Respond to these two discussion Posts:
1st Post:
RE: Review & Discuss SIOP Lesson Plan, Grade 9,
Differentiation: How can I help MLL students in bilingual classrooms with little or interrupted schooling?
To help multilingual students in bilingual classrooms who have had little or interrupted schooling, I think one needs to be flexible and adaptable. We need to be open to trying a variety of strategies to help our students access learning, and we need to adapt to their specific needs. Some strategies I would try out first would be to provide descriptions of vocabulary in multiple ways. For instance, I would present them orally, as well as in written form. I would also look for visuals that would convey the meaning of the word in a nonlinguistic format. We have also seen many examples of TPR in our class videos, and I think this is another great way of helping new MLL students feel at ease in their classroom as it will give them another way to understand what is going on in the classroom. Another strategy I have used is to label different parts of the classroom in multiple languages. I found this to be helpful for the MLL students and it was also an opportunity for all my students to learn vocabulary in other languages, which they loved! Finally, I think manipulatives and opportunities for hands-on activities are effective ways of conveying concepts when language presents itself as a barrier.
I also think that for students who have had little or interrupted schooling, it is important to think about the classroom environment we are creating. One priority should be to develop a relationship with these students based on trust, and genuine care and warmth. This takes time and can be challenging when there is pressure to immediately assess and collect data from administration, but I feel it is so valuable if we want students who have had little experience in school to feel comfortable and happy. I also think we need to give MLL students as many opportunities as possible to engage with their peers through small group work, and discussions. By taking a student-centered approach, MLL students will begin to feel more empowered to participate.
Assessment: Watch the mindmap video. Then react: How do you react to the idea of a mindmap as a form of assessment for the literacy component in math?
I think the use of a mindmap in math could be a really interesting way to offer a differentiated assessment for MLL students. There are several features of a mindmap that I think lend itself to be an effective strategy. First, it is primarily a visual representation of your learning and through the use of branches and words, one can express understandings. As writing a full paragraph can be daunting, especially to MLL students (I’m reminded here of Mayra), a mindmap offers an alternative way to convey one’s ideas. Students would be able to demonstrate their understanding of key math vocabulary by writing one-word labels under branches, and they could show how concepts connect to each other through the use of branches and colors. Additionally, I like that a mindmap is meant to be a bit messy as this shows the thinking process. In math, there is now a lot of emphasis on explaining your thinking, and a mindmap allows for this in a way that relies less heavily on knowing a specific language.
Another feature of a mindmap that makes it a useful tool for assessment is the fact that it is created in such a way that makes it easy for someone else to understand your work. For instance, as mindmaps are designed to be read in a clockwise direction, anyone looking at a mindmap would know how to look at the work correctly. I also like that it is organized to show importance, with concepts located in the middle and details around the edges. This would allow for an effective assessment because it gives a clear sense of the students’ understanding of concepts.
Finally, I think giving actionable feedback to a student by using their mindmap would facilitate conversations and make the process of receiving feedback more accessible to the student.
2 post:
RE: Review & Discuss SIOP Lesson Plan, Grade 9,
Differentiation:
I would modify oral discussion for students who are at the initial stages of academic language by structuring guided opportunities for discussion. For example, role playing will be a great way to introduce academic vocabulary into discussions. By asking students to role play a math problem, they can try to make sense of the problem in real life and then try to incorporate the academic language. For grouping, struggling students are paired up with students with a higher oral skill level. Students can also be provided with pictures of key terms and sentence starters in both languages as a support to help with a discussion once they have attempted solving the problem.
I think it is important to be flexible with students who have had interrupted education, especially in the older grades. They are fully aware of their academic situation in comparison to their peers as they are not always properly placed. I have seen several SIFE students placed in general education classes with limited support. Teachers are faced with the challenge of helping the student acclimated to an American school system, culture, and language with limited resources.
Assessment:
I love the idea of a mindmap as a type of assessment. Students need to have some level understanding of the concept to create a mindmap, which can demonstrate what a student knows about a topic. In math, a mindmap is an alternative, nonlinear way to map information using visuals and words. I attempted creating a mindmap answering the question: How to find the area of a circle? The amount of information needed to complete the mindmap is the same, if not more, that a student will need to know to successfully take a standard test. Completing a mindmap requires skills in symbolism, ranking (order of importance), unpacking sentences and meaning, making connections, and identifying vocabulary. Additionally, having students present their work can also help develop their speaking skills.
I also like the idea of completing mindmaps throughout a lesson. It can help students make connections between what they learn from one day to the other. For example, a mindmap about the are of a circle, can help students visually see how the radius and diameter are connected and their connection to finding the area of a circle.RE: Review & Discuss SIOP Lesson Plan, Grade 9, Days 1-2
Differentiation: How can I help MLL students in bilingual classrooms with little or interrupted schooling?
To help multilingual students in bilingual classrooms who have had little or interrupted schooling, I think one needs to be flexible and adaptable. We need to be open to trying a variety of strategies to help our students access learning, and we need to adapt to their specific needs. Some strategies I would try out first would be to provide descriptions of vocabulary in multiple ways. For instance, I would present them orally, as well as in written form. I would also look for visuals that would convey the meaning of the word in a nonlinguistic format. We have also seen many examples of TPR in our class videos, and I think this is another great way of helping new MLL students feel at ease in their classroom as it will give them another way to understand what is going on in the classroom. Another strategy I have used is to label different parts of the classroom in multiple languages. I found this to be helpful for the MLL students and it was also an opportunity for all my students to learn vocabulary in other languages, which they loved! Finally, I think manipulatives and opportunities for hands-on activities are effective ways of conveying concepts when language presents itself as a barrier.
I also think that for students who have had little or interrupted schooling, it is important to think about the classroom environment we are creating. One priority should be to develop a relationship with these students based on trust, and genuine care and warmth. This takes time and can be challenging when there is pressure to immediately assess and collect data from administration, but I feel it is so valuable if we want students who have had little experience in school to feel comfortable and happy. I also think we need to give MLL students as many opportunities as possible to engage with their peers through small group work, and discussions. By taking a student-centered approach, MLL students will begin to feel more empowered to participate.
I think the use of a mindmap in math could be a really interesting way to offer a differentiated assessment for MLL students. There are several features of a mindmap that I think lend itself to be an effective strategy. First, it is primarily a visual representation of your learning and through the use of branches and words, one can express understandings. As writing a full paragraph can be daunting, especially to MLL students (I’m reminded here of Mayra), a mindmap offers an alternative way to convey one’s ideas. Students would be able to demonstrate their understanding of key math vocabulary by writing one-word labels under branches, and they could show how concepts connect to each other through the use of branches and colors. Additionally, I like that a mindmap is meant to be a bit messy as this shows the thinking process. In math, there is now a lot of emphasis on explaining your thinking, and a mindmap allows for this in a way that relies less heavily on knowing a specific language.
Another feature of a mindmap that makes it a useful tool for assessment is the fact that it is created in such a way that makes it easy for someone else to understand your work. For instance, as mindmaps are designed to be read in a clockwise direction, anyone looking at a mindmap would know how to look at the work correctly. I also like that it is organized to show importance, with concepts located in the middle and details around the edges. This would allow for an effective assessment because it gives a clear sense of the students’ understanding of concepts.
Finally, I think giving actionable feedback to a student by using their mindmap would facilitate conversations and make the process of receiving feedback more accessible to the student.