Keynote at the Northeast Florida TESOL virtual roundtable on Oct. 3, 2020

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Countering the
Slide: Strategies
for Meeting the
Needs of SLIFE
Andrea DeCapua, Ed.D.
University of North Florida
&
MALP LLC
www.malpeducation.com
drandreadecapua@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter
@Andrea DeCapua

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No schooling
New to print
Age-appropriate
formal education

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Our World of School

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Challenges SLIFE Face
6
Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun
and the smallest one in the Solar System—
it’s only a bit larger than our Moon. The
planet’s name has nothing to do with the
liquid metal since it was named after the
Roman messenger god, Mercury
• Developing literacy skills
• Learning content concepts
• Adapting to differences in
learning and expectations
• Acquiring new habits of
mind: academic ways of
thinking

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COVID-19

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The Human “House”
Mind
Emotions Spirit
Body

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Safe spaces

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Is Caring Enough?

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Factors Leading to Student Success
High
expectations
Clear goals,
guidance
Active
learning
opportunities
Access
Asset-based
approaches
Critical
thinking
skills
Resilience

12. Contrasting Learning Paradigms
(DeCapua & Marshall, 2013, 2011; Marshall 1994, 1998)
SLIFE U.S. Classrooms
CONDITIONS
for Learning
PROCESSES
for Learning
ACTIVITIES for
Learning
Interconnectedness Independence
Shared Responsibility Individual Accountability
Immediate Relevance
Oral Transmission Written Word
Future Relevance
Pragmatic Tasks Decontextualized Tasks
Socio-Cultural Experiences
based on based on
Academic Ways of Thinking
© MALP LLC 2020

13. Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm® (MALP®)
(DeCapua & Marshall, 2013, 2011; Marshall 1994, 1998)
SLIFE U.S. Classrooms
ACCEPT SLIFE
CONDITIONS
COMBINE SLIFE
& U.S.
PROCESSES
FOCUS on U.S.
ACTIVITIES using
familiar language
& content
with
Interconnectedness Independence
Shared Responsibility Individual Accountability
Immediate Relevance
Oral Transmission Written Word
Future Relevance
Pragmatic Tasks Decontextualized Tasks
Socio-Cultural Experiences
based on based on
Academic Ways of Thinking

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Projects
14
• incorporate multimodalities
• multilevel
• multiage / multigenerational
• interdisciplinary
• concrete, tangible
• creative
• easily incorporate MALP

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Projects
15
KISS
(Keep it Simple Sweetie)
• manageable
• structured
• recurring
• use available resources

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Surveys
1.
2

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Sample Project - Timelines
Sample sentence frames
My birthday is on ____ .
My birthday is on the ____of ____.
Mrs. Aquino’s birthday is on June 21st.
Her birthday is on ____ ____.
It is after Juan’s birthday.
Juan’s birthday is on ____ ____.
____ birthday is on ____
It is before Mrs. Aquino’s birthday.
(Thanks to Ann Marie K)
Survey
When is your birthday?
When is your _____’s birthday?
(sister, brother, mother, uncle . . .)

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Sample Project - Timelines
Marta
January 27
Jairo
February2
Daniel
April 12
Luz
April 26
Juan Carlos
June4
(Thanks to Ann Marie K)

19. © DeCapua, A. & Marshall, H.W. (2011). Breaking New Ground: Teaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education in
Secondary Schools, University of Michigan Press, p.68. For terms and conditions of use, contact information@malpeducation.com
MALP® Teacher Planning Checklist
A. Accept Conditions for Learning
A1. I am making this lesson/project immediately relevant to my students’ lives.
Explain:
A2. I am helping students develop and maintain interconnectedness with each other.
Explain:
B. Combine Processes for Learning
B1. I am incorporating both shared responsibility and individual accountability.
Explain:
B2. I am scaffolding the written word through oral interaction.
Explain:
C. Focus on New Activities for Learning
C1. I am developing academic ways of thinking using familiar language and content.
Explain:
C2. I am teaching students how to engage in decontextualized tasks to demonstrate their
mastery of these new ways of thinking.
Explain:

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Accept Conditions for Learning
• Immediate relevance
• interconnectedness
Combine Processes for Learning
• Group responsibility with individual accountability
• Oral with the written
Focus on Activities for Learning
• Practice decontextualized tasks
• Use familiar language & content
MIND BODY
SPIRITEMOTIONS
The MALP HOUSE

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Thank you!
Dr. Andrea DeCapua
drandreadecapua@gmail.com
Follow me at Twitter
@AndreaDeCapua

22. MALP Resources
DeCapua, A. (2019). SLIFE: What Every Teacher Needs to Know. [e-book] University of
Michigan Press Amazon
DeCapua, A. (2018). Students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE)
Chapter 3 in J. Govoni (Ed.). Preparing the way: Teaching ELs in the pre-K-12 classroom
(pp. 63-87). Kendall Hunt Amazon
DeCapua, A., Marshall, H.W., & Tang, L. F. (2020). Meeting the Needs of SLIFE: A Guide for
Educators. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. University of Michigan Press
Amazon
DeCapua, A., & Marshall, H.W. (2011). Breaking new ground: Teaching students with
limited or interrupted formal education. University of Michigan Press Amazon
Marshall, H.W., & DeCapua, A. (2013). Making the Transition to Classroom Success:
Culturally Responsive Teaching for Struggling Learners. University of Michigan Press
Amazon
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