The document describes the Mutually Adaptive Learning Paradigm (MALP), an instructional model that incorporates elements of both students' home learning paradigms and typical U.S. classroom learning paradigms. MALP aims to provide a transitional approach to close achievement gaps for students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE) through project-based learning. Examples of MALP projects are provided, such as a class survey where students conduct interviews, collect and graph data, and write sentences to describe their results.

1. Andrea
DeCapua
Helaine
W.
Marshall
The
College
of
New
Rochelle
Long
Island
University
PART
II

3. Mutually Adaptive Learning
Paradigm - MALP
• Instructional Model
• Elements from students learning
paradigm
• Elements from U.S. learning paradigm
• Transitional approach to close
achievement gap
Marshall,
1998;
DeCapua
&
Marshall,
2011

4. Two
Different
Learning
Paradigms
Aspects
of
North
American
SLIFE
Learning
Classrooms
Immediate
Future
CONDITIONS
Relevance
Relevance
Interconnectedness
Independence
Shared
Individual
PROCESSES
Responsibility
Accountability
Oral
Transmission
WriTen
Word
PragmaPc
Tasks
Academic
Tasks
ACTIVITIES
(Adapted
from
DeCapua
&
Marshall,
2009,
2011;
Marshall,
1994,1998)

5. MALP
SLIFE
North
American
Classrooms
Immediate
Future
Accept
SLIFE
Relevance
Relevance
condiPons
Interconnectedness
Independence
Combine
SLIFE
&
North
American
Shared
Individual
processes
Responsibility
Accountability
with
Oral
Transmission
WriTen
Word
Focus
on
new
acPviPes
with
PragmaPc
Academic
familiar
language
Tasks
&
content
Tasks
(Adapted
from
DeCapua
&
Marshall,
2009,
2010;
Marshall
1994,
1998)

6. Project-Based Learning
with
MALP

7. Project-Based Learning
• Allows for differentiation
• Promotes integration of literacy
and content knowledge
• Improves student engagement;
learner-centered rather than
teacher-centered

8. and…
from a MALP perspective
• Provides immediate relevance
• Fosters a sense of interconnectedness
• Allows for both shared responsibility and
individual accountability
• Incorporates oral transmission with print
• Develops academic ways of thinking

9. Sample
MALP
Projects
• Class
Surveys
• Concept
Posters
• Bookmarking
• Class
CollecPons
• Theme
Booklets
DeCapua,
A.,
&
Marshall,
H.W.
(2011).
Breaking
new
ground:
Teaching
students
with
limited
or
interrupted
formal
educa8on
in
U.S.
secondary
schools.
Ann
Arbor,
MI:
U
of
Michigan
Press.
Marshall,
H.W.
&
DeCapua,
A.
(2010).
The
newcomer
booklet:
A
project
for
limited
formally
schooled
students.
ELT
Journal,
64,
396-­‐404.

10. Prototypical
MALP
Project
Class
Surveys
CharacterisPcs
that
foster
MALP
• Interpersonal
• Relevant
topics
likely
to
emerge
• Natural
movement
from
oral
interacPon
to
wriTen
product
• Provision
for
both
group
and
individual
task
delegaPon
• InstrucPon
in
academic
ways
of
thinking

11. BeTy’s
Class
• Ages:
18-61
• Education:
None to 5th grade
• Classes:
– ESL
– Hmong Literacy
– Life-skills Math
– Problem Posing
• Origin:
Hmong from Laos

12. Class
Diagram
• Crossing the Mekong
• Interviewing at home
• Sharing data in class
• Drawing map & flags
• Using sentence frame
• Entering data
• Responding to questions

13. Paj
Ntaub

14. Carol’s
Class
Ages:
15
–
21
EducaPon:
3rd
grade
to
8th
grade
Classes:
Self-­‐contained
– English
– Social
Studies
– Math
– Science
Countries
of
origin:
Hai:,
Dominican
Republic,
El
Salvador,
Guatemala

15. Class
Brainstorming

16. Bar
Graph
• Class
brainstorming
• Five
most
common
acPviPes
• Interviews
in
class
• Data
gathering
• Graph
• Sentences
below
graph