Support ELL Social-Emotional Development
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The document discusses supporting the social-emotional development of English language learners (ELLs). It notes that the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) recognizes the importance of social-emotional learning. Many ELLs live with trauma, violence, or chronic stress, such as from poverty or fear of deportation. Nearly half of all children in the US experience childhood trauma. The document provides strategies for supporting ELLs' social-emotional learning, such as role-playing, using children's literature, and building a strengths-based classroom where students feel safe, valued, competent, and that they belong.
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Support ELL Social-Emotional Development
- 1. NJTESOL/NJBE May 29, 2019 Judie Haynes Supporting the Social- Emotional Development of Elementary ELLs
- 2. ESSA & Social-Emotional Education ESSA, the new federal education law, shifts the emphasis from the prescriptive testing and accountability requirements of NCLB to a broader definition of success, including recognition of the value of non-academic concepts and “whole child.” ESSA recognizes social-emotional education as an important factor in helping students develop crucial life skills that go beyond academics.
- 3. SEL & ELLs Living with Adversity We want to tie what we are learning about Social-Emotional Learning to the students we teach. A large percentage of ELLs are living with trauma, violence or chronic stress. Just being in school in the U.S. and not knowing the language is a kind of chronic stress. Poverty and fear of deportation are also examples of stress. Thus is is urgent that we focus on our ELLs’ Social-Emotional Learning
- 4. Think about this: What percentage of students are you working with who live with trauma, violence and/or chronic stress?
- 5. “Almost half of the nation’s children have experienced one or more types of serious childhood trauma…” Data Resource Center for child and adolescent health, National Survey of Children’s Health, 2017 Zacarian, D., Alvarez-Ortiz, L. & Haynes, J. (2017). Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence, and Chronic Stress. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
- 6. Physical & emotional neglect Not a monolithic group Mental illness or depressed or suicidal person in home Zacarian, D., Alvarez-Ortiz, L. & Haynes, J. (2017). Experience of parental divorce or separation Victim of neighborhood violence
- 7. Physical & emotional neglect Mental illness or depressed or suicidal person in home Zacarian, D., Alvarez-Ortiz, L. & Haynes, J. (2017). Extreme Poverty Natural Disaster Family members who are undocumented Fear of separation from family members
- 8. Strengths-based approach Zacarian, D., Alvarez-Ortiz, L. & Haynes, J. (2017). Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence, and Chronic Stress. Alexandria, VA: ASCD Knowledge of ELLs living with adversity Social-Emotional Development
- 9. Why it is important for teachers of ELLs to support social-emotional learning ? Zacarian, D., Alvarez-Ortiz, L. & Haynes, J. (2017). Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence, and Chronic Stress. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
- 10. Are ELLs at Higher Risk for SE Problems? There are a number of factors that contribute to this: ELs don’t yet have the English language and vocabulary skills to express their concerns and problems. They may come from cultures where this is rrtely discussed They don’t have the language to initiate social interactions with teachers and peers and will often feel cut off from their peers. ELs often perceive that their classmates are prejudiced against them. This may keep ELs from bonding with their classmates and becoming an integral part of the school community. ELs may have low self-esteem because they haven’t made friends or are unable to participate in the academic learning of their class. Nine Ideas to SupportELs’ Social-EmotionalLearning http://blog.tesol.org/9-ideas-to-support-els-social-emotional-learning/
- 12. Ways to Support ELLs’ Social-Emotional Development 1. Start the day with a personalized greeting 2. Have students work together as partners 3. Teach ELLs to work in groups 4. Have your class buddy with an older or younger class 5. Build community with teams
- 13. Ways to Support ELLs’ Social-Emotional Development 6. Build community with teams. 7. Encourage expression through art 8. Hold class meetings 9. Design activities that help ELLs express their feelings 10. Use children’s literature to explore social-emotional learning themes 11. Use lots of role-play
- 14. Linking Literature and Literary Characters to Students’ Lives
- 15. Discussion With a partner: Think a problem you have had in your classroom that involves ELLs. Share it with a partner. Brainstorm a book that you can use to talk about this problem with the class.
