(1976). Plight of the Chicago Schools: A Profile of and Interview with the New Superintendent Joseph Hannan. This paper presents a profile of and an interview with the new superintendent of the Chicago Public Schools, Joseph Hannan. The problems confronting the new superintendent are the same as those faced by the previous superintendent except for the decrease in school enrollment and a financial crisis stemming from a depressed economy. Hannan views his role as an expediter and Provider of services and refers to himself as both a reactor and an implementer. He does not embrace the concept of co-superintendent; one an educator, and the other an administrator, but believes there should be only one administrative leader. One of the most pressing tasks facing his administration is to bring about a positive feeling towards the Chicago public schools. A major goal of the Chicago Board of Education in his view, is administrative reorganization, but his number one priority is in the area of reading improvement and the development of cognitive skills. With regard to desegregation, Hannan believes… [PDF]
(1969). The Use of Photographic Stills: A Format for English Language Programmes. Educ Telev Int, 2, 4, 324-30, 69 Jan. …
(1978). Problems of Bi- and Multilingualism (Part III of "Language Learning: Individual Needs, Interdisciplinary Co-operation, Bi- and Multilingualism"). The following papers on the issue of multilingualism in second language instruction are included: (1) "Problemes linguistiques dans les societes plurilingues (Linguistic Problems in Multilingual Societies)," by Amadou-Mahtar M'Bow; (2) "Aim: Multilingualism. The Dismantling of Resistance and Prejudice," by Eva Koberski; (3) "Problemes poses en Susisse par l'enseignement des languages vivantes (Problems Posed in Switzerland by the Teaching of Modern Languages)," by Jean-Bernard Lang; (4) "Lingue in contatto e stratificazione linguistica (Languages in Contact and Linguistic Stratification)," by Ottavio Lurati; and (5) "Planung des Fremdsprachenunterrichts in den Laendern der Europaeischen Gemeinschaft (Planning for Foreign Language Instruction in the Countries of the European Community)," by Franz J. Zapp. Each paper except the first is followed by a summary in English of the discussion engendered by the paper. (JB)…
(1969). The Use of Photographic Stills: A Format for English Language Programmes. Educational Television International, v2 n4 p324-30 Jan. Faced with the necessity of producing a large number of programs with extremely limited means, the Ethiopian Schools Television Service has developed a special format for its three series in English as a second language. Eight to ten minute lessons or stories told with still photographs and recorded dialogue and music serve as discussion topics, substituting for the films the Service would prefer to use but cannot afford to produce. An ample number of illustrations are included. (LS)…
(1976). Coorientation and Identification: A Transactional Approach to the Formative Evaluation of Educational Television Programming. This study provides a theoretical focus for evaluating media communication, a generic model which operationalizes this focus, and a case study which documents how this model was applied in the evaluation of the effectiveness of "Carrascolendas," a bilingual television program for children. The core of the model involves two indexes: "identification," which assesses viewers' affective involvement with characters, and "coorientation," which gauges viewers' understanding of a dramatic sequence, as well as the implications of this understanding for predicted viewer attention. These constructs are operationalized and integrated with a method of structurally analyzing the format of television programming. A multiple discriminant analysis of the coorientation and identification scores yielded significant intergroup differences across the variables of sex, grade, ethnicity, and city. Combined with the results of the structural analysis, these differences…
(1975). Syntactic Constraints on Code-Switching: A Quantitative Study of Spanish/English. This paper reports on a preliminary quantitative study of syntactic constraints on code-switching within discourses in which no change in participants, setting or topic is evident. The goals of the study are to provide a syntactic description of the points at which switches from Spanish to English and English to Spanish are possible and to assess the extent to which actual behavior conforms to stereotypes represented by acceptability judgements. Use of the quantificational technique of accountable reporting of relative frequencies permits investigation of a wide range of questions, including (1) Do implicational relations exist among syntactic environments such that it can be predicted that a speaker for whom a switch in environment A is possible may also switch in environment B, but not vice-versa? and (2) Are the constraints on code-switching uniform throughout all populations and in all social situations or are there differences in frequencies and/or implicational hierarchies?… [PDF]
(1970). Comparative Studies of Reading and Problem Solving in Two Languages. Previous studies have shown that where bilinguals have a poorer grasp of some language than monolingual speakers of that language, the deficit has almost invariably revealed itself in reading skill. Also, the deficit in language is usally associated with a relatively lower mean IQ for bilinguals when tested orally. Bilinguals have also been found weaker than monolinguals in problem arithmetic, but not in mechanical arithmetic. The author does not imply that bilingualism is necessarily connected with a language or intellectual deficit; he attempts, rather, to explain such deficits when they occur. In his studies of reading speed and problem solving in English and Irish, carried out with fifth and sixth grade children in Dublin and Dundalk primary schools, significant differences between languages were found in the speed at which subjects interpreted the meaning of individual words and sentences, in the speed at which subjects could pronounce words, and in ability to anticipate the… [PDF]
