Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Teaching Language For Proficiency: Learning Descriptions In Spanish 1, Anna Helzer

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

For this creative project, I have designed a 15-day unit plan for a Spanish 1 (novice level) language class, teaching the vocabulary and skills needed to understand and produce descriptions of people in students’ second language (L2) of Spanish. Throughout the creation of this unit plan, I have combined my own experience in practicums and student teaching with the most cited research in the fields of language acquisition and pedagogy in order to create lessons which will best facilitate novice language learners’ acquisition of the Spanish language and culture.

The unit plan includes overall content and language objectives as well …

Behavioral, Cognitive, And Health Benefits Of Walking While Listening To Educational Podcasts, Debra D. Ives

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This session will highlight the behavioral, health and cognitive benefits of walking while listening to educational podcasts. Improvement is learning, mood and healthy habits result. Attendees will get to experience these benefits first hand when they go for a walk listening to a Walking Classroom podcast. Attendees will Walk. Listen. And Learn.

Infusing Literacy And Math Into A Socio-Culturally Responsive Summer Science Camp, Alma D. Stevenson, Shelli L. Casler-Failing

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation will describe a Summer Literacy in Science Camp conducted with students in intermediate and middle level at our local Boys and Girls Club. The students participated in reading and writing activities incorporating culturally relevant books, research, journal writing, innovative presentations, and daily science labs focused on the investigation of the surface and tap water in our community.

Read, Write, Rhyme: Increasing Reading Performance With Hip-Hop Texts, Crystal Monique Lavoulle

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation describes the Harlem Renaissance to Hip Hop Movement, a literacy program that uses best practices in literacy instruction to improve reading comprehension, critical thinking, and writing. Moving beyond educational hip-hop songs and videos, this presentation offers insight into effective ways to increase Georgia Milestone Assessment scores in both English language arts and social studies using a variety of hip-hop texts.

The Use Of Culturally Relevant Picture Books To Enhance Social And Emotional Learning In A Fourth Grade Classroom, Kelly Livingston

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using culturally relevant picture books to enhance social and emotional learning in a fourth grade classroom. The study utilized the expertise of three different educational professionals, the literacy coach, the school social worker and the fourth grade teacher. Two Social Emotional Learning competencies were paired with three multicultural picture books. Students followed the procedure of discussion based upon what they already knew, what they wanted to learn and finally, after the reading and dialogue, what they learned. Students were asked about their prior knowledge of particular cultures and what …

Prek–5 Teacher Views Of Professional Development Integrating Common Core Language Arts With Science And Social Studies, Janie Hubbard, Melisa Fowler, Lee Freeman

Journal of Educational Research and Practice

Three preK–6 U.S. university methods instructors-researchers (literacy, science, social studies) joined 17 Title I school teachers for collaborative lesson planning and teaching within the preK–5 school setting. Each team’s goal was to create and teach interdisciplinary curriculum units using U.S. English language arts Common Core State Standards with social studies and science. A year-long instrumental case study design was used to examine (a) how teachers perceived collaborative professional development to create interdisciplinary unit plans and (b) how teachers viewed outcomes of teaching interdisciplinary units of their own design. Practice articles regarding Common Core State Standards curricula integration are plentiful; however, …

Arguing About Science: Empowering Students And Developing Issue-Based Pedagogies Through Debate, Cynthia Deaton, Jacquelynn A. Malloy

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

This presentation will guide 4th-12th grade educators to engage students in using content area knowledge to solve real-world problems. Using an adaptation of policy debate, learners use facts and evidence gathered through their participation in Science and Engineering Practices to create resolutions to place-based issues that are occurring in their own communities.

Pugs: The Terrible Truth, Hadley Krewall, Tee Kesnan

Student Research

For centuries, pugs have been bred for their large eyes and squished in face, also known as "brachycephalic (squashed nose/flat-faced)," unknowingly creating man-made health complications that now affect their day-to-day life. The Kennel Club states that “50% of pugs have significant breathing problems and only 7% to 15% of pugs breathe like a normal dog.” In her poster presentation, Hadley Krewall hopes to share her interesting research findings on the serious health issues that pugs face, and the ways to stop the breed from continuing to reproduce. The presenter also hopes to address what the Kennel Club and even the …

Reading Conferences To Support 5th Grade Independent Reading, Kaitlyn Carter

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to document how reading conferences can support students while independently reading. The specific goal was to focus on how reading conferences can help students become aware of their reading choices and text selection. Questions that guided my research included: How can reading conferences help hold students accountable for their independent reading? How are students selecting independent reading books? How can reading conferences encourage conversations when the text connects to the student's Funds of Knowledge? Do students make more connections to a text if they have prior background knowledge on the topic? Data was collected …

Using Visual Journals As A Reflective Worldview Window Into Educator Identity, Christina Belcher, Terry Loerts

International Christian Community of Teacher Educators Journal

This ethnographic case study research and content analysis presents the conclusion of a three-year study involving 37 teacher candidate participants across a three-year study within a two year (2 semester program) Bachelor of Education program at a university in Ontario, Canada. Each academic year participants were intentionally given time over two semesters of literacy courses to engage in literacy practices and knowledge of self through the use of multimodal visual journals. Candidates reflect on their conceptions of literacy, teaching, identity and worldview within an institution grounded in the Christian faith. Findings, philosophical ponderings and content analysis suggest that the identity …

