Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons^™

Bilingual Teacher Educators At An Hsi: A Border Pedagogy For Latinx Teacher Development, Alcione N. Ostorga, Christian E. Zuniga, Kip Austin Hinton

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

As a borderlands’ institution, we are developing a mission and vision for our HSI identity in the college of education, as well as in our university. We envision pedagogical practices embedded in our teacher preparation that are context specific to our bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural community; one that not only prepares PTs to effectively teach all students, but also promotes strong values for equity and social justice. For our Latinx PTs, this aim has two purposes: 1) to tailor our educational practices capitalizing on their unique strengths and addressing possible challenges in their professional development, and 2) preparing them to …

Cultural Narratives And Counterstories: Examining Representation In “Prietita Y La Llorona”, Christian E. Zuniga

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Stories can be a powerful medium through which to simultaneously reinforce and counter oppressive discourse. This article examines Gloria Anzaldúa’s children’s book, Prietita y La Llorona, as a counterstory method within the larger genre of Latinx children’s literature. Counterstories are a powerful method used by Critical Race and feminist theorists to center the delegitimized experiences of marginalized communities. Drawing on theories around discourse, representation, and intersectionality, the article explores the ways in which Anzaldúa counters cultural narratives that diminish community cultural wealth and women’s positions as agents of knowledge through the characters of Doña Lola and La Llorona.

Preparing Bilingual Teachers On The U.S./Mexico Border: Including The Voices Of Emergent Bilinguals, Alcione N. Ostorga, Peter Farruggio

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Language policies in the U.S., including matters relating to bilingual education, are tangled up with political tensions and ideology. All too often, the dialogue among educators and policymakers about what constitutes best practices for people learning English – for whom we will use the term emergent bilinguals (EBs) (Garcia, Kleifgen and Falchi 2008) – fails to include the voices of those they serve. The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) of South Texas provides a uniquely valuable laboratory in which to study bilingual education because of its location, demographic makeup, and migration patterns. In this study, a pedagogical intervention was made …

Using Inquiry In Teacher Professional Learning To Build Efficacy For Writing Instruction, Jacqueline B. Koonce, Melissa Brooks-Yip, Kathleen Gibson

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Whitacre (2019) and Curtis (2017) found that participants’ efficacy impacted their writing instruction and ability to engage students. We share our experiences with a professional development program aimed to improve teacher efficacy and literacy of elementary teachers. In this professional learning network, the Study of Early Literacy (SOEL), a higher percentage of teachers reported to a Hanover Research survey that they felt less confident in teaching writing than other areas of literacy. To address this need, one of the authors developed a subgroup to specifically address the teaching of writing with an inquiry-based action research component. Most of the teachers …

Writing Instruction In China: Challenges And Efforts, Rongrong Dong, Danling Fu, Xiaodi Zhou, Buyi Wang

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative study examined the current writing instruction in 1-12 level education with the data collected in three Chinese cities. The data from the Interviews of teachers and teacher-educators at different levels and from classroom observations at upper elementary to high schools in three metropolitan cities across China provide insights into 1-12 writing instruction in contemporary China. To further reveal the efforts taken by writing teacher under China’s high-stakes testing culture, this paper also presented a case study of an exemplary 10th grade writing teacher, who took tremendous efforts in nurturing true readers and writers in his classroom under the …

Supporting "Pedagogical" Spanish Language Competencies: Bilingual Teacher Education "En La Frontera", Christian E. Zuniga

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This autoethnography explores my experience as a bilingual teacher educator on the Texas, United States-Mexico border supporting the development of preservice teachers' pedagogical Spanish language competencies through a course that I have been developing over the last few years. To this aim, I look at my positionality and experiences developing my bilingualism in the same border community and my pedagogical Spanish language competence. My goal is to suggest how teacher education can support the development of bilingual teacher candidates' Spanish language competence in ways that recognize the linguistic diversity of border communities, critically unpack hegemonic ideologies, and prepare teacher candidates …

I Influence Too: The Role Of Professors In Developing Bilingual Teachers' Spanish Proficiency, Zulmaris Diaz, Gina Lydia Garza-Reyna

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

To support the growing number of English learners (ELs) across the nation, professors in the field of bilingual education are being called to prepare highly effective bilingual teachers who not only have linguistic proficiency in English and Spanish but can also successfully perform in academic settings. As a result, we, two bilingual education professors working at two different institutions along the Texas–Mexico border, conducted a duoethnography study to explore the question, How are our practices impacting the students we teach?—an area in the field of bilingual education that has been relatively unexplored. We examine our practices using the existing literature …

“We Listened To Each Other:” Social-Emotional Growth In Literature Circles, Elena M. Venegas

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Literature circles undoubtedly foster literacy. Yet successful participation in literature circles requires social and emotional competence of students. This article presents findings from a study of a fifth-grade student who demonstrated social-emotional growth while participating in literature circles. Specifically, growth in intrapersonal and interpersonal skills such as self-management, social awareness, social metacognition, and empathy were evident. These findings suggest that literature circles not only foster literacy but also social-emotional learning.

