complexlanguage.org | July 2013
Framing the Development of
Complex Language & Literacy
Similar to the oil and gears in an elaborate machine, complex academic language is vital both for making learning happen and for demonstrating one’s learning. In order to succeed in school, all students need opportunities to develop complex language that is associated with learning in content domains. For academic English learners (AELs), in particular, the development of complex language and literacy is one of the most important factors in their academic success and has been increasingly cited as a major contributor to gaps in achievement (Anstrom et al., 2010; Francis, Rivera, Lesaux, Kieffer, & Rivera, 2006). The Common Core State Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, WIDA ELD Standards, and others have added an exciting and challenging layer to this story. The exciting part is that many of the new standards focus on robust development of disciplinary thinking and communication skills, which better prepare all students for success in college. The challenging part is that these skills require large amounts of receptive, productive, and interactive complex language. The Common Core State Standards, for example, place a high emphasis on argument-­‐based reasoning, reading and writing complex texts, and engaging in academic discourse across disciplines. Such skills demand much more advanced abilities to use academic syntax and communication skills than learning that is based on memorization multiple choice. This new layer is also highly challenging because the widely varying backgrounds and needs of academic English learners, such as their language and literacy skills in English, are not specifically addressed in the Common Core or Next Generation Science standards. Explicit attention to complex language instruction, coupled with extended opportunities for students to use such language, is needed in classrooms with English learners and other students who struggle to understand and use the language of school (Anstrom et al., 2010). Yet this is seldom the kind of instruction we see in classrooms with large numbers of ELs. One reason for this is the lack of clarity about evidence-­‐based classroom practices. A second reason is the lack of support for teachers’ growth in instructional practice. Identifying classroom practices associated with academic language proficiency growth and then targeting these practices in professional development provides a powerful approach for improving the quality of instruction for our nations ELs. The Complex Language Development Network (CLD Network) team continues to engage in systematic research to clarify and validate essential practices that teachers use to develop complex academic language in support of content learning across disciplines. The data show that a small number of instructional practices can have a significant positive effect on students’ development of language. However, the data are also showing that we cannot simply create a list of practices, check them off as they happen, and be effective. First, we needed to clarify the concepts of academic and complex language. Based on our reviews of the literature and classroom observations, we synthesized the varying descriptions of academic language into three dimensions, each containing several features and skills. The dimensions are vocabulary, syntax, and discourse. See Figure 1 for a visual representation of the dimensions and their features and © 2013
Complex Language Development Network | complexlanguage.org
skills. The images show how complexity increases as one moves from knowing and using words to knowing how messages are put together for particular purposes and audiences. Even though vocabulary and syntax can be complex, we have come to focus on the development of the circled features and skills below, which we call complex language. Complex language emphasizes the construction of whole ideas and messages with multiple connected sentences. In some cases, of course, whole ideas can be conveyed with single, often complex, sentences, which is why the dashed oval drops down into syntax. Figure 1 – Dimensions and Features of Complex Academic Language Dimension
Academic Language Features
-
Organization and text
structure
Voice and register
Density
Clarity and Coherence
Academic Language Skills
- Combine features to communicate,
clarify, & negotiate meaning
- Create a logical flow and connection
between ideas
- Match language with purpose of
message (Clear, complete, focused,
logical, & appropriate to the discipline)
Complex Language Discourse/Message
-
Sentence structure & length
Transitions/Connectives
Complex verb tenses and
passive voice
Pronouns and references
- Craft sentences to be clear and correct
- Use of a variety of sentence types to
clarify a message, condense
information, and combine ideas,
phrases, and clauses.
Content terms and
collocations
Figurative expressions and
multiple meaning terms
Affixes, roots, and
transformations
General academic terms
(aspects, consider, as long
as, perhaps, evaluate )
- Figure out the meaning of new words
and terms in a particular message –
connect to underlying concepts and for
comprehension of text
- Use new words to build ideas or create
products
- Choose and use the best words and
phrases to get the message across
Syntax/Sentence
Word/Phrase
Identifying Essential Teaching Practices for Developing Complex Academic Language A Delphi Panel Study of Expert Consensus The initial stage of the research, conducted by Susan O’Hara and Jeff Zwiers at Stanford’s Center to Support Excellence in Teaching, was a literature review of the existing research and resources on both second and academic language development. From this review we generated a preliminary list of practices. Using this list, we conducted a Delphi study in which we surveyed 22 experts in the field of academic language learning. In the first round, participants analyzed the list, edited the language of each practice, and added practices to the list. We synthesized the results and generated a refined list for the second round of analysis. Experts then commented on this set of practices and we synthesized the results into a list of 14 practices. As we analyzed the list of essential practices and observed episodes of teaching, we noticed that many practices consisted of important “sub-­‐practices,” which we call strands, that needed their own descriptions. © 2013
Complex Language Development Network | complexlanguage.org
