The Synergy of Theory, Practice, and Language

> language) PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPM ENT The Synergy of Theory, Practice, and Language Jose Medina and Luis Javier Penton Herrera stress the importance of teacher training specifically designed for K- 8 dual language (Spanish - English) immersion programs T he restoration of b ilingua l ed ucation p ract ices in the U.S. is often regarded as starting in 1963 in Florida. " In 1963, Cuban exi les established a dual-language (DL) school (Coral Way Elementary School) in Dade County, South Florida . Believing th ey were only in exi le for a short period , the educated, middle-class Cubans set up th is Spanish-Engl ish bilingual school " (Baker, 2001 , p. 186). Since then , the number of b ilingual and DL programs in the U.S. has grown and the gift of b ilingual ism has been shared with m inority-language speakers as well as native Engl ish speakers. Accord ing to prom inent researchers in the field , the loss of ethn ic native languages-English monolingual ism-prevents m inority imm igrant students from developing their full potential (Ovando, 2003) and traps them in a cycle of poverty and fa ilure (Valdes, 1997). Thus, immersion programs have become not only a resource for native language preservation but a tool to provide equity of education to m inority and imm igrant learners. As asserted by Valdes (1997), it is important for dual-language educators to "make every effort to ensure that m inority-language ch ildren are being exposed to the highest-quality instruction possible in their native language. [DL educators] must grapple with the confl icts engendered by the fact that they must educate two very different groups of children in the same language" (p. 416) . We share Valdes's (1997) concerns about how m inority languages are taught in immersion programs, wh ich often follow the instructional and theoretical approaches of the dominant culture-English , in this case. To advance the conversation around effective pedagog ical practices in K-8 dual-immersion classrooms, we must ask: how does the syn- 24 ergy of theoret ical , practical , and linguistic components impact professional development in K-8 dual-language prog rams? Professional Development in K-8 Dual-Language Programs Professional development has been previously identified as one of the essential factors that form the core criteria of successful DL programs (Toledo-Lopez and Penton Herrera, 201 Sa ; Alan is and Rodriguez, 2008). However, as aptly stated by Korthagen (2017), a major challenge in teacher education and professional development has been "the problem of moving from intellectual understanding of the theory to enactment in practice" (p. 388). Paradoxically, this statement is also true when professional development programs overemphasize practice over theories. The incongruent harmony between theory and practice found in professional development has been identified as a gap that can hinder student outcomes (Timperley et al. , 2007) and the design of high-quality programs that target the needs of diverse young learners (Buysee, Castro, and Peisner-Feinberg, 2010). This means that, for professional development to be effective, it is necessary to provide an adequate balance between theory and practice, while acknowledging and understanding the linguistic realities of the learners involved. For professional development to be impactful in DL programs, three elements must be addressed in synergy: (1) theory, (2) practice, and (3) language, as represented in Figure 1. In the theoretical component, we focus on the three goals of dual language: (a) bilingualism and biliteracy, (b) grade-level academic ach ievement in both program Theoretical Figure 1. The synergy of theory, practice. and lang uage in dual-language (Spanish-English) immersion programs ponent addresses the importance of having students make cross-linguistic connections between the two program languages. Theoretical Component Three Goals Without a clearly delineated language allocation plan that supports the three goals of DL education , it is difficult for students to reap the benefits of participating in such programs. A clear theoretical understanding of the research and pedagogical instructional best practices that align with the three goals is, thus, imperative. Bilingualism and Biliteracy Bilingualism is the ability emergent bilingual students have to speak, listen, and understand both program languages on a continuum . Historically, subtractive labels, such as limited English-proficient (LEP), have been used to describe students who are adding English to their linguistic repertoire while attending schools in the U.S. The term we explain the orthographic differences emergent bilinguals-used by most national organizations serving DL programs-adequately captures the additive nature of learning additional languages without the loss between Spanish and English that impact of home languages and cultures. Biliteracy, read ing instruction. Lastly, the linguistic com- as an extension and deeper companion to languages, and (c) sociocultural competence (Medina , 2017). In the practical component, /anguagemagazine.com August 2019 language>< O FESSIONAL OEVELOPMENTi bilingualism, goes beyond the listening and speaking language domains and includes the students' capacity to