1.
Closer Connections Conference / Sioux Falls, SD / Nov. 10, 2015
Keynote address by Jill A. Watson, Ph.D.
Watson Educational Consulting
Adjunct Graduate Faculty, Hamline University

2.
1. Overview of SLIFE population
2. Learning challenges of SLIFE in
schools
3. Key program components for
meeting SLIFE learning needs

3.
Prior to entering U.S. schools:
 No or limited prior education
 No or very little literacy in ANY language
 No or very little English proficiency
 Often, no or little academic or literacy
history in family
 “Refugee Experience” (CAPM, 2012)

4.
 Minnesota: Exact figures impossible,
prior education data not collected in
the past
 A careful estimate:
 15,000 – 25,000 SLIFE in MN schools
(Watson & Bigelow, 2014)
 22 – 36% of all ELs in MN schools
are SLIFE

5.
 Trauma / PTSD: family loss, violence (WIDA, 2015)
 Acculuration challenges (WIDA, 2015)
 Limited English / literacy / academics
 Age of initial literacy / schooling is major
factor in learning rate (Thomas & Collier, 1997, 2002)
 Poverty, vulnerable to crime, gangs (Ouk, 2015)
 High drop-out rate
 25% of all HS drop-outs are ELs,
70% of EL drop-outs are SLIFE
(Fry, 2005)

6.
 Second Language Acquisition research,
teacher preparation, and PD: focus on
K-12 language learners with previous
schooling and literacy in L1
(first language)
 Recent increase in K-12 SLIFE focus
Bigelow (2010); Bigelow &Watson (2012); Bigelow,Tarone, Hanson (2009); DeCapua & Marshall
(2011), Freeman & Freeman (2002) , Menken (2013); Montero, Newmaster & Ledger, 2014);Watson
(2010, 2012);WIDA Focus on SLIFE (2015)

7.
 Administrators & teachers (even ESL)
are often unaware of the particular
profile and needs of SLIFE
 This group often not recognized as distinct
from ELs with significant / age-level prior
schooling

8.
 NewYork DoE: offical SLIFE guidelines
 Boston: consent decree to educate SLIFE:
Hyde Park HS for SLIFE (Walsh, 1999)
 Faribault, MN: specific SLIFE Newcomer
Program (Ouk, 2015)
 Minnesota: since 2014, official SLIFE
definition and data collection requirement
in MN law, per LEAPS Act

9.
 Have come of age in an
oral paradigm rather than
a paradigm of literacy.
 Cognitive / social maturation in an oral
paradigm brings with it characteristic
orientations to learning and life.
(Akinnaso, 2001; Battiste & Henderson, 2000; Bigelow, 2012; Bigelow &Watson, 2012; Bryce
Heath, 1983; DeCapua & Marshall, 2013; Mosha, 2000;Olson &Torrance, 1991;Ong, 1982;
Tarone, Bigelow, & Hansen, 2009;Watson, 2010, 2012)

10.
 Specific Skills
 transfixed listening, oration,
memorization
 Favored Forms
 stories, proverbs, fixed expressions,
long / epic poetry

11.
Literacy-based education Orality-based education
Grounded in sight, phonetic alphabetic
literacy. Much learning is done alone:
reading, writing. Lettered = educated,
intelligent.
Grounded in sound, the oral-aural
dimension. All learning is physically
proximal, face-to-face, premised on
mentoring.
Values definition, precision, abstraction,
categorical thinking, formal syllogistic
reasoning. Discursively sparse, favors
detachment, objectivity, subject / object split.
Values contexual understanding, lived
experience, practical relevance. Discourse
is additive rather than concisely
subordinative. Volubility, formulaïc,
repeated expressions. Empathetic and
participatory.
Knowledge based on referentiability to
written authority and demonstrability via
objective methods.
Knowledge based on authority of elders,
family and kinship relations, lessons of
experience, tradition.
Careful, sequential planning, pre-determined
outcomes (objectives, standards), meeting
goals.
Heuristic—trial and error, development of
practical skill and judgment (phronesis).
Individualistic: individual performance Collectivistic: the common good

12.
Think about it…
Curriculum theorist James MacDonald once quoted Einstein’s
question: “What does a fish know about the water in which he
spends his life? (MacDonald, 1988, p. 102). From the literacy
perspective, the fish knows nothing about water, not the
chemical formula, not the temperature of freezing and boiling,
not how to purify water or mix it with other substances, nor any of
the scientific minutiae that are the province of hydrologists. From
the orality perspective, the fish lives and breathes water, is
enveloped by water, is born, finds a mate, gives birth in, and dies
in water. A fish knows how to navigate water, sensing and
responding to its slightest undulations every minute of its life. No
one knows more about water than a fish. The difference is
precisely to what extent knowledge is conceived as empathetic
and participatory as opposed to something one has or wields
from a state of separation. Both kinds may be considered
knowledge, but not of the same thing, and not with the same
costs and consequences (Watson, 2010, p. 201).

