Multilingual Learner Support: Practical Strategies for Upper Elementary Teachers with Dr. Jana Echevarría and Dr. Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez

Sara
Hey, teacher friends, welcome back to the podcast. Today’s episode is one that I am so excited to share because we are digging into a topic that is incredibly important and often misunderstood: how we can better support multilingual learners in our upper elementary classrooms.

I want to start by giving a big thank you to our friends at McGraw Hill for helping connect us with today’s amazing guests. They’re doing great work to bring research into classrooms, including their Science of Literacy library, which we’ll link to in the show notes.

Joining me today are Dr. Jana Echevarría and Dr. Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez, two leading experts in the fields of language development, reading comprehension, and multilingual learner support. We’re going to talk about why the term multilingual learner (MLL) is becoming more widely used than English language learner (ELL), how to challenge some common assumptions about students learning English, where upper elementary MLLs need the most support, and, of course, practical strategies that you can start using right away to better serve the multilingual learners in your classroom.

So whether you’re new to working with MLLs or just want to deepen your understanding, this episode is full of helpful, grounded insights that will leave you feeling empowered and ready to take action. Let’s dive in.

Jana and Jeanette, thank you so much for joining me today. I am so excited to welcome you to the podcast.

Jana
Thanks, Sara. It’s an honor to be here.

Jeanette
Thank you so much, Sara. Happy to be here.

Sara
Yeah, I’m so excited because so many teachers in our audience are asking for support with, “How do we support our English language learning students?” That is definitely not my area of expertise, so I’m so glad that you guys are coming on today to share your knowledge. I know you have a lot of experience in this area.

I’d love to start with the big picture. We are seeing a shift in how we talk about students who are learning English—from English language learners (ELLs) to multilingual learners (MLLs). Can you explain the difference and why this change in language even matters?

Jana
Sure. I’ll start with that. It really is an evolution, moving from more deficit thinking to more asset-based thinking. When I started in this field, many decades ago, students were categorized as LEP—limited English proficient. The focus was really on limitation. Then our understanding grew, and the term English language learner evolved, later shortened to English learner.

Over time, people started realizing what an asset it is to be able to speak two, three, or more languages. Our terminology has reflected that, and we’re now moving toward multilingual learner to acknowledge that these students have a tremendous linguistic benefit.

Legally and in common use, English learner is still the term, but more organizations—and common usage—are now adopting multilingual learner.

Sara
I know I am not bilingual—I wish I was! To your point, it really is such a gift, and I think a talent, to be able to speak multiple languages.

Jana
Definitely.

Jeanette
Yeah, I’ll just add one thing. I completely agree with what Jana explained. One important point is that all students are English language learners in some way. Using a term like multilingual learner underscores the fact that these students are not from English-only homes. That distinction is important when we think about their academic needs.

We could probably spend too much time on terminology, but it actually matters quite a bit for how we approach supporting this population of learners.

Sara
How do you think this shift reflects this broader change in how we view and value linguistic diversity in our classrooms?

Jeanette
Well, I’ll start and then turn it over to Jana for her input. I think—and hope—that the shift really underscores a change, moving from, as Jana pointed out, a more deficit perspective of what students do not bring to the task of learning, to recognizing what they actually do bring. All students bring knowledge of different sorts, and they have very different experiences.

When we think about multilingual learners—and this is the point I was trying to underscore earlier—we are really thinking about a population of students whose developmental experience is unique and different from that of students from English-only homes. Now, there might be—and in fact, there often are—many similarities, sometimes more similarities than differences, especially when we think about academic language, which I know we’ll touch on in just a minute. But at the core, I think it’s about recognizing the experience of being exposed to a language other than English.

Moving toward careful language, avoiding stereotyping students as completely lacking English proficiency, and not overemphasizing deficits, is an important step. Hopefully, in the education community and broader society, we are starting to better appreciate this.

Jana
Well, as the saying goes, words matter—and they really do. Recognizing that these students have this—as you said—a gift, being multilingual, is crucial. It’s not a deficit. My goodness, most people would love to speak two or three languages, and many of these students do speak more than two.

Jeanette’s points are really good in terms of recognizing their home language experience, their development, and tapping into that—respecting and honoring it.

Sara
Yeah. So what are some of the common misconceptions that teachers might have about multilingual learners, and how can we reframe those to better support our students?

Jeanette
My answer will be brief, but it’s a really big and consequential question. One of the biggest misconceptions, in my view, is that many educators think multilingual learners are newly arrived immigrants to the U.S. That is true for a subset of the MLL population, but the majority are U.S.-born citizens.

Those who have heard me speak before know that most of these students are U.S.-born, attending U.S. schools from the very beginning, often in English-only contexts. So it’s not the case that most students are entering school with zero knowledge of English. When we talk about academic language demands, that’s a different ballgame, even for English-only students. But a big misconception is quickly associating the term “multilingual learner” with a newly arrived immigrant.

Sara
That’s such a good point.

