8/15/2024

Empowering Emergent Bilinguals: Integrating Oral Literacy in the Classroom

More than 5 million Emergent Bilinguals (EB) are recorded in the United States. Sixty-four percent of teachers today report at least one English Learner in their classroom, with that figure growing and continuing to climb. Yet, when creating curriculum for these students, only 3% of educators in the United States are experts on this unique population of students.

When considering methods to improve the literacy skills of their Emergent Bilinguals, educators often start with reading comprehension strategies and phonics. While these skills are an important component of the literacy equation, they are missing a critical piece in multilingual student success. 

The science of reading encompasses not just phonics and word recognition but also oral language comprehension and acquisition, which is often neglected in the classroom. Simply using evidence-based reading techniques does not help students with their comprehension.

In fact, because of the lack of organized instruction around language comprehension and oral language, Emergent Bilinguals lack the foundational language skills to carry them into the upper-elementary grades, and more complex literary texts. 

So, why is oral literacy so integral to multilingual students, and how can incorporating these practices into the classroom improve student outcomes?  

How Does Oral Language Support Literacy Development?

1. Monolinguals vs. Emergent Bilinguals in the Classroom

A critical component in academic success for multilingual students is being able to fully comprehend academic language and instruction. For monolingual English speakers, comprehending instruction is virtually effortless, understanding around 95% of the words an instructor uses. However, for Emergent Bilinguals, this is not the case, and their understanding and production of spoken English are crucial to being proficient in literary texts and fully succeeding in any academic subject. 

A language barrier should not be an obstacle to content-based learning, subject understanding, and classroom participation. This is why it is crucial to have targeted, explicit instruction in oral literacy and English language acquisition. Without targeted English language instruction, Emergent Bilinguals will fall behind their peers who already have a base understanding of the English language.

2. Literacy and Speaking are Connected

To achieve English literacy, students must be able to be able to speak the language. By engaging in speaking practice, students are able to stimulate the metacognitive functions of the brain. This creates a feedback loop where students learn through practice and real-time feedback. While literacy and speaking are often thought of as separate skills, it’s important to work on developing both concurrently, to encourage the positive feedback loop in the brain and help Emergent Bilinguals acquire language through practice. 

By understanding the importance of oral literacy and incorporating oral language practice in the classroom, students are not only able to use their metalinguistic brain function, but they are also able to develop a base understanding of the English language that is vital in learning how to read. 

3. The Gap in Grammar

Grammar is vital to language understanding and production, however, there is a huge difference between how native speakers acquire grammar and how Emergent Bilinguals do. While native speakers learn passively through instruction, listening, and context clues, Emergent Bilinguals need active grammar practice to fully understand and acquire a language. For this reason, speaking practice, oral literacy, and active utilization of the English language are vital to Emergent Bilingual literacy. 

The current language education model is tailored to how native English speakers learn and acquire language, as opposed to how Emergent Bilinguals use and acquire language. To create an equitable classroom and instructional model that will lead to multilingual students' success, instruction needs to be tailored toward how multilingual students learn, and that means prioritizing oral literacy, and the development of a systematic and explicit language development program. 

A Comprehensive Approach to Literacy

Now that we know the why behind supporting oral language skills in the classroom, how can educators effectively integrate oral literacy in the classroom to help their Emergent Bilinguals? 

Scaffold Language Instruction

One method to help Emergent Bilinguals with their language acquisition and oral fluency is to scaffold instruction. By organizing lessons to include instruction on oral language skills and written language skills concurrently, EBs will be able to improve their reading skills and overall language skills simultaneously. 

Similarly, by breaking down language into key components, students can find their weak spots, learn from their mistakes, and feel supported in their journey of learning foundational language skills.

One method of scaffolding language instruction is using language frames. In this method, certain keywords are removed from a sentence, and students then fill in the missing words with acquired vocabulary. By using language frames, students are not only able to build on their oral and written language skills simultaneously, but they are also provided with an instructional model that is adapted to their individual levels and needs. 

When providing support for Emergent Bilinguals, meet them at their level and provide them with the tools needed to support their foundational oral language skills. 

Switch Things Up

While it can feel more organized to instruct literacy skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing separately, it does a disservice to Emergent Bilinguals acquiring language. 

In the real world, students are often faced with situations where they may have to combine receptive (language understanding) and expressive (language producing) language skills, using different areas of the brain at the same time. 

Additionally, Emergent Bilinguals will be faced with interactions with those who have varied levels of English language proficiency. 

Educators must provide diverse practice and instructional experiences for students to simulate these real-world circumstances and help solidify their understanding. 

One way to diversify instruction is to allow students to interact with a diverse range of students during speaking practice. Use mixed skill-level groups to help EBs learn from their peers and similar skill-level groups to practice and introduce new concepts in a comfortable learning environment.  

By diversifying instructional activities, students will be better able to solidify their knowledge by practicing skills in different contexts and be more prepared for subject-based learning in the future. 

Utilize Adaptive Learning Technology

One of the most effective and easy ways to improve outcomes for Emergent Bilinguals is to incorporate Adaptive Blended Learning technology into the classroom. Many tools and resources are on the market developed by experts in the science of reading and designed specifically for Emergent Bilinguals. 

For example, in Lexia English Language Development™, a language development program designed for EBs, 57% of the time used is spent in conversation. Because of this bias toward practical speaking practice, Lexia English students outperform non-users in language proficiency assessments by an estimated 10%–40%. Incorporating technological tools in the classroom can be a game-changer for the outcomes of Emergent Bilinguals. 

Using inclusive adaptive technology can also help students feel seen and included in their cultural heritage and background, leading to greater confidence inside and outside of the classroom. 

“My students are less hesitant to speak when using the program, and it’s a confidence booster for them.” —ESL Teacher, Louisianna

By using learning technology in the classroom, educators can more effectively personalize and scaffold instruction, automate oral literacy and traditional reading practice, and focus their energy and time on giving students individualized, targeted assistance. 

The Bottom Line

A non-integrated literacy approach is not viable for Emergent Bilinguals and multilingual students without incorporating the essential skills of oral literacy and English language instruction. By developing a program that works on oral and traditional literacy skills concurrently, or by integrating adaptive learning technology with speaking practice into the classroom, multilingual students will be less likely to fall behind or struggle in their English acquisition. 

To learn more about the role of oral literacy in multilingual student education from expert panelists, check out Lexia’s recent webinar, How Diverse Language Experiences Shape Learning.