)
22. We all begin life in orality
Only, ever, a one-way journey
Not a mere matter of skills acquisition
Journey across a vast semiotic abyss: Leaving
one noesis—an entire way of life—for another
Ong: “You have to die [to orality] to continue
living [in literacy]” (1982)
23.
24.
25.
26. To the palaces of literacy we are
accustomed to in theWestern
academic tradition…
29. We live in a culture
so saturated in
artifacts of literacy
that we find this
stash of obsolete
books, to be
discarded, in a MN
school basement…
Hyperliterate Culture (Smith, 2006)
30. SLIFE education is an equity issue as
significant as race, gender,
exceptionality, and other areas of
equity focus.
Culturally responsive education is
necessary to make the transition from
orality to literacy and success in school
and life in the U.S.
31. What does it mean for educators in the
receiving community to recognize this
abyss?
What components should appropriate
instructional programs for SLIFE
contain?
32. Not a yes / no issue!
Quality and routinization are
paramount if the practices are
to benefit SLIFE
33. English proficiency assessments
W-APT (WIDA)
Custom assessment for lowest literacy
levels (eg. ELLA)
Native language literacy assessment
34. Content knowledge assessment
math
symbols, maps, charts
concepts
Important: ensure that these
assessments are not based on knowledge
of English.
35. Records (if any): interpret with care
Develop a custom prior education
intake questionnaire (eg. Marshall, 2013)
36.
37.
38.
39. Informal family interviews in L1
interpretors required (not optional)
don’t assume family literacy
ask about: number of years, months per
year, hours per day, which subjects,
assessments, how many students in class,
location (U.S., abroad, public / private /
refugee camp)
40.
41. An English learner with limited formal schooling is defined
as a student who:
comes from a home where the language usually
spoken is other than English, or usually speaks a
language other than English
enters school in the United States after grade 6
has at least two years less schooling than the
English learner's peers
functions at least two years below expected
grade level in reading and mathematics
may be preliterate in the English learner's native
language (HF 3062, 2014).
42. Psychological trauma: violence, family loss
or separation, flight / homelessness
Physical injury, malnutrition, illnesses
Exceptionality
Discuss in family interview, check health
records
43. Counseling: necessary for many SLIFE (WIDA, 2015)
Acculturation
PTSD
School nurse (vision, hearing, general)
Special education referral
Immediately if indicated, eg. clear MR,TBI
Don’t delay up to 2 years– convene team and
move quickly to support students
44. Students in school with same or similar
culture/language
Cultural liaison adults in school, district
Ethnic community organizations: create
partnerships, in-school reps
45. Administrators, teachers
Summer, before school starts
During the year, as warranted
Schools who do home visits say:
“Essential component for serving SLIFE”
46. Visuals: flags, posters, artwork
Cultural festivals in school
Students perform, contribute
Admin, teachers , staff attend
Conferences with interpretors, no literacy
assumed
Transportation for families
47. Liaisons
Behavioral support
Elders in the classroom: experts, oral
sources
Elders as Fonts of Knowledge approach
▪ Will discuss in follow-up session
Traditional practices, history included in
content
48. Adolescent SLIFE need custom instruction &
more time:
Newcomer program, base on intake
profile:
1-2 year academy: acculturation, basic
skills
Separate classes
5 – 6 year graduation plan (per profile)
49. EL service: direct ELD through Level 4
Level 1 class: custom for SLIFE & non-
SLIFE
Master scheduling preference (WIDA, 2015)
Schedule early in process to ensure right
teachers and courses for their pathway
50. Guiding principle: Challenge, not overwhelm
Courses in student’s i+ 1 (Krashen, 1988);;
Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978);
Match to student challenge level (Nebelsick, 2015)
Progressive, targeted, sheltered instruction: EL
and content
Avoid premature co-teaching
No evidence of effectiveness with SLIFE (Honigsfeld,
2012)
51. ▪ Immediate push-in: PE, Art, FCS, Industrial
/ Ag Arts; modified grading, Pass / Fail
▪ Basic Skills focus in ESL classes: Math,
Science, Social Studies
▪ Sheltered content for SLIFE Levels 1 & 2
▪ Clustered scheduling in core content when
SLIFE ready: ESL teacher meaningfully co-
teaching, or para support
52. Resource period in the day
Computer lab period: Imagine Learning, Rosetta
Stone, Raz-kids reading, Accelerated Reader, etc.
