Planning an Art Lesson with English Language Learners in Mind

 Orcas in their Habitat

The objective of this project is to introduce the concept of atmospheric perspective and build on prior knowledge of shadowing, highlighting, blending, using acrylics and line drawing. This lesson was planned with the differing needs of four English language learners in mind, each at a different stage in their language learning development. 

Liv is an 8-year old German girl in the Pre-Production stage of learning English. She attends a German school, and has little to no English exposure outside of my weekly art class. She is in the “silent period”, taking in language largely from visual and gestural cues, and by observing her peers. She listens and watches for cues attentively, and indicates with eye contact when she needs clarity.

Phoebe is an 8-year old girl from China in the Speech Emergent stage. She speaks eagerly and enthusiastically in short, simple sentences, though her speech is difficult to understand, heavily accented, and with many grammatical and syntactical errors. She understands simple instructions accompanied by visuals, gestural cues and demonstrations. She is a resourceful student who observes her peers to check her own understanding, and does not hesitate to ask for help.

Koh is a 7-year old boy from Japan in the Intermediate Fluency stage. He speaks and shares ideas with relative fluency, but makes minor grammatical and sentence structure mistakes. He processes new concepts well but often needs guidance on synthesizing his learning.

Vita is a 10-year old girl from Croatia in the Advanced Fluency stage. Vita speaks with ease, yet demonstrates occasional gaps in academic vocabulary. Complex concepts are quickly grasped and processed, and she is comfortable analyzing and explaining these concepts.

1. The first part of this two-session lesson is dedicated to drawing an orca whale from observation and painting it using acrylic paints. 

a.  Prior knowledge of key art elements and vocabulary are assessed. Students are given a variety of orca whale pictures to analyze and are asked to discuss in pairs the orca’s qualities (line, shape, color, features).  Liv is seated next to and paired with a German-speaking “buddy” who reiterates instructions for her and models the exercise. Liv listens and repeats. The pairs share their findings. Phoebe is asked to present a few findings. Her mistakes are not corrected, instead, I repeat the sentence or word correctly. Koh is asked to expound on one feature (he says the orca is jumping out of the ocean: I ask him to describe the texture of the water). Vita is asked to expound in detail on her observations. 

b.   We discuss shadows and highlights. Students point these out on the orca. Students are directed to the word wall where they can see these terms defined with clear visuals.

c.  We begin our line drawing. I model a line drawing on the white board emphasizing and highlighting various features (placement of the fin, curve of the back) with the aid of different colored markers and arrows.

d.   Painting phase. The teacher example is on display. Features, highlights and shadows are pointed out, spoken clearly and written on the board. Students paint their orca, adding highlights and shadows.

2.  The second session involves painting the orca’s habitat. In this session students are introduced to the concept of “atmospheric perspective”. We learn new brush techniques and build on prior knowledge of blending and watercolor techniques.

a.    Students are shown a slide show of orcas in their habitat. They discuss in groups and write words or symbols that come to mind which describe their habitat (ocean, cold, Arctic, Antarctica, they eat seals). Words are written on the board together with symbols and gestures (cold: snowflake and shiver gesture) as students present them. Liv is encouraged to present word suggestions using gesturing.

b.    “Atmospheric perspective” is defined. It is written on the board and the class says it aloud several times. Students are asked to observe from pictures and by looking out the window how the appearance of objects changes when viewed from a distance. Vita and Koh are asked to provide descriptions. Phoebe is asked to point out and name the colors she identifies in the ocean (dark blue, blue, light blue etc.). These words are written on the board and repeated aloud, with connectors drawn to the matching color in the picture, which helps Liv make the connection. In groups students are asked to reflect on where they have personally observed examples of atmospheric perspective: the seaside, from atop a mountain etc. Koh and Vita are asked to expound to the class.

c.   Painting and collaging phase. A teacher example is displayed of what is expected of the final result. Painting takes place in a step-by-step, teacher-led format, using short, simple directions with demonstrations. Several options for possibilities for variations are modeled on the board. Brush techniques (for rendering texture) are modeled with clear explanations. Rendering atmospheric perspective, shadows and highlights are discussed and demonstrated as we paint. Eye contact is regularly made with students to check that techniques have been grasped and progress is being made. At this point, students are given individual reminders and pointers of key concepts and techniques where needed. 

d.   When painting is complete, our orcas are cut out and collaged onto their habitat and splashes are added using a new brush technique, which is clearly and succinctly explained and demonstrated.