Jana
That’s great. Jeanette, I’ll piggyback on that. You mentioned one common misconception—here are two from my work. One is the idea that these students learn fundamentally differently from the other students in your class. Yes, there are differences, as Jeanette mentioned, but fundamentally, they are kids, and students worldwide learn in many of the same ways. They are not so different that teachers don’t know how to support them.

The other misconception is that multilingual learners cannot access grade-level content. That’s been a major focus of my research and work: providing access to grade-level content. Multiple researchers have shown that multilingual learners—even newly arrived students, including kindergarteners—can engage with grade-level material, provided they have proper supports.

Sara
I’m so glad you mentioned that, because one of the things I wanted to discuss is this assumption that students need to master English before they can engage with academic content or grade-level material. Can you talk a little about what the research says regarding supporting students who are learning English while also learning academic content?

Jana
Yeah. So what the research tells us is that students do learn in many of the same ways, especially when we’re talking about literacy skills—how to read and write—and of course, that impacts all content areas. Students need those same kinds of foundational skills. They need to know how to sound out words on a page.

Of course, for multilingual learners, they need a lot of support and adjustments to instruction to make sure those words are meaningful. We don’t want students just being able to word call—to read a word on a page without any idea of what it means. For example, Spanish is a phonetic language, a transparent orthography. Many people who are not Spanish speakers can sound out Spanish words and seem like they speak Spanish, but there’s no meaning attached to it. So we need to provide a lot of support to ensure the instruction is meaningful for these students. Study after study has shown that, with adjustments and some extra support, these students can and will achieve grade-level competencies.

Sara
Which I think is really encouraging for teachers who are listening.

Jeanette
Yes, and I agree. I’ll just add that we also need to—well, I hope we question—what does “mastering English” really mean? Is it something that students from English-only homes have fully accomplished? When we frame it this way, we have to ask: do we have an objective way to measure that? We don’t want to hold a different measuring stick or set different expectations for students just because they come from a home where a language other than English is spoken. That’s one thing I hope we can consider and reflect on. Research has shown that it would be not only misguided but negligent to wait until this so-called mastery of English occurs before we focus on content.

The second piece—and I’ll end here—is that translations can be very valuable for students when possible. But we also have to remember, as I noted, that a good percentage of students from multilingual homes may not have full proficiency in language and literacy in their home language, so some supports may not be fully optimal for them either.

Sara
Yeah, that’s a really good point to bring up when thinking about supports. I know academic language often plays a huge role in whether multilingual learners can access grade-level content—especially in third, fourth, fifth grade and beyond. Why is academic language such a critical focus, and what are some ways teachers can make it more accessible for students during daily instruction?

Jeanette
There are many definitions used to describe academic language, but one simple way to think about it is to compare it to everyday conversational language—the kind of language you might use with a friend if you’re out having lunch—versus the language you might use at a medical appointment or a court hearing.

That contrast highlights that there’s a certain type of vocabulary and certain language structures—syntactic complexity, connectives, and so on—that are specific to academic contexts. Academic language is, more or less, specialized language: the language of schooling, the language of books, the language of formal writing. Developing English academic language is essential for students to access content across disciplines in K–12 and beyond.

There is a very good reason to focus on developing academic language. But the term has sometimes been controversial because it can be viewed as biased toward students who are culturally or linguistically diverse. Academic language often reflects dominant cultural norms and is sometimes seen as synonymous with being an English monolingual speaker, potentially serving as a gatekeeper to higher-level content or coursework.

In my view, and based on my professional experience, we absolutely have to ensure that all students, regardless of language background, have the opportunity to develop academic language. This is essential for thriving in the classroom—in reading, writing, and speaking.

Jana
Yeah, very—excellent, Jeanette. In fact, you inferred the point that academic language is essentially a second language for all students. They come to school having developed everyday language, and suddenly they’re asked to talk about the water cycle or other kinds of concepts they haven’t encountered before.

To your point about gatekeeping, I would agree and say that, in my work—which includes some international contexts—English is actually a gate opener. Academic English provides opportunities for students worldwide. If they are interacting online with someone from another country in a business setting, they need academic English. So this isn’t limited to the U.S. or our culture here.

I also want to emphasize that academic vocabulary really forms the basis for all learning. It’s the language of science, social studies—students have to learn these various registers. So when we talk about multilingual learners, it’s extremely important that we focus on developing their vocabulary. But again, the difference is more a matter of degree than of kind. All students need exposure to academic language and practice using it in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It’s absolutely critical for our multilingual learners that we provide extra support so they can develop their linguistic repertoire of academic terms. And as Jeanette said, syntax is a big piece, too. There’s a lot that goes into language, and we do know some effective ways to accelerate the acquisition of academic language.

Jeanette
I just have to add, Jana, that I love the term gate opener! I 100% agree that we have to ensure students develop academic language. For the reasons you highlighted—and as I mentioned earlier—the opportunities students have to develop English generally, and academic English specifically, will differ between students who have heard only English their entire lives and those who have negotiated more than one language. But your “gate opener” metaphor is spot on.

