Academic Language
What is it?
How do I know it if I see it?
PACT Implementation Conference
November 14, 2008
Ann Lippincott
Laura Hill-Bonnet
Teacher Education Program - UCSB
A story of
epiphanies
How we came to better understand
academic language
Epiphany 1
• We would ask professionals and policy makers
“What do you mean by academic language?”
• Typical response: “Well, you know…it’s the
language needed for math and social studies.”
• We argued that the language of math ≠ the
language of social studies.
• We also knew that how language is used in
expository texts ≠ how language is used in
narrative texts
Therefore…
• We began to think about how we could
help teacher candidates realize that
academic language is more than just
content-specific vocabulary.
• We also made efforts to ensure
articulation across courses, quarters and
instructors and in departmental
professional development meetings.
In early summer we ask teacher
candidates
Why is
language used?
How is
language used?
When/
Where/
With whom is
language used?
Later in summer we add
Why is
language used? Purposes
How is
language used?
Grammar and
Pronunciation
When/
Where/
Communicative
With whom is
Competence
language used?
In fall quarter we introduce
Why is
language used? Purposes
How is
language used?
Grammar and
Pronunciation
When/
Where/
Communicative
With whom is
Competence
language used?
Functions
Forms
Fluency
Epiphany 2
• As we were calibrating PACT work with our
colleagues, we had yet another epiphany.
• We recognized that we, as a faculty, didn’t all
agree on what academic language can/should
look and sound like in classroom practice.
• In fact, we had very different ideas about what
constituted evidence of “academic language” as
we analyzed PACT data together.
Therefore…
• We began to think about how we could
facilitate consensus as to what constitutes
evidence of “academic language” and what it
can/should look and sound like in classroom
practice.
• Furthermore, we began to identify additional
ways we could support teacher candidates vis-àvis our new ideas.
• We decided to build upon a common language
that would explicitly address our common
knowledge.
Functions, Forms & Fluency
• Dutro & Moran (2003) introduce the notions of
functions (tasks), forms (tools) and fluency
(derived from opportunities to practice).
• Provides an architectural metaphor that can be
used in multiple contexts (instructional,
supervisory, mentorship).
Academic Language Functions
• Functions (Dutro & Moran, pp. 232-233)
– The tasks or purposes AND uses of language.
– We use language to accomplish something in formal or
informal settings, for social or academic purposes.
– Social purposes include: exchanging greetings, expressing
needs, making jokes, exchanging greetings, indicating
agreement or disagreement, participating in personal
conversations, etc.
Academic Language Functions
Dutro & Moran
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Navigating written text
Asking/answering informational questions
Asking/answering clarifying questions
Relating information
Comparing and contrasting
Explaining cause and effect
Justifying and persuading
Drawing conclusions
Summarizing
Evaluating
Conducting research
Academic Language Functions
Chamot and O’Malley
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Seek Information - use who, what, when, where, how
Inform - recount information or retell
Compare - explain graphic organizer showing contrast
Order - describe timeline, continuum or cycle
Classify - describe organizing principles
Analyze - describe features or main idea
Infer - generate hypotheses to suggest cause/outcomes
Justify & Persuade - give evidence why “A” is important
Solve Problems - describe problem-solving procedures
Synthesize - summarize information cohesively
Evaluate - identify criteria, explain priorities, etc.
Language Function:
Compare/Contrast
Marine mammals
Born alive
Lungs
Warm blooded
Produce milk
Excellent
Swimmers
Vertebrates
Live in
groups
Ocean fish
Born from eggs
Gills
Cold blooded
Do not produce milk
Academic Language Forms:
Compare/Contrast
• Sentence Frame:
• ________ have __________, whereas________ have
_____________.
• Marine mammals have lungs, whereas ocean fish have
gills.
• Providing the mortar words will enable students to use
language to compare and contrast.
Social Studies
• In social studies, long sentences with multiple embedded
clauses are common.
• Cause and effect statements are frequent.
– Because there will be more people in the world in the
future, we will need more land on which to build towns
and cities.
• Various verb forms are used:
– “I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of
marble.” Augustus is supposed to have spoken these
words as he lay dying. He was Rome’s first emperor,
and started the first of its great building programs. He
claimed that he had had over 80 temples rebuilt.
• Frequent use of pronouns it and they as referents.
Mathematics
• Comparatives:
– 6 is greater than 4
– Maria earns six times as much as Peter
– Lin is as old as Roberto
• Prepositions:
– (divided) into, divided by,
– 2 multiplied by 6 and X exceeds 2 by 7
• Passive voice:
– X is defined as a number greater than 7.
• Reversals: The number a is five less than b.
• Logical connectors: if…then
– If a is positive then -a is negative.
Science
• Use of passive voice
• Multiple embeddings
• Long noun phrases serving as
subjects or objects
• If…then constructions
• Logical connectors (if, because,
however, consequently)
Fluency (Dutro & Moran, p. 242)
• The facility with which a speaker, reader and writer
uses language.
• Developed through focused and deliberate
engagement with a range of uses of language (both
oral and written), and many opportunities to
practice the newly learned forms in different
contexts.
Epiphany 3
• We realized that the PACT Teaching
Event could not be the only context
which held teacher candidates responsible
for academic language.
• They needed practice and support across
the various contexts in which they were
developing as professional educators.
Therefore…
• We retooled our Lesson Design Frame to hold
TCs accountable for addressing academic
language in their practice.
– Identify learning objectives
– Identify academic language functions within learning
objectives
• Why K12 students are using language?
– Identify corresponding forms
• How K12 students are using language
– Identify opportunities for students to express
academic language
• When, where and with whom they are using language
Why…academic language?
• Analyze learning activities and
assessments to determine the appropriate
academic language function(s)
• Are K12 students
–
–
–
–
–
Making predictions
Justifying
Comparing/Contrasting
Explaining
Etc….
How…academic language?
• Analyze academic language function(s)
• What linguistic forms do K12 students
need in order to
–
–
–
–
–
Make predictions
Justify
Compare/Contrast
Explain
Etc…
When, where and with
whom…?
• Analyze learning activities for the opportunities
they provide to use academic language
• When, where and with whom do K12 students
have opportunities to
–
–
–
–
–
Make predictions
Justify
Compare/Contrast
Explain
Etc…
Future Epiphanies??
• If the lesson plan frame includes systematic
opportunities to address academic language,
then will the TCs be more systematic in their
thinking about the needs of ELL students in the
classroom?
• We, as a faculty are in the process of examining
opportunities for feedback for our TCs. Will
we be systematic in our recognition of academic
language in use in the K12 classroom?