Daoism And Dialogism: A Dialogue Between China And The West, Xiaodi Zhou

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, I explore Chinese Daoist theoretical connections with modern conceptions of dialogue and Western theories of psychology (Murase, 2008). I investigate and compare these lines of Western thinking (Strang, 2004) with classical Chinese thought (Zhang & Chen, 2009), noting the complexities in each. I discuss and disseminate how the Daoist principle of yin yang may be related to the dialogic understandings of Bakhtin (1981, 1984a, 1986, 1990, 1993). I also contend that the Western field of psychology, particularly the work of Carl Jung (2014), has incorporated Daoist principles of yin yang in its conception and practice. I argue …

Understanding Diverse Bilingual Learners: The Need For A Transdisciplinary Lens, Amy Weimer, Mario Gil, J. Joy Esquierdo

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The chapter synthesizes findings from diverse disciplinary perspectives to make the case that we need a new lens to better serve the diversity of bilingual learners. Drawing upon theories and findings from studies by educators, child developmentalists, and neuroscientists, but moving beyond any one disciplinary perspective, the authors aim to create a unity of new knowledge developed of theories from across disciplines. This approach is exactly what is needed to address the complexity of factors surrounding bilingual learners. Taking a transdisciplinary approach will allow us to move closer toward an understanding of the many factors affecting bilingual children and families, …

White Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions And Their Development Of Culturally Relevant Literacy Practices, Lakia M. Scott, Elena M. Venegas

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Existent literature purports that providing White teacher candidates with increased exposure to urban schools in order to create culturally competent educators has failed. These findings reflect the notion that teacher ideologies and overall perspectives about working with diverse student groups must be harnessed in a genuine ethic of care and intentionality for students of color. However, few studies have taken the approach of examining the development of culturally relevant pedagogy through context-specific field experiences using content-specific courses. This study examines the perspectives of twenty-five White pre-service teachers from a predominately White, private university regarding their initial perceptions and gained conceptual …

Lessons Learned: Teaching Latinx Teacher Candidates Through Digital Literacy And Community Service Learning, Kathy Bussert-Webb, Karin A. Lewis

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The authors focus on digital literacy and community service learning (CSL) strategies from research of Latinx undergraduate teacher candidates (TCs) engaged with technology in CSL courses. The qualitative studies have taken place in a tutorial agency and university classrooms in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, one of the most economically-strapped U.S. regions. The 60 participants were Bussert-Webb’s TCs in Summer 2016 and Summer 2017 (n=28) and Lewis’s TCs in Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 courses (n=32). Data sources include participant observations, surveys, focus groups, lessons, and reflections. Using social justice and New Literacies frameworks and thematic data analysis, the authors …

Magnifying English Language Learners' Success Through Culturally Relevant Teaching And Learning Frameworks: Acknowledging The Multidimensional Implications On Language, Literacy, And Learning, Isela Almaguer

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

There is a need to amplify the voices of English language learners through authentic language and literacy learning using a multifaceted culturally relevant and responsive teaching and learning framework that encompasses social justice. Specifically, framing the chapter through the lens of the sociocultural theory to better recognize, acknowledge, and understand the influence of culturally relevant learning. Culture plays a crucial role in forming identity and agency, so we must rethink the effect of culturally relevant pedagogy by linking principles of learning to the cultural realities of children, families, and communities on literacy. English language learners require more empowering and engaging …

“It’S Making Me A Better Teacher.” Transforming Latinx Teacher Candidates Clinical Field Experiences In A Hispanic Serving Institution, Sandra I. Musanti, Alma D. Rodriguez, Patricia Alvarez Mchatton

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This manuscript explores the outcomes of a university-district partnership that provides Latinx teacher candidates with a yearlong clinical experience as the culmination of their teacher preparation. Qualitative data collected as part of a mixed methods study were analyzed to determine how Latinx teacher candidates and cooperating teachers understand learning to teach, and perceptions of the partnership. Results show an emphasis on mastering routines, learning to teach through observation, and reciprocal growth derived from their mentoring relationship. Salient is the tendency to homogenize Latinx students and a reductionist vision of diversity. The authors explore the positionality of culture and language in …

“Siento Que Siempre Tengo Que Regresar Al Inglés”: Embracing A Translanguaging Stance In A Hispanic-Serving Institution, Sandra I. Musanti, Alyssa G. Cavazos

