English as a second language for Special Education Students

English as a Second Language for Special Education Students!Best strategies for teaching English : 

English as a Second Language for Special Education Students!Best strategies for teaching English Christine Young Dec 18, 2010 Orange Regional Center

What was the focus of this study? : 

What was the focus of this study? The focus was stage III second language acquisition strategies that increase productive (which is written and oral) vocabulary for 3rd-5th grade Special Education Students.

Why this subject? : 

Why this subject? Although there are a lot of ESL (English as a second language) materials and special education materials available, the material for special education and ESL students are rather scant at this time. It is the goal of this study to provide resources designed specifically for special education teachers that are trying to teach a second language.

Why this subject (cont) : 

Why this subject (cont) According to the US department of Education, there were 5,400,000 ESL students in the USA in 2006 and they are considered to be one of the fastest-growing populations in America. The numbers have been continuing to increase since 2006. By 2025, ESL students will make up one out of every four students (Kummer, 2010).

Why this subject (cont) : 

Why this subject (cont) 78% of special education students will not go on to higher education, but 60% will try to work or hold some kind of job (Lazar, 2006, O'Donnell, 2010). You must be able to communicate effectively if you wish to work.

A look at Second Language Acquisitionand its first two stages : 

A look at Second Language Acquisitionand its first two stages Stage 1 is often called the "Silent Phase" or "Pre-Productive stage." In this stages, students do not speak at all and when they do it is usually parroting the instructor. Stage II or the Early Production Stage usually lasts up to six months. Students now can speak in one- or two- word phrases and vocabulary should grow to approximately 1000 words. Receptive vocabulary is major emphasis and is reading and listening for these two stages.

A look at Second Language Acquisition Stage III : 

A look at Second Language Acquisition Stage III Stage III, or the speech emergence stage, now begins. Although receptive vocabulary learning continues there is a stronger emphasis on productive vocabulary. Productive vocabulary is speaking and writing. The student "produces" simple phrases and sentences. Their vocabulary should end up being about 3,000 words

A look at Second Language Acquisition Stages IV & V. : 

A look at Second Language Acquisition Stages IV & V. Stage IV, or Intermediate Fluency Stage students should now have a vocabulary of approximately 6000 active words. These students should be able to use more complex sentences when speaking and writing. Stage V, or Advanced Fluency Stage is the last stage and the ultimate goal for all ESL students . This stage can take takes anywhere from 4-10 years depending upon the individual and other related variables. It is at this final stage that these students are released from all ESL programs, and receive all instruction in English.

Major teaching techniques for stage I : 

Major teaching techniques for stage I New vocabulary is taught with realia (real objects) and pictures and certain words are targeted for learning Choral reading is when a class or small group reads something together in unison -- such as a poem, song or drama project. Buddy peering is a technique in which two students are paired together for the purpose of working and practicing skills.

Major teaching techniques for stage II : 

Major teaching techniques for stage II Stage II being logical progression. The teacher progresses from gesturing or nodding questions to simple questions which students can say yes/no to all the way to questions that will encourage student participation, higher-order thinking and allow for practice. Writing work begins in this stage with very simple words, labels and phrases only and can be supported with very simple graphic organizers, charts, or graphs, although this will be more heavily used in Stage III

Teaching techniques forStage III : 

Teaching techniques forStage III Modify and progress from all other stages. For example, children should continue with class choral readings but progress to small groups, duets, and if applicable small individual reading parts. In Stage III, student-writing skills should progress into simple sentences. Journal writing is often suggested as a tool in which to practice the practical application of simple sentence writing. This is the time when students should begin to learn all the basic English grammar rules.

Teaching techniques from Stages IV : 

Teaching techniques from Stages IV Most errors will be in English content because most students do assignments in their native tongue and then translate. Stage V students are mainstreamed and no longer have unique strategies.

Mixing is always the best! : 

Mixing is always the best! Language should be experienced and taught as a whole rather than divided; thus, listening, reading, speaking and writing should be taught and practiced concurrently rather than in sequence (Chamot & O'Malley, 1994) Intermixing of teaching strategies in this study resulted in a 95% growth rate

Explicitly teach words : 

Explicitly teach words The results of this study indicated that stage III second language acquisition special education students benefit best from a teaching that is primarily based on explicitly taught targeted social and academic vocabulary words with a heavy emphasis in scaffolding and expansion techniques. Simply introducing words in this manner resulted in a learning rate of 50%.

