51吃瓜网

Unfortunately,听without substantial support,听Luis听won鈥檛 get听the hang of it.听A听lack of intentional and targeted attention to his language needs during听science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)听lessons听is likely to affect听not only听Luis鈥檚 interest and confidence in doing and learning science听but the ease with which he learns to read and write in English as well.

As schools continue to reopen for听in-person听learning, and given the educational inequities uncovered and exacerbated by the pandemic, it鈥檚 more important than ever to create early STEM environments that work for听and support听all children.听In听our听ongoing听work with early childhood and elementary educators听at Education Development Center in Waltham, Massachusetts, we have identified four fundamental factors that influence the degree to which teachers are able to fuel science inquiry with multilingual learners while simultaneously promoting equitable and inclusive classroom science environments:

1.听Commit to Hands-on/Minds-on, Engaging Science

High-quality science instruction introduces children to big science ideas, engages them in actively doing science, and provides a rich context for language development. Here鈥檚 what you can do to commit to active, inclusive learning with science:

• Engage children with interesting phenomena that they are motivated to explore and talk about. For example, teach about forces and motion by facilitating ramp explorations using a variety of balls, blocks, and ramps made from easy to find materials like cardboard, cove molding, or pipe insulation.
• Facilitate intentionally sequenced explorations that听gradually build understanding and language. For example, you might begin by having children investigate听how different balls roll on a variety of flat surfaces;听then听observe听how far balls roll coming off different inclines; and lastly explore how much weight different balls can knock down. Introduce, discuss, and intentionally teach increasingly challenging vocabulary including ball, big and small, heavy and light, far and farther, surface, ramp, incline, and force in context.
• Explain less and listen more. Encourage children听to express what they are doing,听noticing, and thinking听about听with questions听such as,听鈥淲hat happened when you tried听to听knock down the cup听with these two balls?鈥澨齛nd comments such as,听鈥淚 wonder how the ball will roll if you lift that end up higher.鈥澨鼴reak听down听big questions for听multilingual听learners while promoting their inquiry at a high level.听You might ask, for example, 鈥淲hich ball knocked down the cup? Was it the heavy ball or the light ball?鈥�
• Provide multiple ways for children to express their observations and thinking, including through demonstration, drawing, and making models using blocks,听playdough, and other materials.听Closely observe children鈥檚 behavior with materials and their artifacts so you can听narrate what they听are doing, noticing, and wondering about听and provide听the relevant vocabulary in English.听听

2.听Establish an Inclusive Climate for Science Inquiry听

When evaluating your classroom climate for听effective听STEM听teaching and听learning with multilingual learners, consider the following reflective questions:听How do children and adults interact and communicate with each other during science activities and discussions? Who does the talking and who does the listening? Are all children actively engaged and participating? Here are some ideas for creating and maintaining an inclusive climate:

• Don鈥檛听equate what students know or can do in science with what they are able to express in English.听Be aware of how you position yourself,听how you听move about the classroom, and听how you听interact with students听during science activities. Are there any patterns in how individual students鈥� contributions are requested, recognized, or reinforced? Are you reinforcing the strong message that everyone is a member of the classroom science learning community?
• When prompting engagement, use questions that center on children鈥檚 experiences and perspectives rather than suggest correct answers. When听introducing a new topic, draw upon children鈥檚 prior experience with related phenomena at home and in the community. For example, before a unit on plants you might ask, 鈥淒oes your family have any plants at home? How does your family take care of them?鈥� Asking families to share their interests or to share photos of plants they have at home before beginning the unit can help you support these conversations in the classroom.
• Use exploration materials, props, and images as cues to language and concepts. For example, when reading a book about planting, have seeds, a cup of dirt, and a mature plant available to preview or to simultaneously demonstrate while reading a story. During science talks, invite children to use these materials to demonstrate what they did and noticed for their peers while you narrate their actions in English.听
• Group students intentionally during hands-on explorations so all students have opportunities to build relationships with one another. Periodically group听multilingual听learners with peers who speak the same home language听and have different levels of proficiency in English.听听

3.听Break Down the Silos Between Science, Language, and Literacy听

In spite of听the research indicating that science and literacy are better together, a whole host of factors听can听stand in the way of children鈥檚 access to more integrated science-language-literacy experiences in classrooms.听Here鈥檚听what you can do听to break down these silos:

• Plan for,听introduce, and repeatedly use words that are fundamental to the group鈥檚 investigations, that can be used in everyday situations, and that build on children鈥檚 current vocabularies. In a worm study, for example, these might be words such as long, soft, head, tail, crawl, wiggle, burrow, or environment, depending on children鈥檚 language levels and where you are in the worm study. Send home a list of target words and ask families to use them in the home language with their children in relevant contexts.
• Use听images in听fiction and nonfiction texts to introduce, discuss, and reinforce听topical vocabulary relevant to children鈥檚 own investigations.听For example, discuss images听that show听worms鈥� physical characteristics,听what they eat,听and how they make their homes in books,听such as听,听by Wendy Pfeffer,听making comparisons to the real worms听that听children are observing in a classroom terrarium.听Whenever possible,听ask听an adult who shares a home language of children in the class听to听preview the book in the home language before reading it to them in English.听
• Recruit听families or community members to help you learn cognates (words in different languages with a similar root and meaning) in English and children鈥檚 home languages. There are many English/Spanish cognates including science/ciencia, observe/observer, characteristic/肠补谤补肠迟别谤铆蝉迟颈肠补蝉, color/color, garden/jardin, and habitat/habitat. Use these to make connections to new vocabulary in English and integrate them into a print-rich environment that includes children鈥檚 home languages.

4.听Partner with听Families听

Family support is a听key听driver听of children鈥檚 science interests, attitudes, and听self-confidence听and may even influence their later career choices.听You can enrich听multilingual听learners鈥櫶齢ome and school听science听experiences by making explicit science and language听connections听and supporting children鈥檚 use of their home language.听Here鈥檚听what you can do:听

• Host听family exploration events. An in-person event at school during a structures unit might include stations where families and children can build structures together using hard and soft blocks, make and measure paper cup towers, and create structures stories in their home languages using wordless picture books, such as听,听by Pat Hutchins.听Scheduling this as a drop-in event听enables more families to听attend.听If families can鈥檛 make it to the school, consider hosting a virtual event and听demonstrating explorations听using commonplace household materials鈥攕uch as听building with clean,听empty food containers鈥攖hey might facilitate at home with their children.
• Share at-home tip sheets in children鈥檚 home languages to encourage explorations that can be integrated into family routines, such as engaging children in fix-it tasks using simple tools. Make explicit for families how these investigations support children鈥檚 science and language learning, especially when they use their preferred home language with their children. Ask families to share photos and short videos of these experiences so that you can use them as a focus for science talks.
• Ensure that communication is flowing both ways and not just from school to home. Conduct family interviews either in-person or virtually to obtain information about children鈥檚 day-to-day language environments and parents鈥� perspectives on their children鈥檚 home language development. Inquire about families鈥� science-related interests, hobbies, or work so you can make curricular connections or plan for in-person or virtual visits during which multilingual learners鈥� families can share their expertise on specific topics with the whole class.听听听

In our work with teachers, we have found that these four readiness factors are fundamental to high-quality science-teaching for听multilingual learners. However,听we also know that听teachers and听professional learning programs do not operate in isolation. They are dependent on the willingness of听administrators,听schools, and districts听to听commit to听creating听the fertile听ground听in which authentic, inclusive听science-teaching practices can take root, grow, and flourish.听听