This document summarizes Ranya Khan's comparative case study of two Intensive Newcomer Support classrooms in Manitoba that serve English language learners with interruptions in their formal schooling. The study examines the classrooms from the perspectives of their envisioned design, enacted implementation, and experiences of participants. It finds that while both classrooms aim to support students' academic and socio-emotional needs, they differ in their approaches and level of integration within the school. The study provides insights into best practices for serving this student population and implications for how their needs can be met.

1. MEETING THE NEEDS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE
LEARNERS WITH INTERRUPTIONS IN THEIR
FORMAL SCHOOLING:
A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF TWO TEACHERS’
CLASSROOMS
Ranya Khan,
Sheridan Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
2013 American Association of Applied Linguistics

2. Impetus for this Research
• Previous studies conducted in Manitoba
• Innovation Grant, i.e. the Intensive
Newcomer Support Grant, introduced
• School divisions begin implementing
Intensive Newcomer Support classrooms
in Manitoba
• My experiences as a Science/English as a
Second Language teacher in Winnipeg

3. Rationale for Focusing on Manitoba
• Children from countries affected by conflict
represent an increasing segment of the
population of students in Canadian schools.
• Both Scholarly Research & Anecdotal
evidence suggest the needs of these students
are not being met.
• Disenfranchised youth joining urban based
gangs that rival other gangs within their city.
Some youth have become involved in the
justice system as a result of their criminal
activity (Stewart, 2007).

4. Top Source Countries of
Immigrants/Refugees to Manitoba
1. Philippines 8. United States
2. Germany 9. Afghanistan
3. India 10. England
4. China 11. Pakistan
5. Korea 12. Ukraine
6. Ethiopia 13. Sudan
7. Israel
Eritrea, Thailand, Colombia, Rwanda, DRC, Benin

5. War-affected Refugees in the
Canadian Classroom
• As a consequence of their displacement,
many refugees have experienced a
complete lack of educational opportunities
and/or gaps in their formal education prior
to coming to Canada
• “late-entrant”, “under schooled”, “over
age”, “low literacy limited English
proficient”, “late emergent readers”
(Freeman and Freeman, 2002).

6. Interrupted Formal
Schooling
• Students with no basic alphabetic or numerical
literacy skills in any language; limited (less than
fourth grade) schooling; no formal schooling;
sporadic or interrupted formal education (Walsh,
1999).
• English language learners with Interruptions in
their Formal Schooling – ELLs with IFS
• Intensive Newcomer Support Programs
• Language and Literacy (LAL) students

7. Three Research Questions
1) How did the visionaries of the two ELL with IFS
classrooms conceptualize the two educational
environments that were studied?
• What factors influenced the visionaries’
creation and design of the two classrooms?
• How did the designers and developers of the
two classrooms identify and define the needs
of ELLs with IFS?
• What specific supports and resources made
the creation of the two classrooms for ELLs
with IFS possible?

8. 2) How did the school administrators and teachers
in two different Manitoba school divisions enact
their classrooms for ELLs with IFS?
• What educational model did the administrators and
teachers use to educate ELLs with IFS (i.e. integrated,
mainstreamed, sheltered, etcetera)
• What was the educator’s rationale in using their chosen
educational model to educate ELLs with IFS?
• What social, academic and linguistic supports, programs
and resources are available to ELLs with IFS in the two
school divisions?
• What pedagogical strategies do the two teachers utilize
when teaching ELLs with IFS?

9. 3) What are the participants’
experiences?
• What are the teacher’s experiences and
views regarding their ELL with IFS
classroom?
• What are the students’ experiences and
views regarding their school’s ELL with IFS
classroom?
• What are the parents or legal guardians’
experiences and views regarding their
child’s ELL with IFS classroom?

10. Three stages of the research
Experienced
Enacted
Envisioned

11. Areas of Literature & Studies
• Social integration of refugee students (McBrien,
2005; Yau, 2002; Rossiter & Rossiter, 2009)
• The linguistic and literacy needs of students
(Collier &Thomas, 1989 ; Cummins 1981 & 1991;
Walsh, 1999; Bigelow, 2010)
• Academic challenges (Kaprielian & Churchill,
1996; Ferfolja & Vickers 2010)
• Role of Teachers and the relationship between
students and teachers (school) (Stewart, 2007;
Cummins, 2001).

12. Factors that Impact Adolescents
and Young Adult Learners
• Trauma
• Before flight
• During flight
• Post Flight
• Lack of formal education/education gaps
• Literacy and numeracy needs
• Exposure to English
• Experience with classroom culture
• Culture shock/cultural conflicts

13. Theoretical & Conceptual
Framework
A Lens to View the INS Classroom

14. Research Methodology
• Qualitative case study
• Comparative component
• Interviews, Observations, Document Analysis
• Two school divisions; two consultants; two
principals; two classrooms; two teachers; two
groups of students & their families; additional
teachers
• Ministry of Ed. Consultants; settlement agencies;
other EAL consultants

15. The Two Intensive Newcomer
Support (INS) Classrooms
City Collegiate/Maria’s class Park Collegiate/Jane’s class
• Central School Division • East School Division
• Inner-city/Urban core • Working class/Suburban
• 1 of 4 INS classrooms • Only INS classroom
• 1 Educational Assistant • 1 Educational Assistant
• African community support • Newcomer Reception
worker Facilitator
• Sheltered multi-level • Sheltered multi-level
beginner EAL class beginner EAL class
• 13 students; continual • 9 students; max. no. is 10
enrollment • Academic preparatory
• Survival language skills class

16. The Envisioned Stage
• Creation of classrooms directed by Manitoba’s
Ministry of Education
• Key components identified by the Ministry
Initial identification and assessment
Separate student cohort, realistic expectations
Divisional responsibility
• Central School Division’s proposal directed by
EAL consultant and Division Head
• East School Division’s proposal a collaborative
effort (action research project)

17. The Enacted Stage
Maria’s INS classroom Jane’s INS classroom
• Separated from the broader • EAL designated school
EAL department • Collaborated with subject-
specialist teachers
• Worked with Division EAL
• Strategically creating
consultant other INS timetables
teachers; did not feel • Teaching study skills
prepared to teach literacy • Creating extra-curricular
learners activities for EAL students
• Survival language • Predictable classroom
emphasized routine
• Individualized attention
• After-school program activities
• Welcoming classroom • Relationships with students’
environment families

18. The Experienced Stage
• Academic Experience
 Running out of time
 Desire to pursue post-secondary studies
 Stigma associated with the INS class
• Language Experiences
 Academic English
 Native-English speakers
 Developing L1 proficiency
• Socio-emotional Experiences
 Extra-curricular activities
 Relationship between teachers and students
 Susceptibility to criminal activity
 Impact of Poverty

19. Implications & Key Findings of the
Study
A New Lens to View the INS classroom

20. Canadian Like Snow and Ice
Dear Ranya It been a longtime without see
you,and I hope that everything is going well with
you and your baby Hanna, i hope you haveing a
goodtime with your family. It been a longtime i
miss you. keep all the hard work at school And I'm
looking to see you again, And I'm doing wonderful,
and everything in life is going wonderful, I work
2jobs just to make a better days for my son. I will
do whatever it take to be a good Dad to my son,
my son and baby Hanna gonna be Canadian like
snow and ice…

21. Thank you.