3.  Finally, five minutes are spent in an art critique. Students are asked to provide constructive criticism (what did he do well, what can she do better next time, etc.). Vita and Koh are encouraged to back up their opinions with deeper explanations. Phoebe is asked to share her opinions using short, simple phrases, while Liv is encouraged to point to areas and use gestures to communicate her opinions. All students are proud of their work and  have once again learned that hard work pays off! 

Sources:

Everything ESL.net. Stages of Second Language Acquisition. http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/language_stages.php

Colorin Colorado. Language Acquisition. An Overview. http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview

A Look Inside Bonn International School's Special Education Referral Process 

Special education is instruction which is specially designed to meet the unique learning needs of children with a disability. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is in place to ensure that all children with a disability receive a free, quality education in the least restrictive environment whenever possible. In order to qualify to special education, children must be identified as having one of the 14 special education categories, and their learning in regular classrooms must be hindered by this disability.

Today, children with disabilities are educated together with non-disabled children in regular classrooms. Teachers, staff and learning support specialist must therefore closely work together to identify and support these students within the regular curriculum and classroom setting. This requires making referrals to the special education team, followed by the development of a student’s Individual Educational Plan (IEP), if accepted for referral, and the continued collaboration and communication between teachers, specialists and parents.

To get a better picture of the special education referral process, and how it’s rolled out in practice, I spoke with two second grade teachers, the upper school art teacher, and a learning support specialist at the Bonn International School (BIS). I found that all teachers interviewed provided clear, thorough answers and a comprehensive overview of the process at the school. This gave me confidence that there is strong communication between teachers and specialists regarding students and their learning needs, and that school policy is clearly outlined and understood by all. Furthermore, from the detailed answers provided, I got the impression that the teachers are highly committed to ensuring the quality education of their students and that there is generous motivation, time and resources to support teachers in this task. I read this as a strong indication of the support and guidance teachers enjoy from school leadership in addressing the issue of special education and overall student success.

Questions put to the learning support specialist:

Q: What is the school administration's directive for special education?

Bonn International School does not use the term special education. Instead, they use 'learning support', or 'supported learning'. BIS endeavors to meet every student’s academic, emotional, social, and physical needs, however due to staffing, learning support services are restricted to students with mild learning difficulties. Early intervention consultation support is provided for students in the Early Years. The Learning Support specialist teachers provided assistance both in and out of the classroom in small groups.

Q: What is school policy is on serious mental and physical disabilities

The school is currently unable to meet the needs of more seriously disabled students. Families lack the breadth of options that they may have in the US. If a student requires assistance that is beyond the capacity of the learning support team, parents may be asked to provide and finance outside learning support help.

Q: What provisions are made for students identified for special education?

When a student is referred to and accepted into the learning support program, a learning support team is created consisting of the general ed teacher(s), the parents, the administration, and learning support teacher.  It is then the job of the team to ensure that the needs of that student are met. Referrals are very much seen as a collaborative and team building process.

Q: What is the level of parent involvement in the referral process and special education? And what if parents don't agree with the decision?

Since decisions about student learning are data-driven with the identification of measurable goals, decisions and learning plans are typically well-received by parents. The job of the learning specialist is to prove that the student is making adequate progress in their IEP. The use of data and strong communication generally prevents discord between school and parents.

