The document discusses two instructional approaches for students with limited or interrupted formal education: structured oral interaction (RISA oral interaction) and using elders as fonts of knowledge. RISA oral interaction involves structured dialogs between students to practice language and content objectives, while using elders as fonts of knowledge recognizes the importance of elders sharing knowledge in oral cultures and suggests having elders participate in the classroom. Both approaches aim to set up SLIFE students for success by building on their strengths in oral communication and cultural traditions.

1. Instructional Approaches that
Set SLIFE Up to Succeed
(and are good for everybody else):
Structured Oral Interaction and
Elders as Fonts of Knowledge
Jill A. Watson, Ph.D.
Minnesota English Learner Education Conference
Bloomington, MN
November 6, 2015

2. Agenda
1. Affordances of orality and challenges
for SLIFE in U.S. classrooms
2. RISA Oral Interaction
3. Elders as Fonts of Knowledge
4. Workshop time with the 2 approaches

3. SLIFE: a unique learner profile
 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)

4. Orality vs. Literacy Continuum: A cognitive,
cultural, & axiological distinction
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. 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.
Individualistic: individual performance Collectivistic: the common good

5. Challenges for SLIFE in Western
schooling
 Learning based on abstraction, classification, definitional thinking
 Learning grounded in literacy activities
 Learning from teacher lectures, presentations
 Learning without familiar or practical context or relevance
 Refraining from oral communication most of the time
 Knowing and following the implicit structure of lessons: turn-taking,
hand-raising, note-taking
 Individual performance vs. collective work and goals
African proverb: If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go
far, go together.

6. Watson’s law:
“Instruction that involves
only reading, writing, and
the teacher talking
dooms SLIFE to fail.”

7. The big question:
What instructional approaches CAN
teachers use that set SLIFE up to
succeed rather than fail?
How can we create fertile spaces for
SLIFE learning? (Marshall, 2015)

8. RISA Oral Interaction: Rationale
1. Students learn better if they process information
and learning orally/aurally, not only via reading,
viewing, and writing (Zwiers, 2010; Zwiers & Crawford, 2011).
 Stop Googling, Let’s Talk (New York Times, Sept. 26, 2015)
2. Especially true of SLIFE ELs who have come of
age in orality and have rich oral cultural
backgrounds. They MUST process learning
through the oral mode, as a bridge to literacy and
Western academic thinking
(DeCapua & Marshall, 2011, 2013; Watson, 2015).

9. RISA Oral Interaction: Rationale (cont.)
3. Students learning English and the
patterns of Western academic work benefit
enormously from routine instructional
procedures: frees cognitive attention for
engaging with the content and language
objectives (August & Shanahan, 2006).
4. Peer-mediated learning is a top best
practice for ELs (Gersten, Baker, Shanahan, Linan-Thompson, Collins, & Scarcella, 2007).

10. RISA OI: Rationale (cont.)
5. Classroom benefits from structured,
routine instructional strategies
 Lesson delivery
 Behavior management
6. ELs need more direct oral language
instruction and practice!

11. RISA Oral Interaction: Routine,
Integrated, Structured, Academic
Routine: It’s a part of your regular routine. 3+ times per week.
Integrated: Directly integrated with your content objectives. The
information that students are interacting about comes from the content of
your lesson or unit.
Structured: Give the students a structured template for their interaction.
Not just, “Talk to your partner about ______.”
Academic: This refers to your language objectives, which are directly
linked to your content objectives. The language you are having students
use is academic. It contains both academic vocabulary and academic
structures.

12. Specific Learning Purposes of
RISA-OI
1. Gives students correct models of academic English that
they practice and are assessed on in the oral/aural mode.
 Dialogs in foreign language class
 Conversation continuance: keep it going
2. Creates a structured, manageable opportunity for oral
practice of specific language objectives: vocabulary and
grammar
3. Increases depth of processing of content objectives
4. Lets teacher know if students have understood content

13. What is RISA Oral Interaction?
R
I
S
A

14. Question: At what point in the unit
would you use RISA Oral Interaction?
Answer: RISA Oral Interaction formats are used as a way
for students to process and practice informatin students
have ALREADY BEEN EXPOSED TO through:
 Readings
 Presentations
 Demonstrations & lab work
 Vocabulary work
 Field trip or LEA experience
 Film, video, pictures, realia
Remember: RISA-OI is NOT used at the very start of a new unit. It works
on depth of processing of information already available to the students.