Specific Strategy #1 Vocabulary notebooks : 

Specific Strategy #1 Vocabulary notebooks Research says that vocabulary notebooks are one of the very best strategies for Stage III L2 acquisition (Marzano & Pickering & Pollock, 2001). Research from this study found that this method was the best single method for vocabulary learning, growth and retention overall. Growth rate 80-90% It is ethical to mention that notebooks were used for ESL on a weekly basis and language arts daily.

Specific Strategy #2Simple oral games : 

Specific Strategy #2Simple oral games Simple oral games should be utilized to teach targeted vocabulary words. This study showed that games ranked number two in the next best strategy. Growth rate75-85% It is ethical to note that this strategy was used in ESL on a weekly basis.

Specific Strategy #3 computer usage : 

Specific Strategy #3 computer usage Many studies give empirical evidence for using computers as a pedagogical tool, and claim that it aid students in learning second language skills (Chamot & O'Malley, 1994, Chapelle, 2003, de la Fuente, 2003, Engwall & Balter, 2007,Chapelle & Jamieson, 2008) Computer programs that work extensively with productive vocabulary learning are recommended

Specific Strategy #3 computer usage : 

Specific Strategy #3 computer usage Computer studies show that students who use computer programs and games for second language acquisition on a regular basis will improve at a faster rate than students that do not have computer access (Chamot & O'Malley, 1994, Chapelle, 2003, Chapelle & Jamieson, 2008). Growth rate 60-70% only. Of the four specific strategies, this one ranked as number three.

Limitations with computer usage : 

Limitations with computer usage Students had only one day a week to use the computer in ESL work. The classroom had only two computers; therefore, most students only got to use computers once or twice a month for a fifteen minute period. The computer time allotted for each student was negligible and it is likely that scores may have been higher if students had used the computers on a more regular basis.

Specific Strategy #4Journal writing : 

Specific Strategy #4Journal writing The data showed that journal writing as a specific method for teaching targeted words was the least effective way. Journal writing and introducing targeted words both ranked 50%.

Where was the study? : 

Where was the study? The setting for this study was located in Tustin, a city in Orange County, California, USA. The Tustin Unified School District served 25% English Language Learners (ELL) in 2010   The total enrollment for this school was 478 students for grades K-5. 65% of this school was Hispanic.

What about the participants? : 

What about the participants? Participants were all ESL and special education students who shared the same classroom setting. The ESL special education classroom had fifteen students in total. Thirteen students were Hispanic, one was Korean and one was from India.

Five students from this class were focused on in particular. : 

Five students from this class were focused on in particular. Participant A was an 11 year, 0 month old, 4th grade, Hispanic male who qualified under a specific learning disability in the academic areas of oral expression, basic reading skills and reading comprehension as a result of a processing disorder in the area of auditory processing.

Participants B & C : 

Participants B & C Participant B was an 11 year, 10 month old, 5th grade, Korean male who qualified under the "other" health impairment category because of seizures. Participant C was a 9 year, 10 month old, 3rd grade, Hispanic male who qualified under specific learning disability, "other" health impairment and had a significant discrepancy between cognitive ability and actual achievement. This student also had ADHD.

Participants D & E : 

Participants D & E Participant D was a 12 year, 0 month, 5th grade, Hispanic female student. She was only one of two girls in the entire class. She was currently eligible as a student with a Specific Learning Disability due to visual and auditory processing deficits. Participant E was a 10 yr, 8 month old, Indian male. He was currently eligible as a student with a Specific Learning Disability in the areas of reading and written expression. He also had ADHD.

New Insight about beliefs : 

New Insight about beliefs Research says that student attitudes and motivation are linked to second language learning (Mantel-Bromley, 1995). The four male students, that had good attitudes and genuinely wanted to learn, seemed to improve at a fairly expected and consistent rate. The female student that did not really want to learn English, and was not willing to accept additional tutoring did not progress as she could have.

References : 

References Chamot, A. U. & O'Malley. (1994). The CALLA Handbook: Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach. Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company. Chapelle, C.A (2003). English Language Learning and Technology. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamin Publishing Company. Chapelle, C.A & Jamieson, J. (2008). Tips for Teaching with CALL: Practical Approaches to Computer-Assisted Language Learning. White Plains, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. Chavez, Rudolfo (Summer 1984). The Pre-Understandings of Second Language Acquisition. Teacher Education Quarterly 11, (3) Retrieved from http:/faculty/ci/ruchavez/publications/3_ThePreUnderstandingSL Cohen, A.D. (1994). Assessing Language Ability in the Classroom (2nd ed). Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishers. Comesana, M., Perea, M. Pineiro, A. Fraga, I. (2009). Vocabulary teaching strategies nd conceptual representations of words in L2 in children: Evidence with novice learners. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology. 104 (1), 12, 22-33. de la Fuente, M. (Feb 2003). Is SLA Interactionist Theory Relevant to CALL? A Study on the Effects of Computer-Mediated Interaction in L2 Vocabulary Acquisition. Computer Assisted Language Learning. 16(1) 47-782

