Communicating & Establishing Relationships with ELL Families

For my final blog post, I felt it would be appropriate to refer back to the text for this course - Parents and Families of Children with Disabilities - to reread what it had to say about supporting ELL students with disabilities and communicating with their families.

According to the text, interactions between school and family are measured on a family-friendliness scale, meaning that "services are aligned with the needs of the families and developed in a manner that shows professionals value and respect family involvement, empowerment, and cultural differences," (Singh & Curtis, 1997, pg. 41). Establishing family-friendly communication may require school personnel to go beyond their comfort zones, especially when dealing with families that are uncomfortable in the school environment, have specific time restrictions, and/or transportation issues. This may mean scheduling meetings that are close to the family's home, in a neutral public forum, such as a church or community center.

When collaborating with families from diverse cultural backgrounds, it is also important to be aware of the norms and social values of their culture, as well as any religious differences that may cause differences of opinion in regards to the "cause, acceptance, treatment, and future goals of students with disabilities," (Fiedler, Simpson, & Clark, pg. 42).

The authors suggest some useful tips for communicating and collaborating with families of diverse learners with special needs. One suggestion is to be flexible in the context of communication, whether you meet in person, or communicate through conference calls or distance technology, which may alleviate transportation and time constraints. It is also helpful to utilize audio and video resources to educate parents and enhance their involvement. Finally, they suggest starting the school year on a positive note, by highlighting their child's achievements and strengths. By doing so, it establishes that you are focused on providing the most effective instruction for their child in a a non-biased and positive atmosphere.

In conclusion, the underlying theme of everything I have learned about supporting families of ELL students with disabilities is that communication and collaboration is essential. It is imperative to establish positive and frequent interactions with ELL families, despite the language and cultural barriers, which can be overcome through the use of translators, interpretive software, visual resources, and bilingual resources. Parents want to be involved in their child's learning, and for ELL families this can be extremely difficult. As a classroom teacher, it is my responsibility to bridge this gap in order to provide all of my students with a positive and effective learning experience.

Fiedler, Simpson, & Clark. (2007). Parents and Families of Children with Disabilities: Effective School-Based Support Services. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Engaging ELL's Through Blogging

For another class that I'm taking right now we had to subscribe to the Edutopia blog (www.edutopia.org). At first I was reluctant to subscribe because I didn't want to be inundated with e-mails, but surprisingly I have discovered this blog to be a wealth of information about all things education-related.
After typing "English language learners" in the site's search engine, I was provided with several relevant blog posts. However, the post titled "Using Blogs to Engage English Language Learners" was the first to catch my eye. This being my first real attempt at blogging, I was intrigued to discover how this might be a useful tool for ELL's and their families.

The author, Jon Schwartz, teaches in a combination 4th/5th grade classroom in California. The majority of his students are ELLs, most of whose parents speak little to no English, are uneducated, and work long hours. Even though most of his students came from disadvantaged homes, most of them had computer and Internet access at home, so access to technology wasn't a big problem. Schwartz decided to try using blogging as a way to engage student interest, help them improve their English language skills, and develop 21st century skills.

Schwartz began by making blogging an optional classroom activity. When the students saw what the kids who were blogging were doing, they wanted to try too. Schwartz allowed them to blog as long as they wrote 90-100 words per day, and he gave them the option to submit written assignments via the blog. In order for students to participate they had to have their parent's permission. Once the permission was attained, Schwartz invited parents to come into the classroom to "use the Internet as a learning, research, and communication tool." For many parents, it was their first introduction to e-mail. By inviting families into the classroom, Schwartz provided opportunities for communication, involvement, and learning.

Schwartz noticed a significant increase in his students' productivity and creativity as a direct result of the fact that they now had an authentic audience to view their work. Student work on the blog could be viewed by teachers, administrators, peers, and families with the click of a mouse. The students enjoyed viewing their blog stats to see how many people had visited their blog and where they were from. As they continued to blog, the students gained confidence in their technological and language abilities, and a sense of community was established in a classroom of diverse learners. It also provided the vehicle to "bridge cultural and technological gaps with English Language Learners and their families."

This article by far was one of the most interesting and inspiring things I've read thus far about supporting ELLs and involving their families in the learning process. Even though it was not mentioned in the article, I think it would be even more beneficial in maintaining a school-home bond if ELL students were permitted to write in both their native language and in English because the family could more easily understand the content of the blog. Before reading this article I had never considered the possibility of having elementary students blog, and would have been more reluctant to do so in the case of ELL students because of the language barrier, but reading about how it helped engage and support ELL students in Schwartz's classroom, I am inspired to try it in my own classroom.

