How the Science of Reading Applies to Multilingual Learners of English: Careful Consideration

One of the hottest topics in education in recent years has been the “science of reading.” This term can has been known to cause heated debates among scholars and educators. It has been controversial and at times misunderstood. In this blog, we hope to shed light on what the science of reading is and how it applies to multilingual learners of English. 

The science of reading is the body of research on how humans learn to read. Though the term “science of reading” has become popular in recent years, the science on how humans learn to read is not new, is not complete, is not a singular program, and is not solely about phonics. Instead, the science of reading is ongoing, continues to evolve, and includes five big ideas: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Wise educators are keenly aware that combining the science of learning with the science of reading is essential. And when we have multilingual learners of English (MLEs), we cannot ignore the science of second language acquisition. Rather than focusing narrowly on one of these, we have to keep in mind that each of them plays a role and that children are the focal point.

What Do Teachers Need to Know About Teaching Reading (and Writing) to Multilingual Learners of English?

Languages have foundational skills. Some students will join our classrooms having been exposed to formal foundational skills in their first language while other students may not have had such opportunities or have had limited or interrupted opportunities. Once foundational reading skills in a language are learned, there isn’t more to learn. Much like a strong foundation underneath a house, strong foundational skills in the first language support second language acquisition and learning.

MLEs come into our schools and classrooms at various points in their lives, some very early, such as in kindergarten or first grade, and others later, such as in eighth or ninth grade. These MLEs will have vastly differing experiences with literacy in their first language that they will bring into their new learning experience. The more we know and understand about the MLEs in our care, the better their outcomes for success will be. For instance, it is helpful to know

• • how similar their first language is to English,
  • whether there are sounds in English that are not existent in their first language,
  • whether the alphabet is the same or different, and
  • how the is text read and written (directionality).

MLEs come with additional resources! Teaching MLEs to read and write in English while validating their linguistic repertoire is important. The lived experiences, backgrounds, cultures, and languages that MLEs have are assets. If these assets are left ignored in the reading and writing classroom, however, they can become invisible and lost. 

What Can Teachers Do?

• • Be curious about students and their languages; get to know your students deeply. Teachers of MLEs must know as much as they can about their learners. Beyond knowing their English proficiency level, investigate information about the student’s literacy in their first language, language similarities and differences, educational experiences, home life, and more.
    
    
  • Encourage and invite all languages into the classroom and school. Even though the mode of instruction might be English, using and honoring all languages opens opportunities for participation and validates students’ identities. You do not need to be proficient in each child’s language to do this.
    
    
  • Teach foundational skills explicitly and infuse this instruction with cross-linguistic exploration. MLEs are not blank slates. They may have heard, spoken, and even learned to read and write in another language. Pointing out the similarities and differences between English and their other language helps students to make connections with reading, writing, listening, speaking, and learning.
    
    
  • Ensure that MLEs receive dedicated English language development time that differs from foundational skills practice. Oral language development is essential to students who are learning to read in a language they are learning. Dr. Claude Goldenberg discusses this and more about the science of reading and MLEs in this podcast episode.
    
    
  • Read to students regularly and embed opportunities for discussion. Students, especially young learners, learn from hearing their teachers read from literature they are unable to decode. Their listening comprehension is greater than their reading comprehension for many years. Reading to students also helps them find their reading identities and love for reading, and it inspires writers.
    
    
  • Create conditions where students want to be themselves and to think and share ideas freely. Students will feel more at ease and learn more when they can belong just as they are in the classroom. Incorporate routines for partner and group work and participation. Peer-to-peer speaking and listening is essential.

Science of Reading at the Secondary Level: Vocabulary

Perhaps the term “science of reading” is inaccurately named, and the term competencies of reading is more fitting. For secondary MLEs who have acquired word recognition competencies (i.e., phonological awareness, decoding, sight recognition), focusing on language comprehension competencies is the next task. Because future articles in our series will touch on background knowledge and language structures, we’ll focus this article on the science of reading “big idea” of vocabulary instruction.

The first step of highly effective vocabulary instruction is selecting a small list (seven to eight) of the most unit-essential words that can be used again in other contexts (see Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Beck, McKeown, and Kucan). For example, the word scarcity is central to the free verse novel Inside Out and Back Again (an award-winning novel inspired by the author's childhood experience as a refugee) because the scarcity of resources deteriorates the character’s quality of life. Because the word scarcity is not bound to one content area or context, it will appear in other situations. Teaching it in the English language arts class can help students if it appears in other subjects, too, such as math, humanities, and the arts.

After identifying this selective group of words, the second step is to create engaging opportunities for students to play with them. This does not mean printing out vocabulary worksheets. Instead, for each word, create various situational prompts where students have to use the vocabulary word to engage with the prompt.

For example, a situation prompt for scarcity might be “What does an athlete not want a scarcity of?” The response is open ended and requires students to understand the concept of scarcity to produce a logical answer. On the next day, the situational prompt might be “What resource do you not want a scarcity of when raising a puppy?” Though it’s a different context, students are again engaging with the prompt by using the meaning of the vocabulary word to come up with ideas. By the tenth engagement with scarcity using this approach, students acquire a new vocabulary word in a joyful and playful way.

Literacy is an essential component of academic success. In the end, because MLEs know more than one language, we must consider how this impacts learning to read in a language they are also learning.