Archived Information

SEDL Follow Through Program

Developed and tested by the Southwest Educational Development Laboratory (SEDL)

What is the idea behind the SEDL Follow Through Program?

The SEDL program was designed to help ensure English-language development and academic progress for low-income, language-minority populations in elementary schools. The program is adapted to the needs of the sites using these materials. These language development strategies are integrated throughout the school day with regular classroom content rather than as a separate language focus. SEDL's comprehensive program helps educators build first- and second-language acquisition in three ways:

1. by supplementing local curriculum with research-based instructional approaches;

2. through professional development for teachers; and

3. with active participation by parents.

The language development approach creates a positive learning environment through classroom arrangements, instructional organization, and management. Strategies include large- and small-group sessions, peer tutoring, paired learning, and individualized instruction.

What does research say about how this idea can help teaching and learning?

Research shows that children acquire language best through meaningful experiences. SEDL's language development approach has built-in provisions for integrating the language of the child into content areas traditionally disassociated from the study of English. Math and science lessons, for example, may be held in the language the child brings to the classroom or in English. There is always a language objective as well as a content objective.

Follow Through professionals strive to ensure that the student receives and internalizes concepts. Because the development of thought processes is essential to learning, and coping goes hand in hand with language acquisition, language development approach teachers are trained to create ways of communicating new concepts that can be understood and learned in any language. The same training applies to teaching analysis and problem solving.

SEDL's language development approach incorporates teaching and learning strategies developed from research on the nature of language and language acquisition processes. Such strategies provide for

• Optimal language input to allow comprehension of real messages and

• Opportunities for students to hear and use language in a wide variety of situations such as
  • peer interaction in which students cooperatively learn subject content and receive language input and

  • language instruction (with integrated language-development strategies) that is used throughout the school day rather than as a separate language focus.

The parent-involvement component is based on the premise that education should be a cooperative process involving the home, the school, and the community and that all parents can participate actively in their children's schooling. It places responsibility for parent involvement primarily on the school and encourages parent participation in decision making, school activities, and home study. It also provides for training of school staff and parents themselves, with parents helping to decide the focus of training.

How was this program tested?

• research on first- and second-language acquisition and language teaching and learning;

• early childhood education;

• teacher professional development; and

• parent involvement.

Percentile rankings of children participating in this program, relative to a normative sample, consistently have increased from kindergarten through third grade. Observation and self-report data verify that local SEDL Follow Through staff have kept abreast of current educational practices and research, thereby enhancing local teaching methods and professional growth.

Parent interview data indicate more involvement in their children's education and an increase in skills and knowledge needed to help their children and to create feelings of self-worth in their children.

Over the years, research has shown that many strategies used by the SEDL Follow Through program are just plain good teaching strategies. Now, many mainstream teachers are using Follow Through strategies in classrooms not concerned with bilingual problems.

What communities and states are using this program?

What's involved in using this program in my school and community?

Costs associated with implementing this program vary, depending on the components of the program being used.

Contact

[Literacy Plus]

[Strategic Teaching and Reading Project (STRP)]