I would encourage everyone to check out this article, (http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ell-digital-divide-jon-schwartz) and take some time to explore the rest of this website because it contains a wealth of practical information from experts in the field of education.

Success for English Language Learners

I wanted to learn more about how I, as a classroom teacher, can support ELL students through collaboration and family involvement. I found an article in a newsletter called Lessons Learned which is published by an organization called Education Northwest. The article, "Creating Schools that Support Success for English Language Learners," by Jennifer Stepanek and Jacqueline Raphael, discusses specific ways in which schools can support ELL students, such as using research-based strategies and using reliable placement procedures. It also discusses how schools can build connect with families and communities to support the learning and development of ELLs.
As we all know, family involvement increases student achievement in school. Stepanek and Raphael suggest that students' native language and cultures can be resources for multicultural education, and family involvement can provide opportunities for culturally relevant learning experiences.
According to research conducted in focus groups by Education Northwest, they have found that parents want opportunities to "provide input and to receive more information from the school in a language and format that they understand." Sadly enough, it is often the case that these parents are not being provided with the opportunities for involvement and the information they desire due to the language barrier. It is the school's responsibility to initiate and maintain communication with the family in a language they understand. However, because it can be costly to hire a translator, many schools do not meet this need for communication. I know from my own experience as a student teacher in a classroom where there were several ELL students, there was  virtually no communication with the non-English speaking parents with the exception of parent-teacher conferences, at which time the school provided a translator. One little girl in our class had an older brother at home who helped her with her homework and filled out any paperwork that needed to be turned in because their parents didn't speak English. If I were her parent, I would feel very isolated and cut off from my child's educational experience. I can't imagine not even being able to help my child with her homework because I couldn't read it.
In the article, Stepanek and Raphael suggest offsetting the cost of community liaisons and interpreters by sharing them with other schools. Another idea that they suggest is to recruit bilingual volunteers to help in communicating with ELL families. If you know of someone in the community who speaks another language, you could ask them if they would be willing to volunteer their time. They also suggest that schools should hire multilingual personnel whenever possible to have someone on staff that could bridge the communication barrier.
In order to create a community atmosphere, the authors suggest outreach activities that bring families and community members together at the school. Some strategies for successful events are to accommodate parents' work schedules, provide childcare and transportation, and include extended family members. They also suggest providing educational opportunities such as "family literacy programs and ESL classes for adults."
Basically, the message of the article is that family involvement is crucial to the success of all students, and that cannot be accomplished without communication. That's easier said than done when the family doesn't speak English, but there are ways to overcome the language barrier by tapping into community resources and through the use of translators. It takes time and effort to communicate with ELL families, but the benefits far outweigh the cost when you consider the effects on the child's achievement and the opportunities for multicultural education in the classroom.

http://educationnorthwest.org/webfm_send/1039

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Upon the advice of my friend Kim, I decided to check out the website for the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (http://nichcy.org/). Right away I noticed that the site is very user-friendly and there is a tab that you can click to read the information in Spanish (perfect for Spanish-speaking ELL families)! First, let me tell you a little bit about NICHCY...

The NICHCY is an organization that is dedicated to providing information about disabilities in infants, toddlers, children, and youth. It provides easy-to-understand information about IDEA as well as State Resource Sheets to help connect families with local disability agencies and organizations.

In my investigation of the website, I found that it provided fact sheets about all the different types of disabilities recognized under IDEA. I clicked on the "learning disabilities" link and found a wealth of information about LDs, including the different types, the signs, the prevalence (they're very common - 1 in 5 people have an LD), the evaluation process, and tips/resources for teachers and parents of a child with an LD.

As a classroom teacher of a child with a learning disability (or any disability for that matter), I would definitely share this resource with families. I liked that it provided a list of tips for parents of children with learning disabilities, as well as additional online resources (below):

Tips for Parents:

• Learn about LD. The more you know, the more you can help yourself and your child. Take advantage of the excellent resources out there for parents (see the next section, below).

• Praise your child when he or she does well. Children with LD are often very good at a variety of things. Find out what your child really enjoys doing, such as dancing, playing soccer, or working with computers. Give your child plenty of opportunities to pursue his or her strengths and talents.

• Find out the ways your child learns best. Does he or she learn by hands-on practice, looking, or listening? Help your child learn through his or her areas of strength.

• Let your son or daughter help with household chores. These can build self-confidence and concrete skills. Keep instructions simple, break down tasks into smaller steps, and reward your child’s efforts with praise.

