Supporting Students with Limited or

Interrupted Formal Education

Thames Valley School District London, Ontario October 23, 2014

Andrea DeCapua, Ed.D.

MALP, LLC

drandreadecapua@gmail.com

Welcome and Warm-up Activity

•  Look at the chart paper around the room •  Write your first name and the first initial of

your last name under each sentence that describes you.

Agenda Topics

•  Welcome and Warm-up Activity •  Background to Understanding SLIFE •  Culturally Responsive Model: Mutually Adaptive

Learning Paradigm •  Using the MALP Teacher Planning Checklist •  MALP and Project-Based Learning •  MALP in Action •  Designing a MALP Project •  Planning for Change and . . .

break, lunch

Introductions

Layers of the Instructional Context

   Curriculum,  Instruc.on,  and  Assessment  

       Culturally  Responsive  Teaching  

Societal  Factors  

Bedrock  Layer    

What is This?

2 Dimensional vs. 3 Dimensional

To think about:

Ways  of  thinking  and  lear2ing    

are  shaped  by    

prior  lear2ing  ex6eriences  

SLIFE

Are unlike other ELs because

•  no, interrupted, or limited formal education •  new to literacy or have limited literacy skills •  lack content-knowledge of their peers •  unfamiliar with “doing school”

Teachers and learners assume that

1. the goals of K-12 instruction are to a) produce an independent learner b) prepare that learner for life after schooling

2.    the learner is ready to

a)  engage in literacy-based, school-related tasks b)  participate and demonstrate mastery on an

individual basis

(Adapted  from  DeCapua  &  Marshall,  2011)  

Three Underlying Differences

• Oral transmission – Written Word

• Collectivism - Individualism •  Informal Ways of Learning – Formal

Western-Style Education

©  www.globalafricanvillage.org    Used  by  permission  

•  “We” rather than “I” •  People see themselves as

part of an interconnected whole

•  “Web” of relationships •  Group is more important

than any single individual

Collectivism

•  Personal efforts praised, rewarded

•  Personal interests,

desires, primary •  Personal judgments •  Personal responsibility •  “Self-actualization”  

Individualism

Informal Ways of Learning •  Revolves around

immediate needs of family, community

•  Grounded in observation, participation in sociocultural practices of family, community

•  Has immediate relevance

•  Centered on orality

(Gahunga,  Gahunga,  &  Luseno,  2011;  Paradise  &  Rogoff,  2009)  

Formal Western-Style Education

•  Abstract knowledge

•  Scientific reasoning

•  Literacy is central

•  Formal school settings

•  Segmentation of knowledge

•  Age cohorts (Anderson-­‐LeviK,  2003;  Flynn,  2007;    

Grigorenko,  2007;    Ozmon  &  Carver,  2008  )  

Academic Tasks

•  Definitions Ø What is a tree?

•  True/False Ø Vancouver is the capital of British Columbia. Ø Toronto is the capital of Ontario.

•  Classification

Ø Categorize these objects (see next slide)

(Luria,  1976)  

                                                               

Sample Question

What is the group? Which ITEM does not belong in the group?

SLIFE

•  Develop basic literacy skills

•  Learn basic and grade-level subject area concepts

•  Adapt to cultural differences in learning and teaching

•  Develop academic ways of thinking

Teachers and learners assume that

1. the goals of K-12 instruction are to a) produce an independent learner b) prepare that learner for life after schooling

2.    the learner is ready to

a)  engage in literacy-based, school-related tasks b)  participate and demonstrate mastery on an

individual basis

(Adapted  from  DeCapua  &  Marshall,  2011)  

Activity

Please take one

Break

Schema Theory

Dictionary definition of schema:

An abstract structure representing concepts

stored in memory  

Linguistic Schema

(James, 1987)

A B C D E F G H I

F M J E O T P Y X

➨ The batsmen were merciless against the bowlers. The bowlers placed their men in slips and covers. But to no avail. The batsmen hit one four after another with an occasional six. Not once did a ball look like it would hit their stumps or be caught.

Version #1

Content Schema

➨  The men were at bat against the bowlers. They did not show any pity. The bowlers placed their men in slips. They placed their men in covers. They hit some sixes. No ball hit the stumps. No ball was caught.

(Tierney & Pearson, 1985)

Version #2

Formal Schema

Please name the months of the year:

(James,1987)

TYPES of SCHEMATA

•  Linguistic Schemata

•  Content Schemata

•  Formal Schemata

The Power of Prior Knowledge

When information is missing or confusing,

we compensate by accessing our familiar schemata.

