What Is Sheltered Instruction?

Effective Recent Arriver programming is structured with the principles of sheltered instruction in mind.  These techniques are not tethered to an exclusive program or curriculum.  Rather, they are tools for teaching and learning that can be applied to and incorporated into any existing program to explicitly promote language development.  All sheltering strategies are centered around the primary goal of increasing Emergent Multiinguals’ access to (and demonstrated mastery of) essential knowledge- without compromising the integrity of the content lesson.   

Strategies that are associated with this pedagogy foster academically focused student talk, intra and interdependent problem-solving skills, effective collaboration, and healthy cross-cultural communication skill development.  These practices benefit Recent Arriver and traditional students alike and can be modified to support learners across a range of language, grade, and skill levels.

Where Did the Term Sheltered Instruction Come From?

Sheltered instruction is a manifestation of the Comprehension Hypothesis for language learning.  The Comprehension Hypothesis is rooted in the idea that “we acquire language when we understand messages containing aspects of language that we have not acquired, but are developmentally ready to acquire.” (Krashen, 2013).  That is, language learning best occurs in natural settings, drawing holistically from what we hear and read.  It develops via exposure to comprehensible input, or bite-sized digestible pieces of language understanding.

This is in direct contrast to the skill-building theory, which presses for direct, rote learning of grammar, vocabulary and spelling knowledge.  Briefly, skill-building strategies are conscious measures, while comprehension-based learning is subconscious and indirect. Research overwhelmingly indicates that language learning is enhanced and accelerated when Comprehension Hypothesis methods are applied.    In fact, evidence shows that, 

“Students in beginning-level second language classes based on the Comprehension Hypothesis consistently outperform students in classes based on skill-building tests of communication, and do at least as well as, and often slightly better than, students in skills-based classes on tests of grammar.” (Krashen, 2003)

Sheltered instruction is directly representative of Comprehension Hypothesis ideals.  Its primary goal is to provide language learners with a comprehensible input through the implementation of specific instructional tools and practices.  Sheltered instruction is critical in the context of Newcomer instruction in that it focuses on content over language.  

When students are exposed to content knowledge in comprehensible ways, appropriate language output is a holistic byproduct.  Additionally, anxiety and pressure to learn the new language may be significantly diffused in sheltered subject matter settings.  In fact, “Students in sheltered subject matter classes acquire as much language or more language than students in traditional [ESL-direct] classes and also learn impressive amounts of subject matter”. (Krashen, 2013, 1991; Dupuy, 2000)

So, what does sheltered instruction look like in the classroom?

Sheltered, or scaffolded, instructional practices engage emergent bilinguals and multilinguals in the rigorous content investigation.  It can encompass a wide range of instructional techniques, each aimed at guiding and directing language learners toward proficiency, within an environment that endorses safety and facilitated risk-taking.

At the crux of impactful scaffolded instruction are effective content language learning objectives, which can be incorporated into every subject, each day.  These cornerstones provide a powerful sense of directionality for both the educator and the learner and fuel a focused sense of productivity.

Basic elements of sheltered instruction include:

• appropriate pacing;

• modified speech;

• routine and predictability;

• use of visuals, realia, and manipulatives;

• explicitly introduced body language, gestures, and facial cues;

• sentence stems;

• relevant language supportive technology;

• modeling;

• traditional or interactive word walls;

• interactive notebooking;

• multiple modes of assessment/means of demonstrating understanding;

• graphic organizers (such as Frayer models, Venn Diagrams or word-mapping);

• co-operative talk structures, such as inside-outside circles, fishbowls, numbered heads (download your cheat sheet here); 

• SIOP lesson planning, or “Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol” (Echevarria & Short), is frequently implemented as part of sheltered-instruction instruction.

When we integrate sheltering techniques into existing curricula and classroom protocol, we invite emergent bilingual and multilingual students to engage with intention and purpose, in ways that highlight existing funds of knowledge. We also support team building and interpersonal skills, which lend themselves to healthy integration. Perhaps most importantly, sheltering strategies can be overlapped with other pedagogies, such as culturally responsive teaching and learning, leading to especially dynamic socio-academic student outcomes.

For detailed information on Sheltered Instruction techniques, see The Newcomer Student: An Educator’s Guide to Aid Transition, Chapters 6-8

Download your Co-Operative Learning Cheat Sheet HERE.