• Make homework a priority. Read more about how to help your child be a success at homework in the resources listed below.

• Pay attention to your child’s mental health (and your own!). Be open to counseling, which can help your child deal with frustration, feel better about himself or herself, and learn more about social skills.

• Talk to other parents whose children have LD. Parents can share practical advice and emotional support. You can identify parent groups in your area via NICHCY’s State Resource Sheets. Go to the section entitled “Disability-Specific Agencies” and scroll down until you reach “learning disabilities.”

• Meet with school personnel and help develop an IEP to address your child’s needs. Plan what accommodations your child needs, and don’t forget to talk about AIM or assistive technology!

• Establish a positive working relationship with your child’s teacher. Through regular communication, exchange information about your child’s progress at home and at school.

Resources Especially for Parents

LD Online | For Parents
http://www.ldonline.org/parents

LD Online | Parenting and Family
http://www.ldonline.org/indepth/parenting

National Center for Learning Disabilities | In the Home
http://www.ncld.org/in-the-home

Learning Disabilities Association of America | For Parents
http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/index.asp

Reading Rockets | For Parents 
http://www.readingrockets.org/audience/parents

(http://nichcy.org/disability/specific/ld)

I think this website is a valuable resource to share with parents, and the fact that they provide the information in Spanish as well opens it up to Spanish-speaking ELL families. I would like to see them expand the number of languages in which they translate their information to make it more accessible to other ELL families though. I really like that it provides specific information about local agencies and resources that families have access to. Great resource for families and educators of children with disabilities of any type!


As I perused the website, I 

Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol

In my last post I briefly discussed the benefits of the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) as detailed in the AccELLerate! newsletter published by the NCELA. I am not familiar with this method of ELL instruction, so I decided to dig a little deeper. My search today has brought me to  http://www.cal.org/siop/index.html, a website devoted to providing information about SIOP. According to the website, SIOP is, "a research-based and validated model of sheltered instruction. Professional development in the SIOP Model helps teachers plan and deliver lessons that allow English learners to acquire academic knowledge as they develop English language proficiency." The SIOP Model consists of eight interrelated components (as mentioned in my previous post):

• Lesson Preparation
• Building Background
• Comprehensible Input
• Strategies
• Interaction
• Practice/Application
• Lesson Delivery
• Review/ Assessment

(http://www.cal.org/siop/about/index.html)

The eight components of SIOP are designed to increase achievement by supporting language development and making content easier to understand through the use of instructional strategies such as hands-on learning opportunities and cooperative learning. 

This model of ELL instruction was developed in a national research project as a way to help ELL students achieve academic success and reduce the number of students who fail and/or drop out of school. Through extensive research, this teaching model has proven successful for all students, not just ELL students. The SIOP method can be used in any context in which ELLs are learning both language and content and can be implemented by a variety of professionals, including the classroom teacher, ESL teachers, and administrators. The SIOP Method is taught through professional development workshops in four to eight workshop days throughout the year. 

For more information about the SIOP Method, go to http://www.cal.org/siop/index.html.

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition

Today I found a website for an organization called the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA), which publishes a quarterly newsletter called AccELLerate! The theme for the Spring 2009 issue (Volume 1: Issue 3) is English Language Learners with disabilities - exactly what I was looking for!

A little about the NCELA from their website:

"Authorized under Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs (NCELA) supports the U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA) in its mission to respond to Title III educational needs, and implement NCLB as it applies to English language learners (ELLs)." (http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/about/).

This particular issue of AccELLerate! featured many informative articles for educators of ELLs with disabilities. Something that I found of particular interest was a bar graph of the 2006 Office for Civil Rights estimates on ELL students: Proportions of the population of ELL students with disabilities, by specific disability. The percentage of ELL students with learning disabilities (55%) was significantly higher than the percentage of ELL students with other disabilities, such as mental retardation (8%), emotional disturbance (2%), and developmental delay (2%). I had assumed the percentage would be lower due to the difficulties of distinguishing between actual learning disabilities and English language learning difficulties, but this graph suggests that my assumptions may have been mistaken. In fact, in the first article of this issue, "Promising Assessment Practices for English Language Learners with Suspected Disabilities," (Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D. & Cristina Sanchez-Lopez, M.S.), the authors discuss and provide a chart that outlines the different areas of assessment and measures students' abilities in both their first and second languages as a means to "ascertain the full complement of

students’ knowledge and skills in order to determine the extent and type of language support needed," (Gottlieb & Sanchez-Lopez). If it is determined that an ELL student has a disability, it is necessary to provide support for them from an ESL special education teacher, as well as targeted support for their specific disability. 