Q: What happens when parents choose not to have their child labeled. Does an unlabeled diagnosis enjoy the same benefits/interventions as a labeled one?

Parents are helped to understand that labels are in place in order to better support their children’s success in school.

Questions put to classroom teachers:

Q: How do you identify a student for special education?

All three teachers were unanimous in their response that observation is the first line of attack in identifying a student for special education. This includes simple comparisons against ‘normal’ age-appropriate behavior and grade-level academic skills.

Q: What are the signs of a struggling student?

All teachers agreed on the telltale signs of a struggling student. These included difficultly with focus, concentration, organization and communication; difficulty recalling information; difficulty staying on task with inability to start and complete a project without assistance.

Q: Are there alternate methods of instruction tried out before referring the student for special education? If yes, what are they?

All teachers responded similarly to this question. They approach all students as individual learners with unique learning needs, and therefore, many of the methods used for teaching at the school are used for all students. Basic methods which ensure all students succeed are clear communications, instructions, demonstrations and written explanations. Positive reinforcement, routines, regular breaks for movement and fresh air were identified as positive classroom organization beneficial to all. More focused methods of instruction may include simplified texts, silencing headphones, math manipulative, partnerships, differentiated reading books, writing tasks and expectations, reducing learning into small more manageable portions, and the use of visuals and checklists.

I was impressed with what I learned from my interviews. From the teachers’ responses to my questions, it was clear that they each strive for student success and student confidence, and that wherever possible, teachers will research ways to make learning personalized and interesting. Motivation is high and commitments to students are strong. All students are seen as unique learners and each child receives personalized learning.  For those who have an IEP, strong and effective, data-driven support services are in place to ensure their academic success. Teachers work closely together with one another, the learning support team, parents and the administration to make this happen. The resources, the time, the collaboration and the institutional support are all in place to allow for the highest level of student engagement and support.

The way in which general and special education are taught and supported at this school reminds me of Finland’s approach to the normalization of special education (click to learn more) and to the personalized learning that takes place at New York’s School of One (click to learn more). When there is strong commitment to evaluating, understanding and collaborating on the learning needs, interests and styles of each student, then each student can succeed. When the curriculum is flexible, innovative and presented in a variety of different ways, then students can find the learning path that is most interesting and meaningful to them. The role of all education, whether regular or special, should strive to these ends. To hark Arthur C. Clark: when children have interest, education happens.

Sources:

Understanding the 13 Categories of Special Education: http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/13-categories-of-special-education.html

A Parent Guide to 
Special Education, the IEP Process and School Successhttp://www.understandingspecialeducation.com

The Special Education Referral Process: http://www.projectidealonline.org/special-education-referral-process.php

The First Step: Determining Eligibility for Services: http://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/individualized-education-programs-iep/the-iep-process-explained/

Finland's Formula for Education Success: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsdFi8zMrYI

New Yorks School of One: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSTrI6nj5xU
Arthur C. Clarke quote in Sugata Mitra video: http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_the_child_driven_education

Reflections on Girls’ Education and Gender Equality

Girls’ Education and Gender Equality

The right to education is protected under the United Nations Charter, which states that education may not be denied under any circumstance, to any person, on the basis of discrimination of gender, age, disability, legal status or otherwise[1]. The right to equal opportunity in education is furthermore outlined in Articles 10 and 28 respectively, of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Charter states that education is a fundamental human right to which every girl and boy everywhere in the world is entitled. By signing onto human rights treaties, countries agree to the terms of the treaties, and commit to works towards implementing its guidelines. Human rights treaty bodies, or committees of experts, exist to monitor and evaluate countries’ implementation in meeting the goals laid out in the core treaties. Yet despite the UN’s efforts to hold countries accountable to adhering to the treaties, millions of children, particularly girls, continue to miss out on school worldwide.

The numbers:

Girls continue to suffer disproportionate disadvantage and exclusion in education systems throughout their lives.

-UNICEF cites that 31 million primary school age girls and 32 million secondary school age girls were out of school in 2013.