13.
1. Learning based on abstraction & formal
categories rather than experience,
tradition, or the teaching of elders
 Abecedary classification
 Luria’s (1976) example:
tools and wood

14.
 The coin story

15.
2. Learning by definition: Meaning as
contained in decontextualized
vocabulary or formalities of definition
rather than experience, tradition, or the
teaching of elders
 Dictionaries, textual, or technological
authority

16.
Is X really X?
Your mom says you are aT-rex,
but are you really?

17.
Does X count as an example ofY?
 Classification tasks
 Frayer model

18.
Example of an activity practicing definitional sufficiency from ESL Sheltered
Science (WIDA 1 & 2 combined, 75% LFS), MN high school

19.
3. Learning that is based on formal
reasoning and logic rather than
experience, tradition, or the
teaching of elders

20.
In the far north, where there is snow, all
bears are white. Novaya Zembla is in the
far north and there is always snow there.
What color are the bears in
Novaya Zembla? (Luria, 1976)

21.
 We all begin life in orality
 Only, ever, a one-way journey
 Not a mere matter of skills acquisition
 Journey across a vast semiotic abyss: Leaving
one noesis—an entire way of life—for another
 Ong: “You have to die [to orality] to continue
living [in literacy]” (1982)

22.
To the palaces of literacy we are
accustomed to in theWestern
academic tradition…

23.
Harper Memorial Library,
University of Chicago

24.
We live in a culture
so saturated in
artifacts of literacy
that we find this
stash of obsolete
books, to be
discarded, in a MN
school basement…
Hyperliterate Culture (Smith, 2006)

25.
 SLIFE education is an equity issue as
significant as race, gender,
exceptionality, and other areas of
equity focus.
 Culturally responsive education is
necessary to make the transition from
orality to literacy and success in school
and life in the U.S.

26.
 What does it mean for educators in the
receiving community to recognize this
abyss?
 What components should appropriate
instructional programs for SLIFE
contain?

27.
 Not a yes / no issue!
Quality and routinization are
paramount if the practices are
to benefit SLIFE

28.
 English proficiency assessments
 W-APT (WIDA)
 Custom assessment for lowest literacy
levels (eg. ELLA)
 Native language literacy assessment

29.
 Content knowledge assessment
 math
 symbols, maps, charts
 concepts
Important: ensure that these
assessments are not based on knowledge
of English.

30.
 Records (if any): interpret with care
 Develop a custom prior education
intake questionnaire (eg. Marshall, 2013)

31.
 Informal family interviews in L1
 interpretors required (not optional)
 don’t assume family literacy
 ask about: number of years, months per
year, hours per day, which subjects,
assessments, how many students in class,
location (U.S., abroad, public / private /
refugee camp)

32.
An English learner with limited formal schooling is defined
as a student who:
 comes from a home where the language usually
spoken is other than English, or usually speaks a
language other than English
 enters school in the United States after grade 6
 has at least two years less schooling than the
English learner's peers
 functions at least two years below expected
grade level in reading and mathematics
 may be preliterate in the English learner's native
language (HF 3062, 2014).

33.
 Psychological trauma: violence, family loss
or separation, flight / homelessness
 Physical injury, malnutrition, illnesses
 Exceptionality
 Discuss in family interview, check health
records

34.
 Counseling: necessary for many SLIFE (WIDA, 2015)
 Acculturation
 PTSD
 School nurse (vision, hearing, general)
 Special education referral
 Immediately if indicated, eg. clear MR,TBI
 Don’t delay up to 2 years– convene team and
move quickly to support students

35.
 Students in school with same or similar
culture/language
 Cultural liaison adults in school, district
 Ethnic community organizations: create
partnerships, in-school reps

36.
 Administrators, teachers
 Summer, before school starts
 During the year, as warranted
 Schools who do home visits say:
“Essential component for serving SLIFE”

37.
 Visuals: flags, posters, artwork
 Cultural festivals in school
 Students perform, contribute
 Admin, teachers , staff attend
 Conferences with interpretors, no literacy
assumed
 Transportation for families

38.
 Liaisons
 Behavioral support
 Elders in the classroom: experts, oral
sources
 Elders as Fonts of Knowledge approach
▪ Will discuss in follow-up session
 Traditional practices, history included in
content

39.
Adolescent SLIFE need custom instruction &
more time:
 Newcomer program, base on intake
profile:
 1-2 year academy: acculturation, basic
skills
 Separate classes
 5 – 6 year graduation plan (per profile)

40.
 EL service: direct ELD through Level 4
 Level 1 class: custom for SLIFE & non-
SLIFE
 Master scheduling preference (WIDA, 2015)
 Schedule early in process to ensure right
teachers and courses for their pathway

