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Young Bilingual Brains; German Gender Disagreement; German Dialects

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Young Bilingual Brains May Age Better Bilingual children and adolescents may grow up with more grey matter, according to a new study
German Gender Disagreement Disagreement in Germany over use of an asterisk to make gender-specific nouns seem gender-neutral
Did Ford’s Model T Kill Midwest German Dialects?After decades of research, University of Kansas researcher William Keel believes it was Henry Ford, not Kaiser Bill, who was responsible for the decline of the distinctive German dialects spoken by immigrants and their descendants in five Kansas and Missouri settlements during the 20th century

The Multilingual Paradigm in California

The idea of asset-based and responsive education coined in the ELA/ELD road map is a key element in well-designed and effectively implemented dual-immersion programs. It is widely understood that the language/s spoken, developed at home, and/or acquired and learned at school have a long-standing influence in the building of social and individual identities.

The cultural implications attached to this process and the misfortunes of a defective or biased approach to multilingualism are also well researched. The promise of DI instruction is clear when instructional practices are ingrained in the critical pedagogy—an approach that recognizes that teaching and learning are never politically or socially neutral. Families, practitioners, scholars, and by extension every stakeholder must be cognizant of the transformative power of equitable and socially just instruction. Conversely, they must be responsive to the perils of prejudiced approaches to learning languages. And this philosophy must go beyond elementary levels, into secondary DI programs, which are much less common and much more challenging to design and implement.

Concerned DI educators wonder about equity issues and cultural biases or worry about the culturally balanced approach of their classes, or how social-emotional development may affect the identities of their beloved students. These are fair concerns that show the scope and depth of these committed practitioners.

DI programs have been (and continue to be) instrumental in changing the flawed approach to EL/EB students, who have been portrayed as lacking in a certain skill that needed to be improved. In dual-immersion settings, all students are emergent bilinguals possessing linguistic skills ready to be used as cultural and linguistic assets by their peers. From preschool to high school, students, educators, and families embrace culturally sustaining practices where the other feels valued—diverse languages are cool and difference is an asset. Languages become bridges to new and bold opportunities, a step closer to a more balanced, multicultural, and multilingual society. This ideal can be reached in classrooms where the languages of instruction, the registers, and the students’ languages and dialects are treated equally and embraced uniformly by all participants: students, teachers, school staff, and administrators.

Engaging, Meaningful and Intellectually Challenging Instruction
In a DI classroom, there are a plethora of developmental stages of language skills. Different levels of target language and English proficiency meet in these rich classrooms in which both languages are ends in themselves as well as the tools to reach biliteracy. DI teachers need to utilize strategic teaching practices that serve all levels of proficiency in the target language. The beauty of it is that those same practices will be simultaneously supporting and enhancing English literacy for all students.

With such an array of levels, teachers need to juggle providing adequate instruction to promote language acquisition for students at emerging stages of language proficiency and, at the same time, providing intellectually challenging instruction both in content and language use for all students. The language of instruction as well as the content taught cannot, by any means, be watered down with the unrealistic intention of helping some students attain content and language proficiency.

With an advanced, highly academic, and developmentally appropriate use of the target language, teachers need to provide the linguistic model to which students aspire. To address the needs of all language learners and emergent bilinguals, teachers must implement practices that are engaging, meaningful, and accessible to all students and all language levels. Chapter 9 of the ELA/ELD framework presents UDL (universal design for learning) and MTSS (multitier system of support) as the two main systems to support all language learners—two systems that are essential in any classroom with emergent bilinguals.

One of the main goals of DI is to help reduce the potential achievement and opportunity gaps that some students might face when they speak a language other than English. Far from being an impediment or subtractive, this skill should be utilized as leverage for student success. As such, students’ home languages need to be the starting point and always placed at the center of instruction. An essential aspect for teachers to keep in mind as they design and deliver instruction is that when we use advanced academic language, we promote advanced literacy and help equip students with tools for success. Keeping high standards and learning expectations requires consistent use of strategies that help make learning accessible, such as scaffolding, strategies for decoding, teacher and peer support, or strategies for transferability.

The Road Map for ELD/ELA Instruction stresses the need for a class that promotes intellectually challenging, engaging, and meaningful instruction through the use of advanced language. These requirements are identical in the DI classroom, which, in reality, is a language arts class, in a language other than English, in which all students are language learners and emergent bilinguals in two languages.