(1968). Bilingualism and Conservation. In a study conducted at the University of Alberta, an attempt was made to use Piagetian-type observations as an assessment of intellectual capacities and to determine whether learning a second language at an early age has beneficial or detrimental effects on cognitive functioning. For this purpose an 18-question test dealing with conservation (awareness of invariance) and measurement of length was constructed. The six subtests and the questions used were similar to the tests used by Piaget and dealt with the following topics: reconstructing relations of distance, conservation of length, conservation of length with change and position, conservation of length with distortion of shape, measurement of length, and subdividing a straight line. According to Piaget the concepts represented by these subtests are dependent on each other and are acquired in a definite sequence. Fifty monolingual first grade children and 50 bilingual first graders were tested individually. The mean for the… [PDF]
(1967). English as a Second Language for Speakers of Spanish. The fact that many Spanish speaking pupils are seriously limited in English or may not speak English at all presents a difficult problem for their teachers in English speaking schools. This document presents some of the current knowledge concerning the nature of language and how it is learned in non-technical terms. Examples of lessons, techniques, and materials are given which teachers can use to carry out the kind of systematic English program that is described. Annotated bibliographies present listings of books for teachers, instructional materials, charts and pictures, and equipment along with a bibliography of materials related to the teaching of English as a second language. (DK)…
(1973). A Preliminary Evaluation of a Bilingual Spanish/English Program Using Multiple Matrix Sampling. The Michigan Oral Language program was installed in the Santa Paula School District for a 2-month tryout and student performance before and after the program was assessed through multiple matrix sampling. Student performance over seven content areas was determined for both the English and Spanish language components. In all seven content areas, performance was high in English and low in Spanish. Specifically, for each of the seven content areas investigated (mathematics-science, social studies, colors, numbers, commands, one-word answers, and total), performance in Spanish was approximately 58 percent less than that over the comparable English content area. The results suggest strongly that a major modification is required in the Spanish language component of the program. From exprience gained in this tryout, recommendations were made for improving the program. (Author/BB)… [PDF]
Project Brave Bulletin, Vol. 2, No. 7. This bulletin was designed to publicize activities of Project Brave. It includes articles on the gathering of maple sugar, changes in teaching methods, the open classroom, and individualized instruction. Also included are several poems and many photographs. (SK)… [PDF]
(1974). Second Language Programmes for Young Children. This report provides a selection, description, and summary of programs and research involving two languages of instruction. It identifies theoretical questions raised in the literature, but the main emphasis is on the structures, goals, and outcomes of second language programs at the elementary school level. Many issues discussed are specific to different types of programs, such as those designed to achieve bilingualism for students from dominant language groups (e.g., French or English immersion programs in Canada), as well as native language programs that utilize the mother tongue of students from minority language groups (e.g., Italian-Canadians, Spanish-Americans). Most of the native language programs reviewed have been initiated in the United States, although the changing situation in Canada and, specifically, Toronto is also included. There is a clear indication that motivational and attitudinal factors are related to the success of second language programs. In addition,… [PDF]
(1973). Southeastern New Mexico Bilingual Program. Program Accomplishment Audit, 1972-73. The purpose of the audit report on the Southeastern New Mexico Bilingual Program (1972-73) of the Artesia School District is to give a critique of the project's evaluation with notations on comparative findings of the project evaluation and the audit, and to confirm or question the program modifications proposed in the evaluation. The 5 audit report sections are: (1) introductory and general comments on the project evaluation quality and comparative findings of the project evaluation and the audit; (2) detailed critique of the comprehensive evaluation for each component, based on an assessment of the instruments used, data collection, and data analysis techniques, and presentation; (3) description of the auditor's on-site findings and correlation with the evaluator's data and reports on a component by component basis, and a summary of consistencies and discrepancies; (4) general recommendations for evaluation design revisions with a rationale for each; and (5) confirmation or… [PDF]
(1973). Statement of Henry M. Ramirez, Chairman, Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish Speaking People, Before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, July 23, 1973. On July 23, 1973, Dr. Henry M. Ramirez, Chariman of the Cabinet Committee on Opportunities for Spanish Speaking People, spoke before the Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations. Dr. Ramirez outlined why the Cabinet Committee is needed, gave examples of the Committee's accomplishments, and discussed future plans to assure that Federal programs reach the Spanish speaking. According to Dr. Ramirez, the Cabinet Committee was established to advise Federal departments and agencies on appropriate actions to assure that Federal programs reach the Spanish speaking people. Since its establishment in 1969, the Committee has accomplished; the distribution of $47 million to first time grantees for programs run by the Spanish speaking for the Spanish speaking; the establishment of Project Alpha to deal with job opportunities at the local level and Project Blue at the national level; effective data collection and reporting systems; the improvement of employment opportunities through… [PDF]
(1973). Old Ponape. Pohnpei Ni Mwehin Kawa. This book presents English and Ponape versions of the stories, legends, and histories originally transcribed by anthropologists attached to the Thilenius South Sea Expedition of 1908-1910. The natives of the Marshall Islands in Micronesia who related these stories are identified, but the material is much older and represents the cultural heritage of the Ponapean nation which had been orally transmitted for centuries before. A new orthography is employed in describing the past wars, old gods, and building of ancient cities. Sample titles include The Origins of Ponape; Songs for the Paddle Dance; Story of the Great Gods; and The Coming of the Spanish Troops. A glossary of old Ponapean words is provided. (Author/KSM)…