The SWIRL Method centers on speaking, writing, interacting, reading, and listening in every lesson. How does this balanced approach change the way multilingual learners experience daily instruction? The SWIRL Method mirrors the way language is utilized in the real world. When adults read a book, we talk about it with friends, family, and colleagues. We might go listen to the author speak about the book or tune in to a podcast. SWIRLing the five core competencies prevents students from experiencing an imbalanced focus on, say, reading instruction over writing. SWIRL also accounts for varying learning modalities. The strategies and supports are differentiated and provide opportunities for students to both take in information in a variety of ways and also “show what they know” in writing, by speaking, and through interactive activities. What is a common misconception about teaching multilingual learners that The SWIRL Method helps challenge? Educators might feel overwhelmed by the breadth of English proficiency levels in their class. As a result, there can be a tendency to lean on technology too heavily. While online reading programs can help individualize leveling, pacing, and assessments, they do not provide enough time for students to speak, interact, and write. Those are the more productive parts of learning a new language. Overusing technology means students are reading and listening and, very often, literally on mute. They need to be SWIRLing in order to become proficient readers, writers, and speakers of English. Many teachers want to support multilingual learners but struggle to fit language development into content goals. How does SWIRL help integrate language learning into core instruction rather than treating it as an add-on? Both in the SWIRL book and during the in-person PD, teachers get the chance to create language objectives tied to content objectives. The latter being what students will learn (the standards), and the former being how they will demonstrate that they have full command of the English language. When we specify which language forms and functions students need to incorporate, that gives learners a North Star for which they can aim. What experiences or insights shaped your commitment to supporting multilingual learners, and how did they influence the practical, classroom- ready design of the SWIRL framework? As a National Board Certified Teacher with more than 30 years of expertise teaching MLs, and coaching other teachers on how to best serve MLs, I know that educators need a user-friendly guide to implementing new ELD strategies. I’ve also sat through hundreds of PD trainings and designed my PD to be particularly hands-on, minds-on. In each session, participants make-and-take graphic organizers, discussion games, sentence frames/stems/ starters, and the like so they can start SWIRLing immediately. AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT Featuring Susan B. Katz FEATURED RESOURCE Featured resource: The Swirl Method See page 32 for details.
