Evidence Review and Training on Instructional Practices for American Indian English Learner Students

REL Southwest engaged New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED) staff and New Mexico educators in a two-phase process to design a training series to assist teacher implementation of effective strategies supporting American Indian English learner students.

First, REL Southwest completed an evidence review to identify methods specific to American Indian students and effective in incorporating relevant American Indian cultural traditions and pedagogy. Next, REL Southwest and NMPED collaborated on resources that merge understandings from the evidence review with components of the Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Facilitator’s Guide, which is aligned with the Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School educator’s practice guide from the What Works Clearinghouse. Staff designed a three-part teacher learning series augmented with selected videos and discussion questions from the Center for Standards and Assessment Implications (CSAI) series Culturally Responsive Instruction for American Indian Students to underscore the strategies described in the evidence review. The first training was conducted virtually in May 2021.

This project addresses a need for high-quality instructional resources specific to American Indian English learners. The results of the project will help strengthen understanding of instructional practices to improve academic English for American Indian English learners.

Related research partnership: Southwest English Learners Research Partnership

Resources

Evidence Review

• American Indian English Learners Evidence Review (868 KB)

Session 1:

• Agenda (540 KB)
• Slide deck (4.6 MB)
• Handout: Summary of Evidence Review (579 KB)
• Handout: Resource List for Information Text with American Indian Context (390 KB)
• Handout: Bias Screening Tool (372 KB)

Session 2:

• Agenda (555 KB)
• Slide deck (3.6 MB)
• Handout: Video Viewing Guide 1—Introduction to Recommendation 1 and Links to Strategies for American Indian Learners (345 KB)
• Handout: Choosing Words to Teach (298 KB)

Session 3:

• Agenda (542 KB)
• Slide deck (3.6 MB)
• Handout: Prepare to Share Selected Vocabulary Words (272 KB)
• Handout: Video Viewing Guide 2—Connecting the Video’s Pre-teaching Vocabulary and Activities with Strategies for American Indian Learners (304 KB)
• Handout: Vocabulary Lesson Example (387 KB)
• Handout: Vocabulary Lesson Template (258 KB)
• Handout: Prepare to Share Lesson Plan (317 KB)