Critical Leadership to Support EL/EB Students and Families
According to research studies (Dixon, 2012; Hakuta, Butler, and Witt, 2000; Hamilton and Krashen, 2006), an EL/EB student needs four to nine years to fully close the so-called achievement gap that comes from learning in a second language. DI programs are more effective in closing this gap in all profiles of student (de Jong and Howard, 2009; Valentino and Reardon, 2015; Wilson, 2011). Consequently, we argue that a consensus exists among all levels of school systems that dual immersion is effective in providing EL/EB students the best instruction possible, in addition to non-EL students. Dual-immersion leaders are all in when it comes to embracing its multiple advantages.

However, DI leaders often cite challenges like the lack of appropriate grade-level materials and/or resources in the target language, the need for more trained teachers, and the existence of asymmetries in the students’ outcomes. To this list, we can also add the lack of up-to-date DI databases, the difficulty of sharing best practices due to instruction in multiple target languages, and the scarcity of DI programs in certain areas, levels, and languages. Nonetheless, there has been an explosion of interest in recent years in these programs that has led to the creation of specific college courses and professional development for teachers.

With success come other problems; Gándara (2010) claims that a gentrification process is taking place in DI programs, where wealthy families are taking over these programs initially intended to mostly serve EL/EB students. In this way, the original beneficiaries are segregated by language, race, and socio-economics.

District leaders and publishing institutions should embrace, reinforce, and provide materials and assessments to build capacity for a continued improvement of such programs. DI leaders are the guardians of the critical conscience that DI classrooms embrace. To fully support teachers and continually engage minority parents, DI leaders must never lose sight of their foremost instructional goal—academic equity. EL/EB students and their families must be at the core of every effort or initiative regarding effective instruction.

Universal Multilingualism
Following worldwide models, learning multiple languages should continue from birth through to university. DI programs should be available starting from daycare and preschool programs, so all students have the opportunity to begin, in Donaldo Macedo’s (1987) words, “reading the world and the words with multilingual and critical eyes.”

Language development is a social process that occurs in various settings (Vygotsky, 1986). It is better for children who speak one or more languages to share them in their communities and make them part of their education.

When various languages are part of the teaching and learning environment, classrooms and schools become linguistically inclusive spaces. In these spaces, the term language learner applies to all students. Moreover, linguistic inclusivity breaks the paradigm that defines languages as social constructs attached to a nation-state conceptualization of linguistic and literary identity.

The full implementation of the ELA/ELD road map is a key milestone when moving from monoglossic spaces in which English proficiency is the outcome to heteroglossic spaces where multilingualism is a common and achievable benefit. The latter could and should be feasible in both DI programs and English-only programs where other languages are taught as part of the mandated curriculum. In either case, multilingualism calls for a vertical articulation across all the systems. Best practices in both models are always the outcome of clear planning and assessment across grade levels. This alignment should occur also between models. English-only teachers should plan with and learn from DI teachers and vice versa.

Our expectation is that the implementation of the ELA/ELD road map will go beyond the idea of seeing languages other than English as assets. We see such languages as instrumental, strategic, and intentional tools when teaching and learning, whether the learning setting is an English-only classroom or a dual-immersion one.

Building Multilingual Societies
We are seeing the blossoming of asset-based and inclusive education practices in English-only classrooms. Concurrently, the number of DI programs is growing exponentially year after year in California and across the nation. Such prospects lead us to believe that the future is bright for all language learners. The strength and sustainability of this glittering future will depend on many factors: linguistic equity, cross-linguistic instructional practices, and multilingual discourses overpowering monolingual ideologies.

It is of utmost importance to create spaces where all language learners have the opportunity to become multiliterate, multicultural, and critically conscientious students. From our experiences and scholarship, DI programs are closer to fulfilling these three goals for students and families. At the same time, dual-immersion classes add components of equity and social justice to the process, thus advancing society with a multicultural approach.

The best way to implement the road map is to focus on the prioritization and expansion of robust dual-immersion programs across all levels and languages. If the goal is to create universal access to multilingualism, we must make sure that each language counts at all levels: funds of knowledge, lesson design, implementation, assessments, accountability, frameworks, policies, and legislation. If we are true to our quest for multilingualism, DI practitioners and scholars must spearhead a road map through which each student in California, regardless of their classroom setting, is a lifelong language learner who is continuously building breadth, depth, and complexity in comprehending and communicating in multiple languages (ELA/ELD framework).

References:
de Jong, E. J., and Howard, E. (2009). “Integration in Two-Way Immersion Education: Equalizing linguistic benefits for all students.” International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 12(1), 81–99.

