(1992). Content-Centered Learning in the United States. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, v13 p111-26. Reviews integrated language and content instruction or content-centered language learning in the United States. The background, rationale, program models, instructional strategies and techniques, and issues related to this type of language instruction are provided. An annotated bibliography is included. (61 references) (LET)…
(1996). The Evaluation of Francophone and Anglophone Instructors at a West African University. Journal of Personnel Evaluation in Education, v10 n2 p179-90 Jun. Whether Anglophone and Francophone students evaluate the same teachers equally, or whether the language in which instruction is delivered affects the evaluation, was studied with 988 first- and third-year students in Cameroon. Results indicate that students did evaluate teachers using their own language more highly and third-year students were more critical overall. (SLD)…
(2001). Teachers' Opinions about the Theoretical and Practical Aspects of the Use of Native Language Minority Students: A Cross-Sectional Study. Bilingual Research Journal, v25 n3 p357-74 Sum. Surveys completed by 218 K-8 teachers in two southern California school districts examined teacher opinions about using language minority students' native language for their instruction. Support for practical implementation was less positive than for the theoretical principles. No clear predictors of attitudes toward the issue were found, including grade level taught. (Contains 39 references.) (TD)…
(2001). Identifying Research Priorities: Themes and Directions for the TESOL International Research Foundation. TESOL Quarterly, v35 n4 p595-616 Win. Highlights research priorities for the Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field, including the following: age of beginning instruction, learning to read in a second language, dual-language education for English language learners, language assessment and program evaluation, English as a global language, learning English for academic and occupational purposes, and teacher preparation and development. (Author/VWL)…
(2001). Stuggling To Preserve Home Language: The Experiences of Latino Students and Families in the Canadian School System. Bilingual Research Journal, v25 n1-2 p115-45 Win-Spr. Extensive interviews examined how school processes influenced home language practices of 45 Latino families in Canada. Parents felt that Spanish maintenance fostered family unity, Latino identity, and professional advancement, but assimilative pressures sometimes caused doubts about openly speaking Spanish at home. Strategies parents used to counter home language loss are described. (Contains 61 references.) (Author/TD)…
(2005). The Power of Collaboration. Teaching Artist Journal, v3 n2 p99-105 Jun. How does one turn a class of sixth graders who are uncomfortable with writing, unfamiliar with art supplies, but good at fidgeting and bickering, into a community that achieves literary, artistic, and civic success? In the spring of 2003, Kestrel Heights teachers asked the authors to team up and help their sixth grade students create something special for the young Hispanic children they were mentoring. With Peg Gignoux's talents as a fiber artist, Susie Wilde's experience as a literacy specialist, and their shared passion for teaching and children, they thought a bilingual story quilt showed promise. They had no idea how powerful their playful collaborative eight-week writing-art residency would be or how well it would orchestrate and focus the unique voices of eighteen energetic children. This article describes how the students, with the authors' support and the help of the teachers, wrote an original story, designed a brilliantly colored quilt to illustrate their tale, learned… [Direct]
(2006). \Strangers\ of the Academy: Asian Women Scholars in Higher Education. Stylus Publishing, LLC No less than other minorities, Asian women scholars are confronted with racial discrimination and stereotyping as well as disrespect for their research, teaching, and leadership, and are underrepresented in academia. In the face of such barriers, many Asian female scholars have developed strategies to survive and thrive. This book is among the first to examine their lived experience in Western academic discourses. It addresses the socio-cultural, political, academic, and personal issues that Asian female scholars encounter in higher education. The contributors to this book include first- and second-generation immigrants who are teachers and researchers in higher education and who come from a wide range of Asian nations and backgrounds. They combine new research and personal narratives to explore the intersecting layers of relationships that impact their lives–language, culture, academic discourses, gender, class, generation, and race. The book is replete with the richness and… [Direct]
(2006). The Crosslinguistic Role of Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency on Reading Growth in Spanish and English. Bilingual Research Journal, v30 n1 p87-106 Spr. The Office of Civil Rights (2001) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Antunez, 2003) mandate that language proficiency and academic achievement be measured in order to provide equal educational opportunities to English language learners and have an accountability system for their language and academic growth. The Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) construct is often cited in the literature as a milestone to second-language (L2) development and as having a significant relationship with academic achievement in the L2. Studies have typically explored the relationship between the primary language (L1) and the L2 separately with academic achievement. Language proficiency has often been viewed as a unitary construct without considering the interrelationship between L1 and L2 (Cummins, 2001). This study investigated the cross linguistic relationship between the CALP in L1 and L2, as measured by the Woodcock-Munoz Language Survey (WMLS) and reading growth, as measured by… [Direct]
(2006). "Do I have to Say It?": Critical Encounters with Multicultural Children's Literature. Language Arts, v84 n2 p157-170 Nov. The article details the transformation of one literature discussion group reading the story, Felita, by Nicholosa Mohr. The research study documented the process of implementing literature discussion groups with multicultural children's literature in a fourth grade English language arts classroom. Through a discussion of a critical incident in the story, the authors illustrate how multicultural literature can provide readers with opportunities to examine personal beliefs and societal realities. The article brings to light the powerful conversations that arise when students read multicultural children's literature that resonates with them. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.)… [Direct]
(1983). Compendium of Information on Intercultural Education Schemes in Europe. Education of Migrants' Children. The collection of essays describes 12 European experiments in multicultural education. Most of the complementary experiments focus on the school establishment, taking school and the introduction of intercultural education as a starting point for developing relations with the family and the community. Some concentrate on the means of intercultural education, especially teacher training, cooperation between native and migrant teachers, and the production of teaching aids. Others concentrate from the outset on the community and involve the school as an ideal partner in intercultural education, through the disseminating effect and influence that its action can have. The essays describe experiments in the Federal Republic of Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Turkey, France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. They include multicultural education projects at the preschool, elementary, secondary, and teacher educational levels and projects that involve Germans and Turks, Finns and Swedes,…
(2000). Agile Learning, New Media, and Technological Infusement at a New University: Serving Underrepresented Students. JSRI Occasional Paper. The California State University system faces an increase of 100,000 students by 2010, the majority of whom will be Latino. Fundamental restructuring is necessary to accommodate this change, and the new California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) may provide a model. CSUMB has a commitment to serving underrepresented populations and establishing a multilingual, multicultural, intellectual community through the use of high-quality distance learning programs utilizing innovative pedagogies. Although CSUMB has entered into partnerships with private businesses that enable it to have the latest in educational technology, it is not the quantity of computers, but rather, new behavioral approaches to technological use that are absolutely necessary. CSUMB's approach to education emphasizes outcomes and competencies and replaces a credit-based system with the assessment of demonstrated learning. CSUMB findings concerning the high tech environment include: (1) advanced technology greatly… [PDF]
(1993). Dinjii Zhuh Ginjik Nagwan Tr'iltsaii. Gwich'in Junior Dictionary. This dictionary is designed to provide students with the Gwich'in equivalents of common conversational English words and phrases, and is intended for use in bilingual classrooms. Gwich'in is an Athabaskan language spoken in several villages in Alaska. An introductory section provides background information on Gwich' in orthography and phonology, the Gwich'in alphabet, dialects, the dictionary's content and format, and how the dictionary was composed. A subsequent section contains a guide to reading the language. The dictionary itself is an English-Gwich'in listing with some line drawings for illustration. (MSE)…
(1997). Myths about Language Diversity and Literacy in the United States. ERIC Digest. Four common myths or misconceptions in the United States about language are discussed, drawing on historical evidence and contemporary data. These myths are that: (1) the predominance of English and English literacy is threatened; (2) English literacy is the only literacy worth noting; (3) English illiteracy is high because language minorities are not as eager to learn English and assimilate as prior generations were; and (4) the best way to promote English literacy is to immerse children and adults in English-only instruction. It is concluded that the persistence of the myth of English monolingualism in the United States reflects the belief that English is the only language that counts, and the mentality that language diversity is a problem rather than a resource. Most national literacy estimates are based solely on English abilities, tending to inflate the perception that there is a literacy crisis. Contains 18 references. (MSE) (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse on Literacy Education)… [PDF]
(1994). Issues in the Maintenance of Aboriginal Languages and Aboriginal English. Activities at Edith Cowan University (Australia) in support of the maintenance of Aboriginal languages and Aboriginal English are discussed. Discussion begins with an examination of the concept of language maintenance and the reasons it merits the attention of linguists, language planners, and language teachers. Australian policy concerning maintenance of Aboriginal languages is briefly outlined. Research on language maintenance and language shift in relation to endangered languages is also reviewed, and the ambiguous role of education in language maintenance is considered. Two areas in which Edith Cowan University has been active are then described. The first is a pilot study of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language development and maintenance needs and activities, a national initiative with its origins in national language and literacy policy. The second is an effort to mobilize teachers for bidialectal education, in both Aboriginal English and standard spoken English…. [PDF]
(1992). Language-Related Criteria as Determinants of Ethnicity. Goals and Results of a Feasibility Study in the Netherlands. This paper addresses the potential value of language-related criteria for use in identifying ethnic minorities in the Netherlands. A description of the way the Dutch government defines ethnic minority groups is followed by a comparative outline of the use of language-related criteria in countries with a longer tradition of immigration (Australia, Canada, the United States, Great Britain, and Sweden). A study carried out in 1991 in the Netherlands explored both the feasibility of collecting data on home language use of school children (a survey study) and the value of home language-related criteria as possible determinants of ethnicity (a validation study). The survey study yielded questionnaire data on the ethnicity of 5,788 primary school students. Subject groups were identified as Mediterranean (Moroccan and Turkish children) and ex-colonial (Surinamese, Antillean, and Moloccuan children) for the validation study, in which they were interviewed in Turkish, Arabic, or Berber and… [PDF]