SDAIE- Posted by Megan Ross in her blog

By: Megan Ross
http://meganrylanross.wordpress.com/sdaie/

According to Rico-Diaz and Weed, “Sheltered instruction may take place either in mainstream classes made up of native English speakers of intermediate proficiency, or in classes consisting solely of non-native speakers who operate at similar English proficiency levels.” Specially designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) combined second language acquisition principles with quality teaching to a lesson that is understandable to all students. This allows ELLs to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing while learning content. A SDAIE classroom has content and language objectives. SDAIE addresses the following needs:

• To learn grade appropriate content
• To master English vocabulary and grammar
• To learn academic English
• To develop strategies for learning how to learn.

SDAIE teachers provide a context for instruction that provides several opportunities for hands on learning and student interaction. Teachers use communication strategies and make material more accessible and understandable. This will provide a challenging academic program without watering down content. SDAIE teachers are knowledgeable of second language acquisition and instructional techniques for language learners. The SDAIE model consists of content, connections, comprehensibility, and interaction. The attitude of the teacher plays an important part in the success of the class.
The following are characteristics of a successful attitude working with second language learners:

• Teachers believe that all students can learn.
• Teachers recognize that all students have language
• Teachers recognize that a person’s self-concept is involved in his or her own language and that at times students need to use that language.

In a SDAIE classroom teachers are also learners. These teachers reflect on their teaching using the following: videotapes, peer observation, reflective journal, informational discussions with colleagues, and summative notation on lesson plans.
According to Diaz-Rico and Weed, “Teaching SDAIE modified academic content involves the careful planning of content, language and learning strategy objectives, and selecting, modifying, and organizing of materials and text that support those objectives.” Having clear objectives focuses instruction and guides the selection of learning activities.
When teacher develop their sequence of content objectives they should ask the following questions:

• Have I reviewed the objectives for the year and organized them for thematic flow?
• Have I considered the sequence of objectives and rearranged them, if necessary, putting more concrete concepts before abstract ones?

When reviewing the language objectives teachers need to ask the following questions:

• What is the concept focus of the unit and what are the key concepts student must master?
• What are the structures and discourse of the discipline and how can these by included in the language objectives?
• Are all four language modes included- listening, speaking, reading, and writing?

Learning strategies teach students how to learn. These include the following: cognitive strategies, social affective strategies, and metacognitive strategies. Textbooks often need to be supplemented. The SDAIE teacher has to modify text materials. Teachers need to include the specific objectives to teach students how to read and study. Students need to understand the structure of a text and the content. When selecting materials the teacher must consider the following:

• Are the content objectives for the lesson adequately presented by the material?
• Is the material comprehensible to English learners?
• Is the information accurate, up to date, and thorough?
• Are the tasks required of students appropriate to discipline?
• Is the text clearly organized, with print and layout features to assist students’ comprehension?
• Does the text appeal to a variety of learning styles?
• Is the language of the text straightforward, without complex syntactic patterns, idioms, or excessive jargon?
• Is new content vocabulary clearly defined within the text or in a glossary?
• Are diagrams, graphs, and charts clearly labeled and complement and clarify the text?
• Will most students have prior experience with the content, or will much time be necessary for schema building?

Students learn when recognizing a connection between what they know and the learning experience. According to Diaz-Rico and Weed, “This can be accomplished in several ways: bridging-linking concepts and skills to students experiences (bridging 1) or eliciting/using examples from students’ lives (bridging 2), and schemabuilding using scaffolding strategies to link new learning tools. Comprehensibly is increased in the following four ways: contextualization, modeling, speech adjustment, and comprehensive checks.
Recent research shows the roles of the learner in negotiating, managing, and even manipulating conversations leads to more comprehensible input. The teacher allows opportunities for students to use language in academic ways. Students need to be placed in different groups for different activities. Teachers need to work with small groups on specific instructional objectives. In a SDAIE lesson the teacher allows opportunities for students to talk about key concepts, expects that students may clarify the concepts in their primary language and allows a variety of ways for students to demonstrate their understanding. When teachers use SDAIE students are engages in a variety of opportunities to explore, debate, chat, and laugh. The following are interaction patterns: teacher to student, student to student, student to content, and student to self. Cooperative learning activities allow English Learners to work with one another in a noncompetitive environment. According to Diaz-Rico and Weed, “Probably one of the most powerful strategies we can use to ensure both content and language development in an interactional setting is the Instructional Conversation (IC). When using this strategy lessons are focused on an idea or concept that is educational and is relevant for students. In SDAIE classrooms students are provided opportunities to learn and clarify concepts in their L1 when possible. When students learn material in a meaningful way they can present that information through other means such as illustrating, dramatizing, creating songs, dancing, and rewriting stories.
When a unit is finished teachers need to evaluate its success. The teacher needs to reflect on the following:

• What students learned
• The appropriateness of resources used
• Students’ engagement
• The design and appropriateness of tasks
• The effectiveness of instruction, both the main teacher and by aides and/or volunteers

Reference

Diaz-Rico, L.t. & Weed K.Z. (2010) The Crosscultural Langauge, and Academic
Development Handbook. Pearson Education. Inc.