Encouraging Multilingualism in Inclusive Classrooms

I’ve spent my career in classrooms where English wasn’t the only language spoken, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But many educators have told me they don’t feel fully equipped to support their language-diverse classrooms effectively. My dear friend and colleague Kristie Shelley, M. Ed. and I want to help by sharing what we’ve learned below. Here are 5 tips every educator needs to know when teaching Multilingual Learners: 1. Check your own biases Reflect on assumptions you may not even realize you have. Understanding and overcoming them will set both you and your students up for success. 2. Honor students’ cultural diversity Create a welcoming environment by learning how to pronounce students’ names correctly, building a library with books that reflect their identities, and recognizing their lived experiences. 3. Learn about their heritage languages You don’t need to speak every language, but understanding the basics - like how sounds and letters work in a student’s home language - can help them make connections to English. (You can even use AI for this!) 4. Leverage students’ skills in their heritage language Students bring literacy skills from their first language. Use those as a foundation for teaching English. 5. Use curriculum tools grounded in the Science of Reading Structured Literacy is an evidence-based approach that works for all students, including Multilingual Learners. Look for curriculum that includes phonological awareness, explicit phonics instruction, and systematic skill-building. I’m so thankful that Kristie and I got to share more on this in our recent article for The 74 Media. Check it out here: https://lnkd.in/gSjBAwX5

🚨🚨Educators in Multilingual Language Learning (MLL), simplify your approach to scaffolding. You don't need a multitude of tabs open to make a significant impact.🚨🚨 After extensive experience in multilingual classrooms, here are MY five Research-Backed, Low-Prep, High-Impact Strategies that align with SIOP, are easy to execute, and highly beneficial for MLLs: ❇️ Use Sentence Frames with Purpose: Shift from basic structures to more complex formats to enhance academic language skills swiftly. ❇️ Implement Visual Word Banks: Combine images, words, and definitions for easy reference and improved retention, aiding independent student work. ❇️ Engage in Quick Partner Talk Routines: Encourage fluency, reduce barriers, and ensure every student has a voice through structured discussions. ❇️ Use Color-Coded Graphic Organizers: These tools assist in organizing thoughts and improving writing skills, facilitating tracking, assessment, and differentiation. ❇️ Introduce Choice Boards for Tasks: Empower students by offering multiple ways to demonstrate understanding, fostering agency and engagement. These strategies go beyond mere tactics; they are transformative tools that have elevated language proficiency, confidence, and autonomy for MLLs—and they can do the same for your students. 💬 Share with me: What low-prep strategy do you rely on for MLL success? #MLLs #SIOP #LanguageEducation #Scaffolding #MultilingualLearners #TeacherTips #EdLeadership #ELD #ESOL #MLLEducator #AngelMartinez

Looking to enhance classroom impact for English language learners (ELLs)? This insightful Edutopia article distills six evidence‑based strategies drawn from decades of educator expertise — offering a practical roadmap for inclusive, culturally responsive instruction. As Emily Kaplan explains, these approaches help bridge language and content learning for over 4.8 million ELL students in U.S. schools: • Scaffold instruction using visuals, simplified language, and gestures • Make time for students to use their native languages • Help them build both conversational and academic vocabulary • Provide ample chances for speaking and writing • Foster meaningful cultural connections inside the classroom • Differentiate instruction based on students’ unique proficiency and needs Whether you teach ELLs or support broader educational equity, these strategies are a powerful guide to more inclusive, engaging learning. https://lnkd.in/emS4ZeWr

Dear educators Please stop using English learners when talking about students who speak more than one language. People who speak more than one language are bilinguals, trilinguals, and multilinguals. They carry with them access to multiple cultures and forms of knowledge. If you are unable to speak their language and the only form of language you provide is English, then as an educator, you are the one who needs to do the work to access your bilingual/trilingual/multilingual students. How Provide translations Use art/sound/music/play Make multilingual groups Allow multiple languages in the classroom Invite the community Learn from your students how they learn, not how you want them to learn Language is about connections and collaborations. And learning happens when students have access to knowledge. Access to knowledge happens in English, Mandarin, Arabic, Spanish, Indigenous languages, Tagalog .......... De-center English They will learn English faster than you think because you would have allowed them to access the knowledge in their native languages. And for some of us, native means more than one language.

When we talk about allowing "translanguaging" in classrooms for our multilingual learners, it's often against a backdrop of strict school language policies that require 100% immersion in the allocated language, no exceptions. Our new article, published in the Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, uncovers 13 multilingual discourse strategies that teachers employ to transgress these policies through "covert translanguaging" in Mandarin immersion preschools. By doing so, they create safe and inclusive spaces for children to bring their full linguistic repertoires into learning. Title: Promoting emergent literacy in preschool through extended discourse: Covert translanguaging in a Mandarin immersion environment. 💡 Main findings: (1) Teachers allowed translanguaging to help students adjust to the expectations and behaviors of classroom learning, guiding them not only in acquiring Mandarin but also in becoming comfortable with the structure and social aspects of school. (2) Translanguaging helped students grasp complex academic content, integrating both Mandarin language development and subject learning, demonstrating that multilingual strategies can enhance understanding in content areas while still fostering language immersion. We hope this research sparks dialogue on how translanguaging can be an essential pedagogical tool and stance, even in settings with strict language policies. The implications for schools and educators are significant as they strive to meet the linguistic and academic needs of all students. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/g__gp5cJ I'm also happy to share an author's copy if interested. #Translanguaging #EarlyChildhoodEducation #BilingualEducation #LanguageDevelopment #MandarinImmersion #EmergentLiteracy #MultilingualLearners #EarlyLiteracy #Research #EducationResearch Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology // Pepperdine University