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Full-Text Articles in Education
How Can I Inform Colleagues About The Trauma Of English Learner Scholars And Create A Trauma-Sensitive Classroom For Multilingual Scholars In An Education Setting?, Kwenen Nelson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this study was: How can I inform colleagues about the trauma of English Learners and create a trauma-sensitive classroom for multilingual scholars in an educational setting? In order to attempt to understand the complex traumas experienced by first generation immigrants, immigrants, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color populations, much research on topics such as: types of trauma, how trauma manifests in classrooms, and finding peaceful resolutions must be reviewed. The overwhelming lack of support multilingual learners receive in school settings in regard to their trauma experiences, indicates a clear need for teachers to have …
Linguistic Identity Construction And Cultural Inclusivity, Jessica Quiñonez
Linguistic Identity Construction And Cultural Inclusivity, Jessica Quiñonez
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
With a growingly diverse population of non-white and immigrant students and a great disparity in demographics in school staff in rural southern Minnesota, there is an increasing need for a school environment that is inclusive of all students, their experiences, and their identities. This capstone project addresses many important factors that impact adolescent non-white and immigrant students in southern Minnesota schools and answers the question: How can I help high school staff in an increasingly diverse rural community foster a more culturally inclusive learning environment for racially, culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse students? In answering this question, this capstone delves …
Number Talks For Multilingual Learners, Catherine Neuner
Number Talks For Multilingual Learners, Catherine Neuner
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Educators know that profound learning occurs when students are able to make meaningful connections and engage in academic discourse with their teachers and peers (Kazemi & Hintz, 2014; Moschkovich, 1999; Zwiers, 2008). We know that success in mathematics depends upon a strong foundation of number sense (Boaler, 2015). An interest in synthesising the most promising practices for language acquisition and the most promising practices for mathematics instruction led to the research question: How can Number Talks affect academic achievement and language development of fourth grade multilingual learners? The purpose of this project was to incorporate Number Talks into the fourth …
Writing In The Math Classroom In Order To Increase The Academic Proficiency In English Language Learners, Daniel Bahnaman
Writing In The Math Classroom In Order To Increase The Academic Proficiency In English Language Learners, Daniel Bahnaman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
learners. These students specifically struggle with mathematics, as it relies heavily on specific academic language that is constantly being scaffolded. Research has shown that writing in the mathematics classroom can assist English language learners develop academic vocabulary and therefore increase proficiency. This capstone project focuses on the research question: How can writing in the math classroom increase the academic language and proficiency in a classroom of 80% English language learners? The project gives an introduction into implementing writing in the middle school math classroom by providing a one-week introduction to journaling, a two-week eighth-grade curriculum with added writing pieces, and …
Designing Curriculum For Emerging English Learners: Using Science Themes To Teach Productive Academic Language In A High School El Classroom, Cassandra Chandler
Designing Curriculum For Emerging English Learners: Using Science Themes To Teach Productive Academic Language In A High School El Classroom, Cassandra Chandler
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
English Language (EL) teachers often do not have a rigorous curriculum for Emerging students that uses grade-level themes to teach English language acquisition. Additionally, many of the commercially-available English language instructional materials do not have a strong focus on teaching academic speaking. At the same time, writing also continues to be an area of challenge for many ELs. This capstone project addressed the question: How can a science-themed curriculum be designed for Emerging-level high school English learners that focuses on teaching productive academic language? The literature reviewed showed that instruction in academic speaking and writing is incredibly important for ELs. …
How Can Content Teachers And Educational Staff Better Support English Language Learners In The Classroom?, Heidi Brouse
How Can Content Teachers And Educational Staff Better Support English Language Learners In The Classroom?, Heidi Brouse
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this capstone project is: ”H ow can content teachers and educational staff better support English Language Learners in the classroom? This paper documents one teacher’s search for foundational, yet essential, information regarding the educational experience of English Learner students which will most benefit general education staff. This document also follows the creation of a professional development presentation intended for general education staff members, including content teachers, which will help them to better understand the second language learning acquisition process and meet the needs of linguistically diverse learners. The topics of focus are: the second language …
Best Instructional Practices For High School Slife: A Narrative Curriculum For A Sheltered El Class, Sarah Jorgenson
Best Instructional Practices For High School Slife: A Narrative Curriculum For A Sheltered El Class, Sarah Jorgenson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
the growing population of English Language Learners (ELLs). One subset of ELLs are students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE). These students have primarily been educated through informal education, come from collectivist cultures, and have more experience with oral language versus written language. SLIFE have different needs than formally educated ELLs and instructional practices need to be altered to meet them. This capstone provides a narrative curriculum to answer the research question, What are the best instructional practices for high school SLIFE? Research concludes that the best practices for SLIFE include basic literacy instruction, strong student-teacher relationships, modeling of …