Dixon, J. J. (2012). Timelines for English Language Acquisition: A Study of the Rates of Second Language Acquisition among Hispanic English Language Learners Including Exceptionalities. Doctoral dissertation. Retrieved from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (Nº 3492862).

Gándara, P. (2010). “Overcoming Triple Segregation.” Educational Leadership, 68(3), 60–64.

Hakuta, K., Butler, Y. G., and Witt, D. (2000). “How Long Does It Take English Language Learners to Develop Oral Proficiency and Academic Proficiency in English?” Stanford, CA: University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute.

Hamilton, K., and Krashen, S. (2006). “Bilingual or Immersion?” Diverse Issues in Higher Education, 23(5), 23. diverseeducation.com/article/5794/

Kolmar, C. (2020). “The 10 Most Diverse States in America for 2020.” Homesnacks. https://www.homesnacks.net/most-diversestates-in-america-128573/

Macedo, D. (1987). Literacy: Reading the Word and the World. Westport, CT: Praeger

McCann, A. (2019) “Most and Least Diverse States in America.” Wallethub. https://wallethub.com/edu/most-least-diverse-states-inamerica/38262/

US Census (2020). “California Quick Facts.” https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/CA/RHI125218

Valentino, R. A., and Reardon, S. F. (2015). “Effectiveness of Four Instructional Programs Designed to Serve English Learners: Variation by ethnicity and initial English proficiency.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 37(4), 612–637.

Vygotsky, L. V. (1986). Thought and Language. Boston, MA: MIT Press.

Wilson, D. M. (2011). “Dual Language Programs on the Rise: ‘Enrichment’ model puts content learning front and center for ELL students.” Harvard Education. Letter, 27(2). http://hepg.org/hel-home/issues/27_2/helarticle/dual-language-programs-on-the-rise#home

Dr. Fernando Rodríguez-Valls ([email protected]) is professor at California State University, Fullerton, coordinating the Bilingual Authorization Program and the World Languages Program. He has created partnerships with school districts and local educational agencies to develop and implement community-based bi-/multiliteracy programs.

His publications focus on equitable and linguistically inclusive methodologies for emergent bilingual, newcomer, and (im)migrant students as well as on the sociocultural factors affecting their academic achievement, educational continuity, and school engagement.

María Capdevila-Gutiérrez ([email protected]) is the Foreign Languages Department chair at Toll Middle School, Glendale, CA. Ms. Capdevila started teaching SSL and ESL in 2003 at the University of Castilla–La Mancha (UCLM), Spain. In 2004, she started combining her university teaching at UCLM with high school. She was recruited to Glendale in 2012 to teach Spanish language arts in the dual-immersion program at secondary level. She holds a BA in modern languages (University of Castilla–La Mancha, Spain), and an MA in Spanish and English (University of Nebraska, Lincoln), and is currently ABD (all but dissertation) at UCLM.

Dr. Jordi Solsona-Puig ([email protected]) is a middle school dual-immersion teacher in Glendale, CA. He spent 16 years in Spain as an elementary teacher, secondary teacher, counselor, and university instructor. He was recruited by GUSD in 2012 as a Spanish dual-immersion teacher. Dr. Solsona-Puig received his BA from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, his master’s in history and psychology from the University of Lleida (Spain), and his doctorate in education from Pepperdine University. He is currently working toward achieving a PhD at the University of Lleida.

Low Adult Literacy Costs U.S. $2.2 Trillion a Year

A young adult man reading the mail and looking worried

According to a new study released by the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and Gallup examining the impact of adult literacy on the U.S. economy, the nation could be losing up to $2.2 trillion annually due to low adult literacy rates.

“America’s low literacy crisis is largely ignored, historically underfunded and woefully under-researched, despite being one of the great solvable problems of our time,” argued British A. Robinson, president and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation. “We’re proud to contribute to the collective knowledge base with this first-of-its-kind study, documenting literacy’s relationship to equity and economic mobility in the U.S.”

“The U.S. confronts a long-standing challenge of high-income inequality, with strikingly large gaps in wealth and income between people of different races,” explained Dr. Jonathan Rothwell, Gallup’s principal economist, a New York Times contributor and the author of A Republic of Equals: A Manifesto for a Just Society. “On top of these long-term challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the economy and overlapped with a robust movement addressing racial injustice. Eradicating illiteracy would not solve every problem, but it would help make substantial progress in reducing inequality in the long-term and give a much-needed boost to local and regional economies throughout the country.”