Observe the following:

Compensating Strategies Example #1

Ths sntnc s wrttn wth th vwl smbls lft t.

Compensating Strategies Example #2

Our Father makes art in heaven Howdja know my name? Thy kingdom come, Thy Wimbledon, On earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this steak and jelly bread, And forgive us our trash baskets As we forgive those who put trash in our baskets. And lead a snot into Kemp's station, But deliver us from eagles, For mine is the kingdom, the flower, and the jewelry.

Compensating Strategies Example #3

_____________ ____________ ____________ ____________ __________, __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ _________. Ασδφγηκκ

(Adapted from Peregoy & Boyle, 2005)

FAMILIAR SCHEMATA

UNFAMILIAR SCHEMATA

Describing your favorite game in your first language or dialect

Writing a science lab report in academic English

(Ibarra, 2001)

MALP®

Mutually Adaptive

Learning Paradigm

SLIFE North American Classrooms

CONDITIONS  

PROCESSES  

ACTIVITIES  

(Adapted from DeCapua & Marshall, 2009, 2011; Marshall, 1994,1998; Marshall & DeCapua, 2013)

Aspects of Learning

Two Different Learning Paradigms

   

Shared Responsibility

Individual Accountability

Pragmatic Tasks

Academic Task

Interconnectedness

Oral Transmission

Independence

Written Word

Future Relevance Immediate Relevance

Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm® - MALP®

ü Culturally Responsive Instructional Model

ü Elements from students’ learning paradigm

ü Elements from North American learning paradigm

ü Transitional approach to close achievement gap

(DeCapua & Marshall, 2010; 2011 )

Mutually Adap.ve  Learning  Paradigm®  –  MALP®  Culturally  Responsive  Teaching  Model  

SLIFE   North  American  Classrooms  

Interconnectedness   Independence  

 Shared        Responsibility  

Individual    Accountability  

 PragmaWc            Tasks  

     Academic                    Tasks  

ACCEPT  CONDITIONS  

COMBINE  PROCESSES  

FOCUS  on  NEW  ACTIVITIES  with  

familiar  language    &  content  

   Immediate          Relevance  

Oral              Transmission    WriKen  Word  

with

Future              Relevance  

           (DeCapua  &  Marshall,  2009,  2011;    Marshall,  1994;  Marshall  &  DeCapua,  2013)      

A. Accept Conditions for Learning A1. I am making this lesson/project immediately relevant to my students.

A2. I am helping students develop and maintain interconnectedness.

B. Combine Processes for Learning B1. I am incorporating both shared responsibility and individual accountability.

B2. I am scaffolding the written word through oral interaction.

C. Focus on New Activities for Learning C1. I am focusing on tasks requiring academic ways of thinking.

C2. I am making these tasks accessible to my students with familiar language and content.

MALP Teacher Planning Checklist©

© DeCapua, A. & Marshall, H.W. Breaking New Ground: Teaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education in Secondary Schools, University of Michigan Press, 2011, p.68.

Lunch!

Scenarios

Directions: Using the MALP Checklist©, analyze your teacher. Refer to p. 78 in Breaking New Ground for specifics. Groups 1 & 5 Scenario A p. 79 Groups 2 & 6 Scenario B p. 80 Group 3 & 7 Scenario C p. 81 Groups 4 & 8 Scenario D p. 82

Project-Based Learning

•  Allows for differentiation

•  Promotes integration of literacy and content knowledge

•  Improves student engagement; learner-centered rather than teacher-centered

and… from a MALP® perspective

•  Provides immediate relevance

•  Fosters a sense of interconnectedness

•  Allows for both shared responsibility and individual accountability

•  Incorporates oral transmission with print

•  Develops academic ways of thinking

brainstorm  

select  focus  

propose  new    

project  

share  

implement  

delegate  

idenWfy    reflect    &  

evaluate    

Project-Based Learning

What is a Project?

Prototypical MALP® Project Class Surveys

Characteristics that foster MALP

•  Interpersonal •  Relevant topics likely to emerge •  Natural movement from oral interaction to written

product

•  Provision for both group and individual task delegation •  Instruction in academic ways of thinking

Carol’s Class

Survey: Students’ Free Time

Bar Graph

Compare/Contrast: Student Venn Diagram

Oral and Written

Using the Poster Surveys

Looking at the surveys we did

at the beginning of the session, how could you use

information like this to develop projects for your SLIFE?

To Define is to Know

The most common question asked in classrooms in all subjects and at all levels:

WHAT IS ______?

Mystery Bag Activity

Questions to ask about the Mystery Bag

•  Do you know what it is? •  Do you know what it is called in your

language/another language? •  What do you do with it? What is it for? •  Do you like it? •  Give 4 words to describe it.