Another article that I found interesting in this issue of AccELLerate! was "The Role of Professional Development in Helping English Learners with Disabilities Achieve High Standards," (Jana Echevarria, Ph.D.). In this article Echevarria discusses the necessity of general educators and special education teachers to participate in ongoing professional development that focuses on research-based strategies, interventions, and methods that will help students with disabilities achieve high standards. She goes on to describe a study conducted in one inclusion elementary school, using the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model of instruction, which is a "lesson planning and delivery system that shares many of the characteristics of effective instruction for general education and special education students alike, but also addresses the unique linguistic needs of English learners," (Echevarria). The SIOP Model consists of eight components that have been shown to increase student achievement when implemented correctly:

• Lesson Preparation – language and content objectives
• Building Background – vocabulary development, student connections
• Comprehensible Input – ESL techniques
• Strategies – metacognitive and cognitive strategies, scaffolding
• Interaction – develop oral language
• Practice & Application – practice all 4 language skills
• Lesson Delivery – meet objectives
• Review & Assessment – review lesson’s vocabulary and concepts

The best results for increased student achievement, both academically, and socially, occur when special education teachers and general educators work collaboratively to implement the SIOP Model. This makes sense to me, especially in an inclusive environment where the special education teacher is coming into the classroom to provide supports for identified students. This article is not the first time I have heard of the SIOP Model, but I still do not quite understand what it is, so I may have to look into this more in my next blog post.

Smart Kids with LD

My search today has led me to another excellent resource for families of children who have learning disabilities. The website is called www.smartkidswithld.org and it is geared towards providing information about learning disabilities and giving parents the tools they need to help their child succeed. Specifically, this website provides parents with information about their child's rights, how to navigate the system, and educational planning tools.
One of the links that I found to be particularly interesting was titled "Understanding Section 504," by Eve Kessler, Esq. This would be a good resource to pass along to parents because it explains the laws in layman's terms so that the parent can understand what the laws are and how it applies to their child who has a learning disability.
This website also has a glossary in which it defines different types of learning disabilities, such as the following:

• abstract reasoning deficit - difficulty analyzing, organizing, and synthesizing information
• auditory perception deficit - difficulty interpreting auditory information 
• central auditory processing disorder -  difficulty with the interaction of hearing, neural transmission, and the brain's ability to make sense of sound
• discalculia - problems understanding basic math concepts due to difficulties such as memorization of math facts and understanding terms, processes, written symbols, and formal procedures      (http://www.smartkidswithld.org/ld-basics/definitions)

As with most of the resources I have found, this website would be difficult for a person who does not speak English to navigate and understand. If I wanted to share specific information from this site with a parent, I would need to find some way to translate the information first into the family's native language.

On a side note... so far my search for information about ELL students with learning disabilities has not been as fruitful as I had hoped.  It has been easy to find information about ELL students and about students with learning disabilities, but I have found very little information as to how I, as an educator, can support families of an ELL student that has a learning disability. I'm wondering if I should abandon the ELL part of it and narrow my search for answers down to families of students with learning disabilities...

Digging Deeper...

I wanted to take my search a little deeper, so I decided to utilize UC's library website to find journal articles related to my topic. I came across the following recent study, "An Examination of Common Teacher Perceptions of ELL Students and Families and Recommendations for Peagogical Change (2011)," by Colleen M. Worman from the University of Washington. The study examines the underlying biases and assumptions of teachers, preK- 12, in one school district.
As I perused the literature review I was struck by the following quote:
"Throughout the literature it is explained that we 'continually seek to explain minority school failure by asking what is wrong with 'those students' or their families rather than by examining how school (and larger society) structure produce the failure of particular groups' "(Bartlett & Brayboy, 2005, p. 362). 
This is true about so many things! How often do we seek to place the blame on others, rather than reexamine our own methods, stratgies, biases, and assumptions? Instead of pointing fingers, we, as educators, need to take responsibility for the factors we can control - namely how we approach the situation and respond to it, rather than giving it up as a lost cause because we assume that the family is uninvolved and/or unconcerned about their child's progress in school.
The article goes on to discuss the common misconception that because ELL students are often unpaticipatory in the classroom, that they lack motivation and desire to succeed. This notion is further perpetuated by the amount of ELL students who are referred for special education and the difficulty of distinguishing between langauge difficulties and actual learning deficits. In response to these challenges, teachers need to set aside their biases and tap into one of the most effective resources that is linked to student achievement and success - family involvement. Obviously this presents a challenge in and of itself when faced with the language and cultural barriers to communication, but it is an obstacle that needs to be overcome as explained in this quote from the article:
"As Gay (2000) states '…communication cannot exist without culture, culture cannot be known without communication, and teaching and learning cannot occur without communication or culture' (p. 77)."
We cannot seek to overcome these challenges without establishing and maintaining communication with families of ELL students - those with and without disabilities. 
The article suggests using other parents in the school community who speak languages commonly used in the community to help teachers and schools communicate with ELL families. I think this is a great idea to an extent, depending on the nature of the communication and the discretion of the person who is helping you communicate with the family.
Overall, it is essential for us, as educators, to acknowledge our biases and assumptions, but to not allow them to determine how we teach and interact with our students and their families.