15. Grouping & Planning
Create 2-person and 3-person options
Plan ahead for absences: what will your system
be?
Vary the RISA-OI partners week to week: elbow
partners, median split, homogenous, same-
language partners, different-language partners,
draw names, etc.
In creating the dialogs, you can differentiate for
different student proficiency levels

16. Three RISA-OI Formats
1. Dialog Skit
2. I have a question…
3. HOTS Dialog
Question to keep in mind: What WIDA level
and academic function is each suited for?

17. 1. Dialog Skit
Suitable for lowest levels.
Teacher creates the dialog based on content &
language objectives, students learn and perform it as
a skit.
Integrate social and academic language.
You can include some cloze items to be filled in from
key vocabulary from the lesson or unit.
Based on reading, class lecture, or other form of
information that students have already learned (eg.
presentation at the start of class, assigned reading,
previous class notes, etc.).

18. Example: Invasive species
reading
Modified for Level 1-2
This dialog skit is entirely for oral
practice—no cloze items.

19. Many people help control invasive species
Many groups of people are trying hard to stop bad plants, fish, and insects that
come from other places and hurt species that grow naturally in Minnesota. One of
these groups is called Three Rivers Natural Resource Management (NRM). Some
of the bad invaders are zebra mussels, Eurasian water milfoil, buckthorn, garlic
mustard, emerald ash borer, Asian carp, and gyspy moth.
One problem is, people who use the parks give a ride to the bad species on their
cars, trucks and boats without even knowing it. That’s one way the invaders move
to new places.
It helps a lot to find the invaders early, before they become big. If the invading
species get big and establish themselves, it is very hard to get them out, especially
European buckthorn, black locust and oriental bittersweet. Sometimes NRM and
helpers pull these bad plants up and get them out.
Some bad plants live in water, and catch a ride on people’s boats to get to another
lake or river. Lots of groups are working on teaching people who have boats how
to clean the bad plants off their boats.
If you want to help, contact Three Rivers (NRM). They teach you how to find bad
species and have events where people pull out the bad plants.
Call Three Rivers NRM at 763.694.7840.

20. Launching your RISA-OI Dialog
1. Hang a poster with the dialog on it. Leave it up.
2. Post key vocabulary related to unit and dialog. Work with
cultural liaisons / classroom EAs to connect vocab to L1.
2. Explain the dialog briefly.
3. Model correct, natural pronunciation and prosody of
words and key phrases. Have class choral repeat.
4. You do format with one student, and then another.
5. Have 2 students do for the class. Have 2 more do for the
class.
6. Assign partners.
7. Have all members of the class do with their partner while
you and classroom EAs / cultural liaisons circulate and
support.

21. * Remember to
always post the
key vocabulary for
your lesson / unit
and leave up (not
just on a
powerpoint!)
* Vocabulary
words you post
are typically part
of the missing
cloze words.

23. Example: Level 1-2 Geography unit
on Africa
Content Objective: SWBAT locate and name select
countries in Africa, hemispheres, and cardinal directions
Language Structure Objective: SWBAT use preposition
“of” with directions, the expression “is located in” – as a
statement and a question, using the structure “In which
hemispheres is __________ located?”
Language Vocabulary Objective: SWBAT name select
African countries, all hemispheres, and cardinal
directions

27. Questions
1. How can you implement it so students know
what type of information goes in which blank?
2. What needs to be taught prior to this RISA-OI?
3. What else do you need to make this work?

