Education Commons^™

Second Lines, Story Circles, And Freedom Songs: A Call And Response, Ann-Meredith Wootton

Capstone Collection

Community Is Survival

In New Orleans, all the grandmothers tell the story about the live oaks. Our roots don't grow deep into the swamp, but they grow wide – weaving, growing, and binding together with all of the surrounding trees, so that when the hurricane winds come, we will not fall. Together we can stand up against the strongest Gulf force winds (and the many faces of the Cradle to Prison Pipeline) – pushing, pulling, and leaning on one another when we need – and survive to see another day.

Live oaks also carry the story tradition of being a …

Access Abroad: A Design In Equitable Access To Education Abroad, Matthew Zielsdorf

Capstone Collection

Access Abroad is an innovative short-term, faculty-led education abroad design that increases accessible, transformative study abroad programming and enhances academic and intercultural program quality for students enrolled in the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) at The College of New Jersey. The unique design of Access Abroad harnesses key institutional and financial resources at the college to allow 12 EOF undergraduate students to study in La Paz, Bolivia for four weeks in May 2015 with a faculty leader from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences. The curriculum will foster student exploration of culture, identity, and community and contribute to the development …

Motivating English Language Learners By Integrating Their L1 And C1, Badequnzhu Badequnzhu

MA TESOL Collection

The subject of this research paper is the use of first language (L1) and culture (C1) of the learners in the process of learning English in an EFL classroom in a specific teaching context. The researcher used different teaching methods and approaches in a Tibetan secondary school context: the Silent Way, Desuggetopedia, Cooperative Learning, Way of Council and Total Physical Response. Implications of this action research can be used in the classroom to raise learners’ motivation to lower affective filters allowing deeper and more profound input of the target language, thus to improve communication and comprehension of the target language …

Reflective Teaching Practices: Looking Beneath The Surface And Emergent Cyclical Experiential Learning Processes And Outcomes, Mazie E. Black

MA TESOL Collection

In this professional paper, I examined the kinds of processes I experienced for English language acquisition (ELA) in practice. This journey is about my transition from a generalist to a TESOL specialist. One of my most successful lessons was not in English, but a science lesson to students who were majority users of English as a second or third language. It was about the use of reflective and refractive telescopes. My approaches were very student centered and project based. They worked in groups, chose which type of telescope to make, kept journals with notes, drawings and key vocabulary, made inferences, …

My Teaching And Administrative Experience In The Middle East: A Cultural Perspective, Agustin E. Francisco

MA TESOL Collection

This paper explores the evolution of my experience in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) culminating in my current employment as an administrator and instructor in Saudi Arabia. It focuses on TEFL as my passion for more than 20 years and highlights the impact that my various TEFL roles have had on my teaching strategies throughout my academic professional career various institutions. This paper emphasizes that despite the teacher's vast experience in designing courses, training teachers and teaching at all levels, new cultural contexts, students' expectations as well as the dynamics of divergent administrator/teacher/student cultural perspectives (especially when the …

Black English And Culture Meet The Mainstream Classroom, Giselle Robitaille

MA TESOL Collection

Learning English can often be a critical factor in people’s lives, and the choice to disengage from learning out of sheer frustration can have devastating psychological and social effects for people who need to acquire English in order to be able to fulfill academic, personal and professional goals. While I was not able to find statistics on a global level, it is easy to believe that English language learners do disengage frequently. This is most obvious in the United States where the Standard English (SE) model of teaching black children has resulted in a high level of disengagement with learning …

Humor In The Classroom: A Series Of Three Workshop Plans, Roger Ramirez

MA TESOL Collection

This materials development project explores the role, use and forms of humor in the classroom. This IPP is a collection of a series of three workshop plans for ELT teacher trainers located in Latin America. The workshop plans are preceded by a rationale that explains the relevancy of the topic, the author’s personal belief statement, and an exploration of final key learnings from developing this project. Each workshop plan is followed by a reflection on aspects that went well along with suggestions for further improvement and a revised version of the workshop plan.

The Value Of Nongovernmental Free Vocational Training In Vietnam; The Opportunities And Barriers In Teaching Japanese Cooking Skills To Disadvantaged Vietnamese Youth, Koji Asada

Capstone Collection

Nongovernmental free vocational training for disadvantaged youth has been provided by various organizations in the world and has had a positive impact on the learners. This is also true in Vietnam.

However, how is the training geared to employment opportunities, designed to overcome challenges to learning and employment, and with what potential impact on the learners and communities. These questions have not been well answered.

This study examines the value of nongovernmental free vocational training in Hanoi city, Vietnam, which is in the middle of rapid economic development. Specifically, this study researched the future prospects of skill training in Japanese …

Global Ambassadors Returnee Program: Can We Change Campus Culture?, Lynn Butler

Capstone Collection

The Education Abroad office at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is in a growing phase, quickly expanding and working conscientiously to increase the numbers of students studying abroad. In the midst of VCU’s transition from a commuter school to a residential campus, the administration seeks to internationalize the university, citing study abroad as one of its main goals. While VCU consistently works to create affordable program options for students of all majors, what VCU lacks is an institutional culture and awareness of study abroad. The Global Ambassadors returnee program seeks to create returned student programming that provides reflective opportunities and professional …

Guided Discovery Grammar Instruction: A Review Of The Literature With Original Teaching Materials, Marcella Caprario

MA TESOL Collection

Although grammar instruction is a hotly debated facet of language teaching, a review of Second Language Acquisition, Foreign Language Instruction, and Educational Psychology literature reveals that inductive explicit grammar instruction is a viable method, which can generate positive learning outcomes. Studies have shown that learners tend to learn grammar more accurately and faster through explicit instruction. By utilizing inductive techniques, teachers can create a student-centered classroom that encourages critical thinking and problem solving, in addition to language study. With these principles in mind, I have created a series of guided discovery grammar worksheets, accompanied by the procedure and teaching notes …