Read 180 is not ideal
After-school, summer tutoring
L1 support in and after class
L1 literacy classes
Paras in newcomer & clustered classes
53. Build from SLIFE affordances:
Orality - Listening
Proverbs, stories, poetry
Elders, traditions
Actual experience, practical relevance
Collectivistic culture (DeCapua & Marshall, 2010, 2012)
SLIFE need face-to-face instruction, not only
or primarily on-line or technology-enabled
54. Plan and implement structures for L1 use
Word / picture notebooks
L1 oral turn-and-talk exchange: negotiate
meaning
L1 stories translated to English
L1 literacy class, content
Consider: Imagine Learning, iLit software
55. Guided literacy instruction
Phonemic awareness (WIDA, 2015)
Structured dialog to literacy (Watson, 2014)
Running records (Montero, Newmaster, & Ledger, 2014)
PALS Partner reading (McMaster, Miura, Kao, &Watson, 2011)
Academic language
Vocabulary AND structures needed to
access content
56. Recall: SLIFE struggle with abstract,
decontextualized definitions & content
Content – language integration
Bridge from SLIFE approach to
academic mode (DeCapua & Marshall, 2011)
Accomodates group work (collectivist
orientation)
57. Realia (actual items)
Pictures
Videos
Charts, concept maps
Key vocabulary lists that remain posted
Total Physical Response, role-plays
Language Experience Approach
Visuals and movement are not just for elementary
school!
58. Routine, Integrated, Structured,
Academic (RISA), (Watson, 2014)
Infuse into regular practice in all subjects
Routine formats minimize confusion
Structure it: Don’t just say, “Now talk…”
Watson’s law: “Instruction that uses only
reading, writing, and the teacher talking
dooms SLIFE to fail.”
59.
60. General PD on SLIFE for all staff
Custom, on-going, job-embedded PD for
staff who work with SLIFE
Teachers, counselors, nurse, coaches,
administrators
61. SLIFE PLC for relevant staff
4 - 6 times per year
Invite community members, parents
Google doc or other format to share
information
62. Develop performance review
procedures for administrators &
teachers that evaluate readiness and
skill to serve SLIFE appropriately
Include SLIFE skills on observation
rubrics
63. Many SLIFE face the age-out limit: 21
years old in MN
Resist pressures to rush graduation
HS diplomas not based on actual skills are
meaningless
Many (diploma’d) SLIFE flounder after HS
64. ABE teacher visit HS class
Tour ABE facility
As appropriate, tell SLIFE and families
upon intake that they may end up
completing their diploma in Adult Ed
65. During SLIFE HS experience, through
courses and counseling, support
students in exploring:
Realistic employment options
Vocational education (Krashen, 2015)
Community college
University
66. You’re 18 years old, don’t know
English, and didn’t have a
chance to attend school or
learn to read before?
Come! (cf: Nebelsick, 2015)
67. SLIFE education is one of the most under-
recognized, but most urgent school equity
issues
SLIFE futures depend on your leadership
and advocacy!
68. 4th annual event, put on my MinneSLIFE– Standing
committee of MinneTESOL
Held at Hamline Univeristy, St. Paul
1:00 – 5:00 pm (approx.)
Refreshments included
Keynote + breakout sessions, all on SLIFE issues
Teacher clock hours (CEUs) available
Registration is appreciated but not required
Free -- all are welcome
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/minneslife/
Contact me (JillWatson) for more info