read and write in both program languages while also being able to translate from one to the other. Traditionally, bilingual education models viewed native languages as a vehicle to facilitate students' English acquisition, whereas with a focus on biliteracy, a bidirectional transfer and emphasis on cross-linguistic comparison serve to strengthen both program languages (Medina, 2018). Grade-Level Academic Achievement in Both Program Languages Instruction of emergent bilingual students in DL programs must be grounded in the standards used to meet district, state, and national expectations. However, students learning content through two languages must be able to meet all established benchmarks in both. It is not uncommon for DL educators to mistakenly focus on offering instruction in both English and Spanish only in core content areas (i.e., language arts, science, social studies, and mathematics). Nonetheless, best practices dictate that students must also meet grade-level expectations in special classes, to include physical education, music, and/or art. Additionally, special education services and/or gifted and talented support must be provided in both program languages (Howard et al., 2018; Kennedy and Medina, 2017). The language of instruction guides the language of support. For example, DL practitioners would not provide reading or dyslexia services in English when the student's instructional need is in Spanish. Sociocultural Competence Sociocultural competence is the ability to see the similarities and differences in each other but viewing that which is diverse as an asset and an opportunity to connect rather than an obstacle to overcome (Medina, 2018). DL stakeholders-including students, staff, district leadership, parents, and community members-engaging in self-reflection and dialogue about bias, privilege, discrimination, empathy, and equity are a nonnegotiable in DL programming. Lindsey, Robins, and Terrell (2011) describe this type of self-analysis and critical conversation in schools as a paradigm shift that allows individuals and organizations to effectively describe, respond to, and plan for issues that arise in diverse environments. Without an explicit focus on sociocultural competence as a critical goal of DL education, emergent bilingual students will August 2019 languagemagazine.com 25 I \ \ PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT language, Spanish includes 27 letters that represent 24 phonemes. Eng lish, on the other hand, is an opaque language that includes between 40 and 52 phonemes produced by 26 alphabet letters. As expla ined by Mora (2016), there are only five sounds produced by the vowels in Spanish . The same is not true for English, where the five vowels can rePractical Component: Orthographic Differsult in 15 vowel sounds and t hus add to the ences and Reading Instruction murky nature of the language. This linguistic The three goals of DL programs provide the variation impacts the way in which lessons theoretical foundation that drives the read ing instruction taking place in the biliteracy need to be planned and facilitated. For example, in Spanish, the majority of words classroom . Without a clear understanding of the additive nature of the DL program model are easily decodable because of the focus on regular syllabic rules, while in Engl ish a focus and its desired outcomes, teachers risk facilitating instruction in Spanish that is guided on initial consonant sound is most common through an Engl ish-only, monolingual lens. in initial literacy practices (Morris and RosaTherefore, it is imperative that DL educators do, 2013). understand initial literacy in both Spanish The synergy between theory and pracand Engl ish to successfully bridge theory into t ice is solidified via the language instruction practice (Toledo-Lopez and Penton Herrera , that takes place in the DL classroom. The 20156). Effective practical appl ications of contrastive analysis of the two program theory in DL education serve as a way t o languages serves to remind DL educators provide b iliteracy read ing support that is that some imperative p ractices to support initial literacy in Engl ish are not needed in authentic to each of the two languages while also creating connections between them . Spanish. A s an examp le, word walls are used Mora (20 16) writes that, as a transparent in most U.S. classrooms, including those in DL programs. However, because of the transparency of the Spanish language, a traditional word wall focusing on initia l consonant sound does Nov e mber 1 3 - 16 , 2 019 • Albuquerqu e , NM 24th Annual Dual Language Conference not fully support initial literacy in Spanish. Instead, environmental print or anchor chart support should target syllabic work or tricky letters-/etras tramposas, in Spanish-like the silent h, bl v, clslz, or clklq (Beeman and Urow, 2013). Other practices that are English focused but are commonly incorporatw.laco•tm1nf r •no ■ 0 Pr 1J ed in DL classrooms where Spanish is the language of instrucJoin us as we bring together over 3,000 educators, parents, tion includ e sig ht researchers, and dual language supporters from across the words, onset-rime, U.S. and around the world for La Cosecha 2019! and guided reading. ;Seguimos con la cosecha! In learning to read in English, sight wo rds Dual Language Education of New