Key findings from the study include:

  • Improving adult literacy would have enormous economic benefits. Bringing all adults to the equivalent of a sixth-grade reading level would generate an additional $2.2 trillion – or 10% of GDP – in annual income for the country.
  • Income is strongly related to literacy. The average annual income of adults who read at the equivalent of a sixth-grade level is $63,000. This is significantly higher than adults who read at a third to fifth grade level, who earn $48,000, and much higher than those at the lowest levels of literacy, who earn just $34,000 on average. 
  • Economic gains would be high in large metropolitan areas. The nation’s largest metropolitan areas – including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas – would all stand to gain at or just above 10% of their GDP by bringing all adults to a sixth-grade reading level. 

“Eradicating illiteracy would be enormously valuable under any circumstances,” Rothwell said. “Given the current economic and health challenges, there is even more at stake in ensuring that everyone can fully participate in society.”

“This research clearly shows that investing in adult literacy is absolutely critical to strengthening our nation’s economy,” added Robinson.

Governor Jeb Bush joined Rothwell and Robinson for an in-depth virtual discussion of the study’s implications, which can be found at www.BarbaraBush.org/webinars.

The full report “Assessing the Economic Gains from Eradicating Illiteracy Nationally and Regionally within the United States,” is available at www.BarbaraBush.org.

Young Bilingual Brains May Age Better

Girl wearing "Bilingual = Life Square" T-shirt

Bilingual children and adolescents may grow up with more grey matter, according to a new study published in Brain Structure and Function, in which an international team of academics led by the UK’s University of Reading and the U.S. Georgetown University examined detailed scans of children’s and adolescents’ brains and found that bilingual participants had potential advantages of both grey and white matter than similarly-aged monolingual children.

While bilingualism has previously been shown to positively affect brain structure and cognitive performance in adults, the paper is the most comprehensive analysis to date showing that the effect of speaking more than one language may have similar impacts on developing brains.

“Grey matter in the brain decreases from an early age, but our study found that key brain areas showed less such shrinkage in bilinguals than monolinguals during development,” explained Dr Christos Pliatsikas, the leader of the project and an associate professor of Psycholinguistics in Bi and Multilinguals at the University of Reading. “In previous studies, we’ve already seen that bilingualism has a positive effect on grey and white matter in adult brains, but this is the first time we’ve seen strong evidence for these effects in children and adolescents as well.”

Dr Michael Ullman, senior author on the paper and professor of Neuroscience at Georgetown University Medical Center, elaborated: “It may be the case that the effects on the brain that we have seen in adult bilinguals have their roots in childhood. We will be looking more at this in future studies.”

More grey matter

The brain scans showed that the loss in grey matter that children and adolescents experience during development was less pronounced in bilinguals than those who only spoke one language.

Grey matter refers to the portions of the brain where the bodies of brain cells are found, such as around the surface of the brain (called the cortex).  White matter refers to parts of the brain containing the connections between brain cells, allowing them to communicate (the connections are white because they are insulated with fat).

The study found that that the bilinguals kept more grey matter during brain development, and also increased white matter, suggesting more efficient brain communication. In both cases the effects were found mainly in brain areas linked to language learning and use.

“This is an important study for two reasons. The first is that by looking at the brains of children and adolescents, we can start to see how and when bilingualism has an effect on the brain during language development. While we’ve previously looked at differences between bilingual and monolingual adult brains at static points, here we see the effect of bilingualism on the brain as we develop,” Pliatsikas argued. “Second, the impact of bilingualism on grey and white matter may have a number of wider benefits for language and cognitive function, such as performance in tasks related to attention and executive control, which have been suggested to be enhanced in older bilinguals. Overall, the findings indicate that encouraging bilingualism in childhood may have benefits later in life.”

Reference:

Pliatsikas, C., Meteyard, L., Veríssimo, J. et al. The effect of bilingualism on brain development from early childhood to young adulthood. Brain Struct Funct (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-020-02115-5

Self Management and SEL

When we have a chance to look back, many in education will recognize 2020 as the year that learning radically changed. The impact of quickly pivoting the entire industry to an online environment has only begun to truly sink in. It is clear technology will play a role in learning in more conscious and thoughtful ways for the foreseeable future. As the fall approaches and we look toward a blended, hybrid, digital future, the focus on working with technology has made it easy to forget one critical area of support for future success: our ability to manage the social and emotional needs of both our learners and ourselves.

Self-Management and Social-Emotional Learning

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become an important dimension of the so-called soft skills, or life skills, valuable for long-term success both in learning and careers. SEL is often used to describe the specific aspects of self-management that help people work through various conflicts, challenges, and crises. Being able to manage oneself, one’s emotional response, and one’s ability to navigate the social and emotional responses of others is an important life skill necessary for setting and achieving goals.

