ELL: Theory and Practice

By Emma Reed
Objectives

● Determine the different theories for teaching ELLs and what they
encompass
● How to apply such theories in the classroom
● Determine the Practices of ELL Education
What is Theory?

● “a set of principles on which the practice of

an activity is based.”

● “an idea used to account for a situation or

justify a course of action”

 ● Noam Chomsky

Theories of: ● Jim Cummins

● Stephen Krashen
Noam Chomsky

● Language is universal
○ Every child has a LAD or language acquisition device
● Language is verbal and nonverbal
○ All languages have rules that govern use
Language Acquisition

● We acquire (learn) language when we understand it

○ Happens subconsciously
● What matters? → The quality of the second-language exposure, not
quantity
Input Hypothesis

● When does language acquisition occur in the classroom?

● Language acquisition occurs when the student is exposed to sources of
comprehensible input, either oral or written
● Suggests → language acquisition occurs when learners receive messages
that they can understand- comprehensible input
Comprehensible Input in the Classroom

● Comprehensible input = ways that teachers can communicate to ELLs in

ways they will comprehend
● By providing comprehensible input→ teacher able to create more effective
opportunity for language acquisition
How can we provide comprehensible Input?

● Graphic organizers
● Cooperative learning
● Visuals
Krashen’s Theory
Affective filter Hypothesis

● An obstacle that can come about during language acquisition

● A “Screen” that is influenced by emotional variables which can prevent
learning
○ Anxiety
○ Stress
○ Lack of self-confidence
○ Inadequate motivation
How can teachers reduce the affective
filter?

● Create a safe, welcoming environment

○ Need to be able to mistakes and take risks
Cummin’s Theory
 Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP)

● Proficiencies involving more cognitively demanding tasks (ex.: literacy,

content learning, abstract thinking, problem-solving) are common across
languages
● CUP represented by the “iceberg metaphor” and basis of the Linguistic
Interdependence Hypothesis
Interdependent Theory

● Predicts that a student who has mastered the basics of reading and
thinking in the first language will perform well in a second-language
environment
○ Skills used in reading are interdependent across languages
○ The “surface aspects” of language differ substantially
Language Mismatch Hypothesis

● 1970s- idea that children are inevitably handicapped when there is a

“mismatch” between languages of home and school
○ Children cannot succeed academically in a language they have yet to fully acquire
CALP vs. BICS

● Educators were failing to differentiate between 2 types of language

proficiencies
○ Basic Interpersonal Communications Skills (BICS)
○ Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)

● BICS- “Playground/Social” English

○ Conversational fluency

● CALP- “Classroom” English

○ Use of language in academic situations
What does this mean?
● The iceberg represents- that every language contains surface features
○ Under the surface of language→ proficiencies that are common across all languages

● Students are involved in Additive Bilingualism

○ When students develop both fluency and proficiency in a second language while
continuing to develop proficiency in their first.
■ Involves adding a second language, NOT replacing the first language with the
second
● Subtractive bilingualism
Review!
Practice of ELL
 Two-Way Bilingual Education
● When students learn through two languages
○ Content area instruction and language development in both
languages

● Students from both languages are in each class,

integrated for most or all of their content instruction
○ Provide an environment that promotes positive attitudes
toward both languages and cultures
Why Two-Way Bilingual Education?

Evidence that learning though native language has many advantages for ELLs -
Cummins

● Facilitates the development of both “basic” and “advanced” literacy in

native language and English- Krashen
● Allows students to gain important content knowledge that will make
English encountered more comprehensible- Krashen
● Enhances cognitive and social development- Cummins
Study by Kathryn Lindholm-Leary

● Krashen- argued that research evidence on two-bilingual education was

“supportive and encouraging”
○ More research needed to take place
● This study involved 16 two-way programs
○ Students with Spanish and English backgrounds
○ Standardized test scores were compared against national norms and state averages
Findings of Lindholm-Leary

● Reported no correlation between oral proficiency in first and second

languages
● Found a strong relationship between academic skills in both languages
○ Students became more proficient in both languages

● As a result→ reading achievement was strongly associated with math

achievement in both English and Spanish
○ Proving Cummin’s interdependence hypothesis → transferability of literacy and academic
skills
Summary!
Accommodation of Learning Styles

● Visual- I provided pictures and videos for visual learners

● Auditory- I explained concepts and included a video