41.
Guiding principle: Challenge, not overwhelm
 Courses in student’s i+ 1 (Krashen, 1988);;
 Zone of Proximal Development (Vygotsky, 1978);
 Match to student challenge level (Nebelsick, 2015)
 Progressive, targeted, sheltered instruction: EL
and content
 Avoid premature co-teaching
 No evidence of effectiveness with SLIFE (Honigsfeld,
2012)

42.
▪ Immediate push-in: PE, Art, FCS, Industrial
/ Ag Arts; modified grading, Pass / Fail
▪ Basic Skills focus in ESL classes: Math,
Science, Social Studies
▪ Sheltered content for SLIFE Levels 1 & 2
▪ Clustered scheduling in core content when
SLIFE ready: ESL teacher meaningfully co-
teaching, or para support

43.
 Resource period in the day
 Computer lab period: Imagine Learning, Rosetta
Stone, Raz-kids reading, Accelerated Reader, etc.
 Read 180 is not ideal
 After-school, summer tutoring
 L1 support in and after class
 L1 literacy classes
 Paras in newcomer & clustered classes

44.
Build from SLIFE affordances:
 Orality - Listening
 Proverbs, stories, poetry
 Elders, traditions
 Actual experience, practical relevance
 Collectivistic culture (DeCapua & Marshall, 2010, 2012)
 SLIFE need face-to-face instruction, not only
or primarily on-line or technology-enabled

45.
 Plan and implement structures for L1 use
 Word / picture notebooks
 L1 oral turn-and-talk exchange: negotiate
meaning
 L1 stories translated to English
 L1 literacy class, content
 Consider: Imagine Learning, iLit software

46.
 Guided literacy instruction
 Phonemic awareness (WIDA, 2015)
 Structured dialog to literacy (Watson, 2014)
 Running records (Montero, Newmaster, & Ledger, 2014)
 PALS Partner reading (McMaster, Miura, Kao, &Watson, 2011)
 Academic language
 Vocabulary AND structures needed to
access content

47.
Recall: SLIFE struggle with abstract,
decontextualized definitions & content
 Content – language integration
 Bridge from SLIFE approach to
academic mode (DeCapua & Marshall, 2011)
 Accomodates group work (collectivist
orientation)

48.
 Realia (actual items)
 Pictures
 Videos
 Charts, concept maps
 Key vocabulary lists that remain posted
 Total Physical Response, role-plays
 Language Experience Approach
Visuals and movement are not just for elementary
school!

49.
 Routine, Integrated, Structured,
Academic (RISA), (Watson, 2014)
 Infuse into regular practice in all subjects
 Routine formats minimize confusion
 Structure it: Don’t just say, “Now talk…”
Watson’s law: “Instruction that uses only
reading, writing, and the teacher talking
dooms SLIFE to fail.”

50.
 General PD on SLIFE for all staff
 Custom, on-going, job-embedded PD for
staff who work with SLIFE
 Teachers, counselors, nurse, coaches,
administrators

51.
 SLIFE PLC for relevant staff
 4 - 6 times per year
 Invite community members, parents
 Google doc or other format to share
information

52.
 Develop performance review
procedures for administrators &
teachers that evaluate readiness and
skill to serve SLIFE appropriately
 Include SLIFE skills on observation
rubrics

53.
 Many SLIFE face the age-out limit: 21
years old in MN
 Resist pressures to rush graduation
 HS diplomas not based on actual skills are
meaningless
 Many (diploma’d) SLIFE flounder after HS

54.
 ABE teacher visit HS class
 Tour ABE facility
 As appropriate, tell SLIFE and families
upon intake that they may end up
completing their diploma in Adult Ed

55.
During SLIFE HS experience, through
courses and counseling, support
students in exploring:
 Realistic employment options
 Vocational education (Krashen, 2015)
 Community college
 University

56.
You’re 18 years old, don’t know
English, and didn’t have a
chance to attend school or
learn to read before?
Come! (cf: Nebelsick, 2015)

57.
 SLIFE education is one of the most under-
recognized, but most urgent school equity
issues
 SLIFE futures depend on your leadership
and advocacy!

58.
 4th annual event, put on my MinneSLIFE– Standing
committee of MinneTESOL
 Held at Hamline Univeristy, St. Paul
 1:00 – 5:00 pm (approx.)
 Refreshments included
 Keynote + breakout sessions, all on SLIFE issues
 Teacher clock hours (CEUs) available
 Registration is appreciated but not required
 Free -- all are welcome
 Website: https://sites.google.com/site/minneslife/
 Contact me (JillWatson) for more info

59.
Jill A.Watson, Ph.D.
Watson Educational Consulting
Adjunct Graduate Faculty,
Hamline University
Website: www.watsoneducationalconsulting.com
Email: watsoneducationalconsulting@gmail.com
Telephone: 763.458.1167