Supporting multilingual learners effectively is a core principle of the SEEDS Framework, which recognizes the immense value and strengths these children bring to the classroom. Rather than viewing multilingualism as a deficit, the SEEDS Framework emphasizes a strengths-based approach, celebrating diverse languages and cultural backgrounds to foster early literacy and a strong sense of belonging.
The SEEDS Framework integrates the following strategies to support multilingual learners.
Creating an Equitable Classroom Climate
This involves designing learning environments and experiences that reflect and celebrate children’s home languages, cultures, and stories. It may involve:
- Incorporating the children’s cultural and linguistic backgrounds into learning centers and daily instruction.
- Learning key words and phrases in children’s home languages to promote a sense of belonging.
- Modifying educator-child interactions and teaching strategies to ensure active engagement in daily learning opportunities.
- Fostering friendships among children with varying language skills.
- Welcoming translanguaging by allowing children to use all their linguistic resources, including home language, speech patterns, intonations, and pronunciations from their communities.
Promote a Sense of Belonging
This involves creating physical environments where multilingual learners can see and hear their language, culture, and experiences represented and celebrated. It may include:
- Posting daily schedules with visuals and words in children’s home languages.
- Setting up calming areas for children to take breaks.
- Displaying color-coded environmental print and labels in children’s home languages and English.
- Reinforcing vocabulary through the environment (e.g., word walls, posters with labels, songs, and chants).
- Welcoming families to share stories, read books, sing songs, and have conversations in their home languages in the classroom.
- Inviting families to share cultural artifacts, games, rituals, and family photos.
Foster Multilingual Children’s Learning
This involves using instructional strategies and tools that guide you to meet the child’s needs while building on their existing knowledge and strengths. Leverage the SEEDS Support for Multilingual Children resource (found on the Learning Portal) as its strategies align with the Big 5 Early Literacy Predictors.