15 Essential Actions

For the rest of the academic year, I would like to focus on research posted on the Colorín Colorado
website. The original article is linked below.


This research focuses on 15 essential actions that will help improve ELL learning. As always,
I like to stress that concepts that support ELLs will also likely help support ALL STUDENTS.
Therefore, incorporating these actions should help you become an overall better teacher.
The 15 essential actions are pieces of advice that help create a mindset and an environment
for fully appreciating and utilizing the diversity in your classroom. These actions include advice
for both teacher instruction and teacher collaboration. They are as follows:
1) CAPITALIZE on the resources and experiences that ELLs bring to school
to build and enrich their academic language.
2) ANALYZE the academic language demands involved in grade-level teaching
and learning.
3) APPLY the background knowledge of ELLs, including their language proficiency
profiles, in planning differentiated language teaching.
4) CONNECT language and content to make learning relevant and meaningful
for ELLs.
5) FOCUS on the developmental nature of language learning within grade-level
curriculum.
6) REFERENCE content standards and language development standards in planning
for language learning.
7) DESIGN language teaching and learning with attention to the sociocultural context.
8) PROVIDE opportunities for all ELLs to engage in higher-order thinking.
9) CREATE language-rich classroom environments with ample time for language
practice and use.
10) IDENTIFY the language needed for functional use in teaching and learning.
11) PLAN for language teaching and learning around discipline-specific topics.
12) USE instructional supports to help scaffold language learning.
13) INTEGRATE language domains to provide rich, authentic instruction.
14) COORDINATE and collaborate in planning for language and content teaching
and learning.
15) SHARE responsibility so that all teachers are language teachers and support
one another within communities of practice.
The next several weeks will be devoted to examining these action more clearly and attempting
to apply this advice in your classroom.

For more information, check out the original article here: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/essential-actions-15-research-based-practices-increase-ell-student-achievement

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