Resource to bridge language and learning

Abstract

This brief highlights a toolkit resource to support multilingual learners (MLLs) with literacy in STEM. Bridging Language and Learning: Empowering Multilingual Learners in STEM was created for the Department of Defense and its collaborative network of STEM-focused organizations called the Defense STEM Education Consortium. These partners work together to create opportunities for learning and leadership to ensure all students thrive in rigorous STEM classrooms. The resource provides formal and informal STEM practitioners with five essential practices to empower students’ language development and literacy skills in a STEM context: (1) creating a welcoming and warm culture and climate; (2) building background knowledge to create a foundation of knowledge and understanding; (3) actively and explicitly developing vocabulary familiarity and automaticity; (4) providing structured opportunities for speaking and listening practice daily; (5) providing multiple opportunities for students to express ideas, thoughts, and information in writing. The toolkit offers 142 strategies for practitioners categorized into these five essential practices and 135 live links to templates and resources for educators to address the specific language needs of their students, including MLLs. These literacy practices for STEM content can be embedded within pre-existing instructional practices in classrooms, outdoor spaces, or wherever learning takes place.
As educators, when time is invested to engage our families and community, meaningful connection is the goal. All too often, our efforts are not based on research and evidence and therefore fall short of actions needed to spark and sustain true engagement. In the following white paper, you will learn about RTI International’s approach to family and community engagement (FACE), the research behind FACE, and more in-depth explanations on how a district makes progress in this area.