Modern Languages Commons^™

Cultivating Bilingual Learners’ Language Arts Knowledge: A Framework For Successful Teaching, Isela Almaguer, J. Joy Esquierdo

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

It is essential to support bilingual learners’ language and academic development; however, teaching second language learners English has taken precedence over teaching content area knowledge and vocabulary, specifically for language arts. The focus has shifted from content area instruction to primarily second language instruction due to an increasingly diverse population and an increasing number of bilingual learners in formal school settings. This article introduces a framework for accomplishing both linguistic and content literacy simultaneously. The framework takes into account the four elements of the principles of learning, learner appropriate pedagogy, contextual interaction theory, student language (L1/L2) proficiency level, and a …

Why Did I Ask That Question? Bilingual/Esl Pre-Service Teachers’ Insights, Zulmaris Diaz, Michael Whitacre, J. Joy Esquierdo, Jose A. Ruiz-Escalante

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

Questioning techniques have historically been considered the measurement by which teachers challenge and gauge student learning. Much has been said about questioning strategies used by teachers; yet little is known about the strategies used by pre-service teachers, especially those that are working with English language learners. This study presents findings from a qualitative study that explored what types of questions pre-service teachers use and their reflections on the use of such strategies. Eight bilingual/ESL pre-service teachers in South Texas were videotaped during a math and a language arts lesson, attended focus groups, and participated in an exit interview. The findings …

The Invention Of The Native Speaker, Thomas Paul Bonfiglio

Languages, Literatures, and Cultures Faculty Publications

This paper argues that employing the designations “native speaker” and “native language” unreflectively is to engage in a gesture of othering that operates on an axis of empowerment and disempowerment. Bonfiglio examines the ideological legacy of the apparently innocent kinship metaphors of “mother tongue” and “native speaker” by historicizing their linguistic development. He traces the construction of ethnolinguistic nationalism, a composite of national language, identity, geography, and race, which informed the philology of the early modern era and culminated most divisively in the race-conscious discourses of the 19th century. Bonfiglio makes the case that scholarship should scrutinize the tendency to …

Les Enfants De L’Ombre: Dalila Kerchouche. Leila: Avoir Dix-Ans Dans Un Camp De Harkis, Jimia Boutouba

Modern Languages & Literature

Dans son roman, Leila : Avoir 17 ans dans un camp de harkis, Dalila Kerchouche retrace le parcours de ceux dont la jeunesse fut passée/gâchée dans les camps de la relégation. À travers le regard blessé d’une adolescente de 17 ans, on découvre ce que l’histoire officielle a voulu couvrir du manteau de l’oubli : l’arrivée précipitée des harkis et leurs familles en France, leur dur quotidien dans les camps en marge de la communauté nationale, leur dépouillement, les humiliations, les souffrances, les folies et une gestion étatique aussi choquante qu’incohérente. Le présent article examine la portée individuelle et collective …

Individual Novices And Collective Experts: Collective Scaffolding In Wiki-Based Small Group Writing, Mimi Li

English Faculty Research

This article reports on a case study that explored the process of wiki-based collaborative writing in a small group of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students at a Chinese university. The study examined the archived logs from the group wiki ‘Discussion’ and ‘History’ modules with a focus on the group members' scaffolded interaction when co-constructing texts in the wiki space. The analysis revealed that the participants were actively engaged in reciprocal communication in terms of content discussion, social talk, task management, technical communication and language negotiation. They were also found to have scaffolded each other's writing efforts during co-constructing …

Translating For Linguistic Minorities In Northern Ireland: A Look At Translation Policy In The Judiciary, Healthcare, And Local Government, Gabriel Gonzalez Nunez

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

Europe as a multilingual continent hosts three main types of languages: dominant languages, autochthonous minority languages, and new minority languages. From a policy standpoint, planning for speakers of these languages and their needs become a complex matter in which many actors with different interests are involved. Of the many issues which policy-makers must deal with, the role of translation is often unexplored. However, in any multilingual territory, the adoption of a language policy implies decisions whether to translate or not. With that understanding, this paper explores the role of translation in language policy in Northern Ireland. By doing so, we …

An Analysis Of Sempre, Mesmo And Bem:Brazilian Portuguese Word Order As Applied To Efl Instruction, Katherine Christoffersen

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

The aim of this paper is to present a contrastive analysis of three high frequency words, sempre ‘always’, mesmo ‘even/really’, and bem ‘well’, in order to inform the instruction of Brazilian Portuguese speakers in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. This work is largely inspired by Ambar, (2008) who compares these same three adverbs’ semantic and syntactic expression in European and Brazilian Portuguese. A multifactorial approach (Costa, 2004) to the analysis of these English/Brazilian Portuguese words demonstrates how the syntax (word order) and semantics (meaning) are inextricably linked and interdependent. While this paper focuses on adverbs, the analysis …

Concealing God: How Argentine Women Political Prisoners Performed A Collective Identity, Alicia Partnoy

Modern Languages and Literatures Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Understanding Presence, Affordance And The Time/Space Dimensions For Language Learning In Virtual Worlds, Susanna Nocchi, Françoise Blin

Articles

Notwithstanding their potential for novel approaches to language teaching and learning, Virtual Worlds (VWs) present numerous technological and pedagogical challenges that require new paradigms if the language learning experience and outcomes are to be successful. In this presentation, we argue that the notions of presence and affordance, together with the time/space dimensions of interactions in virtual worlds (e.g. Bakhtin’s (1981) chronotope, Foucault’s (1984) heteropia, and Lemke’s (2000) heterochrony), provide new insights into language learners’ trajectories as they attempt to carry out tasks that are designed to make use of virtual worlds’ characteristics and potentialities. We explore and analyse a critical …

