Impact on Academics
| Site: | BRIDGE-RI |
| Course: | (Coming Soon!) How are Multilingual Learners Different: Bilingual-Bicultural Experience |
| Book: | Impact on Academics |
| Printed by: | Guest user |
| Date: | Sunday, August 24, 2025, 7:42 AM |
1. Retrieval Fluency and Automaticity - Letters
We tend to think that all abilities develop relatively easily and without any problem, and generally, with appropriate instruction, mostly they do. However, there are some that are dependent upon time and timing, as well as how old you are, what grade you are in and prior learning. Retrieval fluency and automaticity are very good examples of this.
We expect children to develop automaticity with certain things as they get older--like letters of the alphabet. But just because you've done that doesn't mean that everybody should be able to do it or that it was easy to do. How did you develop it? You practiced and rehearsed it. You learned the alphabet first by memorizing all 26 letters. And you had to over learn it and say all of the letters of the alphabet very quickly so that it became fluent. It became automatic. You didn't really have to think about what letter comes after "c" since you were in the first grade.
But that doesn't mean you are very fluent with it. If you didn't practice something, you didn't rehearse it. What if I ask you to say the alphabet (which you're very fluent at) as quickly as you can, but to do it backwards? Okay, what is wrong? It's just the alphabet, you know it. Isn't it the same thing? Actually, no it's not.
Now you see that learning things and being able to retrieve things is something that multilingual learners will struggle with because by the time they actually learn them, that opportunity for practice and rehearsal to develop automaticity has long since passed them by.
2. Retrieval Fluency and Automaticity - Numbers
We're all fluent with numbers. We all learn to count:
- By ones (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- Then we learn to count by twos (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14)
- Then by fives, (5, 10, 15, 20, 25)
- Then by 10s to 100.
It's very easy, right? We never have to think about what number comes after 7, you just know these things. This comes from practice--from learning and rehearsal and the time that was afforded us in school to be able to do that. The problem for multilingual learns is that while you were practicing your rehearsal, and practicing that fluency, and getting better at it (over learning it), multilingual learners were just learning it. So they didn't get that same time as they moved up in grades to go back and get that type of rehearsal.
A good example would be, to ask you to "Count backwards from 100 by 7." It's not so easy is it? That's because without that practice, there's no automaticity and retrieval fluency. For multilingual learners, it's not because they lack ability but simply because they haven't been given the proper instruction at the proper time and then the opportunity to be able to develop that same automaticity and retrieval fluency.
3. Basic and Advance Reading Comprehension
Listen as Dr. Ortiz takes you through a reading comprehension exercise.
Select for a transcript of Reading Comprehension Exercise.
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
-Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll
Select the correct responses below, then "check" your answer. Once you have answered all 4 questions, listen as Dr. Ortiz summarizes this exercise.
Question 1
Question 2
Question 3
Question 4
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
Select for transcript of Reading Comprehension Follow-up.
3.1. Basic and Advanced Reading Comprehension - Orthographic Processing
Audio Description for Orthographic Processing.
4. Verbal and Mathematical Reasoning
Verbal and Mathematical Reasoning
The ability to engage successfully in verbal reasoning tasks and mathematical word problems presumes the existence of a developmentally proficient level of fluency with the language since it is not the language that is being tested, but the ability to reason. When the native language development is interrupted, bilingual/bicultural individuals may not have the necessary command of the language and the task is confounded by simple comprehension issues and degrades into a test of language, not reasoning.
There's a tendency to think that verbal and mathematical reasoning might be things that aren't problematic for multilingual learners, but in fact they can be especially when we translate mathematical language into English language or we have children verbalize it or try to use verbal skills to solve the problem. How so, well look at this:
What day follows the day before yesterday if two days from now will be Sunday?
If I ask a monolingual learner this question, is the answer immediate available? No. You've got to work through that. Imagine the difficulties in comprehension a multilingual learner might have if they aren't proficient in English as a monolingual learner. Or, in comparison to their same age, same grade peers. It is difficult. And if you want to know what the answer is, well the answer is Thursday. Why? Because today is Friday and two days from now will be Sunday. That means the day before yesterday was not Thursday, but Wednesday. And the day that follows Wednesday is Thursday.
Here's another example:
Paul makes $25.00 a week less than the sum of what Fred and Carl together make. Carl's weekly income would be triple Steven's if he made $50.00 more a week. Paul makes $285.00 a week and Steven makes $75.00 a week. How much does Fred make?
If you are reading this and wondering, "Who is Fred and where did he come from?" imagine how multilingual learners are challenged by trying to translate mathematical concepts into language that they are not nearly as proficient. They have to recognize words like less than, the sum of, together, and triple. These are things that will cause a great difficulty to multilingual learners. While we think sometimes that reasoning is just reasoning, when language is introduced into the equation it's going to make it even more difficult for our typical English learners.
5. Cultural Perspective and Reasoning
Before watching the video below, you will be asked to complete a brief task. On a sheet of paper, place nine dots, arranged like this:
Take a pen or pencil and connect all nine dots using only four straight lines. You may cross lines, but may not lift your pen/pencil. For a screenreader alternative accessible activity select Reasoning: Nine Dot Activity. Once you've finished, watch the video below.
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Audio Description for Cultural Perspective and Reasoning.
6. Final Thoughts on the Multilingual Experience
Learning about another culture without culture-specific guidance can lead to misinterpretation. Listen as Dr. Ortiz shares some of his own experiences.
Audio Description for Acculturative Knowledge and Cultural Artifacts.