This blog post will tackle the fifth guiding principle in working with Multilingual Learners (MLs). This content has been adapted for this blog from the WIDA ELD Standards Framework.
As teachers of Multilingual Learners, we have hundreds of opportunities throughout the day to make learning personal and individualized for our students. Each one of our students brings with them a unique perspective and as you’ve heard before, various funds of knowledge. Skilled teachers tap into students’ unique knowledge base to create meaningful learning experiences. I see all teachers constantly connecting with their students and learning about their special experiences, characteristics, and abilities. We love kids so this feels second nature to us.
If we dig a bit deeper into getting to know our students, we may find ourselves examining language proficiency levels. These scores provide us with even more opportunities for meaningful learning. One way to do this is by diving into the WIDA Can Do Descriptors. These Can Dos aim to describe what students are currently working on in the language domains of reading, writing, speaking, and listening, with an asset-focused lens. At first glance, these can be overwhelming and just another piece of paper that gets lost in our desk stacks (I have them, too!) however, they can be a powerful tool when planning instruction and interventions.
"Multilingual learners use and develop language when learning opportunities take into account their individual experiences, characteristics, abilities, and level of language proficiency." (WIDA 2020).
Photo and Content Credit To Gibbons 2002, Swain, Kinnear & Steinman 2015, TESOL International Association 2018, Vygotsky 1978.
留言