Learners’ demonstrations of self-management skills are good predictors of strong academic performance (Duckworth and Seligman, 2005), especially when learners are capable of self-regulating the desire for instant results by regulating their own needs for gratification. While self-management alone does not fully encompass all of the social and emotional skills learners engage, the abilities associated with strong self-management are also regularly highlighted as necessary study skills and attitudes. Further, these skills are good indicators of college or university success (Credé and Kuncel, 2008). They include:

• Time management
• Resource management
• Knowledge monitoring
• Stress management
• Anxiety management
• Persistence

Supporting the development of strong self-management skills helps learners perform consistently in an academic environment. When developed, self-management skills can improve interpersonal interactions, raise feelings of security, manage emotional responses, and help students meet challenges with higher self-esteem while reducing risky behaviors, like binge eating and drinking (Tangney, 2004). SEL skills are also extremely important to employers; 80% of employers describe social and emotional management as important factors in career success (Durlak et al., 2011).

As we quickly approach the end of the summer season and prepare to return to our various schools and institutions, understanding and applying SEL strategies is just as important as embracing technology, and for some learners it may be the key factor in their academic success this year and beyond.

The Five Core Competencies of SEL

The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) provides a useful framework for understanding the core competencies of SEL, which are defined as:

• Self-awareness
• Self-management
• Social awareness
• Relationship skills
• Responsible decision making

The skills that underpin the SEL competencies can be observed when learners demonstrate the following:

• Planning—setting realistic goals and planning activities ahead of time
• Organization—keeping work artifacts in an organized fashion to improve efficiency
• Persistence—applying appropriate levels of effort to tasks, in spite of obstacles or difficulty
• Progress monitoring—accurately tracking and assessing one’s knowledge, skills, and progress; choosing appropriate strategies to evaluate and improve knowledge, skills, and progress
• Control—effectively regulating behaviors and emotions, typically to support goal pursuit
• Attention to detail—having careful, precise habits; ensuring work products are accurate, clear, and precise (Yarbro and Ventura, 2018)

Understanding and observing these skills are particularly useful to language educators who want to incorporate SEL support into the overall learning experience. For the language teacher, supporting SEL can be particularly challenging, especially when the skills and language necessary to communicate social and emotional needs in English are still developing. As educators, we must help to bridge the communication gap and allow learners to express their real-life concerns through the language they are working actively to develop. Recognizing the indicators of successful application of SEL competencies is key to knowing how language learners manage their current academic lives and social challenges. Further, educators can support the development of activities at an appropriate language level to help students manage themselves and communicate their needs when appropriate.

SEL Activities for English Language Learners

To address the SEL needs of English language learners, we must both understand the emotional needs that require support and provide tangible activities at an appropriate level of language challenge for learners. Ideally, SEL activities should take advantage of students’ abilities and offer opportunities to use language they have mastery over. However, some aspects of SEL support will introduce new language and concepts to learners, so it is helpful to account for language difficulty in order to ensure that supporting students’ social and emotional needs reduces stress rather than creating it.

The following activities are designed for specific language levels (Council of Europe, 2001; de Jong, Mayor, and Hayes, 2016); however, all could be adapted, with more or less scaffolding as appropriate (Davila, 2017).

Using Lists and Graphic Organizers

Can write very short, simple sentences about their feelings. Writing, 32, A2 (30–35)
Can tell a story or describe something in a simple list of points. Speaking, 42, A2+ (36–42)

When addressing self-management, begin by acknowledging the emotional needs of your learners. Have students reflect on what anxiety they are feeling and describe the emotions they feel. Make a list of four physical symptoms they associate with feelings of anxiety.

For each symptom on the list, discuss a behavior that can be used to manage the emotion and anxiety, such as:

• Breathing exercises
• Taking a moment for focused exercise
• Counting to or backward from a number

Once during each session, allow time for discussion and encourage students to refer to their lists or bullet points to describe their personal anxiety symptoms. Create a collaborative resource where learners can share their specific symptoms. Include short, simple descriptions of specific behaviors they personally employ to help reduce anxiety and emotional stress.

Help ensure that language is not a barrier for learners by introducing vocabulary to let students describe their personal experiences. Additionally, mind maps and other graphic organizers can be used instead of lists to help students make strong connections between emotional feelings and behaviors to self-manage.

Encourage students who are working remotely to use notebooks and share pictures through online platforms. In hybrid situations, classroom learners can connect in real time with learners in different locations and use video calling to show or display work in real time.

