Learn to Collaborate in Support of Multilingual Learners with Exceptionalities

“Collaborator” is a powerful word in education circles that a growing number of teachers use to describe themselves. From speaking to many of you, we know that strong collaborative relationships between educators are needed to support student success. More specifically, collaboration on behalf of multilingual learners with exceptionalities (MLEs) must be built on mutual trust and shared expertise. It is further based on a belief that MLEs can be successful both academically and socially when you work together in teams.

Ready to join the team? When multiple educators with varied expertise participate on teams you can better support MLEs. This may include classroom teachers, special educators, ESOL specialists, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, social workers, and many others.

Asking a key question supports the efforts of the team: How can we learn together and continue to learn about each student?

Sharing key information may occur through formal discussions such as IEP or 504 meetings or even informal discussions during planning time. When planning time is limited, use Google Docs or other cloud-based digital platforms to share educational information and goals. Make sure all lessons are accessible and include modifications or adaptations when necessary. Very often, the special educator—with modified instructional expertise—can offer learning strategies that are asset-based and productive, whereas the language development specialist can create multiple access points and scaffolds.

What can collaboration for MLEs look like? It will vary from classroom to classroom, school to school, and district to district! Your collaboration may focus on creating consistency in the curriculum across grade levels and between classes or course sections. This type of collaboration is most effective when not limited to select classrooms. Across-grade collaborative practices invite you to speak to each other about best practices. You may share research-based instructional ideas and work together to accelerate learning for all students, perhaps specifically for MLEs. We know that MLEs receiving explicit and targeted instruction will progress in their language and literacy development.

Consider some other collaborative practices that you and your colleagues can share:

• Speaking about your favorite strategies and inviting other educators to watch through non-evaluative peer observations.
• Informing schools’ or districts’ professional development plans and having input regarding your learning needs.
• Sharing high-leverage practices focused on the subset of students who are multilingual learners with exceptionalities.

What are the benefits of collaboration? Recognizing MLEs through an asset-based lens means that language and literacy development remain at the forefront of your lessons. Since certain learning disabilities may make language acquisition more complex, you can work together to integrate language, especially new vocabulary and concepts. In many cases, a lack of understanding about language acquisition affects planning and teaching, so collaborative practices allow for a shared exploration of how language and literacy are attained among neurodiverse multilingual learners.

What are practices to jumpstart collaboration? You can begin to collaborate by coordinating plans and instruction for classrooms in which you share students. Consider the programs that your MLEs are in and make sure there is:

• Flexible scheduling
• Professional development for classroom teachers, special education teachers, ESOL specialists, and any other service provider
• Back-mapping the curriculum for content that may have been missed based on limited access to education or prior knowledge
• Consideration for newcomer programs that may help the MLE become more acclimated to your school’s structure
• Built-in extended time for instructional support, including practice and application
• Systemic implementation of a collaborative cycle of co-planning, co-instruction, co-assessment, and reflection (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2018)
• Regular communication with your team members and parents

What are the challenges? We must prevent multilingual learners with exceptionalities from becoming marginalized or sidelined either for their diverse learning needs or their inconsistent development through language proficiency levels. Therefore, those of you who work in inclusive settings with MLEs need to make it your mission to advocate for everyone and to use asset-based lenses.  When you recognize students’ multidimensional identities, you must also keep in mind that students come from different homes and communities with varied languages and oral skills as well as diverse cultures and traditions. Additionally, in recent years, we have observed more students with traumatic life situations, which may include refugee status, difficult immigration experiences, poverty, family separations, interrupted formal education, and/or homelessness. These become more complex when overlapped with a learning disability or language difficulty.

What can collaborating teachers accomplish together? Teachers who work together can discuss and confirm how you will address and evaluate challenging concepts and skills. You can agree that knowledge and skills will not be watered down but rather explicitly taught. Teams can also agree on responsibilities and roles in planning and implementation. If you have multiple teachers in the classroom at the same time, a discussion of how to best configure the class (whole group, small group, one-on-one, learning centers) will allow for optimal instructional time. In short, you should clarify all structures that support the integration of content, language, and learning needs of your MLEs. Other strategies to consider are mini-lessons that integrate students’ lived experiences, predictable routines and structures, visual or physical adaptations of content, and modifications to activities.

How can you achieve parity? Educational parity means an expectation to serve students with equity. This indicates that students—no matter their learning needs—receive equitable instruction and that as educators, you are somewhat equal in your roles. This means not being a leader or helper, for instance. Parity is a goal teachers who share students need to work towards so that the students receive instruction and best practices from each of you, not just one educator.

The ideas for collaboration can keep flowing. A renewed focus on the relationship between English language development and academic content will benefit all students not just multilingual learners with excepetionalities. When you return to school next year, begin by asking yourself: How can you encourage other educators to join your collaborative efforts?

One new resource to jump start your efforts is Collaboration for Multilingual Learners with Exceptionalities: We Share the Students.