Discussion 3: Cummins, context-reduced and cognitively demanding list: Submission Preview

The submissions for this assignment are posts in the assignment's discussion. Below are the discussion posts for Jessica Frances Rumel Mirch, or you can view the full discussion.

Jessica Frances Rumel Mirch

Hi Karen,

I imagine teaching poetry to ELL students is especially challenging. English is my first language, and I find poetry interpretation to be tough work. I remember doing poetry interpretation in school and always asking the teacher afterward, "why didn't the author just say that then?" I can imagine that feeling is even greater when trying to dissect a poem in a secondary language!

Jessica Frances Rumel Mirch

BICS: (1) Having an informal conversation with a peer or teacher; (2) talking on the telephone; (3) watching a movie; (4) listening to the radio

CALPS: (1) Taking notes in class lecture; (2) reading from a textbook; (3) solving math problems; (4) writing a science lab; (5) taking a written test.

My entire math curriculum is comprised of cognitively demanding tasks. I think I always get caught thinking that math is a "universal language" and because it doesn't require reading a novel that ELL students shouldn't have trouble with the material. (The slide in the Challenges for ELL Students in Mathematics was very helpful)!

One way that I've adjusted my lessons to help all learners is by making video tutorials of key examples. Students really enjoy these videos and often reference them when studying or trying to remember how to complete problems. I'm not quite sure how that fits into the BICS/CALP continuum, because it's really the same as listening to a lecture. But - I think something about being able to listen to it again from home and being able to pause the video is really helpful. I think in the future I can make better use of technology to incorporate lessons that context embedded. There are a lot of cool online quiz software programs now that allow you to record audio and/or video and have students respond to a prompt (doesn't have to be written). Maybe I could record a video about two students debating the correct way to solve a problem, and then the question prompt could be to describe which student you think is correct and why. Hopefully giving students more of an opportunity to talk aloud what they are thinking (versus just writing it down) would give ELL students the opportunity to use the conversational language skills they are fluent in. I'm open to feedback because I'm still not sure if what I'm describing fully falls on the BICS/CAL continuum?

BICS: (1) Having an informal conversation with a peer or teacher; (2) talking on the telephone; (3) watching a movie; (4) listening to the radio
CALPS: (1) Taking notes in class lecture; (2) reading from a textbook; (3) solving math problems; (4) writing a science lab; (5) taking a written test. 
My entire math curriculum is comprised of cognitively demanding tasks. I think I always get caught thinking that math is a "universal language" and because it doesn't require reading a novel that ELL students shouldn't have trouble with the material.  (The slide in the Challenges for ELL Students in Mathematics was very helpful)!
One way that I've adjusted my lessons to help all learners is by making video tutorials of key examples.  Students really enjoy these videos and often reference them when studying or trying to remember how to complete problems.  I'm not quite sure how that fits into the BICS/CALP continuum, because it's really the same as listening to a lecture. But - I think something about being able to listen to it again from home and being able to pause the video is really helpful.  I think in the future I can make better use of technology to incorporate lessons that context embedded.  There are a lot of cool online quiz software programs now that allow you to record audio and/or video and have students respond to a prompt (doesn't have to be written).  Maybe I could record a video about two students debating the correct way to solve a problem, and then the question prompt could be to describe which student you think is correct and why.  Hopefully giving students more of an opportunity to talk aloud what they are thinking (versus just writing it down) would give ELL students the opportunity to use the conversational language skills they are fluent in. I'm open to feedback because I'm still not sure if what I'm describing fully falls on the BICS/CAL continuum?