Increasing English Language Students Pre-Literacy Skills In Preschool, Alyssa Henderson
Increasing English Language Students Pre-Literacy Skills In Preschool, Alyssa Henderson
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Early literacy skills are a predictor of future reading and writing success. Whitehurst and Lonigan (1998) state that “Knowledge of the alphabet at entry into school is one of the strongest single predictors of short- and long-term literacy success” (p. 851). Students that enter kindergarten with early literacy skills are more likely to succeed in reading and writing as they progress through school. There are always students who leave preschool without adequate literacy skills, having made little progress throughout the year. Many times this includes English Language students making little growth. Han et al. (2013) states that EL students are …
Assessing English Language Learners For Special Education Services, Emily Grams
Assessing English Language Learners For Special Education Services, Emily Grams
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The importance of understanding how to assess ELs for special education is a critical topic in the education field. According to Becker & Deris (2019) many school professionals lack the appropriate understanding of testing tools to properly assess and evaluate ELLs; once referred to an assessment team, the student has a greater than 50% chance of being identified as disabled. In order to better assess ELs, evaluation teams need to consider the whole student including their second language acquisition of English, culture, background, and their native language. Over the last decade, the amount of ELs and language minority students in …
Teaching And Learning About Linguistic Landscapes In Schools: A Student-Involved Research And Analysis Curriculum For English Language Learners In Middle School, Suzanne Regina Buresh Bullock
Teaching And Learning About Linguistic Landscapes In Schools: A Student-Involved Research And Analysis Curriculum For English Language Learners In Middle School, Suzanne Regina Buresh Bullock
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
We are surrounded by many forms of language every day. This capstone project addresses the research question: how can students learn to research and think critically about the linguistic landscape in and around their school and come up with ideas to create changes in the linguistic landscape of their school? The linguistic landscape (LL) of a neighborhood, of a village, or of an entire city is what we see when we interact with the world: this includes signage such as billboards, signs, advertisements, even the menu scrawled on a chalkboard at the local coffee shop. The languages that are present …
Helping Secondary El Students Become More Effective Writers, Chanda Mulligan
Helping Secondary El Students Become More Effective Writers, Chanda Mulligan
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Mulligan, C. Helping Secondary EL Students Become More Effective Writers (2020) Secondary EL students do not consistently have access to equitable writing instruction. Students should expect that teachers are delivering writing instruction that will enable them to write successfully for academic and professional purposes. This capstone sought to answer the question: How can teachers of EL learners ensure that students utilize their entire linguistic repertoire to access the linguistic structures they need in order to communicate effectively for academic tasks? The following themes emerged in the literature reviewed: academic language and systemic functional linguistics, writing and grammar instruction for ELs, …
Best Practices For Code-Switching In The Hmong Adult Ell Classroom, Morgan Hightower
Best Practices For Code-Switching In The Hmong Adult Ell Classroom, Morgan Hightower
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
For many years, students were discouraged from using their first language. In the classroom, rules were set on only using English as soon as they entered the room, and signs were hung on the walls that encouraged them to only speak the target language. However, research now shows using a student’s native language can actually enhance their learning. This capstone uses pre-surveys, post-surveys, and 4 sessions of professional development to help answer the capstone question, In what ways can educators best support adult Hmong L1 learners to accomplish their English goals while uplifting and valuing their linguistic and cultural roots? …
Scaffolding Oral Language For Elementary English Learners In Content Classrooms, Jamie Bushey
Scaffolding Oral Language For Elementary English Learners In Content Classrooms, Jamie Bushey
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project addresses the question: What strategies could be provided to content and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers to help scaffold oral language use for English Learners in the elementary content classroom? This project was born from the author’s experience as a language teacher and the need to provide language supports for her students in content classes such as science and social studies. Literature regarding second language acquisition, science education, and oral language supports were consulted in the development of this project. A portfolio of resources to support oral language development was created, which includes an example science …
Implementing Student-Centered Learning Strategies For Multilingual Learners Through A Social Justice Lens, Erik Reynolds
Implementing Student-Centered Learning Strategies For Multilingual Learners Through A Social Justice Lens, Erik Reynolds
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
This project answers the question, How can we create an equitable student-centered environment through project and problem based learning? The research focuses on student centered learning, specifically project and problem based instruction, while creating an equitable learning environment, along with supporting learnings through differentiated instruction. The project creates a curriculum for a 7th grade Social Studies unit of study of the Foundations of Systems of Power in the United States from 1787 - 1800. Application of this curriculum is a tool that teachers can use to create a safe and equitable learning environment for all of their students.
