Are the teachers you are coaching asking for help in teaching and reaching multilingual learners? Do they want to know which vocabulary method is best for English speakers? Do you often hear, “Some of my students can’t read; how can I help them?”
Studies on coaching K-12 teachers of multilingual multicultural students (MLS), virtually or in person, offer some takeaways for the valiant coaches who dare to help make a difference in student outcomes. The multilingual multicultural coaches believe that teachers should not only impart knowledge but also empower students to embrace their identities, talents, and multilingualism. A context where MLS and peers feel confident and feel they belong is equally important. How can coaches assist with all this?
Learn about the Diversity of Multilingual Students
Multilingual students are sometimes called emergent bilinguals (EBs) or English Learners (ELs). They are quite diverse in language and literacy skills, and background knowledge in the disciplines. Coaches can help adjust instruction for each.
- Newcomers – might be students with interrupted formal education (SIFE) or highly schooled and only need English words.
- Long-term English learners (LTEL) — who have been in U.S. schools for at least 6 years still need higher-order language and literacy skills.
- Previously ELs – exited from EL status but still need support in information processing.
- Dually identified as special education and/or gifted ELs might need referrals.
Preparing to Coach: Language and Literacy Questions to Consider
| Vocabulary and Verbal Discourse | Foundational Reading and Reading Comprehension | Content-based Writing |
| · What does the research say about vocabulary for MLS?
· Why is preteaching vocabulary critically important for MLs? · Which words should teachers select to preteach? · How do we teach a word/phrase? · How do we coach vocabulary teaching strategies? Are there sentence stems or talking points for coaching this? · How do we observe MLS and know if they are learning vocabulary? · How do we coach student conversations? · What is the role of native language instruction and translanguaging?
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· What does the research say about reading for MLs?
· How do teachers embed language development into phonics? · Why do reading strategies such as partner reading work for all students? · What reading strategies work in all subject areas? · How do we coach teaching reading? Are there sentence stems or discussion starters for coaches to use? · How do we observe MLS and what type of data do we collect to know if they are becoming proficient readers? · How do we collect data for coaching on student interaction during reading activities? |
· What does the research say about writing for MLS?
· What writing strategies tap cultural appreciation as well as creativity, originality, and talents? · How do we coach peer interactions during writing? · What social-emotional competencies can we look for during peer writing? · How do we coach writing instruction and give feedback on assessing student writing? Are there sentence stems or discussion points for coaching?
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| · What social-emotional discourse can we look for?
· What observation protocol, process, and tools in English and bilingual/dual language can coaches use for vocabulary, reading, and writing? · Comments from teachers and other coaches? · Reflection and action? |
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Recommendations from Research: Help teachers to…
- Integrate all four language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) into content lessons.
- Develop vocabulary and discourse before, during, and after reading.
- Build background knowledge for understanding the text.
- Teach reading comprehension strategies.
- Use pair, triad, and quad teams to process information.
- Use native language strategically.
- Develop academic English and grammar as part of subject-matter learning.
- Teach the writing process.
- Motivate MLS through choice.
- Use multimodal assessments (graphic organizers, cartoons, website products, photos, PowerPoint).
Delivering the Coaching Sequence
Begin with vocabulary as a precursor to comprehending a text. The next observation should be on reading. Are the students reading and comprehending? Are they using words pretaught to discuss what they read? Finally, are the vocabulary words/phrases, sentence structures, plus content derived from reading appearing in the students’ writing?
Parallels with Jim Knight’s Seven Success Factors for Coaches
| 1. Partnership Principles | The multilingual coach builds relationships with teachers, administrators, multilingual students, and their families. |
| 2. Communication skills | The multilingual coach combines the language of coaching with the language of multilingual multiliteracies instructional practices (e.g., vocabulary, discourse, reading, writing, social emotional learning, cooperative learning, and the writing process). |
| 3. Coaches as leaders | The multilingual coach is a powerful leader and advocate for multilingual learners’ and their teachers’ success. |
| 4. The impact cycle | The multilingual coach uses a variety of coaching structures to facilitate a teacher’s preference for learning. |
| 5. Data | The multilingual coach collects data on the specific observation/feedback protocols to focus on student and teacher learning progressions. |
| 6. The instructional playbook | The playbook contains high-impact teaching strategies that the multilingual coaches can use to partner with teachers. |
| 7. System support | The multilingual coach is supported by leadership and plays a crucial role in implementing new ways of teaching, new ways of thinking about multilingual learners, and sustainability of success for all. |
Language and Literacy Across the Disciplines
Vocabulary and literacy are now understood to vary across academic disciplines. Instructional coaches can make a huge difference in guiding teachers toward this type of teaching and learning since all students need to improve their language and literacy skills.
Coaching works best when the whole school is prepared and fully informed about coaching and instruction that works in multilingual multicultural schools.
The whole-school approach works because it centers on students’ development of skills that enable them to navigate across cultures, and form healthy relationships, as they excel in language, literacy, and content. Plus, the whole school also benefits from attaining recognition.
Some References and Resources
Specific instructional strategies and coaching protocols to observe and give feedback on each strategy can be found in the Corwin publication by Calderón, M.E. (2025) Coaching for Multilingual Excellence: Strategies for Vocabulary, Reading, and Writing Across the Disciplines.
August, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.). (2008). Developing reading and writing in second-language learners: Lessons from the report of the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority Children and Youth. New York: Routledge.
Knight, J. (2022). The definitive guide to instructional coaching: seven factors for success. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