- 16. Social-Emotional Learning & Role-play. Taking time to role-play troubling situations that show up in your classroom helps ELLs to develop empathy and understand other people’s feelings. It also gives them the language to express their feelings. They also need to practice appropriate responses to classroom situations.
- 17. Key Benefits of Roleplay with ELLs Allows ELLs to: Learn about different cultures, Develop communication and language skills so that they can interact effectively with peers. Take on the role of a character so that they understand different perspectives, Practice words and word chunks that are specific to a particular classroom situation.
- 18. Key Benefits of Roleplay with ELLs Allows ELLs to: Act out and make sense of real-life situations, Explore, investigate and experiment, Collaborate with others, Develop an awareness of themselves and others, Express their ideas and feelings.
- 19. Social-Emotional Language Learning Tasks Academic Learning Tasks Zacarian, D., Alvarez-Ortiz, L. & Haynes, J. (2017). Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence, and Chronic Stress. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
- 20. Discussion “Develop communication and language skills so that they can interact effectively with peers. “ Imagine a student who is being bullied. Design a 2 minute role play with a partner that would demonstrate how ELLs could learn the language necessary to respond to a bully. Volunteer if you’d like to act out your role play in front of the group.
- 21. Four Essential Pillars of Strengths-Based Relationships S A F E B E L O N G V A L U E D C O M P E T E N T Zacarian, Alvarez-Ortiz, & Haynes (2017).
- 22. Four Essentials With a partner discuss an action you have taken to make a student feel: safe, valued, competent and that they belong Provide a concrete example of what it would look like in school setting Share ideas with your group. Zacarian, D., Alvarez-Ortiz, L. & Haynes, J. (2017). Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence, and Chronic Stress. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
- 23. Information Email: haynesjudie@gmail.com Twitter: @judiehaynes (Join us on Mondays for #ELLCHAT 9 PM) Most recent book: Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence and Chronic Stress Available at ASCD http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/Teaching-to-Strengths.aspx
Editor's Notes
- I’m judie Haynes. I left teaching 11 years ago to write. I recently co-authored a book with Debbie Zacarian and Lourdes Alvarez-Ortiz entitled Teaching to Strengths: Supporting Students Living with Trauma, Violence and Chronic Stress. In this book we touched on using a Strengths-based approach when teaching students living with adversity. It is our belief that it takes one caring teaching to
- ESSA, the new federal education law, shifts the emphasis from the prescriptive testing and accountability requirements of NCLB to a broader definition of success, including recognition of the value of non-academic concepts and “whole child.” ESSA recognizes social-emotional education as an important factor in helping students develop crucial life skills that go beyond academics.
- We want to tie what we are learning about Social-Emotional Learning to the students we teach. A large percentage of ELLs are living with trauma, violence or chronic stress. Just being in school in the U.S. and not knowing the language is a kind of chronic stress. Poverty and fear of deportation are also examples of stress. Thus is is urgent that we focus on our ELLs’ Social-Emotional Learning
- Judie Take a minute to complete this poll. What percentage of students are you working with who live with trauma, violence and chronic stress. Everyone take a moment to think about this question: What percentage of students in your school do you think live with trauma, violence and/or chronic stress? Everyone done? Now raise your hand if your guess was around 50 %. Those who guessed 50% fell around the national average. According to the National Survey of Children’s Health, almost half of the children in the U.S. have experienced one or more types of serious childhood trauma. Everyone done. Now, Raise your hand if you said around 50% Those of you who guess 50% fell around the national average.