Use Reflection Journals

Can write descriptions of past events, activities, or personal experiences. Writing, 47, B1 (43–50)
Can ask and answer questions about past times and past activities. Speaking 40, A2+ (36–42)

Reflective journals can be useful for developing self-awareness, as well as improving social awareness and understanding relationships with others. Have students think of a specific interaction with someone from that day or week and describe the interaction. For this exercise, learners may describe classmates, co-workers, or family members.

Ask learners to describe all aspects of the interaction, including their emotions and those of others they engaged with. Did others have positive or negative responses in these interactions? Note what actions could be taken in the future to strengthen positive and reduce negative interactions.

Further scaffold this activity by using a journal template. These reflective journals do not need to be shared with the larger class. In class, schedule a consistent time, daily, weekly, or monthly, in which to review especially challenging moments, the types of emotions involved, and the overall results. Examine the cause and effect of certain interactions. Use this information to plan for how to respond and engage in future interactions with the same people or to address similar challenges.

Using Online Groups and Projects to Support SEL

Can introduce themselves and manage simple exchanges online, asking and answering questions and exchanging ideas on predictable everyday topics, provided enough time is allowed to formulate responses and that they interact with one interlocutor at a time. Online Communication, 42, A2+ (36–42)
Can post online accounts of social events, experiences, and activities referring to embedded links and media and sharing personal feelings. Online Communication, 57, B1+ (51–58)

Supporting SEL with language learners can also be incorporated as a regular part of communication in various learning environments. Where an entire program is online, SEL discussions can be regularly planned events, so learners know they are coming and have time to consider what social or emotional challenges they want to discuss with others. Also, a forum, chat, or group can be designated exclusively for discussions related to social and emotional challenges. Consider hosting this space with options for learners to post in both English and their native languages, to provide maximum opportunities for engagement.

During online presentations and group discussions, consider assigning team roles to encourage engagement and social-emotional support. This can be managed either by introducing team roles before a live session and having students choose or by providing a quick prompt before the beginning of class. The group roles listed in the graphic above are generally useful as a way to improve engagement while also allowing for more emotional support.

Using team roles can further communication while helping peers support each other as we navigate the changes we are all experiencing.

Recognizing and Supporting Both Social and Emotional Needs

As we prepare for back-to-school, be aware of how many learners and educators currently need help and support in managing their social and emotional lives. In the language classroom particularly, some students may struggle to fully express a need for help, which is why it is useful to know indicators that may signal such a need. These include (but are not limited to):

• Sudden changes in a person’s physical state or appearance
• Quick changes in mood or emotional state that are not consistent or normal
• An inability to complete work or a struggle to manage workloads
• Consistent exhaustion, tiredness, or feeling run down

It is important to help students communicate their needs as much as possible, while being aware that everyone will communicate, or fail to communicate, social and emotional needs differently. These types of details can be vital indicators that help may be needed.

As we work with learners during this time, being present and available as educators is important for learner success. More importantly, how we help learners develop the personal skills to navigate the changes they will face now and in the future is critical for overcoming both this current crisis and any that may evolve as we advance into the 21st century.

Notes

For more about the SEL competencies framework, visit https://casel.org/core-competencies.

References

Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Cambridge: CUP.

Credé , M., and Kuncel, N. R. (2008). “Study Habits, Skills, and Attitudes: The third pillar supporting collegiate academic performance.” Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3(6), 425–453.

Davila, S. (2017). “Teaching in the Zone,” Language Magazine, https://www.languagemagazine.com/2017/08/10/teaching-zone-sara-davila.

de Jong, J., Mayor, M., and Hayes, C. (2016). Developing Global Scale of English Learning Objectives Aligned to the Common European Framework. London: Pearson.

Duckworth, A. L., and Seligman, M. P. (2005). “Self-Discipline Outdoes IQ in Predicting Academic Performance of Adolescents.” Psychological Science, 16(12), 939–944.

Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., and Schellinger, K. B. (2011). “The Impact of Enhancing Students’ Social and Emotional Learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions.” Child Development, 82, 405–432.

Tangney, J. P. (2004). “High Self-Control Predicts Good Adjustment, Less Pathology, Better Grades, and Interpersonal Success.” Journal of Personality, 72(2), 271–324.

Yarbro, J., and Ventura, M. (2018). Skills for Today: What We Know about Teaching and Assessing Self-Management. London: Pearson.

