(2006). 2006 Innovators. T.H.E. Journal, v33 n17 p14-27 Dec. A history teacher uses a computer game to interest students in World War II. A former TV reporter creates a new journalism curriculum that turns high school kids into real on-air broadcasters. An administrator and a technology coordinator team up to bring their campuses in contact with others around the world. A project director devises a vocational IT training program for high schoolers. An ESL teacher boosts English literacy by getting free computers and DSL service into the homes of immigrant students. All these educators are difference makers, and in the past year they have demonstrated the power of educational technology to transform teaching and learning. For their achievements, they are among a select group, chosen by a panel from roughly 200 nominees, as \T.H.E. Journal's\ 2006 Innovators. This article relates the accomplishments of these select nominees: (1) David McDivitt, Oak Hill High School (Indiana); (2) Grace Poli, Jose Marti Middle School (New Jersey); (3) Patricia… [Direct]
(1976). Report on State Services to the Hispanic Population of Wisconsin. The scope and quality of services provided to Hispanic persons in Wisconsin were investigated in 1976 by the Governor's Council for Spanish Speaking People and comparisons were made to findings of 1971 and 1974 reviews. Detailed questionnaires were developed for each state agency, and five hearings were held in different locations within the state. For each of the following agencies, information is provided on their functions, questionnaire responses, and council recommendations: Educational Communications Board; Higher Educational Aids Board; Department of Public Instruction; State Historical Society; University of Wisconsin System; Vocational, Technical, and Adult Education System; Department of Administration; Department of Agriculture; Department of Industry, Labor, and Human Relations; Department of Regulation and Licensing; State Manpower Council; Department of Health and Social Services; Department of Justice; Wisconsin Council on Criminal Justice; Department of Business… [PDF]
(1977). The Report of the Work Group on Multiculturalism. The report on the impact of multiculturalism on the education system in the Borough of York (Ontario) summarizes findings of a two year study and provides recommendations to enhance multiculturalism in education. The report is presented in six chapters. Chapter I explains the work group task and method of inquiry and identifies work group participants. Chapter II presents a Canadian perspective on multiculturalism, followed by a profile of cultures in the Borough of York in chapter III. Chapter IV discusses the work group's interpretation of multicultural education. Multicultural education is perceived to value the presence of many cultures, human rights, social justice, and alternative life choices for all people. Chapter V, the bulk of the report, examines and presents recommendations on six issues related to multiculturalism: (1) a nondiscriminatory school and community environment; (2) retention of culture and language; (3) curriculum for multiculturalism; (4) immigrant…
(1981). United States Federal Policies for Education for the Disadvantaged. Reviews of National Policies for Education. This report presents a review conducted by a multinational panel on educational policy in the United States. The report concentrates on compensatory programs in elementary and secondary education, with an emphasis on Title I programs. Topics covered include: (1) recent trends in American education; (2) the philosophy, operational design, and evaluation of Federal programs for the disadvantaged; (3) problems of program articulation; (4) the impact of compensatory education at the school level; (5) students' preparation for and transition to working life; and (6) the Federal role in educational funding. Also included is a record of a 1979 conference held to review the above mentioned issues. (APM)…
(1995). Categories in AFL2 and Implications for Pedagogy. An analysis of the trend in teaching African languages as a second or foreign language (AFL2) looks at patterns in the objectives of AFL2, teachers and learners, and instructional environments. Three basic program objectives in AFL2 are distinguished: language proficiency (basic conversation); language competence (close to native skills); and knowledge for linguistic analysis. Four types of language teacher-learner combinations are identified: native-speaking teachers qualified in language teaching who have a common language with the learners, adequate for teaching and learning; native-speaking qualified teachers with a common language not adequate for teaching and learning; unqualified, non-native-speaking teachers who have a common language with learners, adequate for teaching and learning; and unqualified, native-speaking teachers without training in the language or linguistics, and learners. Four locations of instruction are noted: in the learner's home country; and three areas… [PDF]
(1989). EIFE 2: Influence of Factors on the Learning of Basque. Study of the Models A, B, and D in Fifth Year Basic General Education. Glotodidaktika-Lanak 33. This study on Basque language learning is part of a project investigating alternative curriculum designs to promote native language maintenance in the Basque Country of Spain. This study measured the level of Basque and Spanish of fifth-graders (n=586 divided among 167 classrooms) in three program models (Basque taught as a second language–Model A, Spanish-Basque bilingual–Model B, and instruction primarily in Basque–Model D) in 1987; studied factors influencing the learning of the languages; compared the new data with that of 1983-84; and examined the bilingual model in greater depth. (MSE)… [PDF]
(1983). George W. Wingate High School Bilingual Demonstration College Preparatory Program, 1981-1982. O.E.E. Evaluation Report. In its first year of operation, 1981-82, the Bilingual Demonstration College Preparatory Program in New York City served 81 students of Hispanic origin with limited English proficiency. The program stresses the acquisition of English skills as well as the development of the students' native language and is geared toward mainstreaming students as soon as possible. The program's four major goals are (1) an academically successful student body; (2) enhancement of the staff's professional growth and/or academic skills and a more adequate ethnic balance among the instructional staff; (3) an active parent and community group; and 4) the development of math, social studies, and science materials focusing on the development of basic skills. Attainment of these goals in 1981-82 was negatively affected by the fact that approval to hire staff was not received until two months after the school year had begun. Instructional achievement results were mixed. No formal inservice training for staff…