Mexico are extremely useful Iii. "4' 1309 4th Street SW. Suite E I Albuquerque. NM 187102 I!] . for fluidity and comnot be exposed to divergent ideologies that fortify their ability to positively interact with and impact the global community in which they exist. Furthermore, DL stakeholders will never ful ly embrace their duty as defenders of equity and social justice (Medina, 2018). La ~ osecha 2019 Share • Network • Harvest • 26 ···~ II language m agazine .com prehens1on . Rhyming words 1n English, such as top, hop, and cop, are 1mperat1ve because students are able to generate and learn word fam ilies. In Span ish , because words are easily decodable, these practices are not needed (Mora, 2016) . Guided reading is also an instructional practice that is used in most DL programs, even though it is not a pedagogical strategy used in initia l Spanish literacy. Teachers utilizing guided reading in Spanish biliteracy classrooms can modify the teaching point-especially after stud ents have learned to decode-to focus on comprehension and cross-lingu istic connections. In doing so, the teacher better aligns biliteracy instructiona l p ractices with the specific needs of emergent b ilingual students enrolled in DL programs (M edina, 2017). Linguistic Component: Making CrossLinguistic Connections Language b iliteracy instruction that is grounded in the three goals of DL and also in the practitioner imp lementation of reading pedagogica l strategies that are authentic to each of the program languages must include student understand ing of t he similarit ies and differences between English and Spanish literacy components. Beeman and Urow (2013) define the " bridge" as the planned and essential moment when teachers and students engage in contrastive linguistic comparison that bring s content and language together. In th is way, students explicitly transfer what is learned in English t o Spanish and vice versa , eliminating the need for DL t eachers to reteach content. The authors add that during this important instructiona l moment, students may compare and contrast Spanish and Eng lish phonology, morphology, syntax and grammar, and pragmatics. In b ilingua l education programs, teachers have been historically encouraged to st rictly separate the two languages, but in b iliteracy classroom settings, cross-linguistic connect ions are imperative as a means to achieve the outcomes promised through DL programming. The three ways to create a bridge include side-by-side, illustration or diagram, and asi se d ice-" this is how you say it," in English (Beem an and Urow, 20 13). A side-by-side anchor chart b rings together content vocabulary, cognates, or ph rases in both languages that provide linguistic support for emergent b ilingual students. An illustration or d iagram that is labeled in both p rogram languages is the second type of bridge that can be used to further cross-ling uistic connections in the biliteracy Augu st 2 019 1 language>( PROFESS IONAL DEVEL C.M>1rn T classroom . Finally, the th ird type o f bridge, adapted from Kathy Escamilla's work at the Bueno Center, is asi se dice (see Escam illa et al. , 2013) . Students, with tea cher support, select a piece of writing in either program language and , through a series of structured steps, paraphrase through translation . As this process occurs, the contrastive analysis takes place by comparing and contrasting the identified lingu istic elements, strengthening the emergent bilingual students' ability to fully util ize their entire linguistic repertoires. Final Thoughts Different to monolingual programs, DL instruction focuses on developing the learners' interpersonal and academic vocabulary in English and in the target language, while also ensuring academic content knowledge and competency in both . Thus, impactful professional development in DL education becomes not only a need but a foundation that ensures successful implementation and practice . Historically, professional development has been offered through a subtractive and monol ingual lens where the goal is to transi- tion students to English-only instruction . For DL professional development to be successful , it needs to be conceived, planned, and facilitated with a biliteracy and bilingual focus in mind . If DL educators are tasked with establishing and ma intaining appropriate and effective didactic approaches to teach literacy to emergent bilingual learners, then the professional support provided to them must align with those goals. However, th is can only be accomplished with continuous guidance and mean ingful training that addresses best current practices in the field . It is our hope that literacy coaches, DL educators, and DL stakeholders-at all levels-find tools that will help them advance their programs by considering the specificities of initial literacy acquisition in both languages. ta ining a Dual Language Immersion Program: Features of success." Journal of Latinos and Education, 7(4), 305-319. Baker, C. (2001). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism (3rd ed.). Tonawanda, NY: Multilingual Matters Ltd . EST ....... .. ------· _116!1,6.L:.! • 1 ■ 1!'" ·.:. . . . . . . . . I -----t..