Academic Language Development-based Innovations for Students Underserved in Literacy 2017 Unlocking Literacy Conference Dr. Beulah Johnson-Keels, CCC-SLP Robert Meyer, Publisher Presentation . Talk about “underserved” vs. “deficit” (underachieving, disadvantaged, at- risk, gaps) perspectives . Present language differences from an instructional/linguistic perspective . Introduce several innovative Culturally & Linguistically Responsive Teaching (CLRT) pedagogies Underserved K-12 Students . Include the 10 million (1 in 5) public school K-12 students reading at Below Basic level (NAEP, 2013) . Most live in poverty/extreme poverty . Bring language differences (ELL & SEL) to school Underserved premise #1: Every student is a language prodigy. They can all do it! Premise #2: Language development supports can help educators make literacy instruction more complete as to help every student experience comprehension success. Note: Educators and publishers are over-reliant on policy Hey! Wasn’t there a Sixth Pillar? Fillmore, L.W., & Snow, C. (2000). "What teachers need to know about language.“ SEE HANDOUT . Understanding educational linguistics will enhance teachers' practice in general; literacy; and ELLs . Defined five teacher functions in which language is central e.g. inappropriate misunderstandings of language behavior. ELLs also native-born children from non-majority backgrounds . Fundamental to helping diverse students succeed in school. Language: language and linguistics, language and cultural diversity, sociolinguistics for educators in a linguistically diverse society, language development, second language teaching and learning, the language of academic discourse, and text analysis in educational settings. Scarborough, H.S. (2001). Connecting early language and literacy to later reading (dis)abilities: Evidence, theory, and practice. In S. B. Neuman & D. K. Dickinson (Eds.), Handbook of early literacy research, vol. 1 (pp. 97-110). New York: Guilford. Linguistic Worldview of Language Variation . Standard Academic English . Southern US dialects . Chicano English . African American English/Language . Spanglish . New York Latino English . New England English . Pennsylvania Dutch-English . Chicago Midwest English . Many others LANGUAGE OF SCHOOL . Academic Classroom English (ACE) is the standardized US vernacular . Students who don’t master ACE are heavily penalized in school and career . Most US adults have conditioned linguistic biases and prejudices about home languages . Wayne O’Neil described this as the “last legitimate prejudice” 20 years ago (Rethinking Schools) African American Language (AAL) . Creole origin (African languages) evolved orally without a written counterpart . 40+ AAL/ACE morpho-syntactic & phonological differences . AAL most studied SEL language structure (50 years) including 20 years on children’s use of AAL and relationship to reading & writing Four Lines of AAL Research .Identification of unique AAL features and trying to understand the origination (most prior to 2000) .Inventory of AAL features with distributional properties (mostly done prior to 2005) .Development of non-discriminatory language & literacy evaluation procedures .Understanding the relationship between AAL and literacy outcomes Language Variation Reading Achievement Hypothesis . Standardized reading scores (decoding) . Oral reading, letter ID, comprehension . Spoken accuracy and spelling of inflections . Receptive vocabulary . 40% of variance in reading achievement grades 1-5 AAE speakers attributed to dialect difference (Craig et al, 2009) Research on AAL by Focus Area Newkirk, Johnson, Green 2011 Recommended Resources How Do Educators Tend to Address Home Language? . Not with the linguistically informed view . Still view as errors, deficient, improper . Correct and/or try to eradicate . Students feel confused, de-valued, disengaged . Convey dominant language/culture Culturally & Linguistically Responsive (CLRT) Teaching Practices . Recognize biases, validate and build on every student’s linguistic strengths . Build teacher capacity, mediate lowered expectations . Engagement (the sixth pillar) . Linguistically responsive knowledge, understandings and methods lag behind Culturally responsive methods Code-Switching PD for grades 2-6+ Teachers •Develops students’ awareness of and attention to language differences and choices. •Research shows code-switching works where correction doesn’t. Activity: Student Writing Sample Everyday English in NCLB writing (8th grade) What grammar issues do you see? What do you assume? © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Activity: Student Writing Sample Everyday English in NCLB writing (8th grade) Multiple Negative Be understood Plurality Multiple negative Possessive Possessive It vs. There Possessive © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Notice what the deficit approach missed! …Misses the student as writer! © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Linguistic Insight #1: Correcting home language