(1977). Native Spanish Language Acquisition: The Effect of Age, Schooling and Context on Responses to \Dile\ and \Preguntale\. Journal of Child Language, 4, 3, 453-75, Oct 77. Ability to distinguish \ask\ and \tell\ in Spanish was studied with five groups of native Spanish speakers: adults, 7- and 10-year-olds in a full bilingual school and 7- and 10-year-olds in a non-total bilingual school. Increased age, bilingual schooling and presence of contextual clues enhanced performance. (CHK)…
(1987). A Functional Approach to Early Reading in Multilingual Classrooms. Reading, v21 n3 p144-51 Nov. Suggests that bilingual children, because of their sensitivity to contexts for using their two languages, are likely to have a heightened awareness of the possible range of contexts for literacy and the range of communicative functions which written messages may convey. Also argues for an apporach to early literacy that acknowledges the importance of context. (SKC)…
(1988). Do Spanish Methods and Materials Reflect Current Understanding of the Reading Process?. Reading Teacher, v41 n7 p654-62 Mar. Noting that some educators are calling for a whole language approach to teaching Spanish reading to replace the traditional word approach, reviews various methods of teaching Spanish reading and summarizes research that supports a psycholinguistic view of reading. Suggests specific guidelines and materials to help teachers move toward a whole language reading program. (NH)…
(1987). The Implications of High Expectations for Bilingual Students. Journal of Educational Equity and Leadership, v7 n4 p301-17 Win. Educators must realize that expectations should be appropriate and positive. Teachers who are not familiar with the culture of their students may not know what to expect. Schools may unknowingly promote failure by basing expectations on middle class norms. Two exemplary case studies of bilingual students are presented. (VM)…
(1985). Teaching Functional Reading in Context to Severely Retarded and Severely Retarded Autistic Adolescents of Limited English Proficiency. Adolescence, v20 n78 p433-40 Sum. Practical information on how to teach severely retarded and severely retarded autistic students of limited English proficiency is presented. Specific information is given on developing a functional word list for these students that utilizes both Spanish and English. Other helpful techniques for teaching students in both languages are offered. (Author)…
(1986). Hispanics and Schools: A New Perspective. Educational Horizons, v64 n4 p190-97 Sum. Hispanic students who are learning and achieving well in certain kinds of schools are succeeding not because these schools have special policies for them but because the way the schools are organized helps to resolve some of the problems of Hispanics–problems that generally are not well understood. These organizational policies and Hispanic issues are identified and addressed. (CT)…
(1984). Why Aren't All Children in the Nordic Countries Bilingual?. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v5 n3-4 p301-15 Jun. Examines three Nordic bilingual programs: (1) immersion, where majority children with a high status mother tongue learn a second language; (2) submersion, where minority children with a low status mother tongue are forced to learn the majority language; and (3) language shelter, where minority children learn the majority language as a second language. (SED)…
(1985). Access to Meaning: The Anatomy of the Language/Learning Connection. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, v6 n5 p369-88. Examines assumptions about second language acquisition by means of the anatomical model described in Part 1 of the study (see vol. 6, no. 2 of this journal). The analysis shows that the assumptions are rooted in the Direct Method and that they retard learning. Implications for second language instruction are noted. (SED)…
(1985). Basal Reading Instruction and E.S.L. Students. Reading Horizons, v25 n3 p162-68 Spr. Notes that the number of English as a second language students enrolled in American schools is increasing and presents an integrated language lesson plan designed to meet their needs and match their abilities. (FL)…
(2002). Language Use in a Spanish-English Dual Immersion Classroom: A Sociolinguistic Perspective. Dual immersion classrooms combine students who speak a non-English language (in this case Spanish) with English speaking students learning the native language of the nonnative English speaking students. This case study recorded the output of Spanish first language (L1) and second language (L2) fifth graders over 5 months of Spanish language classes. The 2,203 turns of speech were coded according to nine sociolinguistic variables. Overall, students used Spanish 56 percent and English 44 percent of the time. Four major trends included the following: (1) girls used Spanish more often than boys, regardless of L1; (2) students averaged 82 percent Spanish when talking with the teacher but only 32 percent when talking to peers; (3) Spanish was mostly used for on-task topics (off-task social turns were made just 16 percent of the time in Spanish); and (4) students' peer English covered a wider range of functions (playing, teasing, and other off-task activity) than peer Spanish. Findings… [PDF]
(2000). Measuring Language Dominance and Bilingual Proficiency Development of Tarahumara Children. This paper examines the language dominance and oral bilingual proficiency of Tarahumara-Spanish speaking students from Chihuahua, Mexico, within the framework of Cummins' model of bilingual proficiency development. Cummins' model distinguishes between basic interpersonal communicative skills (BICS) and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP). The children in this study lived in a Tarahumara village and attended a weekday boarding school in which Spanish was the language of instruction and Tarahumara was used as a support in the classroom. Bilingual interviews were conducted with 66 children in grades 1-6 using the Entrevista Bilingue, in which picture stories elicited bilingual dialogue and served as the basis for free narration tasks. Data analysis showed that 29 percent of the children were bilingual, Tarahumara-dominant, and 64 percent were balanced bilinguals who showed comparable, advanced or native-like levels of conversational proficiency and minimally acceptable text… [PDF]
(2000). Who's Afraid of Bilingual Learners? The Role of Teachers' Attitudes and Beliefs. This paper explores a range of attitudes about bilingual/bicultural learners in a secondary school context. It presents findings of a qualitative case study of the role of the classroom context in constraining or enabling English Language Learners' (ELLs') academic success. Interviews were conducted with mainstream teachers in English, Social Studies, Math, and Science, as well as the school ESL teachers. A series of classroom observations were also conducted with each teacher-participant, and artifacts (such as worksheets, text assignments) were analyzed for the linguistic-cognitive demands placed on the learner. The paper discusses the problematic contradictions embedded in beliefs teachers and staff hold about both adolescent learners in general and adolescent ELLs. Appendixes contain a chart expressing the continuum of teacher stances and features of high schools that promote the achievement of language-minority students. (RS)… [PDF]
(1974). Cooperation in the Community: The Bilingual Paraprofessional Program. Community Services Catalyst, 4, 2, 39-44, Spr 74. Article described community efforts at cooperation in a bilingual program. (Editor/RK)…
(1974). What We've Learned about Teaching Reading to Navajo Indians. Reading Teacher, 27, 6, 550-54, Mar 74. Describes the problems of acculturation for the Navajo child learning to read English. (TO)…
(1974). Improving Reading Ability of Indian Children. Elementary English, 51, 2, 190-92, Feb 74. Discusses a number of problems facing the Indian student and suggests how teachers and schools can alleviate some of the difficulties. (TO)…