HELPING ADULT ELS MEET LANGUAGE DEMANDS OF COLLEGE & CAREERS

Betsy Parrish, Hamline UniversityPatsy Vinogradov, ATLAS

MELED 2015

Objectives• identify components of academic language.

• articulate the rationale for including instruction in academic language at all levels of adult ESL.

• identify the academic language required in a variety of demonstrated classroom tasks.

• consider adaptations of demonstrated classroom tasks for your contexts.

• access resources for further reading and learning about academic language instruction.

Agenda

• What is academic language?

• Classroom tasks: Volunteering, Using Learner Data

• Debrief and reflection

Academic Language

“… academic language is the set of (1) ________, grammar, and organizational strategies used to describe complex ideas, higher order (2) ________ processes, and (3) ________ concepts.”

(Zwiers, J. (2014). Building academic language, p. 22)

What is Academic Language?

“..academic language is the set of (1) words, grammar, and organizational strategies used to describe complex ideas, higher order (2) thinking processes, and (3) abstract concepts.”

(Zwiers, J. (2014). Building academic language, p. 22)

What is Academic Language?

Components of Academic Language

Vocabulary

Syntax

Discourse

Ranney, S. (2014)

Features of Academic vs. Everyday Language

Everyday Language Academic Language∙ Less complex and abstract∙ Accompanied by pictures, facial expressions, gestures∙ Used to build relationships

and get things done in less formal settings

•Complex and abstract•Decontextualized•Sophisticated vocabulary•Describes complex concepts, higher-order thinking, and abstraction

(Zwiers, 2014)

•

Academic language

+ low beginning, low L1 literacy ESL students= ???

Take notes on your chart!

Developing academic and workplace language through volunteering and an innovative partnership

• Adult Basic Education site at local church• Part of church’s mission is to assist people in need in the

neighborhood• Free thrift shop at the church, 45 years old!• Partnership with this adult ESL, 9 years

Low-level ESL and on-site thrift shop

• Students come in weekly to volunteer as part of their ESL classes

• Students can also shop and take items for their families

What kinds of tasks can low-level ESL learners do?

• Sort donated items into appropriate boxes (items of clothing)

• Sort clothing by gender, size

• Hang, arrange items in the thrift shop room

Interactions in the Alley Shoppe• Follow directions given by the church staff (Director of the Local Missions)

• Ask questions of church staff, teachers, and fellow students when unsure about a task

Working in the Alley Shoppe

Fill out a work report form:• How many pieces did you sort? • How many mistakes?• Totals for your class?

Working in the Alley Shoppe

• How many items did you sort?• Calculating personal productivity over time

Working in the Alley Shoppe

In class follow up:• Graph the number of items sorted & checked by the class over time

• From the Director of the Alley Shoppe, the Director of Local Missions from the church:

“People often shine when they volunteer in ways they may not shine in English class. It builds a lot of confidence. You can see who is detail oriented, who is helpful. I give them a certificate with their volunteer hours and tasks at the end of the year, and I write students letters of recommendation. I act as a reference when needed.”

•From the local program manager, Mary Zamacona:

“ If you’re doing something real and purposeful, you’re already doing transitions skills.”School blog:www.facebook.com/OpenDoorArlingtonHills?fref=ts

What academic language was practiced during these Alley Shoppe volunteer experiences?

Refer to your notes on the chart and compare your ideas.

•

Look at all the academic language!

Activity Academic Language and Related Skills Introduced

Language for sorting tasks

• Giving reasons, “This goes here because…”• “I think this goes here.”• “I don’t know about this, can you help me?”

Following directions & asking for clarification

• Sequence phrases, “First we need to…then please…”

• “What should I do next?”• “Can you say that again?”

Using data to create a graph

• Represent data visually• Interpret graphs

Language of numeracy

• “There are two more than last week,” or “I sorted fewer items.”

Practicing Academic Language with Research and Learner Data: Intermediate level

• Jigsaw reading•One-question Interview•Data collection Analysis

Jigsaw Reading

Teach language to talk about the data

Useful language frames to talk about the data…

Most people…Some people…Two-thirds of the class.Half the class…More people ______ than ____________.A considerable number of people….The vast majority of the class….

 

Create a graph of your data and present to others

Very likelyy Likely Somewhat likely Not at all likely0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Gratitude Journal

Using Paragraph Frames to Write About the Data

Now learners can use their data and ideas from their discussion to write using a paragraph frame.

 Reporting on Class Preferences 

A ________________________________ of

people in our class plan to try __________________. In fact,

_______________________ report that they are very likely to try

it. _________________________ say they are likely to try it,

while __________________ indicate that they are only

somewhat likely to try using it to boost feelings of happiness.

This tells us that _____________________________,

 

  

What academic language was practiced during these activities: Jigsaw reading, one-question interview and data analysis?

Refer to your notes on the chart and compare your ideas.

•

Look at all the academic language!Activity Academic Language and Related Skills Introduced

Jigsaw reading with graphic organizer

• Recognize text genre: Report on research• Language of results: It was found that…• Language for defining concepts: ___ means…; ___ is…• Present results to others

One-question-interview

• Collect data• Use and interpret tally marks• Interview and report to others

Small-group analysis and discussion

• Collect, organize, represent, and interpret data• Use academic register with sentence frames (two thirds of the

class)• Summarize and synthesize information

Create a graph • Represent data visually• Interpret graphs

Paragraph frame • Transfer information (graphs or grids to paragraph)• Recognize text organization• Use appropriate structures (tense, quantifying, passive voice)

to describe results.

Wrap Up and Questions

Wrap Up and Questions

ReferencesRanney, S. (2014, July). Academic Language in Adult Basic Education. Presentation for the Minnesota Literacy & Language Team Meeting, St. Paul, Minnesota.

Scarcella, R. (2003). Academic English: A Conceptual Framework. UC Berkeley: University of California Linguistic Minority Research Institute. Retrieved from: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/6pd082d4

Zwiers, J. (2008) Building Academic Language: Essential Practices for Content Classrooms, Grades 5-12. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.