(1975). Eliciting Covert Mental Operations, Concepts and Oral Language Skills in Young Bilingual Children. The purpose of this investigation was to design and test an information-eliciting question instrument in order to determine whether the structures in the verbal responses of young Mexican-American, bilingual children entering school would reveal the covert mental operations, concepts and oral language skills elicited. The basic objective was to make an in-depth study of such problems as the relationship between language and thought (how the bilingual child uses his thought as content for his language and how he uses his language to structure his thought), language interference (mixing and code-switching), and fluency. The study was therefore limited to 6 Ss (3 kindergartners and 3 first graders, including 3 boys and 3 girls, ages 6-7). The instrument consisted of 112 (56 parallel) questions in both English and Spanish. The results suggest that the instrument: (1) accounts for the language and thought components it elicited; (2) offers a different approach to the study of… [PDF]
(1979). A Comparison of English Language Acquisition Patterns in English Monolingual and Bilingual Children. English monolingual and Spanish/English bilingual children in kindergarten and first grade in 11 states were administered two tests from the EL CIRCO (CIRCUS) battery. The purpose of the study was to determine comparative acquisition of English grammar for kindergarteners and first graders and for bilingual and English monolingual children. Data were sought to support or refute general hypotheses of language acquisition. Data indicate that: (1) comprehension precedes performance in the acquisition of verbal inflections for tense, and tenses are mastered in a specific order; (2) children distinguish between third person possessive adjectives of gender (his and her) before those of number (his and their); and (3) the active voice and the concept of agent are acquired before the passive voice and the concept of object (agent-object relationship in embedded sentences and passive voice were undifferentiated in bilingual children tested). Data do not support a similar order of acquisition…
(1973). Needed Materials for Instruction in Languages of Southeast Asia. This paper is a preliminary attempt to identify important gaps in instructional materials for Southeast Asian languages. The need for instructional materials is detailed for: Burmese, Cambodian, Indonesian/Malay, Lao, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. Attention is drawn particularly to the need for integrated audiovisual materials, materials on nonverbal communication, and standardized tests. Both national and transnational concerns are felt to justify continued attention to the languages of Southeast Asia. (Author/AM)… [PDF]
(1969). Browns in Anger: The Overlooked Minority. This speech advocates that Mexican-Americans must undergo a process of radicalization to attempt to transfer anger from deeds to words. This minority is losing faith in speech as a means of redress, but corrective measures should come through dialogue and not collision. Few Mixican Americans designated themselves \browns\ a year ago–but it is now necessary, given the growing black-white polarization. This affirms the Mexican-American self-identity. Browns constitute the second largest and most destitute minority, yet they retain faith in and patriotism toward America. Lack of collective bargaining and \green card\ practices maintain an oversupply of unskilled labor and depressed wages. Brown education is a disaster area. Justice is arbitrary, and police seem to be waging undeclared war in brown communities. Equal opportunity in employment is a hoax to a people denied the basic rights of collective bargaining, education, and justice. The author says the situation can lead to… [PDF]
(1973). La Celebracion de Navaidad. Para la Secundaria. (The Celebration of Christmas, Secondary Level.). The celebration of Navidad (Christmas) by various cultures is the topic of this secondary level unit. Unit objectives are that the student will be able to differentiate between his culture's Christmas customs and those of the dominant culture, and be able to relate their origin. The customs of Mexico, Panama, and south Texas are discussed. Also included are: (1) "Las Pastorelas", a Christmas play about the shepherds; (2) the story "The Purchase"; (3) the poem, "La Navidad"; (4) the songs, "Las Posadas", "Los Santos Reyes", "Bulerias de Navidad", "A la Nanita Nana", "Fum, Fum, Fum!", "Natividad", "A la Rurru Nino", and "La Noche Buena"; and (5) recipes for tamales, the meat for tamales, and bunuelos. (NQ)…
(1972). Language Status and Language Contact in Geolinguistic Perspective. This study presents the theories that contribute to what the author has called geolinguistics, a discipline that deals with the external fate of languages as they are distributed over the face of the globe. Such a study is relevant in terms of official language planning when legislators seek to impose a given language on people of varied backgrounds. Such language planning requires the study of the linguistic forces of a given situation, including such characteristics as language power, language attraction, and language pressure. The author defines, illustrates, and discusses these terms and indicates their application to his theory of geolinguistics. (VM)… [PDF]
(1972). Evaluating Carrascolendas: A Television Series for Mexican-American children. The development of "Carrascolendas," a television series devised for Mexican-American children, is summarized. Emphasis is placed upon strategies for evaluation. Evaluation evidence indicates that "Carrascolendas" may be an alternative or an addition to the Sesame Street approach to dealing with the education of the disadvantaged. (MS)… [PDF]
(1972). Syntactic Contrasts in Child Bilingualism. A Language-research experiment designed to examine the linguistic competence of bilingual Italian-American children demonstrates that structures shared by Italian and English are acquired in approximately the same order and at the same rate, and that the sequencing of specific structures reflects linguistic complexity. Structures appearing in both languages are believed to have a common underlying base and realized by the same set of transformational rules. The definite sequencing evident in child-language acquisition may have implications for second-language acquisition by adults; instructional materials and programs could be established with this in mind. (VM)… [PDF]