Sara Davila is a career educator and teacher trainer specializing in English language learning. She implements efficacious learning- design practices into a variety of technology-forward learning experiences for Pearson. She also contributes to the field by providing high-quality, research-informed learning experiences with lesson plans at her website: www.saradavila.com.

Celebrate UN International Literacy Day

Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond

International Literacy Day 2020 focuses on “Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond,” especially on the role of educators and changing pedagogies. The theme highlights literacy learning in a lifelong learning perspective, and therefore, mainly focuses on youth and adults. The recent Covid-19 crisis has been a stark reminder of the existing gap between policy discourse and reality: a gap that already existed in the pre-COVID-19 era and negatively affects the learning of youth and adults, who have no or low literacy skills, and therefore, tend to face multiple disadvantages. During COVID-19, in many countries, adult literacy programs were absent in the initial education response plans, so most adult literacy programs that did exist were suspended, with just a few courses continuing virtually, through TV and radio, or in open air spaces.  What is the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on youth and adult literacy educators and teaching and learning? What are the lessons learnt? How can we effectively position youth and adult literacy learning in global and national responses and in strategies for the recovery and resilience-building phase? 

By exploring these questions, International Literacy Day 2020 provides an opportunity to reflect on and discuss how innovative and effective pedagogies and teaching methodologies can be used in youth and adult literacy programs to face the pandemic and beyond. The Day will also give an opportunity to analyse the role of educators, as well as formulate effective policies, systems, governance and measures that can support educators and learning. 

Online Events

The global celebrations of International Literacy Day on 8 September 2020 will be composed of two virtual meetings:

  • Meeting on ‘Literacy teaching and learning in the COVID-19 crisis and beyond: the role of educators and changing pedagogies’ (13:30-15:30 in Paris time)
  • Meeting on the Laureates of the UNESCO International Literacy Prizes 2020 (16:00-17:00 in Paris time).

Both meetings will be accessible by registering through Zoom.

A full list of international events can be found here.

“At a time when we need to reinvent a world of hope, literacy is more important than ever. On this International Day, I thus invite all those involved in education to redouble their investments and mobilize all their resources to unleash the potential of each individual in the service of a shared world.”

— Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director General, on the occasion of International Literacy Day

Download the complete message: English – Français – Español – Русский – العربية – 中文

Why do we mark International Days?

International days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern, to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN has embraced them as a powerful advocacy tool.

Sources:

https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/literacyday

https://www.un.org/en/observances/literacy-day

Image courtesy UNESCO

Team Teaching

Teaching is a communal activity. The popular narrative of a passionate teacher walking into a school and single-handedly changing the lives of its students is false and can be destructive. It makes teachers feel worthless because they dream of that impact, only to find that passion isn’t enough. Superheroes work in teams for a reason.

My top teammates at school are the head of our climate team, Mr. Meeks, and the ninth grade dean, Ms. Cho. Mr Meeks is a 6’4” Black man who grew up in West Philly, where we now work. He intimately understands our students and their behaviors. Ms. Cho is a 5’4” Korean American woman from California with a legendary no-nonsense demeanor, and I’m a white guy from New Jersey who seriously considered a career as a clown. We could not be more diverse, but we are united by our commitment to students.

I might send a student to Ms. Cho because her firmness will reach that kid in a way I never could. Later, Cho and I meet jointly with the student to show our united support. At the other end of the spectrum, Meeks has an intuitive and almost poetic way of communicating with students. This approach is uniquely his and cannot be learned, but I don’t need it because I have him on my team. Sometimes when I can’t get through to a student, Mr. Meeks can simply join the conversation and break it down in a way that students instantly understand.

In this wildly unpredictable time, teamwork is crucial. Look around your school and make a list of people who share your passion. Once you have that list, become Nick Fury and start assembling your own Avengers! But even if you have trouble finding your perfect teammates right off the bat, or if you don’t know anyone yet, don’t give up! Instead, look for connections online.

Social media groups connect like-minded educators. In our Facebook group, Real Rap with Reynolds Teacher Talk, thousands of teachers contribute inspiration, support, advice, and strategies every day. On Sundays, we come together for the Sunday Night Teacher Talk livestream, where wisdom and empathy flow in real time and we help each other prepare for the week ahead.

Another great resource is Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s new online space, Teacher’s Corner. Its goal is to help teachers improve their practice by interacting with and learning from other educators. It offers curricular and instructional support, professional development resources, and much more on demand, in a space that encourages community building and empowers teachers.

This year is unlike anything we’ve ever seen, but with passion, commitment, and teamwork, our response can be unlike anything the world has ever seen. Whether in person or online, build a team to help you be your best. You might just become the teacher you always dreamed of being.