Checking Answers

•  One by one, check all the answers •  All participate in the checking

Ø Give answers - tabulate them Ø Write answers up as others give them Ø Copy down all descriptive words

Apple Collection

Benefits of Collections

•  Building definitions

•  Learning ways to categorize objects

•  Developing vocabulary Ø academic terms

Ø descriptive adjectives

•  Collaborating on a class project

Categorization

A/An _______________________

is a/an _______________________

Important: small before big!

Characteristics

•  with ___________________

Or

•  that has ________________

Specific Descriptions

•  red •  good •  delicious •  round •  sweet •  plastic

•  wood  •  so^  •  glass  •  wax  •  small  •   soap  

•  key  chain  •  potholder  •  candle  •  light  •  magnet  •  pin  

Talking & Writing about Collection

Talk/write about the items in the collections using sentence frames

My apple is a/an ____key chain________. It is ___________, ___________ and ________. It is a/an ________, ________, _________ key chain.

1.  Opinion 2.  Size 3.  Shape 4.  Condition 5.  Age 6.  Color

7. Origin (where from)

8. Material (made of)

9. function (Used for)

small white light pretty cloth potholder

DeCapua,  A.  2008.  Grammar  for  Teacher.    Boston:    Springer  

Talking & Writing about Collection

Talk/write about the items in the collections using sentence frames

My apple is a/an ____key chain________. It is ___________, ___________ and ________. It is a/an ________, ________, _________ key chain.

A. Accept Conditions for Learning A1. I am making this lesson/project immediately relevant to my students.

A2. I am helping students develop and maintain interconnectedness.

B. Combine Processes for Learning B1. I am incorporating both shared responsibility and individual accountability.

B2. I am scaffolding the written word through oral interaction.

C. Focus on New Activities for Learning C1. I am focusing on tasks requiring academic ways of thinking.

C2. I am making these tasks accessible to my students with familiar language and content.

MALP Teacher Planning Checklist©

© DeCapua, A. & Marshall, H.W. Breaking New Ground: Teaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education in Secondary Schools, University of Michigan Press, 2011. p. 68.

A. Accept Conditions for Learning

•  The category each object

represents is something familiar

•  The activity makes abstract—classification— concrete, by using real-world objects

•  Students and teacher learn more about each others’ interests

•  Students create collections together as a class

•  Class collectively creates sentences

•  Pairs come up with additional sentences

•  Each person adds information related to own object

•  Students share answers to questions orally as teacher writes on board.

•  Students read from board orally and later copy into their notebooks.

•  Classifying •  Representational vs.

functional identification •  Language scaffolded by

use of L1 among students •  Content scaffolded by

relevant personal information

•  Content scaffolded by sentence frames

• Timelines

• Shared Events

• Concept Posters

• Theme Booklets

More Examples of Projects

DeCapua  &  Marshall,  2011;  DeCapua,  Smathers,  &  Tang,  2009;  Marshall  &  DeCapua,  2013.  

Welcome Book

Mrs. J’s Class Newcomer Book

Where is_?

It is Room 234. It is on the second floor.

 You  return  books  here.  

These  are  lockers.  

They  are  by  Room  110.  

This  is  a  lock.  

Number Lines

Like and Unlike Terms Posters

Timelines:

My Life

Bar Graph Posters

Timelines

•  At your table, take a sheet of construction paper and print in large letters the month and day of your birthday, e.g. September 27th.

•  When you finish, stand up, go to a corner

of the room and arrange yourselves physically by birthdays.

Timelines

•  Why timelines? •  What did this activity demonstrate in terms

of the development of: – Formal schemata – Linguistic – Content

Project Design Activity

MALP® Projects •  Class Surveys: Immigration •  Collections: Mystery Bag •  Mapping Time: Timelines •  Autobiographies: Transitions •  Bookmarking: delicious.com

Class Surveys: Crossing the Mekong Mapping Time: Calendar Theme Booklets:

Curriculum Fire Prevention Procedures Driver’s License Language Comparison/Contrast

Murals: Our Community

Forward Planning

Next 5 days? Next 5 weeks?

Next 5 months?

Next 5 years?

A Continuum of Ways of Thinking & Learning

Informal Ways of Learning North American Formal Education

SLIFE

Dissonance View Deficit View

Website: http://malpeducation.com Wiki: http://malp.pbworks.com Andrea DeCapua: drandreadecapua@gmail.com Helaine W. Marshall: helaine.marshall@liu.edu

MALP® Resources & Contacts