- Judie This is especially true for ELLs. For example over 60% of ELLs live in poverty. As educators, we are becoming more and more aware that the students sitting in front of us in our classrooms are increasingly exposed to extremely difficult experiences. In the United States according to the National Survey of children’s health, almost half of the nation’s children have experienced one or more types of serious childhood trauma. Regardless where we work and what we do, an epic number of students are living with adverse childhood experiences. Often times, when we learn that our students have experienced significant adversity, we often perceive them as having deficits that need remedying instead of focusing on what science confirms, the assets and capacities that they have inherently or have already developed as a result of facing adversity.. And, what can exacerbate this further is that very little has been written about teaching students living with trauma, violence and chronic stress.
- Students experiencing trauma, violence, and/or chronic stress are not a monolithic group. ACES Adverse Childhood experiences that affect their social emotional growth of all children Here are some of the various adverse childhool experiences that many of our students ’ experience. . IN addition to this list are many more experiences that effect our students, for example, a parent who is deployed, loss of employment, homelessness, children and families with PTSD due to a catastrophic childhood illness. You will likely have ideas of additional reasons that students experience these phenomena. The important thing to consider is that regardless where we work and what we do, it is almost certainty that we are working with students who experience trauma, violence and chronic stress.
- In the past the principles of psychology, psychiatry, and social work asked us to identify what was wrong and treat the problem by finding remedies for it. The field of education drew from this as well. For example, we tended to look for what students weren’t doing or using negative deficit-based statements like: this child has not developed or lacks self-control. What many researchers from a variety of field have discovered is that this approach led to even more negative outcomes in improving the lives of students and families which also led to making us feel that the situations of our students or their families were so impossible that we felt hopeless and helpless which often led many of us to develop of compassion fatigue or what is also known as secondary traumatic stress. Like the braid you see above, we want to combine our knowledge of ELLs living with adversity with advocating for a strengths-based approach to help their SE Development.
- Think about the years that you trained to be an educator. How many course activities did you have where you discussed the intricacies of strengths-based approach and social-emotional learning? I’ve found from interviewing teachers across the U.S. that most teachers have little experience teaching students who are living with trauma, chronic stress. Most ELLs fall into this category. Fear of deportation is rampant. Separation from parents or other family members.
- ELs are thought to be at a higher risk than their general education peers for social-emotional and behavior problems. There are a number of factors that contribute to this: ELs don’t yet have the English language and vocabulary skills to express their concerns and problems. They don’t have the language to initiate social interactions with teachers and peers and will often feel cut off from their peers. ELs often perceive that their classmates are prejudiced against them. This may keep ELs from bonding with their classmates and becoming an integral part of the school community. ELs may have low self-esteem because they haven’t made friends or are unable to participate in the academic learning of their class. I was always shocked when my 5th & 6th grade ELLs expressed feeling of not being a good student. This happened often with students whom I thought were learning fast and doing well. Even those who came to the U.S. with grade level skills in L1. Teach ELs positive self-talk so that they can better mange their feelings. Have them write positive messages that they can use in either their home language or English to help build self-esteem.
- Self awareness – The ability of students to assess their strengths and limitations, with of confidence, optimism, and a “growth mindset.”, Self Management The ability to of students to regulate their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations — effectively managing stress, controlling impulses, and motivating oneself. Responsible Decision Making - The ability to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions based on ethical standards, safety concerns, and social norms. Relationship Skills - The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. The ability to communicate clearly, Social Awareness - The ability to establish and maintain healthy and rewarding relationships with diverse individuals and groups. The ability to communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate with others, resist inappropriate social pressure, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed.
