SIOP
Strategies - Part One
In order for ELL students to be successful in learning English and learning content, they must be explicitly taught a variety of strategies that facilitate the learning process. All students benefit from using strategies that are flexible and can be transferred to new tasks, therefore enabling them to self-regulate their learning.
Cognitive Learning Strategies
These strategies help students organize the information they are expected to learn. Some examples include:
- Previewing the text before reading
- Establishing a purpose for reading
- Consciously making text-to-self connections
- Identifying important information with highlighters, underlines, or sticky notes
- Rereading to understand
- Using a graphic organizer
- Identifying key vocabulary
Meta- cognitive Learning Strategies
These strategies help students to purposefully monitor their thinking. They encourage awareness, reflection, and interaction. Studies show that when these strategies are taught explicitly, reading comprehension is improved.
Some examples of metacognition are:
Some examples of metacognition are:
- Predicting and inferring
- Generating questions and using them to guide reading
- Monitoring understanding
- Determining importance
- Summarizing
- Visualizing
Language Learning Strategies
Language learners can use strategies to increase their progress in speaking and comprehending the new language. Some of these strategies include:
- Previewing, skimming, scanning, and reviewing texts
- Analyzing and using English patterns and forms in words
- Seeking out partners for practicing English
- Self-monitoring and correcting while speaking
- Paraphrasing
- Making logical guesses based on context
- Imitating behaviors of native English speaking peers
- Using verbal and nonverbal cues
- Asking for clarification
Things to Remember about Learning Strategies
- Knowing your ELL students' educational backgrounds and their native language literacy proficiency can help you know what strategies they may already be able to do in their first language.
- Many strategies transfer to the new language. If a student can make predictions about text in her first language, she can likely make predictions about text in the new language as she gains vocabulary.
- Our goal is not to have students identify and label strategies, but rather to be able to engage the strategies as they read, write, listen, and speak.
- Don't let the emphasis on explicitly teaching a strategy interfere with the overall process of interaction with text and connections made.
- Scaffold English learners by providing many opportunities to use a variety of effective strategies as their English develops.
- Give students time to get good at a strategy. Don't overload them with too many strategies in a short period of time without having adequate time to learn to apply them.