Language Instruction Practicum, Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Self-Efficacy And Attitudes For Vocabulary Strategies Among English Learners And Native Speakers, Qizhen Deng, Guy Trainin

Literacy, Language and Culture Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined university students’ self-efficacy and attitudes for employing vocabulary strategies in four learning contexts. The contexts are characterized by input modality (reading vs. listening) and purpose (academic vs. leisure). Another goal was to compare the self-efficacy and attitudes between English learners (ELs) and native speakers. A total of 112 participants responded to four short scenarios by rating their self-efficacy and attitudes toward employing vocabulary strategies under each scenario. Among the results, students reported higher self-efficacy using morphological analysis and dictionary use when reading and higher self-efficacy to seek help when learning for academic purpose. There were no differences …

Supporting English Learners Through Practice-Based Research, Catherine Lammert, Erica B. Steinitz Holyoke

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Learning to use critical practice-based research as part of teaching is an important goal for preservice teachers, especially for those who plan to teach English learners in linguistically diverse settings. In this study, we examine the experiences of preservice teachers who were introduced to a framework for enacting iterative, transformative action research, and used the framework to study their own teaching in a one-on-one writing partnership with young English learners. Using an established self-efficacy survey instrument, as well as qualitative measures such as course artifacts and observations of teaching, we conducted a mixed-methods study to examine the impact of research …

Editorial Review Board Rh V. 59 N.1

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

No abstract provided.

Examining Literacy Specialist Candidates’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs In Leadership Competencies Before And After Internships In Schools, Nina L. Nilsson

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in the self-efficacy beliefs of 25 literacy specialist candidates in three key leadership areas before and after 15-week internships in schools. The three leadership areas, identified by university faculty as important to the leadership role of literacy specialists in schools today, are: 1) serving as a resource to classroom teachers, administrators, and parents; 2) conducting staff development; and 3) engaging in literacy program development and coordination. Paired-sample t-tests used to evaluate pre/post-survey scores at the end of the 15 weeks suggest self-efficacy beliefs in all three categories grew significantly over …

Disruptive Teaching: Centering Equity And Diversity In Literacy Pedagogical Practices, Anne Swenson Ticknor, Mikkaka Overstreet, Christy M. Howard

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

Teacher educators must prepare preservice teachers (PSTs) to become equitable practitioners who honor the voices and experiences of their future students. In this article, we advocate for centering equitable teaching in literacy education courses and making explicit how to disrupt traditional perspectives of teaching diverse students. This qualitative study investigated PSTs’ perceptions and attitudes about teaching diverse students after a series of modeled lessons. Analysis revealed that over the course of the semester PSTs either continued to focus on barriers related to equitable teaching, began to discuss new possibilities for teaching, or were ready to enact the practices they had …

Self-Efficacy And Attitudes For Vocabulary Strategies Among English Learners And Native Speakers, Qizhen Deng, Guy Trainin

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

This study examined university students’ self-efficacy and attitudes for employing vocabulary strategies in four learning contexts. The contexts are characterized by input modality (reading vs. listening) and purpose (academic vs. leisure). Another goal was to compare the self-efficacy and attitudes between English learners (ELs) and native speakers. A total of 112 participants responded to four short scenarios by rating their self-efficacy and attitudes toward employing vocabulary strategies under each scenario. Among the results, students reported higher self-efficacy using morphological analysis and dictionary use when reading, and higher self-efficacy to seek help when learning for academic purpose. There were no differences …

Focus On Heritage Language Learners, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Linwood J. Randolph Jr.

Dimensions

SCOLT Dimensions Volume 55

University Students’ Experiences In Spanish Heritage Language Programs In The Midwest, Jason A. Kemp

Dimensions

Historically, Spanish heritage language (SHL) scholarship has had connections to communities with established Spanish-speaking populations (Rivera-Mills, 2012). Regional SHL course offerings expanded in tandem with increases in Spanish-speaking populations, and little is known about students’ experiences in these new and emerging SHL programs. This study investigated the experiences of college students enrolled in SHL courses in the Midwest. Findings suggested a disconnect between the self-reported, sociolinguistic needs of students and the curriculum presented in their SHL classes. For example, some participants believed a link to future careers was missing from the SHL curriculum. Pedagogical implications and future research are discussed.

Heritage Language Learners In A Mixed Class: Educational Affordances And Constraints, Elizabeth Goulette

Dimensions

Despite a general consensus that heritage language learners (HLLs) and second language (L2) learners are best taught in separate classes, they often end up in mixed classes (Abdi, 2011; Burgo, 2017; Draper & Hicks, 2000). To date, however, there remains a lack of sufficient research on how to best support HLLs in mixed classes (Burgo, 2017). In this ethnographic case study, the researcher set out to understand the lived experiences of eighth grade HLLs in a mixed Spanish classroom. The researcher visited a Spanish class over the course of six months during which audio and video recordings captured classroom interactions. …