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This chapter centers on our reflections and pedagogical moves as two bilingual educators at a Hispanic-Serving Institution on the borderland region of South Texas, a predominantly bilingual and bicultural community. Specifically, the chapter documents how we embrace a translanguaging pedagogical stance. Translanguaging practices are identity markers and represent the complex ways bilinguals use their linguistic repertoire to communicate across contexts and to negotiate social identities (García & Li Wei, 2014; Martinez-Roldán, 2015). Drawing on García, Johnson, and Seltzer’s (2017) conceptualization of a translanguaging “corriente,” we describe our translanguaging stance and moves as we, respectively, design and teach two undergraduate courses: …

Interdisciplinary Biliteracy: Leveraging Biliteracy Development For All Bilingual Learners, Sandra Mercuri, Sandra I. Musanti

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Strengthening The Reader Self-Efficacies Of Reluctant And Struggling Readers Through Literature Circles, Elena M. Venegas

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Although a subskills approach to reading instruction is merited in improving the reading skills of struggling readers, struggling readers also benefit from balanced literacy instruction. An overemphasis on reading subskills arguably minimizes students’ enjoyment of reading and motivation to read and may inevitably result in the formation of reluctant or struggling readers. In turn, this may diminish the self-efficacies of reluctant or struggling readers. I designed an embedded multiple case study framed by social cognitive theory to explore the potential influence of literature circles, a balanced literacy instructional strategy, on the reader self-efficacies of reluctant and struggling readers in Grades …

Critical Race Theory And Caring As Channels For Transcending Borders Between An African American Professor And Her Latina/O Students, Jacqueline B. Koonce

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This reflective essay uncovers ways in which critical race theory and caring are key to crossing racial, cultural, and linguistic borders between professors and their students. Many scholars have noted how critical reflection relates to effective teaching, especially when taking into account student learning. Reflecting upon archival data and participant observation, the author describes, through various stories, how she uses critical race theory and caring to connect with her students in spite of their differences. The author also provides examples of how her students reciprocate her care in extravagant ways.

What Is Teacher Agency?, Alcione N. Ostorga

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

No abstract provided.

Latino Youth’S Out-Of-School Math And Science Experiences: Impact On Teacher Candidates, Maria E. Diaz, Kathy Bussert-Webb

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative study examines the learning and interaction processes between Latino/a teacher candidates (TCs) and youth during a community service-learning program involving science and math. Knowing and affirming nondominant youth‟s strengths are essential from funds of knowledge and Third Space perspectives. Participants were 11 TCs and their tutees, 30 youth in first through tenth grades. The study took place in a Texas border colonia, or unincorporated settlement lacking basic services. Data sources were participant observations, youth‟s interviews and TCs‟ pre- and final reflections, rapport- building analyses, a focus group, and lesson plans. We found TCs incorporated the youth‟s funds to …

A Novice Bilingual Teacher’S Journey: Teacher’S Noticing As A Pathway To Negotiate Contradictory Teaching Discourses, Sandra I. Musanti

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative case study investigates a fourth grade novice bilingual teacher’s repertoire of practice during her first year of teaching. Drawing on recent work on teacher noticing, the study explores how the teacher negotiates prevailing bilingual education discourses. Two themes are discussed: how this novice teacher embraced bilingual teaching while questioning practices and policies and how she negotiated contradictions through multiple attempts to redefine her teaching practices. Findings show how the teacher’s ability to notice framed her possibility to bridge her understandings about teaching, her critical pedagogical discourse, and the contextual contradictory discourses predominant in her school about bilingual education.

Beginning From The Border, Kip Austin Hinton

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Abstract

In this essay, Educational Borderlands: A Bilingual Journal (EBBJ) is introduced in relation to borderlands, in South Texas and beyond. The journal’s purpose is explained, beginning with its inception as part of the bilingual mission at a majority Mexican American university, then placed within educational, political, and linguistic contexts. Each of EBBJ’s threads is situated in relation to hybridity, intersectionality, bilingualism, translanguaging, transnationalism, and the border itself. The journal seeks to apply these to the study of curriculum, instruction, special education, dual language bilingual education, and research across various interdisciplinary fields.

Resumen

En este ensayo, Educational Borderlands: A Bilingual …

Critical Mirrors: Diverse College Students' Perspectives On Stereotypes Depicted In Popular Films About College Life, Elena M. Venegas, Lakia M. Scott, Karon N. Lecompte, Toby Zhu, Mia Moody-Ramirez

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This qualitative study explored diverse college students’ perspectives on the portrayal of college life in recent popular films. Results from this study suggest that White college students dismiss stereotypes as comedic satire whereas their non-White peers readily identify the influence of negative media representations upon their academic and ethnic identities. These findings exemplify the need to promote positive representations of college students from racially and culturally diverse backgrounds. Findings suggest the need for Critical Media Literacy education to help young adults dismantle stereotypes in mainstream society while developing cultural competence.

