Supporting English Language Learners in a Distance Environment
Approximately 5 million K-12 students in the US are English-language learners. Prior to distance learning, this important and growing subgroup was a top priority when addressing the opportunity and equity gap. Distance learning has only intensified the level of urgency.
How do we increase face-to-face interactions without increasing anxiety so that these students stay cognitively and emotionally engaged?
San Mateo teachers and counselors in grades 4–8 implemented Thrively lessons as a way to place greater emphasis on social-emotional learning (SEL) for their larger English learner population. Prior to the summer, students had only been exposed to social-emotional learning on a limited basis. “Providing social-emotional learning experiences once a week wasn’t nearly enough to meet the needs of our students. Our team used the summer to weave SEL into the structure of the day,” explained lead counselor Jennifer Ramberg.
Teachers found surprising opportunities to use Thrively SEL lessons. They were finding that students were eager to use Thrively, so teachers allowed students who had completed an assignment early to explore Thrively’s career pathways and curated websites. While these students maintained intense focus, others had trouble concentrating. “When we found that a student was having trouble staying on task, we assigned Thrively lessons in mindfulness.”
“Our English learners found the read-aloud options in the lessons helpful, which is not only less anxiety-producing, but it builds their listening skills as well. Thrively made it easy for teachers and counselors to record video and audio feedback, which our students appreciated.”
As teachers went deeper into the platform, they saw that it was so much more than SEL. “We began to explore goal development and career pathways. We told our students, ‘you don’t have to decide what you want to be, just focus on what you’re good at.’ That was really empowering for our students.”
“In the fall, we’re going to pull parents into the loop. We’ll meet with parents in Spanish and English and share the Thrively assessment data in both languages. Parents will be able to use the information with their children to deepen understanding and build on their strengths.” We’re also excited to show parents Thrively content and know they’ll find it a safer place to be than just YouTube,” explained Ramberg.
What’s next for San Mateo: Increased student-to-student interactions using Thrively’s collaboration resource and authentic projects. English learners will collaborate in small groups and comment on and discuss one another’s ideas. “We’re looking forward to increasing the cognitive demand for this student group while putting them at ease with their peers,” said Ramberg.
Thrively is thrilled to partner with San Mateo as they continue to make learning engaging and relevant for all learners while providing extra support for English learners.
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Originally published at blog.thrively.com