-Only two out of 35 Sub-Saharan African countries have achieved education parity (equal enrollment rates) for boys and girls.

-In South and West Asia, 80 per cent of out-of-school girls are unlikely to ever start school while this is only true for 16 per cent of out-of-school boys[2].

-The UN reports that 103 million youth worldwide lack basic literacy skills, and more than 60 per cent of them are women[3].

-There are still 58 million children out of school globally and around 100 million children who do not complete primary education. Inequality in education has increased, with girls, the poorest and most disadvantaged shouldering the heaviest burden. Further more, the poor quality of learning at primary level is responsible for millions of children leaving school without basic skills. Today, gender disparity remains in almost a third of the countries with data[4].

There are many factors that contribute to educational inequality and disparities in school attendance. Some factors include cultural norms favoring the education of boys, lack of family resources for school supplies, irrelevant and gender biased textbooks, violence, exploitation and discrimination by teachers and peers, conflict and war, and unsafe schools.

UNICEF notes that when education lacks relevance and quality, and when girls are discriminated against, education has little to no effect. The quality of education directly affects outcomes and enrollment numbers. Quality of education and gender equality in education are closely intertwined. Thus, by addressing issued of quality in education, greater parity in school enrollment can be reached. UNICEF notes furthermore, that quality education is essential to real learning and human development. Here again, quality plays a critical role in closing the gender gap in basic education[5].

Education has the power to lead to the development of successful and productive societies and individuals, and it can positively influence generations to come in a trickle-down manner. But in order for it to be relevant to, safe and attractive for all children, it must be rooted in human rights and gender equality[6].

Who is doing what?

Two examples of work that the UN and it’s partners are undertaking to address the issue of gender equality in education, is UNICEF’s work through the UNGEI Initiative and their Child Friendly Schools model, and the Education for All Movement (EFA) led by UNESCO.

Empowerment

UNICEF supports governments in the reduction of gender disparities through interventions at national, local and community levels aimed at empowering girls. UNICEF serves as lead agency to  the United Nations Girls’ Education Initiative (UNGEI), which supports the rights of girls and helps countries achieve change and gender equality in education. Leading UNGEI, UNICEF empowers girls by supporting their life skills, basic education and improving learning outcomes.

One way they are doing this is through their Child-Friendly Schools model. CRF is a UNICEF-created educational model aimed at helping schools achieve safe, healthy and protective environments that meet the varied needs of children. The CFR model promotes inclusiveness, gender-sensitivity, tolerance, dignity, personal empowerment and an overall gender-sensitive environment that is conducive to learning. Child-Friendly Schools are places where human rights and gender equality are taught and encouraged, text books are revised for gender biases, teachers are fully trained and qualified, and female teachers are hired to act as role models for girls. Furthermore, the CFS model seeks to ensure that the learning environment operates in the best interests of the child. This means that educational environments are designed to be safe, nurturing places, with adequate resources and appropriate physical, emotional and social conditions where all children feel safe and empowered to learning[7]. Child-friendly schools have become the main approach through which a network of international and national partners is promoting quality education for all children. Currently, it is used 93 countries to ensure children their right to quality education[8].

Resources

UNGEI reports and publications, such as The Gender Review 2016, serve to inform the global community, partners, governments and teachers about global and regional trends in achieving parity in education access. Program outcomes and data on education, gender and sustainable development are revealed and implications discussed, including suggestions for ways forward. These publications serve to inform teachers, governments and civil society organization on best practices in education and assist them in meeting their educational goals.