- !. Start each day with a greeting - Make it a goal to start each day with a personal connection. It doesn’t need to be a time-consuming or elaborate procedure. It could be as simple as giving a warm greeting to welcome each person as they arrive in the morning. 2) Use children’s lit to explore social-emotional learning themes. (Ask audience what themes are good for ELLs. 2) Give kids lots of opportunities to work with partners. Working with a partner helps kids learn to cooperate and builds community in your classroom. Alternate between strategically assigning partnerships and allowing kids to make their own choices. 4) Being able to work in a group setting is an important life skill. Students will learn how to negotiate with others, develop leadership skills and figure out their own strengths so they can best contribute to the group. Click here for tips to make group work more productive. 5) Nurture a culture of kindness - At the beginning of the year, read Have You Filled a Bucket Today?, a story about the power of kind words. Then create your own bucket for the classroom. Get a small tin bucket from a craft store and cut 3-by-3-inch pieces out of card stock. Kids can write messages of kindness, appreciation and love on the cards throughout the week to fill up the bucket.
- Build a community with tems - Consider an alternative seating arrangement that allows kids to sit in teams. Let each team create an original name, motto and flag. This is a great way for students to feel a sense of belonging, and it encourages collaboration and cooperation. Change up teams every 6 to 12 weeks. Encourage expression through art Hold class meetings Design activities that help ELLs express their feelings. Use a strengths-based approach Use lots of role play Kathy Lobo and the tornado
- JUDIE An example of linking literature to literary characters is elementary teacher Kathy Lobo from Belmont, MA. She chose to read the chapter book Tornado by Newbury Medal–winning author Betsy Byars. At the start of the book, there is a storm coming, and a mother, her two sons, and a hired farmhand named Pete hide in a shelter. While the tornado rages outside, Pete tells the boys a story from his youth. The story helps pass the time and also distract them from worrying about the father, who is outside in the storm. Pete tells how his family found a frightened dog in a doghouse after a similar storm had hit. Kathy says that she has found that this story is engaging for students and can be a great starting point for teaching and building from their background experiences, including the notion of hiding and being safe from weather events and natural disasters or coping with fear and worry.
- An example of a problem I have had with ELLs
- ELLs need to learn to put themselves in someone else’s shoes to truly understand a situation. They also need to practice appropriate responses to classroom situations. Taking time to role-play troubling situations that show up in your classroom helps ELLs to develop empathy and understand other people’s feelings. It also gives them the language to express their feelings. Can someone give me an example for an appropriate response to a classroom situation.
- Allows ELLs to: Learn about different cultures, Often the situatons that we roleplay with students reflects American cultural values. Roleplaying allows ELLs to learn those values. Develop communication and language skills so that they can interact effectively with peers. Take on the role of a character so that they understand different perspectives to a situation Practice words and word chunks that are specific to a particular classroom situation.
- In this sense, teachers need to pay as much attention to supporting students to learn content by engaging in academic learning tasks as she is explicitly and intentionally supporting them to learn asset based social-emotional language. This language is needed to communicate successfully with others by having the listening skills that are needed to listen to partners and small group members, have empathy, mediate their own emotions and feelings, and look for & acknowledge their peers strengths & be able to resolve conflict successfully.
- We agree with many in the field of psychology, sociology and education that in order for students living in adversity to thrive, we must provide an environment where they feel safe, where they experience a real sense of belonging, of being competent, and of being valued (Glasser, et al., 2007). Let’s take a quick look at these 4 essentials that we have likened them here to pillars that sustain a structure in place. If I am a student in your school, I will feel: Safe - when I know I would not be judged or criticized when I make a mistake or when I feel or think differently from others. When I know somebody has my back and I can count on others for support and comfort. (For us parents, it's that sense that no matter what our kids do, they will always be our sons and daughters and our love is unconditional.) That I belong – when I get adults’ unconditional acceptance, communicated in words and deeds, that I am welcome regardless of my background or current situation… and that I am part of the fabric of the classroom and school. Valued - When I can see and experience how much my ideas, opinions, feelings and my full existence matter to my teachers and other adults in the school. When adults make me feel worthy of others' respect, energy, time, kindness, etc., all because I matter to my teachers and to others. Competent – When I have been affirmed frequently that I have what it takes to learn and to create positive relationships with others. It is the assurance that I have the ability to exert self-control and to create positive outcomes.