academic language what is it? how do i know it if i see it?

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Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it? PACT Implementation Conference November 14, 2008 Ann Lippincott Laura Hill-Bonnet Teacher Education Program - UCSB

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Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?. PACT Implementation Conference November 14, 2008 Ann Lippincott Laura Hill-Bonnet Teacher Education Program - UCSB. A story of epiphanies. How we came to better understand academic language. Epiphany 1. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Academic Language

What is it?How do I know it if I see

it?

PACT Implementation ConferenceNovember 14, 2008Ann LippincottLaura Hill-BonnetTeacher Education Program - UCSB

Page 2: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

A story of epiphanies

How we came to better understand academic language

Page 3: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Epiphany 1

• We would ask professionals and policy makers “What do you mean by academic language?”

• Typical response: “Well, you know…it’s the language needed for math and social studies.”

• We argued that the language of math ≠ the language of social studies.

• We also knew that how language is used in expository texts ≠ how language is used in narrative texts

Page 4: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Therefore…

• We began to think about how we could help teacher candidates realize that academic language is more than just content-specific vocabulary.

• We also made efforts to ensure articulation across courses, quarters and instructors and in departmental professional development meetings.

Page 5: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

In early summer we ask teacher candidates

Why is language used?

How is language used?

When/Where/With whom is language used?

Page 6: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Later in summer we add

Why is language used?

How is language used?

When/Where/With whom is language used?

Purposes

Grammar and PronunciationCommunicative Competence

Page 7: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

In fall quarter we introduce

Why is language used?

How is language used?

When/Where/With whom is language used?

Purposes

Grammar and PronunciationCommunicative Competence

Functions

Forms

Fluency

Page 8: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Epiphany 2

• As we were calibrating PACT work with our colleagues, we had yet another epiphany.

• We recognized that we, as a faculty, didn’t all agree on what academic language can/should look and sound like in classroom practice.

• In fact, we had very different ideas about what constituted evidence of “academic language” as we analyzed PACT data together.

Page 9: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Therefore…

• We began to think about how we could facilitate consensus as to what constitutes evidence of “academic language” and what it can/should look and sound like in classroom practice.

• Furthermore, we began to identify additional ways we could support teacher candidates vis-à-vis our new ideas.

• We decided to build upon a common language that would explicitly address our common knowledge.

Page 10: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Functions, Forms & Fluency

• Dutro & Moran (2003) introduce the notions of functions (tasks), forms (tools) and fluency (derived from opportunities to practice).

• Provides an architectural metaphor that can be used in multiple contexts (instructional, supervisory, mentorship).

Page 11: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Academic Language Functions

• Functions (Dutro & Moran, pp. 232-233)– The tasks or purposes AND uses of language.– We use language to accomplish something in formal or

informal settings, for social or academic purposes.– Social purposes include: exchanging greetings,

expressing needs, making jokes, exchanging greetings, indicating agreement or disagreement, participating in personal conversations, etc.

Page 12: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Academic Language Functions

Dutro & Moran

• Navigating written text• Asking/answering informational questions• Asking/answering clarifying questions• Relating information• Comparing and contrasting• Explaining cause and effect• Justifying and persuading• Drawing conclusions• Summarizing• Evaluating• Conducting research

Page 13: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Academic Language FunctionsChamot and O’Malley

• Seek Information - use who, what, when, where, how• Inform - recount information or retell• Compare - explain graphic organizer showing contrast• Order - describe timeline, continuum or cycle• Classify - describe organizing principles• Analyze - describe features or main idea• Infer - generate hypotheses to suggest cause/outcomes • Justify & Persuade - give evidence why “A” is important• Solve Problems - describe problem-solving procedures• Synthesize - summarize information cohesively• Evaluate - identify criteria, explain priorities, etc.

Page 14: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Language Function: Compare/Contrast

Marine mammals Ocean fish

Born aliveLungsWarm bloodedProduce milk

Born from eggsGillsCold bloodedDo not produce milk

ExcellentSwimmersVertebratesLive in groups

Page 15: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Academic Language Forms: Compare/Contrast

• Sentence Frame:• ________ have __________, whereas________

have _____________.

• Marine mammals have lungs, whereas ocean fish have gills.

• Providing the mortar words will enable students to use language to compare and contrast.

Page 16: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Social Studies• In social studies, long sentences with multiple embedded clauses

are common.

• Cause and effect statements are frequent.– Because there will be more people in the world in the future, we

will need more land on which to build towns and cities.

• Various verb forms are used:– “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble.”

Augustus is supposed to have spoken these words as he lay dying. He was Rome’s first emperor, and started the first of its great building programs. He claimed that he had had over 80 temples rebuilt.

• Frequent use of pronouns it and they as referents.

Page 17: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Mathematics• Comparatives:

– 6 is greater than 4– Maria earns six times as much as Peter– Lin is as old as Roberto

• Prepositions: – (divided) into, divided by, – 2 multiplied by 6 and X exceeds 2 by 7

• Passive voice: – X is defined as a number greater than 7.

• Reversals: The number a is five less than b.

• Logical connectors: if…then– If a is positive then -a is negative.

Page 18: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Science

• Use of passive voice• Multiple embeddings• Long noun phrases serving as

subjects or objects• If…then constructions• Logical connectors (if, because,

however, consequently)

Page 19: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Fluency (Dutro & Moran, p. 242)

• The facility with which a speaker, reader and writer uses language.

• Developed through focused and deliberate engagement with a range of uses of language (both oral and written), and many opportunities to practice the newly learned forms in different contexts.

Page 20: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Epiphany 3

• We realized that the PACT Teaching Event could not be the only context which held teacher candidates responsible for academic language.

• They needed practice and support across the various contexts in which they were developing as professional educators.

Page 21: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Therefore…

• We retooled our Lesson Design Frame to hold TCs accountable for addressing academic language in their practice.– Identify learning objectives– Identify academic language functions within

learning objectives• Why K12 students are using language?

– Identify corresponding forms • How K12 students are using language

– Identify opportunities for students to express academic language

• When, where and with whom they are using language

Page 22: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Why…academic language?

• Analyze learning activities and assessments to determine the appropriate academic language function(s)

• Are K12 students – Making predictions– Justifying– Comparing/Contrasting– Explaining– Etc….

Page 23: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

How…academic language?

• Analyze academic language function(s)

• What linguistic forms do K12 students need in order to – Make predictions– Justify– Compare/Contrast– Explain– Etc…

Page 24: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

When, where and with whom…?

• Analyze learning activities for the opportunities they provide to use academic language

• When, where and with whom do K12 students have opportunities to– Make predictions– Justify– Compare/Contrast– Explain– Etc…

Page 25: Academic Language What is it? How do I know it if I see it?

Future Epiphanies??

• If the lesson plan frame includes systematic opportunities to address academic language, then will the TCs be more systematic in their thinking about the needs of ELL students in the classroom?

• We, as a faculty are in the process of examining opportunities for feedback for our TCs. Will we be systematic in our recognition of academic language in use in the K12 classroom?