-- RANKl..i... S for Biliteracy: Strengthening Bridges between Languages. Ph iladelph ia , PA: Caslon Publishing . Buysse, V. , Castro, D. C. , and Peisner-Feinberg, E. (2010). "Effects of a Professional Development Program on Classroom Practices and Outcomes for Latino Dual Language Learners." Early Childhood Research Quar- terly, 25, 194-206. Escam illa , K., Hopewell, S., Butvilofsky, S., Sparrow, W., Soltero-Gonzalez, L. , RuizFigueroa, 0 ., and Escamilla , M . (2013). Biliteracy from the Start: Literacy Squared in Action. Ph iladelphia, PA: Caslon Publishing . Howard, E. R., Lindholm-Leary, K. J ., Rogers, D., Olague, N., Medina, J., Kennedy, B., Sugarman, J ., and Christian, D. (2018). Guiding Principles for Dual Language EduReferences Alanfs, I., and Rodrfguez, M . A. (2008). "Sus- *TOP 10* PUBLIC SCHOOLS 2018 :-::......t= Beeman, K., and Urow, C. (201 3). Tea ching cation (3rd ed .). Washington , DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Korthagen, F. (2017). "Inconvenient Truths about Teacher Learning : Towards professional development 3.0." Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 23(4), 387-405. Kennedy, B., and Medina, J. (2017). "Dual Language Education : Answers to questions We've raised the standard in continuing education so you can raise yours. • Preapproved professional development provider in, MA, TX, and WA! • 100% online • Affordable tuition • Fast-track programs • Enroll anytime Finally, professional development for educators that works as hard as you do. LEARN MORE: extension. ucsd .edu/PD UCSanDiego EXTENSION August 2019 languagemagazine.com 27 > language PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT from the field." CA L practitioner brief. http:// www.ca/.org/ resource-center/ briefs/dua/-/anguage-education-answers-to-questions-from- the-field Lindsey, R., Robins, K. N., and Terrell, R. D. (2011 ). Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Medina, J. (201 8). "The Importance of Cultural Proficiency in Servi ng Emergent Bilingual Students." Keynote address, Symposium on California's Future: Dreams, Demands, Diversity; Los Angeles Unified School District, Los Angeles, CA. M edina, J. (2017). " Guided Reading ... /ectura g uiada .. Oh, M y!" Session presented at the La Cosecha Conference; A lbuquerque, NM. Medina, J. (2017). Oue? You Don't Know the Three Pillars of Dual Language?" Dual Language Schools.org. https:llduallanguage- "z schools.orgl post/3-pillars-dual-languagel Mora, J. K. (2016). Spanish Language Pe dagogy fo r Biliteracy Programs. San Diego, CA: Montezuma Publishing. Morris, L. and Rosado, L. A. (2013). Desarrollo de/ espafiol para maestros en programas de educaci6n b ilingue. Arlington, TX: LM iOO Educational Consultant. Ovando, C. J. (2003). " Bilingual Education in the United States: Historical development and current issues." Bilingual Research Journal, 27(1), 1-24. doi .org/ 10.1080/ 15235882.2 003 .101 62589 Timperley, H., Wilson , A., Barrar, H., and Fung , I. (2007). Teacher Professional Learning and Deve lopme nt: Best Evid e nce Synthesis Ite ration . Wellington, New Zealand: M inistry of Education. Toledo-Lopez, A. A. , and Penton Herrera, L. J. (20 15a). " Language Immersion for Adult Learners: Bridging gaps from childhood t o college." Florida Foreign Language Journal, 11 (1), 10-56. Toledo-Lopez, A. A. , and Penton Herrera, L. J. (20156). " Facilitators' Perspectives: Strategies that work in higher education dual language immersion settings." NABE Perspectives, 38(3), 16-22. Valdes, G. (1997). " Dual-Language Immersion Programs: A cautionary note concerning the education of language-mino rity students." Harvard Educational Review, 67(3), 391-430. doi.org/ 10.17763/ haer.67 .3.n5q175qp86120948 Jose Medina, EdD (www.dr1osemed1na com), Is the founder and CEO of Dr Jose Medina . Educational Solutions In this role, Dr. Medina provides professional development , technical assistance, and Job-embedded support to educators and administrators serving in DL programs across the U.S. and abroad. Prior to th is, Jose was the d irector for global language and culture education at the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL). He is also a co-autho r of the Guid ing Principles for Dual Language Education (3rd edition). Luis Javier Penton Herrera, PhD (https:/1 /uispenton.com or luis.penton@gmail.com), is an English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) teacher in a public high school and an adjunct professor in TESOL at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and Spanish at University of Maryland, University College (UMUC). He is serving on the Maryland Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (MD TESOL) Board of Directors as its president (2018-2019). His research focuses on bilingual education, Spanish, ESUESOL, literacy education, and problem-based service learning (PBSL). m Turn your classroom into an ACTIVE LISTENING LAB that sparks students' imaginations! Awesome Audio for Kids Why use Pinna? What is Pinna? • ALL THE BEST AUDIO, ALL IN ONE PLACE for Pre-K through 6th grade students! ✓ Builds listening, vocabulary & comprehension skills ./ Models fluency & expression ./ Develops background knowledge ./ Helps narrow the achievement gap ./ Makes books and stories accessible to • Over 1,600+ podcast episodes, songs & audiobooks - kidSAFE & COPPA compliant KYL;;,:.. . ..f1 A r 1· . ·1 ~ ,· 28 WILD Happy - all learners ./ Supports STEAM curricula A .• ~ ~~ . WORL D languagemagazine.com August 20 19