Problem
Teachers are sometimes asked to contextualize and embed all explicit instruction about language forms in meaningful content-based activities. But can such instantaneously contextualized instruction be sufficiently thorough to be effective without taking a lengthy formal detour that makes returning to the main meaning route difficult or impossible? How long should you pause a child or group's reading to train them on a common spelling pattern, as opposed to only helping with a specific word? How much instruction on punctuation and paragraphing should be included in writing conferences? How much ad hoc, just-in-time instruction of a second language should be incorporated into continuous, communicative-teaching-designed discussions? When is it required, in addition to immediate assistance, to catalog problems and requirements and handle them in a more deliberate manner at a later time?
The following resources are available: "Teaching English Language Learners to Read." In combination with this media, consider the approaches to literacy instruction at your school or a school you are familiar with. These techniques could range from instructional frameworks like the writers' and readers' workshops to packaged programs like the basal readers. What factors led to the selection of these specific approaches? What, in your opinion, are the advantages and disadvantages of these approaches for ELLs? What has been the impact on the literacy development of ELLs? What would you do differently if you and your colleagues were to deliver the compelling instruction required to lead pupils to high levels of literacy? Or would you remain unchanged?