Global Duos: An Internationally-Minded Reflection And Mentorship Program For International Students And Study Abroad Returnees, Amanda C. Batista

Capstone Collection

The Center for Global Engagement (CGE) at the College of New Jersey (TCNJ) in Ewing, NJ is a primary catalyst in the cultural and physical exchange of students in higher education. The office sends nearly 300 students abroad every year, worldwide, while also overseeing the intake of a growing number of international students incoming to the United States studying for a semester or a year at TCNJ. While these two groups of students are ever more supported and challenged by the CGE, there is a clear disconnect in terms of interaction, exchange of resources, and communication between American students studying …

Community Internationalization: Developing The Host Family Program At The University Of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Alicia Haley

Capstone Collection

The aim of the proposal design related to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (UW-Whitewater) Host Family Program is to increase cross-cultural competencies for undergraduate and graduate international students, develop multicultural awareness among the local community and support internationalization goals of the university.

International students who do not reach outside their comfort zones and integrate effectively within his or her new environment become more isolated and less likely to make friends with Americans (Bowman, 2012a). It is important to provide opportunities for international students to interact with the community due to the homogenous nature of the local population and the low number …

On Being Transcultural, Farah Fm Mohamed

MA TESOL Collection

In this paper I discuss people who can move easily from one culture to another -- transcultural people. In chapter two, I discuss the concept of transculturalism. I discuss what motivates people to move from one culture to the other. I reflect on my cultural journey through Iraq, Canada, South Korea, and Saudi Arabia. This paper then investigates what helped me to build a transcultural identity. I also examine the stories of other people that led them to being transcultural. Furthermore this paper is going to look on how transculturalism works in the classroom, specifically how the students perceive a …

Gaging The Education Abroad Perception: A Survey Of Personnel At The University Of Wisconsin-Platteville, Jennifer R. Krahn

Capstone Collection

As higher education institutions nationwide are striving to increase the number of U.S. students having international experiences, it is important that international programs professionals are not the only advocates for education abroad on campus. Administration, faculty, and staff buy-in is invaluable as the policy makers and leaders across campus, and their personal experiences, opinions, and endorsements are powerful. The University of Wisconsin system has a system-wide goal for each campus to have 25 percent of their students study abroad, and therefore, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville (UW-Platteville) is looking to administration, faculty, and staff for support in increasing education abroad participation. …

Principled Approaches In Online Teacher Education: Migrating Sit’S Masters In Teaching Program, Katrina N. Baran

MA TESOL Collection

Delivery methods for teacher education at the post-graduate level are changing to accommodate in-service professionals and take advantage of technology. To shift the SIT Graduate Institute’s Masters in Teaching program to a low-residency format, an evaluation of underlying principles in teacher education, online education and the MAT program itself is necessary in order to preserve the integrity of the program and ensure success in this new format. Within the context of these principles and an analysis of a sampling of program areas, recommendations are provided.

Developing A Pre-Departure And Re-Entry Orientation For Study Abroad Students At The Univerisidad Católica De La Santísima Concepción, Jennifer Ramos

Capstone Collection

Due to the Chilean government’s recent realization of the importance of international education, the concept of studying abroad is gradually becoming a more realistic opportunity for students pursuing undergraduate degrees in Chilean tertiary education than before. However, although the opportunities have increased, the support services/guidance offered to the students has remained at an extremely limited standstill. The Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción (UCSC) is a small private university located in Chile’s second largest city, Concepción. The majority of the students attending the UCSC are from the lower half of the socioeconomic scale in Chile as well as first-generation university …

Study Abroad And Identity: The African American Experience, Alicia Ranney

Capstone Collection

Not all students are alike, nor should they be treated as 'one size fits all' in study abroad. Students have different backgrounds, goals, and expectations of what they will gain from an international academic experience. Minority students face different types of challenges in study abroad than their non-minority counterparts.

This paper seeks to answer the question “does study abroad change the identity of African American students?” and examines the challenges of identity and racism and how those two factors may decrease participation rates of African Americans in study abroad. Students from Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan were surveyed before and …

Recruitment And Diversity: Exploring The Links Between Third-Party Provider Recruitment Strategies And The Level Of Diversity Among Secondary Level International Education Travel Participants, Gina Asalon

Capstone Collection

Seventy-eight percent of students who study abroad in college are White. The second largest racial/ethinc group to study abroad in college is Asian students and only eight percent of Asian college students go abroad. If the statistics look like this at the tertiary level, what could they possibly look like at the secondary level? Unfortunately, the overarching problem with secondary level international education travel (a broad term used to include short-term, semester- and year-long programs abroad) is that, unlike tertiary level study abroad, there is no standard reporting process. Therefore, it is largely unknown how many high school students are …

A New Model: Improving Adult Experiences In The Holy Land With Effective Pre-Departure Information, Resources And Procedures, Sarah A. Loan

Capstone Collection

Since September 11, 2001, Group Travel Directors (GTD) has noted an increase in self-reported anxiety among adult travelers preparing to depart to the Holy Land. This observation has been made by long-term employees both objectively and subjectively by comparing evaluation scores, cancellation percentages, tracking numbers of phone calls from anxious travelers and through staff accounts of conversations with travelers. GTD staff reports that clients often are inclined to make rash decisions based on perfunctory judgments influenced by media coverage.

GTD has collected evaluations from adult travelers for more than twenty years in an effort to better understand traveler perceptions of …