References : 

References Creswell, J. (2008). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Columbus, Ohio: Pearson Creswell, J. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. Los Angeles, CA; Sage. Diaz-Rico, L.T. & Weed, K.Z. (2010). The cross-cultural, language, and academic development handbook (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. Dutro, S. (2008). The Focused Approach to Systematic ELD handbook. Tustin, CA: Tustin Unified School District. Education. com (n.d.). Tustin unified school district. Retrieved from http://www. education..com/schoolfinder/us/california/district/tustin-unified-school-district/#about-the-district Engwall, O., Balter, O. (July 2007) Pronunciation feedback from real and virtual language teachers. Computer Assisted Language Learning 20 (3), 235-262. Retrieved from http://rpazusa.apu.edu/ebsco-web/ehost/detail?vid=1&hid=119&sid=ade8a885-529d-4440-9183- f4ee821335a4%40sessionmgr113&bdata =JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ %3d%3d#db=aph&AN=26447326 Fitzpatrick, J. (1998). Reading strategies that work: Helping young readers develop independent reading skills. Cypress, Ca: Creative Teaching Press Inc. Herrel, A.L. & Jordan, M. (2008). 50 strategies for teaching English language learners (3rd ed.) Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Education Inc.

References : 

References Honig, V., Diamond, L., Gutlohn, L., (2000). Core teaching reading sourcebook for kindergarten through eighth grade. Novato, CA: Arena Press Jacobs, H & Johnson, A (2009). Curriculum Mapping Planner: Templates, Tools, and Resources for Effective Professional Development. Beaureagard,VA: ASCD Kummer, S.E., (Jan 2010.) Language Intervention For Hispanic Children With Language-Learning Disabilities: Evidence Based Practices. Intervention in School and Clinic. 45, (3), 192-200. Retrieved from http://0- proquest.umi.com.patris.apu.edu/pqdweb?index =0&did=1928977311&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1285724435&clientId=23686 Laufer, B. (1998). The development of passive and active vocabulary: Same or different? Applied Linguistics, 19, 255-271. Laufer, B. & Nation, P. (1995) Vocabulary size and use: Lexical richness in LS written production. Applied Linguistics, 16, 307-322 Laufer, B & Paribakht, T. (1998). The relationship between passive and active vocabularies: Effects of language learning context. Language Learning, 48, 365-391.

References : 

References Lazar, K. (2006). Helping your special-needs students prepare for college. Retrieved from U.S. College Search site: http://www.uscollegesearch.org/blog/finding-a-college/helping-your-special-needs-students-prepare-for-college/ Locsin, A. (2010) Best Ways to Learn English. Retrieved from eHow site: http://www.ehow.com/way_5279939_ways-learn-english.html#ixzz16YV7QnI0 Mantel-Bromley, C. (Autumn 1995). Positive Attitudes and Realistic Beliefs: Link to Proficiency. The Modern Language Journal , 79, (3) 372-386. Marzano, R.J., Pickering, D.J., Pollock, J.E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works. Alexandria VA: ASCD Publications Nation, I.S. P (1990). Teaching and learning vocabulary. Rowley, MA: Newbury House. O'Donnell, C. (2010, May 14). Tougher Job Hunt for special-needs students. Herald-Tribune. Retrieved from http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20100514/article/5141042

References : 

References Olson, J. and Platt, J. (2000). The Instructional Cycle. Teaching Children and Adolescents with Special Needs (pp. 170-197). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc Pearson Custom Publishing designed for Azusa Pacific University English Language Learner and Diversity Manual. (2007). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Raymond, E. (2000). Cognitive Characteristics. Learners with Mild Disabilities (pp. 169-201). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon, A Pearson Education Company. Sayn, S. (2001). All the Time Learning...Three Months Are Equal to One Year: Second Language Learning in a Target-Language Community. Retrieved from http://utsescholarship.lib.uts.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/2100/1007/02Whole.pdf?sequence=2 Satterberg, R. ( 2009) Curriculum-Based Measurement and Scientific Research-Based Interventions for Students with Math Disabilities. Lecture presented for students of Lecture presented for students of SPED 540 RTI/Brain-Based Teaching and Learning: Math Disorders, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, Ca Webb, S. (2008). Receptive and productive vocabulary sizes of L2 learners. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 30, 79-95 Webb, S. (2009). The effects of pre-learning vocabulary on reading comprehension and writing. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 65,411-470