Promising Pedagogical Practices For Emergent Bilinguals In Kindergarten: Towards A Mathematics Discourse Community, Sandra I. Musanti, Sylvia Celedón-Pattichis

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

In the current U.S. context, it is relevant to disseminate research that portrays in detail how bilingual teachers create challenging and safe mathematics learning environments for emergent bilinguals. It is critical to identify pedagogical approaches that foster emergent bilinguals’ participation in mathematics conversations and discourse practices where language is considered a pedagogical resource. This is possible when teachers understand that young Latino/a students come to school with a wide range of cognitive and linguistic tools, which they can use to help them make sense of problems posed in the classroom. Using case study methodology, we define and provide a detailed …

An Ecological View Of Language Choice In A Bilingual Program: A Dynamic Model Of Social Structures, Katherine Christoffersen

Writing and Language Studies Faculty Publications

The present paper proposes a Dynamic Model of Social Structures as a model of language choice which highlights and synthesizes two significant themes repeated throughout the history of language choice research: agency and function. This model stems from ecological frameworks advanced in the fields of language planning (Hornberger, 2002) and language learning (Lam, 2007). Central to the model is the notion of language as a social structure (Gafaranga, 2005) among infinite other social structures (e.g., broader society, social network, local context, and individual linguistic behaviors). The Dynamic Model of Social Structures integrates the concept of agency and function in demonstrating …

Gaining Perspective: Student Learning Perceptions Of The Role Of Tesol Principles In Their English-Learning Experiences, Danielle Christine Westcot

Honors Program Theses

Therefore, the present project concentrates on the student perspective in the ESOL classroom by surveying upper-level or recently graduated students of an intensive English program at a university in the Midwest. The project set out to gather student reflections regarding a set of research-based principles that have become prevalent in the field of TESOL, in order to understand if these principles fit into students' learning experiences in ESOL classrooms. The goal of this study was to determine 1) whether or not students have come to value TESOL principles in their language learning experience and 2) whether or not students have …

Linguistic Emancipation And The Academies Of The Spanish Language In The Twentieth Century: The 1951 Turning Point, José Del Valle

Publications and Research

In this article, the author focuses on the conference of academies of the Spanish language that took place in Mexico in 1951 and analyzes the discourses on language as well as the views on the linguistic institutions that emerged in the course of the conference. The reasons for the Real Academia Española´s absence are addressed and so is the initiative by Mexico´s president Miguel Alemán.

"Tengo Cara De Ladron?" "Do I Have The Face Of A Thief?": An Investigative Study Of Stereotypes And Racism In Ecuador, Caryn Cortez

Honors Theses

Racism and stereotypes are still very apparent in Ecuadorian society, yet time and time again, I have found people who claim racism does not exist in Ecuador. Fascinated by how such an obvious (for an outsider) part of Ecuadorian society could be systematically denied by so many people who were part of that society, I decided to explore the issue of racism further and sought to find out, through the use of in-depth qualitative interviews and ethnographic research, how students at La Universidad Estatal de Cuenca narratively construct racial identity and racism.

Clickers-Ready Lessons For French., Valerie Hascoet

Other Resources

No abstract provided.

Lesson 7: Wet Feet, Dry Feet, Kelly Stalnaker

Hispanic Heritage of Florida Conference 2012

This lesson covers US immigration policies toward Cuba. It covers the “Wet Feet, Dry Feet” policy and the controversy surrounding the policy. Lesson Essential Question: What obligations does the US Government have, if any, to immigrants seeking asylum in the United States?

Neoliberal Teacher Preparation: Conceptualising A Response In The Us Borderlands, Michael D. Guerrero, Peter Farruggio

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications

The current era of neoliberal capitalism has witnessed the domination of public education by business interests which openly promote the spirit of competition among schools, educators and students through a policy of high stakes accountability for immediately measurable educational outcomes. In the USA, this policy proposes to make teacher educator programmes accountable for the impact of their programme completers on student achievement, namely standardised test scores. Consequently, some programmes have begun to rethink their practices in an effort to avoid negative sanctions. Unfortunately, little empirical evidence of improvement is available to teacher educators, particularly those committed to the preparation of …

Taiwanese Willingness To Communicate In English: Can Watching American Television Programs Help?, Yu-Ting Chien

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study explored the relationship between Taiwanese audiences' use of American television programs and their willingness to communicate in English. Taiwanese participants filled out an online survey consisted of questions from uses and gratifications constructs and willingness to communicate constructs. In addition, different subtitle settings were also examined.

Results indicated that participants with high integrative motivation consuming information from American television programs, in addition, the setting of subtitles were associated with perceived communication competence, integrative motivation, language anxiety and social interaction motivation.

Contextos Y Prácticas En Las Humanidades Digitales, Joseba Moreno

Department of Modern Languages and Literatures: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

La aplicación de la tecnología a los trabajos enmarcados en el campo de las humanidades y la creación de un nuevo conjunto de prácticas denominado humanidades digitales, es el tema principal de este trabajo, que pretende servir de introducción a algunas de las prácticas y metodologías más recientes en el ámbito académico.

Pre-Imposition Vs. In Situ Negotiation Of Group And Individual Identities: Spanish And English In Us Service Encounters, Laura Callahan

Modern Languages & Literature

This paper examines the supposed opposition between essentialist or positivist approaches to identity—which categorize group and individual members by a priori properties of sex, race, ethnicity, and native speakerhood—and constructionism, which views such properties as relational and negotiable. Even when categories such as sex, race, ethnicity, and native speakerhood are considered to have been imposed a priori, there nonetheless persists a general recognition that these are at least to some extent social constructs—if not the categories themselves, the ideas we have about them. Using data from previous empirical work in Spanish and English code-choice in US service encounters, this paper …