Given that one of our primary goals is to help teachers grow in their abilities to develop complex academic language (i.e., beyond teaching vocabulary and basic syntax), we used video observations to establish four different levels of enactment for each practice. The different levels of enactment would allow teachers to know what they needed to do in order to move toward more expert practice over time, unlike the use of a checklist. For example, a checklist might show whether or not a teacher modeled how to write a complex sentence in history; yet with the CLN tools the history teacher can reflect on what is needed next to improve the quality of this modeling. Upon further analysis of the Delphi results, coupled with additional observations of lessons, we realized that a list of practices with varying levels alone would not be enough to describe the process. The practices needed to be integrated in each lesson for complex language development to occur. Specifically, the results of the Delphi panel suggested that (a) there were several high-­‐impact practices, (b) each of these practices was supported by a set of common cross-­‐cutting practices, and (c) a set of foundational practices supported all practices. Therefore, we generated three initial combinations of practices that we call practice frames. Figure 2 shows an example of an practice frame. (Please note that, in order to make this brief more brief, we show all three high-­‐impact practices in Figure 2. Normally, each high-­‐impact practice would head up its own frame.) Working Group Conference In August of 2012, as an extension of the Delphi study, we gathered a small group of 12 experts to further analyze and refine the practices. We analyzed video clips and engaged in rigorous discuss on how to improve the clarity of the language of the practices and their strands. Essential Practice Descriptions At the top of each of the practice frames are high-­‐impact practices that our research identified as having high potential to influence complex language development (See Figure 2). The three high-­‐impact practices that we have identified are: Using Complex Texts, Fortifying Complex Output, and Fostering Academic Interactions. Fostering academic interactions, which focuses on building language and content learning through dialog between students, includes the strands of: providing extended opportunities for interaction and building students’ communication skills for thinking together about the discipline as experts might do. Fortifying Complex Output focuses on cultivating students’ abilities to formulate oral, written, and multimedia messages. Using Complex Texts focuses not only on students’ abilities to understand a complex text—which is a necessary element—but also using that text’s language to equip students to build their linguistic skills and to understand similar texts in the future. High-­‐impact practices are not effective without the three cross-­‐cutting practices: Clarifying, Modeling, and Guiding. Clarifying Complex Language focuses on using communication strategies to make language comprehensible, as well as frequent checking for comprehension. Modeling includes showing students how to use language and deconstructing it. Guiding Language Learning components include: (a) Providing and prompting for academic language; (b) Formatively assessing target language; and (c) Providing specific feedback during instruction. The high-­‐impact and cross-­‐cutting practices are not effective without the components of the foundational practice: Designing Language & Literacy Activities. The strands include: (a) Designing learning activities to be engaging and require authentic and original use of academic language; (b) Creating language-­‐supported content objectives; and (c) Building on student linguistic & cultural strengths & needs. In order to generate language objectives, which help teacher and students to focus on the most important language during the lesson, a teacher must identify key language demands that support the content learning in a lesson. This involves looking at the vocabulary, syntax, and discourse level demands for the texts and tasks of the lesson. © 2013
Complex Language Development Network | complexlanguage.org
Next Steps Reliability and Validity We established preliminary inter-­‐rater reliability with a team of five raters. We are partnering with researchers at World-­‐Class Instructional Design & Assessment (WIDA) at the University of Wisconsin in the design of a 3-­‐year study to establish reliability, construct and content-­‐related validity of the Complex Language Development Network practices and tools. In addition, we are designing ways to test the predictive validity of the practices and tools for complex language growth and academic achievement in math and ELA. Operationalizing the CLD Network Practices We intend for this set of practices and tools to be used several ways. First, we believe that they will support teachers in improving their teaching of complex academic language and implementation of the new standards. As we clarify the practices and tools that are most predictive of complex language development, our team is developing a corresponding set of trainings, videos, and materials to illustrate what these practices look like at different levels of enactment. We are using the tools and corresponding support materials in professional development programs for teachers, coaches, and administrators in partner districts and schools. Figure 2 – Practice Frame (adapted to include all three high-­‐impact practices) Foundational
Essential Practice
Cross-Cutting
Essential Practices
High-Impact
Essential Practices
Fostering Academic Interactions
Teacher provides opportunities for students to engage in extended interactions using target academic language
that directly support content learning and are structured to encourage all students to participate. Teacher uses
interaction opportunities to develop students’ abilities to communicate with one another using discourse moves,
language, and thinking processes of the discipline and its experts.
Fortifying Academic Output
Teacher provides multiple and extended opportunities for all students to produce oral output using target
academic language in meaningful ways. Teacher provides meaningful opportunities for students to produce
complex texts to develop and use academic language.
Using Complex Texts to Build AL
Teacher engages students in analysis of how a text's organizational features, syntax, and word choice combine
to create meaning; use as opportunity to build disciplinary language, thinking, and comprehension. Teacher
provides extended opportunities for students to participate in engaging and language-rich tasks that depend on
complex texts.
Clarifying Complex Language
Modeling Complex
Guiding Language
Language
Learning
Teacher uses a variety of
communication strategies that
Teacher models
Teacher consistently prompts for and provides
are appropriately differentiated
target complex
target academic language for the tasks at
for the multiple levels of
language that
appropriate times. Teacher effectively and
language proficiency
supports content
consistently assesses students’ learning of target
represented in the class.
learning.
language; and uses information to inform
instruction.
Designing Language & Literacy Activities
Teacher clearly communicates language objective(s), which clearly support(s) content objective(s) by
addressing the main academic language demands of the texts and tasks. Tasks are engaging and require
students to authentically use the target academic language to: understand communicate meaningful and
purposeful messages; deepen ideas; and share perspectives.
© 2013
Complex Language Development Network | complexlanguage.org