Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1463867
D E S I G N I N G I N S T R U C T I O N that is accessible to English learners (ELs), or multilingual learners, is of the utmost importance. It's simply not enough to make content available to learners. at's like being given a car but no keys to use it. Equitable instruction is instruction that provides every learner with what they need for academic success. In recent years, there has been a positive shift in the way educators view and teach multilingual learners — recognizing the linguistic, aca- demic, and cultural assets they bring. e reality is that multilingual learners enter our classrooms with unique lived experiences and tra- ditions that add value to instruction. Teachers face the challenge of ensuring that multilingual learners are gaining content and developing language without falling behind in either. Multilingual learners who experience grade-level instruction with additional linguistic support tend to do better in school and have a greater chance of mastery. But how does that happen when we have mountains of content to cover and grades to gather? How do we create lessons that are accessi- ble and meaning ful for multilingual learners? What does that look like in the lesson plans and in instructional practice? Scaffolds and accommodations for writing include offering sentence starters or paragraph frames and encouraging drawing, labeling and use of the first language. Methods That Make Instruction Accessible to ELs 1. Infuse instruction with peer-to-peer discussion and exploration. Thi s student-centered practice allow s multi lin gu al l earn ers to bui l d th eir li st enin g an d sp eaking v o cabularies as th ey n egotiat e m eaning. There may be much content to cover, but hiding it behind a lecture that multilingual learners may not comprehend does little good. It's important for mul- ti lingual l earn ers to unc over th eir und erstandin g through interacting with peers. When I began carving out more space for student talk, even though quiet classrooms were encouraged by colleagues and some administrators, it was chal- lenging for a few reasons: • Multilingual learners weren't talking even when I asked them to. Lack of linguistic support, uncer- tainty about expectations, fear or anxiety about speaking in a new language, and other factors seemed to contribute to their silence. • Sometimes the talk was uncontrollably loud. • Conversations often seemed to stray from the topic. ways to make instruction accessible for multilingual learners By Valentina Gonzalez The Language of Success 43 A P R I L / M AY 2 0 2 2 Teaching & Learning