28. Story Elements
Dialogue example
• ESL class
• WIDA 1 – 2
SLIFE
Vocabulary:
1. characters
2. setting
3. conflict
4. resolution
5. resolved

29. Story Elements Dialogue: WIDA 1 – 2 SLIFE
A: Hello! How are you?
B: I am good, thank you.
A: Great! Can you help me answer my reading questions?
B: Sure. What is your question?
A: What are characters in a story?
B: Characters are _________ or ________in a story.
A: Characters are _________ or ______ in a story. Great!
What is setting?
B: Setting is ________ and __________ a story happens.
A: Setting is ________ and ________ a story happens. Good!
What is the conflict?
B: Conflict is the _______ of the story.
A: Conflict is the _________of the story. Awesome!
What is the resolution?
B: The resolution is how the ________was _________.
.
A: The resolution is how the _______ was ______. Amazing!
Thank you for your help!
B: You’re welcome!

30. 2. “I have a question” format
Similar to dialog skit, but more information is
provided by students
Especially good for sequential processes, or
concepts / things with specific components.
Eg.: how to perform a mathematical
operation or order of operations, describe a
biological process, chronological order of
events, identify the components of
something and their functions.

31. Example: zebra mussels, from
invasive species reading
Content objective: SWBAT describe the process of
movement of the invasive species ‘zebra mussels’
Language objective (structure): SWBAT use First,
Next, Then, Finally, and But to describe the process
Language Objective (vocabulary): SWBAT use
target vocabulary in describing process: establish,
zebra mussels, invasive, species, boat

33. Questions
1. Where would the information come from
that students need to complete the dialog?
2. How can you differentiate for varying
student WIDA levels in the “I have a
question” format?

34. Your turn: Chambers of the heart
lesson for high WIDA 2s and 3s.
Work with a partner or small group and create a dialog
using the “I have a question” format
What could your dialog be about?
Look at the schematic and decide on language and
content objectives for a dialog.
Remember: for language, you should determine a
structure objective and key vocabulary list (select just the
most important words).

35. Chambers of the heart

36. 3. HOTS Dialog (Higher Order Thinking Skills)
 Most advanced ELs (WIDA 3 and up), most flexible format
 Infuse this dialog with lots of academic language stems (eg. from
Socratic Seminar, Accountable Talk).
 Create a poster of sentence stems for different purposes and
post on the classroom wall (leave up). Choose different stems to
include in the dialog so you cover many different ones over the
year.
 Include stems for different functions: asserting a point of view,
agreeing and disagreeing, asking for elaboration, etc. (see
handout)
 Teacher can write this or share writing with more advanced
students, especially after they have done a few HOTS Dialogs.
The language structures chosen should be at the instructional
level for the students—challenging, but not overwhelming (i + 1,
ZPD).
 Use plenty of theme-rheme structure.

37. Example
Content: SWBAT compare and contrast the
performance of candidates in the Republican
presidential debate
Vocabulary: SWBAT use Republican,
presidential, debate, performance in oral
exchange
Language structure: SWBAT use comparative
language structures and sequence words.

39. Questions
1. What would be the source(s) of
information for students to complete this
dialog?
2. How could you adjust the difficulty level of
this dialog?
3. Which academic language phrases were
modeled in this dialog?
4. Which academic stems and phrases could
be added or given as options?

40. Your turn: Create a HOTS Dialog
1. With a partner or small group, create a RISA HOTS dialog for WIDA
high 3 and up
2. Decide on classroom context: sheltered content, direct ELD, co-taught
content
3. Decide on content connection and theme of dialog: What class is it
part of? What theme does the dialog address? What language and
content bjectives does it practice?
4. Decide on roles: equal difficulty? Or differentiate?
5. Determine degree of student completion: stems? Cloze?
Remember: the part that students fill in should be directly
related to content objectives!

