Ivannia Soto 
Shadowing Multilingual Learners 

Walk in your Students’ Shoes with Multilingual Learner Shadowing

 

The need for powerful professional learning to enable Multilingual Learners reach their full potential is more profound than ever. MLL shadowing is a way to create urgency around the instructional and academic needs of Multilingual Learners. The MLL Shadowing protocol is used to collect data on MLL’s opportunities for speaking and listening–the building blocks for reading and writing–in our classrooms.  



Updated after 10 years of research and practice, the second edition of this bestselling resource includes an overview on the importance of oral language development, information on preparing the shadowing experience, the complete shadowing protocol, a guide for analyzing the shadowing experience and key oral language development strategies. The new edition also adds improved data collection for oral language expression, as well as highlights updated research and classroom practice concerning new policies and programs implemented across the country. A comprehensive guide to ELL shadowing is presented alongside:

• Detailed case studies showing real-world examples


• Guidelines for analyzing and reflecting on the shadowing experience


• Guidelines for shadowing in a virtual environment


• Guidelines for shadowing in a multilingual environment


• An assets-based orientation to student learning and the use of achievement data to improve ELL education

This book provides an entry point for broader, systemic improvement that will serve ELLs in more varied instructional settings, including monolingual and bilingual programs.

Table of Content

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

WHAT’S NEW IN THIS EDITION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION

SECTION I: PURPOSE OF SHADOWING

CHAPTER 1: CREATING A SENSE OF URGENCY

Four Essential Shifts Educators Must Make on Behalf of Multilingual Learners

Preparing Teachers to Instruct Multilingual Learners

Organization of the Book

CHAPTER 2: HISTORY AND CONTEXT OF SHADOWING

Development of the Shadowing Process

Types of Shadowing Projects

MLL Shadowing Processes

CHAPTER 3: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOSUE, A MULTILINGUAL LEARNER

Student Profile of Josue

Debriefing the MLL Shadowing Experience

SECTION II: RESEARCH BASE

CHAPTER 4: THE ROLE OF ACADEMIC SPEAKING

The 15-Minute Rule

Teacher-Guided Reporting

Graphic Organizer for Teacher-Guided Reporting

Benefits of Language Talk for MLLs

Monitoring Academic Speaking During MLL Shadowing

MLL Shadowing Codes for Academic Speaking

CHAPTER 5: THE IMPORTANCE OF ACTIVE LISTENING

Nunan’s Quadrants of Listening

Coding for Academic Listening

SECTION III: PREPARATION FOR SHADOWING

CHAPTER 6: PREPARING FOR A SHADOWING TRAINING

Organizing and Setting Up a Shadowing Project

Districtwide MLL Shadowing

Data Talk for MLL Shadowing Debriefing

Targeting Professional Development According to MLL Needs

CHAPTER 7: HOW TO USE THE SHADOWING PROTOCOL

MLL Shadowing Protocol Overview

SECTION IV: DEBRIEFING THE SHADOWING EXPERIENCE

CHAPTER 8: ANALYZING AND REFLECTING ON THE RESULTS OF SHADOWING

Debriefing the MLL Shadowing Experience

CHAPTER 9: USING THE RESULTS TO LEVERAGE CHANGE

MLL Shadowing Next Steps: Needs Assessment

SECTION V: NEXT STEPS WITH SHADOWING MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS

CHAPTER 10: NEXT STEPS AND FOLLOW-UP TO SHADOWING MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS

MLL Follow-Up on Academic Language Development

Conclusion

APPENDIX A: SHADOWING MULTILINGUAL LEARNERS RESOURCES

Road to Reclassification: Academic Goal Setting

MLL Shadowing Protocol Form

Norwalk–La Mirada Shadowing Multilingual Learners Sample Agenda: Half-Day Schedule

Santa Barbara County Shadowing Multilingual Learners Sample Agenda

Shadowing Multilingual Learners Next Steps: Needs Assessment

Shadowing Multilingual Learners Experience: Reflection

Blank MLL Student Profile for Shadowing

Norwalk–La Mirada Shadowing Multilingual Learners Sample Agenda: Full-Day Schedule

APPENDIX B: ACADEMIC LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES

Think-Pair-Share

Discourse Sentence Frames for Multiple Purposes

Listening and Speaking Visual Reminders

FRAYER MODEL—Strategy for Vocabulary Development

Reciprocal Teaching Organizer

Reciprocal Teaching Role Cards

Questioner/Connector Cards

Teacher-Guided Reporting Organizer

Academic Language Development Lesson Plan

The Tuning Protocol

INDEX

About the author

Ivannia Soto, Ph D , is a professor of education and the director of graduate programs at Whittier College, where she specializes in language acquisition, systemic reform for English language learners (ELLs), and urban education. She began her career in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where she taught English and English language development to a population of 99.9% Latinos, who either were or had been multilingual learners. Before becoming a professor, Soto also served LAUSD as a literacy coach as well as district office and county office administrator. She has presented on literacy and language topics at various conferences, including the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), the California Association for Bilingual Association (CABE), the American Educational Research Association (AERA), and the National Council of Urban Education Associations. As a consultant, Soto has worked with Stanford University’s School Redesign Network (SRN), West Ed, and CABE, as well as a variety of districts and county offices in California, providing technical assistance for systemic reform for ELLs and Title III. Recently, Soto also directed a CABE bilingual teacher and administrator program across California. Soto has authored and coauthored 12 books, including The Literacy Gaps: Bridge-Building Strategies for English Language Learners and Standard English Learners; ELL Shadowing as a Catalyst for Change, a best seller that was recognized by Education Trust–West as a promising practice for ELLs in 2018; Moving From Spoken to Written Language With ELLs; the Academic English Mastery four-book series; the Common Core Companion four-book series for English language development; Breaking Down the Wall; and Responsive Schooling for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Together, the books tell a story of how to equitably engage and include multilingual learners by ensuring that they gain voice and an academic identity in the classroom setting. Soto is executive director of the Institute for Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Teaching (ICLRT) at Whittier College, whose mission it is to promote relevant research and develop academic resources for ELLs and Standard English learners (SELs) via linguistically and culturally responsive teaching practices/