Student Oral Language Observation Matrix, Essay Example

Solom refers to an informal rating tool used by teachers in their judgment of oral language proficiency, besides being used to asses student needs and record progress based on  principles viz;  Fluency ,vocabulary ,comprehension , grammar and pronunciation (Ronald, 2001) .While ELL has a  considerable body of federal legislation and court cases that impact instruction for English Language Learners (ELLs), including the provision of equal educational opportunity to national origin minority group students whose English language proficiency is limited.

To evaluate the level of proficiency, one should determine whether a standardized assessment of language has been done in the last six months. This assessment will capitulate scores in the speaking, reading, listening, writing domains of second language acquisition, and a composite score for comprehension (Cal, 2009).

Cultural & linguistic backgrounds are enhanced by; giving an opportunity of rehearsal to ideas prior to actual contribution can support pupils who are hesitant to organize their thoughts.

Controlling vocabulary – limiting the number of vocabulary words introduced showing sensitivity to language and culture which involves connecting students’ learning to past experiences in relation to the concept studying.

Storytelling, imaginative play and drama contribute towards creative speaking and listening and allow us to make links with reading, writing and other areas of curriculum besides creating imaginative contexts of speech and listenership that we can not provide in our day-to-day classrooms (Fisher & Rothenberg, 2006).

Incorporating culture, language, and experiences through using materials available for student use about native country in English.

Some BICS & CALP in evaluating ELL include;

• Checking for comprehension by asking a more tailored question and allowing responses in forms as drawing, gestures, pointing and mime,
• Making lessons kinesthetic and visual through the provision of plenty visual clues to sense and allot “hands-on” tasks.
• Allow for extended translation time to newcomers as they make translations back to their native language before formulating a response and ultimately translating the response to English (Waterloo, 2004).
• Anxiety impedes learning and a good teacher –student relationship helps newcomers handle the challenges they face. If ELLs are not secure in school, their learning will be delayed.

ELL’s setting promotes core values of community and respect by ensuring that systems and organizations authorize and order the integration of cultural knowledge into policy making, practice  and infrastructure and also ensuring that cultural proficiency embraces meets the principles of non-discriminatory and  equal access .

Questioning is not liked by participants, partly because of the language barrier crated by how teachers ask the questions or by cultural sensitivity.

Peer assessment is not liked as the students mistrust their peers’ ability to mark their work properly.

Sharing of learning objectives and assessment criteria are seen important ways to enhance learning provided teachers avail clear explanations.

Students with LD, as presented by Waterloo, (2004) use non-English language in mediating comprehension and building proficiency in English language.

English language skills must become an integral part of content area instruction for application to the general education classroom,

Control of vocabulary, comprehensible input ,opportunities to verbalize thoughts, strategies that build comprehension, initial teaching strategies, other language abilities, and key instructional principles are suggested because the learning challenge for second-language learners is deeply diverse than that of monolingual students (Ortiz, 2002). When you have a comprehensible input, you understand greater aspects of learning.

Refrences

Ortiz, A. (2002). English Language Learners with Special Education Needs: Identification, Assessment, and Instruction. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

Ronald, B. (2001). Sensitivity to Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Early Intervention Family Information Gathering, Technical Report #9, 2001.Retrievd on 10^th March, 2010 from http://clas.uiuc.edu/techreport/tech9.html

Cal, (2009). Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM). Retrieved on March 04, 2010 from http://www.cal.org/twi/EvalToolkit/appendix/solom.pdf

Fisher, D & Rothenberg, C. (2006). Teaching English Language Learners: A Differentiated Approach. New York: Allyn & Bacon.

Waterloo, (2004). Student Oral Language Observation Matrix SOLOM. Retrieved on March 04, 2010 from http://www.waterloo.k12.ia.us/files/StudentServices/Student_Oral_Language_Observation_Matrix.pdf