How to Help Struggling Students Become Good Language Learners Anna Uhl Chamot & Jill Robbins National Capital Language Resource Center Summer Institute.

How to Help Struggling How to Help Struggling Students Become Good Students Become Good

Language LearnersLanguage Learners

Anna Uhl Chamot & Jill Anna Uhl Chamot & Jill RobbinsRobbins

National Capital Language National Capital Language Resource CenterResource Center

Summer Institute 2006Summer Institute 2006

Who is the Struggling Who is the Struggling Student?Student?This student has problems with… keeping up with classmates organizing him/herself and the work

environment following verbal instructions longer-term work tasks and need work

chunked for them social and emotional skills

CALLA-FL: The Cognitive CALLA-FL: The Cognitive

AcademicAcademic Language Language Learning Approach for Learning Approach for

Foreign Languages Foreign Languages

COMPONENTS:COMPONENTS: AUTHENTIC CONTENT AUTHENTIC CONTENT SOCIAL & ACADEMIC SOCIAL & ACADEMIC

LANGUAGE LANGUAGE LEARNING STRATEGIESLEARNING STRATEGIES

Five instructional Five instructional principles in CALLA-FLprinciples in CALLA-FLFive instructional Five instructional principles in CALLA-FLprinciples in CALLA-FL Recognize and build on students’

prior knowledge. Provide meaningful learning tasks. Engage in interactive teaching and

learning. Focus on learning processes and

strategies. Help students evaluate their own

learning.

DEVELOPING METACOGNITION

Model metacognitive awareness.

Ask students to describe their thinking processes.

Have students take responsibility for their own learning.

PREPARATIONPREPARATION

PRESENTATIONPRESENTATION

PRACTICEPRACTICE

SELF-EVALUATIONSELF-EVALUATION

EXPANSIONEXPANSION

CALLA’S FIVE PHASESCALLA’S FIVE PHASES

PREPARATIONPREPARATION

Identify objectives.Identify objectives. Elicit students’ prior Elicit students’ prior

knowledge.knowledge. Develop vocabulary. Develop vocabulary. Provide motivation.Provide motivation.

PREPARATIONPREPARATION

How would this help How would this help the struggling learner?the struggling learner?

PRESENTATION

Present new information in Present new information in varied ways.varied ways.

Model processes explicitly.Model processes explicitly. Explain learning strategies. Explain learning strategies. Discuss connections to Discuss connections to

students’ prior knowledge.students’ prior knowledge.

PRESENTATION

What kinds of presentation What kinds of presentation methods would help the methods would help the struggling learner?struggling learner?

Are you already presenting Are you already presenting with a variety of media?with a variety of media?

PRACTICE

Use hands-on/inquiry-based Use hands-on/inquiry-based activities.activities.

Provide different cooperative Provide different cooperative learning structures.learning structures.

Use authentic content tasks.Use authentic content tasks. Ask students to use learning Ask students to use learning

strategies.strategies.

PRACTICE

What kinds of practice What kinds of practice activities would help the activities would help the struggling learner?struggling learner?

SELF-EVALUATION

Students discuss their own Students discuss their own learning.learning.

Students keep learning Students keep learning journals.journals.

Students assess their own Students assess their own strategy use.strategy use.

SELF-EVALUATION

How can you help How can you help struggling learners to struggling learners to evaluate themselves more evaluate themselves more accurately?accurately?

EXPANSION

Students apply information to own lives.

Students make connections between content subjects and the target culture.

Students relate information to first language knowledge of content and culture.

EXPANSION

How can what has been learned in FL class help struggling learners in their other classes?

CALLA Instruction Summary

Prepare

Present

Changes over time

Teacher Teacher ResponsibilityResponsibility

PracticePractice

Self-EvaluateSelf-Evaluate

ExpandExpand

Student Student ResponsibilityResponsibility

Teacher’s role in . .

PreparationActivate Background Knowledge

PresentationExplain

Model

PracticePrompt use of strategies

Give Feedback

Self- EvaluationAssess strategies

ExpansionSupport transfer

Apply

Students’ role in . .

PreparationAttend

PresentationParticipate

PracticeApply strategies with guidance

Self- EvaluationSelf-assess strategies

ExpansionUse strategies independently

Transfer strategies to new tasks

CALLA-FL AssessmentCALLA-FL Assessment

Use authentic content tasks.Use authentic content tasks. Evaluate content knowledge.Evaluate content knowledge. Evaluate language proficiency.Evaluate language proficiency. Use self-report for learning Use self-report for learning

strategies.strategies. Use self-assessment and Use self-assessment and

reflection.reflection.

CALLA-FL AssessmentCALLA-FL Assessment

How can you use assessment How can you use assessment to better understand your to better understand your struggling students?struggling students?

Can assessment become a Can assessment become a more positive experience for more positive experience for your struggling students?your struggling students?

CALLA-FL Instruction Is... Learner-centeredLearner-centered ReflectiveReflective SupportiveSupportive FocusedFocused EnthusiasticEnthusiastic