41. Assessment
 Assess students every two weeks, or more often.
 After launch, give students practice time to prepare for quiz on a daily
or nearly daily basis.
 Have partners rehearse dialog for you and cultural liaisons / EAs–
give them feedback to prepare for quiz.
 On dialog quiz day, plan quiet work or test, call partners up for dialog
quiz. Teacher, EAs hear and grade the dialog quizzes.
 Typically: have both partners do both parts—do one way, then
switch. If there are 3 people in the group, just have them do 2 parts
each.
 Alternative: Assign one part to stronger student, one to lower student
(you design dialog for that)

42. Assessment Rubric
 Review.
 Practice assessing performance on dialog.

43. Elders as fonts of knowledge (EFK)
Recall: elders and tradition are the primary
sources of knowledge, values, and learning
in oral cultures.
Oromo saying:
You have libraries, we have elders

44. EFK Rationale (cont.)
 Oral cultural elders bear important knowledge and wisdom
 For SLIFE students
 For Western cultures
 SLIFE are predisposed to respect elders, listen to them, and look to them
for guidance
 Transfixed listening
 Behavior & focus support
 Culture shock: role of elders in U.S. totally different from home
 Causes breakdown, confusion, identity loss
 Essential to strengthen intergenerational bonds

45. EFK Rationale (cont.)
Increasing family understanding of U.S.
schools is important
Little or no prior knowledge
Cultural dissonance: family expectations of
school and teachers
Exposure to literacy and Western academic
thinking benefits elders
Often isolated, little connection to American
mainstream culture

46. EFK Rationale (cont.)
Elders are often available
Great opportunity to bridge from storytelling
and narration of oral mode to academic work

47. Considerations
Important to structure how elders are used
Employ a careful design, including roles and
procedures
Communicate just the essential info to elders: what
they will do, what students will do, how long, etc.
Background checks
Important
District may require
Transportation
Often necessary

48. Considerations
Where to find elders?
Families connected with the school
Student families, cultural liaisons
Ethnic community organizations
Interpretors likely needed
Arrange in advance and TRIPLE confirm
Discuss details of task in advance with interpretors
Students, family members, community members

49. Considerations
Connect directly to learning
Not just a fun visit—integrate with theme,
content
Include specific student activities and
assessment

50. EFK Scenario #1
 Class: Human Geograph Grade: 7 - 8 Proficiency: adaptable to any level
 Unit: Trail of Tears (native Americans displaced to Oregon)
 General Objective: compared experience of native Americans with experience of
Hmong people leaving homelands and crossing the Mekong river to refugee camps in
Thailand.
 Teacher: preteach concepts and vocabulary
 Students prepare questions in advance and ask during elder visit.
 Elder role: With interpretor, tell story of his or her family, or in general. Show Paj Ntaub
tapestry. Describe actions of soldiers, what happened to people as they tried to escape.
Describe refugee camp, and journey to U.S.
 Students take notes using a rubric with specific areas for comparison
 Why they had to make the journey
 Who forced them
 When it happened
 Where they went
 What happened along the journey
 Students work in groups, discuss. Elder sits with groups, rotating, sharing.
 Cumulative project: compare the two journeys using drawings with captions, sentences,
paragraphs. Include L1 terms, eg. Paj Ntaub.

51. EFK Scenario #2
 Class: ESL Grade: any Proficiency: adaptable to any level
 Unit: Folk literature / oralature with a moral, scary stories
 General objective: compare Somali fairy tale of Dagdheer with German tale of Hansel
and Gretel
 Teacher: preteach concepts and vocabulary
 Students prepare questions in advance and ask during elder visit.
 Elder role: With interpretor, tell the tale of Dagdheer. Describe how s/he and Somali
children in general feel about the story, and why s/he thinks parents tell this scary story
about a witch who eats children.
 Students take notes, draw pictures using a rubric with specific areas for comparison
 What happened in the story: sequence of events
 Why the with eats children
 Why the children were unprotected
 Which part was scariest
 What is the moral or lesson of the story
 Students work in groups, discuss. Elder sits with groups, rotating, sharing.
 Cumulative project: students create a fairy tale with elements of both Dagdheer and
Hansel & Gretel, act out for an audience, including elders from Somalia and America.

52. Your turn: How could you create
an opportunity to use elders as
fonts of knowledge in the
classroom?
Discuss ideas with a partner or small
group.
Share your ideas with the large group

53. Thank you for participating!
 Questions?
 Comments?
 Ideas?
Contact: Jill A. Watson, Ph.D.
watsoneducationalconsulting@gmail.com
www.watsoneducationalconsulting.com