CJ Reynolds teaches high school literature and The History of Hip-Hop in West Philadelphia. He is the author Teach Your Class Off: The Real Rap Guide to Teaching. CJ is also the creator of the YouTube channel, Real Rap with Reynolds. CJ uses his passion for creating engaging content as an HMH Ambassador, working with learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt to develop original professional development resources in its tool for educators, Teacher’s Corner.

Distance Learning Packet for ELs

Ballard & Tighe, a publishing company that creates materials designed especially with ELs in mind, is offering educators a free distance learning packet. It contains eight units that can completed with students in person and remotely.

Educators can download the company’s School unit preview for a peek at some of the content and resources in the packet.

For more information, visit https://www.ballard-tighe.com/distance-learning/ad1.php.

Singapore Removes Racist Chinese-language Book

Singapore publisher Marshall Cavendish Education has apologized for any misunderstanding caused to readers after its Chinese-language children’s book Who Wins? was removed from all of the country’s libraries due to a complaint about racist content.

“We have decided to cease the sale and distribution of this series and recall the books from retail stores,” the publisher said in a statement to CNA. The book features a bully named Mao Mao who is described as “dark-skinned with a head of oily curls.”

Marshall Cavendish Education said it wants to reassure readers that there is no intention from the publisher to “produce content that promotes discrimination in any way.”

“We appreciate the feedback from some public members who have highlighted their perspectives,” it added. “The books we publish cater to an all-inclusive society where diversity is respected and celebrated, and our team is dedicated and committed to that cause.”

End the System of School Segregation

One of the most disturbing realities of the U.S. education system is that schools remain largely segregated by race, ethnicity, and language more than 60 years after the Supreme Court declared “separate but equal” schools to be unconstitutional in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. Now is the time to use the impetus of the Black Lives Matter movement and the Supreme Court’s protection of undocumented children (see News, p. 10, Language Magazine, July 2020) to rid this country of all forms of school segregation for good.
This February, an Economic Policy Institute study on school segregation and student performance, based on the comprehensive National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data, found that only about one in eight White students (13%) attends a school where a majority of students are Black, Hispanic, Asian, or American Indian, while nearly seven in ten Black children (69%) attend such schools. Black students are also in economically segregated schools. Less than one in three White students attends a high-poverty school, compared with more than seven in ten Black students.

“School segregation really lies at the epicenter of racial inequity in this country. Students in schools that are segregated by race and poverty have a much harder time graduating from high school and going to college, which makes it harder to get a job and to earn an income that allows them to support themselves and their family. School segregation also feeds into housing segregation, which is a major source of the racial wealth gap. So, in order to deal with racial inequity, we have to address segregation,” explains Rutgers law professor Elise Boddie, founder of The Inclusion Project (Berkeley News, March 4, 2020).

Not only does this lack of progress in integrating schools harm Black and other minority children by depressing their educational outcomes, but it widens the performance gaps between Black and White children and is likely the biggest single contributing factor to the continuation of systemic racism in the U.S. In 1968, 64% of U.S. Black students attended public schools with fewer than one in ten White students. By 2016, that proportion had dropped to 40%, thanks only to changes in the South, where the figure dropped from around 80% in 1968 to 24% in 1988, only to rise back up to 36% in 2016. Over the same period of time, the figure dropped by about 20% across most of the country apart from the Northeast, where it actually rose from 43% in 1968 to 52% in 2016.

So why and how has school segregation been allowed to persist? School populations reflect their local communities, so “redlining”—the discriminatory federal housing policy of refusing to insure mortgages in and near African-American neighborhoods—facilitated the creation of virtually White-only suburbs across the country. Despite its prohibition in the 1960s, the relative cost of housing by then effectively priced most minority children out of White-dominated, high-performing schools.

To bypass the Brown v. Board ruling, some counties, like Prince Edward in Virginia, defunded their school boards and issued vouchers for White students so they could attend segregated private academies.

The conservative Supreme Court in the mid-1970s limited busing and other programs intended to diversify schools, so White students continue to be concentrated in affluent suburban schools while minorities languish in the inner cities.
Our public schools offer our society the best opportunities for deep social interactions with people from different backgrounds, giving people the chance to really get to know one another, find their common ground, and appreciate their differences.

Ending the centuries-old system of school segregation will not be simple, nor will it be cheap, but it is essential if America is to be the society it wants to be in the 21st century, and it won’t happen as long as school vouchers are used to create a more divisive school system.

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LanguageMagazine 2023

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