Educational+Implications

Allison, Mariel, Jean-Phillip Brignol

What does this mean for teachers of SIFE students?
1. From our research, we believe that more information is vital to understanding our SIFE students. This information can lead to their success in and outside our classrooms. For this reason, we would suggest that every teacher do an entrance interview using the template provided below. This can give some basic information about a SIFE student.



2. Our evidence also reveals that we must find real life experiences where SIFE students can be successful that are nonacademic, but connect them to the school, so they feel successful at school too. For Luis, connecting learning to his passion for music and using drumming as a motivating incentive helped him adjust to school and begin to feel more confident academically.

3. It is also important to realize that because of the interrupted education of these students, they may not be prepared to follow even simple classroom procedures. Consistency, scaffolding, and clarification of behavior is necessary for success. Using personal trackers or reminders, etc. can help to establish a positive growth environment.

4. SIFE students vary significantly in some cases and using a one-size-fits-all approach will only further impede their growth. Using survey information and building a relationship with a student can guide instructional strategies to fill necessary gaps. This is why we believe that a self-contained newcomer class is the right fit for this type of SIFE student. He is not yet prepared for the rigor of an SEI program. It is a more supportive environment where the student can feel successful. For example some SIFE students need more language support because even while they are learning the rules or language of the classroom they are also learning a new language. Others have gaps in mathematics that can impede them in scientific analysis.

5. We believe that to fully support SIFE students there has to be a connection to the home or outside school environment. Making connections in the community and at home with the students can help improve language and help them adjust to a new country and/or school culture. Because many SIFE students may need to adjust to new family and cultural dynamics, it is important that we take this into consideration when we educate them.

6. SIFE students benefit when content and vocabulary is explained meaningfully and through dialogue. Learning information in contextualized situations is essential for them. It is also important for SIFE students to be housed together initially, so that they can experience classes in a culturally relevant way and so that they can navigate their first interface with a foreign culture through a collective rather than in isolation.

7. SIFE students need to be taught relevant vocabulary explicitly, especially in content classes such as math, science, social studies, etc. It would behoove teachers to create resources such as vocabulary notebooks, running dictionaries, etc.

8. Alternative assessments (e.g. Portfolios, etc.) should be implemented more for SIFE students to evaluate their gaps accurately. Existing standardized tests do not measure them adequately and fairly.