The Roles Of Digital Literacies And Critical Literacy For Black Adolescent Females, Jacqueline B. Koonce

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this conceptual thought paper is to argue for critical digital literacies instruction for all students, particularly students from marginalized populations. In this paper, the lived experiences of Black adolescent female avid readers were analyzed because of the complex nature of their discrimination due to their race and gender. Research questions included: What are the technologies and practices used by Black adolescent female avid readers? How and why do they use them? What are the implications for educators? To answer these questions, the voices of Black adolescent female readers from this author’s previous study were used to explore …

Oooh, It’S Sooo Good!!!: Black Adolescent Females Experiencing The Delicacy Of Reading, Jacqueline B. Koonce

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Black adolescent females have largely been neglected in the research literature on their avid reading. While Gibson (2010) explained that Black girls are often portrayed in the literature as struggling and even “remedial” readers, those Black adolescent females who are avid readers receive even less attention. The purpose of this study, then, was to investigate the voracious reading proclivities of this population in order to provide a balanced view of Black adolescent females’ reading lives. The findings of this phenomenological study indicate that these five participants go beyond loving reading; they crave it. The meaning of reading for these participants …

Promising Digital Practices For Nondominant Learners, Kathy Bussert-Webb, Laurie A. Henry

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This case study took place during an after-school program in a public Texas school district along the U.S./Mexico border. We explore a focal participant’s technology access and use as part of our larger digital literacy research. We asked: What in- and out-of-school digital literacy skills, access, and experiences did Robot Boy (pseudonym) possess? How did he behave as a rhizome? Overarching theoretical frameworks were postmodernism and New Literacy Studies; within these theories, we focused on rhizomic principles and digital literacies. This research is part of a larger mixed methods research study (Bussert-Webb & Henry, 2016) focused on an exploration of …

Immigrant Student Identities: How Bakhtin And Hermans'' Theories Conceptualize Their Fluidity, Xiaodi Zhou

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This essay discusses how Bakhtin's conception of double-voicedness and cultural identities, along with Hermans's theories of I-positionality and subjectivities, helps frame researchers' characterization of immigrant students' complex and fluid identities. This age of globalization has increased the number and dimensions of positions anyone can assume. Immigrant identities, particularly students, can especially be conceptualized as dynamic and in flux, fluctuating between at least two cultural positions. Sometimes their transnational identities can be conceived as hybridized and dialogic between these cultural norms.

Moving Beyond Apartheid Schooling And “Adequate Education”, Elena M. Venegas

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Though the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and/or national origin, contemporary society within the United States is all but free from discrimination. The Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruling and other landmark legislation passed during the Civil Rights Movement pushed our country toward a path of tolerance and the end of discrimination. Yet, despite these tremendous gains, discrimination still occurs not only at a societal level, but also in terms of schooling (Bakari, 2003; Ferguson, 2003; Harris & Schroeder, 2013; Mackinney & Rios-Aguilar, 2012.) Through critical …

Exploring Parent-Teacher Partnerships As Border Pedagogy: Supporting Emergent Bilingual Student Learning, Sandra Mercuri

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Developed by a bilingual teacher educator in the U.S. working with in-service teachers serving predominantly bilingual students from U.S. and Mexico, this study is uniquely positioned to use innovative research in bilingual teacher education for empowering teachers to develop culturally and linguistically responsive border pedagogies. Specifically, this study explores parent-teacher partnerships as border pedagogy that supports emergent bilingual student teaching and learning. Aimed at disrupting traditional modes of research and practice grounded in monolingualism, this qualitative critical study uses the concept of border pedagogy as a theoretical framework to explore how 16 bilingual in-service teachers enrolled in a master’s program …

Second Reaction: Consumed By Mystery In The Mammoth Cave (Review), Elena M. Venegas

Bilingual and Literacy Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Jennifer Bradbury’s River Runs Deep is a pre–Civil War mystery that envelopes the reader in the story of Elias Harrigan, a twelve-year-old boy who is ill with consumption (tuberculosis). Unfortunately for Elias, he lives in an era that predates modern medicine. In a last-ditch effort to save his life, Elias is sent to Kentucky to be treated by Dr. John Croghan. Though Dr. Croghan employs several unusual treatments, he primarily believes that the Mammoth Cave, in which his practice is housed, will prove beneficial for his patients. Elias is the youngest of Dr. Croghan’s patients and soon becomes restless and …