In California鈥檚 , students just learning to speak English can use a combination of digital materials designed just for them, as well as general education software programs that allow teachers to adapt lessons to various learning levels.
A student in the 14,500-student district might, for example, log on to , an animated computer program that helps teach English-learners grammar and literacy. Or a student might use , which allows students to create animated avatars that can speak using a student鈥檚 recorded audio or listen to a digital voice that articulates text.
Though one program was created specifically for English-language learners and the other wasn鈥檛, educators are finding that both types of resources are helpful, said Arturo Ortega, an assistant superintendent in the district.
鈥淲ith Voki, a student can either record audio or type in something and let the robot or the dog speak their words,鈥� he said. 鈥淪tudents feel successful producing something in English, even when they may not be comfortable with the accent.鈥�
Because there鈥檚 not a plethora of digital curricula designed exclusively for English-language learners, teachers often rely on digital curricula used for all students that help individualize lessons, as well as software programs tailored for English language learners, said , an associate professor of literacy and bilingualism at Boston College. But today鈥檚 digital offerings make both varieties useful, he says.
鈥淭here鈥檚 no question鈥� that technology has bolstered efforts to help students learn English, Mr. Proctor said. 鈥淛ust the options the kids have in terms of using language and being expressive鈥攖he potential is huge.鈥�
In 2011, Mr. Proctor, along with several other researchers, published the results of a study that used digital curricula designed specifically for ELL students. In a project dubbed Improving Comprehension Online, or ICON, researchers created multimedia folktales and informational texts that included clickable words with definitions in English or Spanish, along with images for students whose English proficiency was very low. The text contained built-in audio, so that students could hear it in English or in Spanish, as well as embedded activities for reflection in both languages.
鈥淲e wanted to get at the content, rather than having the text be a barrier,鈥� Mr. Proctor said.
The researchers followed 5th graders working with the curricula and found a measurable increase in vocabulary knowledge and text comprehension, said , an associate professor in literacy studies at the University of Colorado at Boulder, who also worked on the project.
Mastering Math Literacy
Other resources have also been shown to help ELL students make gains. The program was developed to aid ELL students in grades 3-8 in acquiring academic vocabulary and math language skills. The program, which can be individualized for a student鈥檚 learning level, focuses on 鈥渆xplicit instructional content,鈥� said John Ramo, the founder and CEO of Boulder, Colo.-based Digital Directions International Inc., which produces HELP Math. 鈥淢any programs just focus on 鈥榙rill and kill,鈥� and don鈥檛 offer comprehensive instruction,鈥� he said.
HELP Math includes manipulatives, assessments, pre-tests, and post-tests and its content is fully bilingual. Every problem, exercise, or key word and its definition can be viewed in English or Spanish, and the program also includes audio support, Mr. Ramo said.
In 2012, the federal , which works under the Institute of Education Sciences to vet research, gave HELP Math its highest rating for effectiveness after reviewing research on student improvement related to the program.
Gina Kell, an instructional facilitator focused on math and science at the 800-student in Rogers, Ark., said she trains and works with teachers using HELP Math. It鈥檚 the only program that she knows of that addresses the literacy aspect of math for ELL students.
鈥淚f you can鈥檛 read the math and you don鈥檛 understand the terminology, you can鈥檛 do the math,鈥� she said.
The 14,000-student Rogers school district鈥攚hich includes Elmwood Middle School鈥攁lso uses , language arts software that can present some of the directions and concepts surrounding literacy in 23 different languages.
The district has about 4,800 English-language learners, and its students speak 40 different languages, said Tricia Holliday, the ESOL/migrant director for the district.
Seeking Versatility
Very few digital products are backed by research proving they work, and that鈥檚 important to educators, Ms. Holliday said.
鈥淲e have limited time and money and space, so it does help to find items that have been shown to work with this population,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a lot out there.鈥�
That may be why educators are instead turning to programs aimed at all students, but which can differentiate for various learning levels.
Ms. Holliday said the Rogers district often uses Scholastic鈥檚 , a literacy program that can be adapted to a student鈥檚 needs. However, she added, it鈥檚 useful only for students who already have some basic level of English proficiency.
That can be a problem with digital curricula not targeted for ELLs, Mr. Proctor said. 鈥淢ost interventions like that exclude very limited-proficient-English students because they don鈥檛 speak enough English to use them,鈥� he said.
Educators also may be turning to more general educational programs for cost reasons, Mr. Ortega of the Baldwin Park Unified district said.
鈥淧rincipals are trying to get the biggest bang for their buck, so there鈥檚 a migration away from those specialized products that are going to cost money to be used with just one group,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey want a product that can be used with English-learners, special education students, everyone.鈥�
Professional development to prepare educators to use digital curricula for English-learners is critically important, too.
Mr. Proctor sees digital options bringing even more innovations to the field in the future. He envisions a situation in which a student could 鈥渃onverse with the text鈥� in a digital sense. The text might have the ability to pose questions and respond, or even connect the student to another student to talk digitally in real time about the reading.
鈥淭hat way, they鈥檙e using language to understand and deal with the text,鈥� Mr. Proctor said.
When digital materials work with students, it鈥檚 rewarding to see success, Ms. Kell said.
鈥淲hen you hear a kid say, 鈥極h, I get it,鈥� it makes up for all the days you are frustrated,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat one little noise makes up for a lot.鈥�
