(1991). Project Aprendizaje. 1990-91 Final Evaluation Profile. OREA Report. An evaluation was done of New York City Public Schools' Project Aprendizaje, which served disadvantaged, immigrant, Spanish-speaking high school students at Seward Park High School in Manhattan. The Project enrolled 290 students in grades 9 through 12, 93.1 percent of whom were eligible for the Free Lunch Program. The Project provided students of limited English proficiency with instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL), native language arts (NLA), and content area subjects taught bilingually or in English with an ESL methodology. The project arranged activities for staff development and parental involvement and provided tutoring and informal counseling in the project office. Staff reported that the Project was integrated with activities at the school. Evaluation of the program was based on demographic data, citywide student test scores, and interviews with and surveys of the program director. Project Aprendizaje met its objectives for career education, attendance,… [PDF]
(1990). Reasoning Skills and the Curriculum. (A Final Report of the Threshold Project). Soling 18. The Threshold Project focuses on the language and learning difficulties that children in Southern African schools experience when they change from their mother tongue to English as a medium of instruction in their fifth year of schooling. This report discusses Threshold Project research relating to the nature of pupils' cognitive capacities and the ways in which pupils approach certain types of problem-solving tasks. Chapter 1 provides background on the Threshold Project and discussion of reasoning as an explanatory construct, social interest in reasoning skills, and the relation between culture and the curriculum. Chapter 2 provides an overview of theories of intellectual competence and their implications for curriculum development, focusing on: (1) Piagetian genetic epistemology; (2) information process systems approaches; (3) metacognition as a theoretical construct; (4) Pascual-Leone's theory of constructive operators; (5) cross-cultural cognitive psychology; (6) the…
(1982). A Teacher Training Reading Methodology Manual in Kiswahili for Lower Primary Classes in Kenya. African Studies in Curriculum Development & Evaluation. No. 62. Kiswahili was declared the national language of Kenya in 1968 and since then has also been established as the language of parliamentary debate. There are, however, inadequate instructional materials in this language, particularly at the primary level of schooling. Since there are almost 20 different languages, or dialects, in Kenya, Kiswahili must be taught as a second language to a number of children in the early grades. This teacher's manual provides a methodology for instructing children in reading, speaking, and writing Kiswahili. Chapter 1 presents an overview of the language situation in Kenya and the language learning needs of the Kenyan child, who may speak a different mother tongue and must learn not only Kiswahili but also, in later years, English. Chapter 2 discusses the basic language skills of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Methods of teaching reading are addressed in the third chapter. Chapters 4 and 5 are devoted to reading Kiswahili as a first and as a…
(2005). The Food and Restaurant Project. Early Childhood Research & Practice, v7 n1 Spr. This article describes a food and restaurant project undertaken by 6-year-old children in a bilingual school in Mexico City. The teacher who conducted this study illustrates the children's involvement in this investigation through photographs, samples of their work, and explanations…. [PDF]
(1985). A Spanish-Language Preschool Program. The Carpinteria school district in California has developed a model preschool program to bring Spanish-dominant preschool children up to a level of readiness for school that compares favorably with that of English-speaking children in the same community. That goal is achieved by developing skills in four major areas: Spanish language, cognition, successful learning strategies, and self-concept. The model emphasizes first-language development and language separation to allow full development of those skills. Evaluation of program outcomes through student achievement measures revealed that the Spanish-dominant children in the program exceeded the academic norms established by the English-language population and scored higher than Spanish-speaking nonparticipants in oral English proficiency. The students' progress in kindergarten and first grade, in which the home-language approach was also adopted, was also found to exceed expectations generally. Statistical data are included. (MSE)…
(1986). Bolivia. America = Las Americas [Series]. Written for teachers to use with migrant children in elementary grades and to highlight the many Americas, this bilingual English/Spanish social studies resource booklet provides historical and cultural information on Bolivia. A table of contents indicates the language–Spanish or English–in which the topics are written. The quarterly provides an encyclopedia-style overview of the history, geography, government, economy, culture, and society of Bolivia. Sections describe the cities of La Paz, Sucre, Oruro, Cochabamba, and Potosi; the llama; the origin of the potato; cultural traditions and costumes; the legend of Viracocha; and Lake Titicaca. Other topics emphasize the importance of mining to the economy, the formation of miners' unions, nationalization of mines after the 1952 revolution, impacts of mining on Bolivian society, and the life of a miner as described by Domitila Barrios de Chungara (a miner's wife). Recipes for traditional Bolivian foods are presented in English and…
(1983). The Organization of Interaction in Elementary Classrooms. Despite the surrounding controversy, second language instruction for America's language minority children is an important educational issue for continued methodological innovation and examination. The most effective and productive classroom interaction processes and dynamics in bilingual and second language instruction are still not appropriately described. Researchers must work to measure the effects of particular instructional approaches on student learning outcomes and to \unpackage\ those approaches and accurately describe what they entail. Using the technological tools of videotaping and the methodological tools of microethnography, researchers are just beginning to construct the detailed, multifaceted description of the processes of classroom interaction, and use it to facilitate second language learning in limited English-speaking children. (MSE)…
(1985). World of Work = The Gioilam Viec. This bilingual booklet is intended to provide Vietnamese refugees with basic information concerning the world of work. Included in the booklet are Vietnamese and English translations of information on the following topics: Americans' attitudes toward employment, the American job market, employment services and other sources of employment information, job search and job application procedures, the importance of developing realistic employment expectations, the nature of work in the United States, wages, taxes, payroll deductions, fringe benefits, Social Security, labor unions, job performance and employee responsibilities, employer-employee relationships, upward mobility, procedures for leaving jobs, and strategies for dealing with occasional employment problems. (MN)…
(1983). Language and Literacy Learning in Bilingual Instruction: Executive Summary. A study of the kinds of educational services provided to limited English speaking students, how schools provide these services, factors shaping and guiding the programs, and instructional practices fostering the development of school-related language of bilingual students is summarized. The report is divided into two parts: (1) a descriptive study of the services offered to three bilingual groups (Asian, Spanish-speaking, and Navajo) in three regions of the country, and (2) a study of the language characteristics, educational histories, and educational achievement of a selected group of 150 native Cantonese-speaking elementary school students at the Asian site. The overall study's major conclusions are that: (1) English instruction is critical for the development of reading and writing skills in English, but those students coming to school with a greater command of natural language in English maintain an advantage in the long-term development of those skills; (2) To the extent that… [PDF]
(1983). Thomas Jefferson High School Effective Transition of the Bilingual and Bicultural Student to Senior High School. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1981-1982. Project Effective Transition of the Bilingual and Bicultural Student to Senior High School (ETBBS) at Thomas Jefferson High School in Brooklyn, New York, provided additional administrative and instructional staff in order to offer instructional services to 165 foreign born students, mostly from Puerto Rico and Haiti. The program was designed to develop English proficiency, and offered instruction in native language arts, social studies, mathematics, and science. This report describes the 1981-82 implementation of the program and discusses the sources of funding, participants, program content, instructional and noninstructional components, parent involvement, and staff development. Analysis of student achievement indicates that: (1) students gained on reading ability of Spanish but failed to achieve the program objective in this area; (2) the program objective for science was met but performance for mathematics and social studies fell short of the goal; and (3) attendance rates of… [PDF]
(1987). Discourse Characteristics and Speech Patterns Used by Spanish-English Bilingual Children According to Proficiency and Context Variables. A study investigated the use of questions and directives by bilingual children of variable relative proficiency in Spanish and English. Patterns in the use of each question and directive type were examined in relation to language proficiency and context of use. Qualitative characteristics of the questions and directives were analyzed. The subjects were six third-graders attending a bilingual maintenance program in a midwestern city. Children were videotaped and audiotaped through a whole day of school, at home, and playing in the park. Results show that the children used the same types of questions and directives as those used by English monolingual adults and children. Questions and directives occurred more frequently in the language in which the children are more proficient. Some types of questions, such as rhetorical questions, were used only by proficient speakers. Personality factors seemed to affect the number and types of directives used by some children. Other factors such… [PDF]
(1985). \Michael Jackson y Otros Cuentos\: An Approach to Literacy Development for Bilingual Children. A program in which Spanish-speaking first grade children were encouraged to write stories about subjects of interest to them, using microcomputers and composing a personal storybook, has the advantages of using little-used computers, providing a link between oral and written language, encouraging creativity in students often perceived as learning disabled, and providing a product for students to be proud of. The example used is the creation of the little collection of children's writings called \Michael Jackson y Otros Cuentos\ (i.e., Michael Jackson and other stories). The children were familiarized with the computers and a standard word processing program and were asked to compose a story about a favorite or interesting subject. The stories were printed out and copies given to each child for editing in class. The edited versions were then copied, made into books, and illustrated by the students. Two undergraduate student teachers provided enthusiasm, bilingual skills, lack of fear… [PDF]
(1977). Patterns of Program Use: An Examination of Installation Data on the English Language and Concepts Program for Spanish Speaking Pupils (LCS). This paper describes an inquiry which answers two questions regarding the installation of a new instructional program: (1) What are the patterns of implementation displayed when a new program is installed across the country? Implementation in this context is described in terms of the selection and placement of learners, pacing of instruction and pupil proficiency after instruction. (2) In view of departure from recommended placement and program exit criteria, what are the implications concerning the institutionalizing of children in underachievement roles? The vehicle for this research is the installation of the English Language and Concepts Program for Spanish Speaking Pupils (LCS). (Author)…
(1981). The Effects of Books in Spanish and Free Reading Time on Hispanic Students' Reading Abilities and Attitudes. To determine the effect of books in Spanish and free reading time on reading abilities and attitudes of Hispanic students, 114 Hispanic children enrolled in grades 2 (Level I), 3 and 4 (Level II) in Tempe, Arizona, were placed in either experimental groups or control groups. Teachers in the experimental classes (E) were provided with books in Spanish selected for their attractive illustrations, simple texts, and potential interest to readers, and were instructed to provide at least 60 minutes a week of free reading time and to attempt to develop positive attitudes toward reading. Control group (C) teachers were instructed to teach reading as they normally did. Only the 49 E and 44 C subjects present for both pretests and posttests were retained in the analysis. The Level II experimental group excelled in all three Spanish reading tests (speed, comprehension, vocabulary). The Level I experimental group did not excel the control group in comprehension. The experimental groups had…
(1981). Hispanic Vocational Exploration Project. Final Report. During its second year, the Hispanic Vocational Exploration Project recruited eighth and ninth grade Hispanic youth for a four-week cycle, after-school, career exploratory program at Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical School, Groton, Connecticut. A series of career education workshops was the other major project activity. Supportive services offered to participants were counseling (personal, career, and academic), and an after-school tutorial program. Social and recreational activities were also available. Outreach and recruitment strategies emphasizing sex fairness included bulk mailings, use of the Spanish language radio station, parent orientation, and identification through the school system. Instructors assessed each participant's performance for each shop. Evaluation of program goals and objectives revealed that the program (1) developed awareness in vocational education as an educational alternative for Hispanic youth, (2) was successful in increasing the sensitivity…