is not instructionally sound While “various strategies can be useful for learning Standard English equivalents… …[o]ne that does not work is correcting vernacular features.” Adger, Wolfram & Christian, 2006 Dialects in Schools and Communities © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Linguistic Insight #2: We All Speak A Dialect . Dialects are a variety of the language associated with a regionally or socially defined group . All dialects are linguistically equal, even if they are socially unequal . ACE is a dialect, the prestige dialect . All language is structured: Differences from ACE are not random but governed by systematic rules . Difference deficiency © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Linguistic Insight #3: You can lay down the red pen! When students write or say… “Mama walk to the store” or “I want to play on Derrick team,” etc. They are not making mistakes inside Standard English Instead, they are CORRECTLY following grammar patterns of the community language variety (home dialect) © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 These 3 linguistic insights… transforms classroom practice Build on student’s existing To add new So students are knowledge of their knowledge of empowered to own community Standard make grammatical grammar English choices patterns “My goldfish name is “My goldfish’s name Scaley” is Scaley” © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Moving From “Error” to Pattern Conventional Wisdom Linguistically informed approach Think in terms of improper/bad English Students use home English Talking about right and wrong Talk about patterns and how language varies by setting Thinking that students See that students make mistakes, errors follow grammar patterns have ‘problems’ with grammar of the home dialect leave off endings Students ‘should have’ used the ‘right’ Invite students to code-switch (choose grammar language to fit the setting) Teachers red pen in the margin, correcting Lead students to student grammar • compare & contrast, • build on existing knowledge to • add new knowledge, and • code-switch to fit the setting. © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Linguistically informed approach “Both/And” mindset Contrastive Analysis & Code-Switching © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 All Lessons Based on Student Writing © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Students Discover the Home Pattern . Show students the chart . Read the sentences under the home column . Help students discover the home pattern for showing possession © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Then Discover the School Pattern . Read the sentences the under school column . Lead students in discovering the school pattern. Ask “how does the school pattern differ?” © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Code Switching Chart Features . 4-6 sentences per chart . Only 1 vernacular pattern per sentence . Correct any errors in mechanics (spelling, capitalization, spelling) . Shorten examples so each fits on one line . Provide ACE equivalent in right hand column . Underline contrasting pattern . © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Implementing CSL . Appropriate for grades 2–6+ . Begin Code-Switching Lessons approximately 4 weeks into the school year . Allot 1–2 weeks per unit, teaching 2 lesson per week . Timing: . Lesson 1 = 30–40 minutes . Lessons 2–4 = 15–20 minutes . Code-Switching Lessons easily integrates with other classroom activities and curriculum © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Scope and Sequence . Unit 1: Diversity in life and language © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Units 2 Through 10 . Noun patterns first . Unit 2: Showing Possession . Always start with possession! . Simple pattern . Gives students practice with CS charts . Gives students practice with discovering patterns . Unit 3: Showing Plurality . Then on to verbs . Past time . Subject-Verb Agreement . Is/are; was/were, be . Each unit has 4 lessons, integrated into the writing process © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 The Code-Switching Lessons Authors © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Code-switching efficacy Before Rachel Swords began working with code-switching in her urban elementary school, her Black and White students showed a 30 point gap in scores and a greater than 50-point achievement gap on passing VDOE. The very year she implemented code-switching (2002), she closed the achievement gap in her classroom, and in 2006, her last testing year, 100% of her African American students passed 100% of the VDOE.test © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 CSL Also Boosts Writing Engagement The story of David and Spy Mouse © Wheeler & Swords, 2016 Integrated Picture Mnemonics . Neurologically integrated beginning reading & writing methodology for pre-K and kindergarten . Rapidly and efficiently teaches beginning letter sounds and symbols to automaticity . K-readiness