http://search.proquest.com.proxy.libraries.uc.edu/docview/900828208

ELL Students

Thus far my search has focused on how I, as a teacher, can begin the process of identifying ELL students with learning disabilities, the testing process, and supporting families of ELL students with learning disabilities. Today I was thinking about the direction my search for answers should take next and I realized that I haven't yet focused on the students themselves. I found a video on Youtube that, although short, speaks volumes about the struggles ELL students face in an English-speaking environment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0OmdeAALKE

The first boy talks about an incident where he had tried to ask a question in class, but the teacher didn't understand him, so after several attempts he forgot about his question altogether. This has happened to me during my student teaching. One of our ELL students does not speak English very well, and often the things she says do not make sense because she doesn't know the right words or syntax to express what she wants to say. There have been many times where she's tried to ask a question or offer input and we haven't been able to understand what she is trying to say so she eventually gives up. 

The second boy on the video says it is frustrating for him when a teacher talks too fast for him to understand the directions. I am probably guilty of doing the same thing, and I've never considered that my ELL students may not have been able to follow what I was saying. I can only imagine how difficult it is to understand something spoken in a language that you are trying to learn when the speaker is talking too fast.

The third child on the video is a little girl who has experienced frustration when the teacher does not fully explain things like directions, or mathematical concepts. I know that I have made the mistake of assuming the students understand more than they actually do. It is so much more difficult for a student who doesn't speak English fluently to understand something that the teacher has failed to give explicit directions about. 

This video was eye-opening for me because I often only think about things from my perspective. What if I can't understand the student? How will I communicate with someone who cannot speak English fluently? What if they speak too fast/quietly for me to understand. I hadn't fully considered how the student might feel about how I am communicating with them. Watching these children speak about the hardships of being an English language learner gave me some perspective on the needs and feelings of ELL students and their families. 

Increasing parent involvement

Okay, so there's not a whole lot out there about ELL students with learning disabilities, so I've divided my search into two different topics - supporting ELL students and their families, and support for families of students with learning disabilities. My search today has led me to an article dealing with how I, as an educator, can support ELL students in the classroom and encourage parent involvement. The article, titled "Five Things Teachers Can Do," by Kristina Roberston, provides information about measurable actions teachers can implement in the classroom to support the learning of ELL students. The five strategies Robertson lists are as follows:
1. "Increase ELL students' English production and peer interaction."
2. "Explicitly teach English language vocabulary and structures."
3. "Build on ELL's background knowledge to increase comprehension."
4. "Increase ELL parent involvement."
5. "Increase writing opportunities."
Robertson goes on to give a specific, measurable goal for each strategy and describes how to achieve those goals. The strategy that interested me most was how to increase the parental involvement of ELL families. The specific, measurable goal listed for this strategy is this: "Teacher will contact one ELL parent each week to share information on his/her student or to inform the parent of a school event." I like the measurable goals because it gives you a specific action you can take to achieve the goal, rather than abstract advice. I found it interesting that the article cautions that we not interpret parent "no shows" as a lack of interest in their child's progress. All too often this would be my first assumption, but with ELL families, you have to take into account that the language and cultural barriers make it difficult for ELL families to communicate and be part of the school community. However, this is not an excuse for us as educators because it is our responsibility to contact these families and maintain a line of communication. The article mentions that often someone in the home will be able to speak enough English to be able to interpret your message, but if not the school can find bilingual support to help you communicate with the family. If the ELL student has a learning disability, it is even more imperative to communicate with the family on a regular basis to offer support and to ensure that the student's needs are being met in and out of the classroom.
At the end of the article there are several links to other helpful resources, including three links that discuss how to increase parent involvement of ELL students. Each of the links provide further information regarding the five strategies the author listed in the article.

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/29590/