Inclusive and equitable education for all

The Education for All (EFA) global movement, led by UNESCO, aims to provide quality basic education for all children, youth and adults. At the 2000 World Education Forum in Dakar, 164 governments pledged to achieve EFA goals and identified six goals to be met by 2015. Goal 5 aims to eliminate gender disparities in primary and secondary education, and goal 6 aims to achieve gender equality in education, with a focus on ensuring girls’ full and equal access to basic quality education. Not all goals have been met by the 2015 deadline. However, in September 2015, at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit, Member States adopted the 2010 Agenda for Sustainable Development with goals set for 2030. This new agenda includes an education goal (SDG 4) that aims to ensure free, inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. It seeks to eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for vulnerable populations, and to ensure skills are learned which promote human rights, gender equality and non-violence. Furthermore, much like the Child-Friendly Schools model, EFA promises to benefit all children while also addressing gender disparities by aiming to build and upgrade education facilities that are child-friendly and gender sensitive, and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments.

Resources:

In parallel to its work with EFA, UNESCO produces the The Global Education Monitoring Report. The GEM Report monitors progress towards the education targets in the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. This and related publications and online tools are produced to enable teachers, policy-makers and civil society to benefit from the research UNESCO and its partners undertake.

EFA Implementation

As the lead EFA agency, UNESCO is mandated to coordinate its partners (UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and the World Bank), and bring together Governments, the private sector, civil society, the United Nations system to facilitate a global engagement in support of the reaching and implementation of EFA goals and targets. UNESCO focuses its activities on five key areas: policy dialogue, monitoring, advocacy, mobilization of funding, and capacity development. These activities ensure, among other things, that program progress and challenges are identified, awareness is raised and dialogue is sustained, finances are harmonized and coordinated, and national capacities are strengthened.

Achievements and Shortcomings:

The status of education globally has seen positive achievements since the agreements in Dakar in 2000. The number of out-of-school children and adolescents has been halved, with 34 million more children attending school as a result of progress since Dakar. Gender parity in primary education has seen significant improvements, though gender disparity is still widespread[9].

Much work is to be done to ensure that all children have equal access to quality education. The conventions, interventions, guidelines and initiatives outlined above, serve to keep governments and the international community on track in ensuring their goals and commitments for achieving quality education and gender equality in education are met. Education remains under-financed and remains underfinanced by most governments[10].

In order to close the gap in the disparity in education, national governments must first of all stay true to their commitments to the Human Rights Treaties. National and international budgets must prioritize funding for education. A human rights-based approach to education must be implemented in schools, so as to ensure its relevance to and effectiveness for all children. The needs of girls must be prioritized with a focus not just on equal access, but also on the quality and relevance of their education. With these measures in place, girls have the potential to become fully empowered global citizens through education, and will be able to lead productive, meaningful lives.

Sources:

UNESCO, 18 October, 2016. General Education Monitoring Report. https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/

UNESCO. Education. Education for All Movement. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education
UNGEI. Vision and Mission: http://www.ungei.org/whatisungei/index_211.html

OHCHR. Human Rights Treaties. http://www.ohchr.org/en/hrbodies/hrc/pages/hrcindex.aspx

UNICEF. Girls’ Education and Gender Equality. http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html

UNICEF. Child Friendly Schools. http://www.unicef.org/cfs/
sustainabledevelopment.un.org/topics/education

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[1] UNOHCHC, 2016. UN Human Rights Instruments[1]. Retrieved from http://ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/UniversalHumanRightsInstruments.aspx

[2] UNICEF, 23 July, 2015. Girls’ Education and Gender Equality. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html

[3] United Nations. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/education/

[4] UNESCO, 2014. Global Education Monitoring Report. About Us. http://en.unesco.org/gem-report/about

[5] UNICEF, August 2012. Child Friendly Schools. Retrieved from  http://www.unicef.org/cfs/

[6] UNICEF. Girls’ Education and Gender Equality. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html

[7] UNICEF, 18, November, 2010. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/education/index_focus_schools.html

[8] UNICEF, August 2012. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/cfs/index_19.htm

[9] UNESCO, 18 October, 2016. General Education Monitoring Report. https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/

[10] UNESCO, 18 October, 2016. General Education Monitoring Report. https://en.unesco.org/gem-report/