Sara
Yeah, and Jeanette, I love how you said this is the language of school—everybody needs it. And Jana, you added onto that: this is also the language of the world. Students need this lexicon to succeed academically and beyond. We know all students benefit from it, but especially our multilingual learners.

So can we talk practical strategies for a bit? What instructional practices can teachers use to support language development—whether academic language or general language development—especially for teachers in third, fourth, and fifth grade, since that’s the majority of our audience today?

Jana
Well, I think—and this has been the foundation of much of my work—it’s about integrating language teaching with content teaching. One strategy, using the SIOP model, is to have content teachers develop both a content objective and a language objective.

The content objective is usually outlined in the standards or the textbook: what are students going to focus on and learn in this lesson? Then, the language objective specifies the language demands: what do students need to know how to do? Are they going to compare and contrast? If so, we need to teach those terms—what they mean. Some multilingual learners—and even some English-only students—may not know these terms.

If the lesson involves a dense text, we can make it more accessible by chunking the text, focusing on past tense language, or other linguistic strategies. Importantly, the language instruction is integrated into the content lesson.

I would also recommend being transparent with students about the language focus. Post it on the board so students know, “This is what we’re working on today—my English language skills.” Use it as a guidepost for both teachers and students.

Another key strategy is connecting students’ background experiences to the content. I saw a recent lesson where the teacher was discussing a historical war or conflict. She asked students, “Have you ever gotten in a fight?” It was upper elementary, and she gave students just a few seconds to reflect on that. Then she connected it to the historical content: “Okay, so you know how you felt—that’s how this side felt, and this side felt differently.” She used students’ lived experiences to make the content more relatable.

There are many strategies like this that don’t require a lot of extra work. It’s more a difference of degree than kind. Giving students a little extra time to work together and practice what they’ve just learned reinforces the content and provides valuable practice using English.

Sara
Yeah, and I think so often teachers—and I know I felt this too—just don’t have a lot of knowledge about how to best support English language learners. There’s this idea that it has to be something different, right? Like, I need to be doing extra things or something special. But really, it’s about being intentional: what can we do during our content lessons to support English language learners? I love the examples you shared because they’re simple and easy for teachers to apply in their own classrooms.

Jeanette
Yeah, I don’t have much to add. Jana did a wonderful job outlining that. One thought I had—Jana, as you were talking about practicing English—is that it’s also important in writing. We need to give students opportunities not just to listen to English, which they do a lot, but to actively use it. Writing is one area where all students, but especially multilingual learners, need more practice—not just reading, but producing written language. That’s really important.

Jana
What I really like to emphasize with teachers is this integrated approach for multilingual learners: we talk about it, we read about it, we discuss it, we work with a partner, outline something, write a paragraph, and then share it with a partner. Now students are talking more, and they’re discussing something they’re interested in. The partner might ask, “What do you mean by that?” which gives the writer a chance to clarify their ideas. Then they revise, and we’re done. It’s that integrated way of teaching where students get opportunities to practice all four domains—listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

Sara
Exactly. Hearing you say that, I’m reminded: they’re reading, listening, talking, and writing—all of those things. And the process you just shared could be applied to any content area—reading, science, social studies. It’s an easy process to give students exposure to all aspects of language.

What’s something you wish every upper elementary teacher knew or understood about working with multilingual learners?

Jeanette
I can start. I’ve alluded to this already, and Jana touched on it too: it would be great if every upper elementary teacher knew that multilingual learners aren’t a different species—they’re learners like anyone else. The difference is a matter of degree: how much support they need to develop academic English proficiency. Recognizing this alone could go a long way in helping teachers understand that they don’t need a vastly different approach.

Of course, every learner is unique. Some students need more support, others less. One distinguishing factor for multilingual learners is that they haven’t only heard English from the very beginning, which affects the additional support they need to continually develop English proficiency and the accompanying content knowledge across disciplines.

Jana
I’d just add: remember, they’re kids. They want to feel accepted, to be part of the class and the school. They don’t want to be embarrassed in front of peers, and they want to please the teacher. There’s sometimes a misconception that these students don’t care about education—or that culturally they don’t value it. That’s not true. Families have often made tremendous sacrifices so their kids could get a good education. Fundamentally, they’re kids—and that’s what teachers need to remember.

Sara
I love that reminder. It’s so important for teachers to remember that they’re learners just like everyone else.

Where can our listeners learn more about you and your work, or find resources to support multilingual learner instruction?

Jana
I have a website – https://www.janaechevarria.com – which I think is in the show notes. I write a blog, which I used to update monthly for six years, though I’ve slowed down a bit. I also write blogs and sometimes white papers for McGraw Hill, so those are some ways to learn more about my work.

Jeanette
For me, the more traditional route works: a simple Google search of my name, Jeannette Mancilla-Martinez Vanderbilt, will show you my lab website with resources. You can also find some of my blogs and white papers through McGraw Hill.

Sara
We’ll link to all of that in the show notes. Again, I can’t thank you enough for coming on today. I know this is an area so many teachers want to get right—they want to support students who are learning English—and I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Jeanette
Thank you so much.

Jana
Thanks for the opportunity.