English Language Learners Acquiring Tier 3 Mathematical Vocabulary In Upper Elementary Grades, Krosby Kludt
English Language Learners Acquiring Tier 3 Mathematical Vocabulary In Upper Elementary Grades, Krosby Kludt
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
As students progress through elementary school the mathematics they are supposed to be able to complete and understand gets more challenging. Part of the challenge is that students need to know the content-specific vocabulary for individual math units. For some students, the new vocabulary has been heard in passing at home, for others, especially those that English is a second language the new vocabulary is completely foreign to them. The capstone project that has been created is a vocabulary guide to help students and educators understand how to best approach new and unfamiliar vocabulary in mathematics for English language learners …
Career Identity And Community Investment Toolkit For High School English Language Learners, Mary Louise Moga
Career Identity And Community Investment Toolkit For High School English Language Learners, Mary Louise Moga
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Moga, M. Career Identity and Community Investment Toolkit for High School Level English Language Learners (2020) The research question addressed in this project was: What instructional practices can be used to positively influence high school level ELLs identity in present and future imagined communities? It examines the development of a curriculum for high school level English language learners based on Norton’s theories of investment and imagined communities and Bucholtz’s tactics of intersubjectivity. The curriculum connects content from a career exploration curriculum to questions related to membership in future or imagined communities. The career exploration content is also used to learn …
Making The Language Of Secondary Math Classrooms More Comprehensible For English Learners, Anna Olivia Zieske
Making The Language Of Secondary Math Classrooms More Comprehensible For English Learners, Anna Olivia Zieske
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Zieske, A. Making the Language of Secondary Math Classrooms More Comprehensible for English Learners (2020) English Learners (ELs) typically score lower than native English speakers on standardized tests in mathematics partially because many math teachers are not equipped to provide language scaffolds for ELs in mainstream math classes. This project is a supplemental curriculum covering the topic of linear equations and graphing lines that can be used in any mainstream algebra 1 class. It is aligned with the 2007 Minnesota Academic Standards for Mathematics. The project consists of eight activities, both teacher and student versions, that provide language supports for …
Providing Effective Career-Readiness Instruction For High School Immigrant And Refugee English Learners, Jessica Wright
Providing Effective Career-Readiness Instruction For High School Immigrant And Refugee English Learners, Jessica Wright
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Wright, J. Providing Effective Career-Readiness Instruction for High School Immigrant and Refugee English Learners (2020) The research question addressed in this project was, what do effective high school career-readiness teaching practices look like for refugees and immigrants with limited English proficiency? It documents one teacher’s creation of a website that integrates learnings from the field of career counseling with topics relevant to this unique group of learners in order to create lesson ideas focused on career readiness within an English language instruction setting. She describes the process of choosing the lesson format, outlines the instructional categories included in the website, …
Effectively Enabling Translanguaging In The Classroom, Kelly Miller
Effectively Enabling Translanguaging In The Classroom, Kelly Miller
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Bilingual students have historically been pushed to become as fluent in English as quickly as possible in order to have the students keep up with the rigor of the mainstream classroom. This has the potential to push those students to lose their native languages (L1) and a part of their culture in order to maintain the norm of language within the American public school. This capstone explores the concept of translanguaging through a website, professional development, survey, scholarly research to answer the question How does an educator effectively implement translanguaging strategies in a classroom? Research shows that translanguaging is an …
Integrating Mindfulness Strategies And English As A Second Language Instruction, Samuel Trojan
Integrating Mindfulness Strategies And English As A Second Language Instruction, Samuel Trojan
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The guiding question addressed for this capstone project is: how can mindfulness be integrated into English Language Learner (ELL) curriculum in a way that promotes social, emotional and academic development? The motivation for this project was born out of a desire to address academic, emotional and social growth concurrently for ELLs in a way that addresses the specific needs of that population. To address these, mindfulness techniques are integrated into curriculum design. The rationale for this is that mindfulness techniques can have certain mental health benefits, social benefits, improve focus and create greater awareness in regards to academic, social and …
What Interactive Strategies Promote Engagement For English Language Learners In A Post-Secondary Science Classroom?, Kristal Newman
What Interactive Strategies Promote Engagement For English Language Learners In A Post-Secondary Science Classroom?, Kristal Newman
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The attendance rate of international students has nearly doubled in U.S colleges (Bergey et al., 2019). Many English Language Learners (ELL) are learning the English language while attending regular subject classes, such as biology. There can be many difficult challenges that arise for ELLs in science classes, such as the complex vocabulary of scientific terms. ELL students struggle in science classrooms and have less engagement in the material because of the language barrier and the complexity of the content (Short et al., 2011). Interactive lecturing is a great way to promote engagement in a science classroom with ELLs. Interactive Lecturing …
Preparing Mainstream Teachers To Support English Language Learners, Christopher Cannady
Preparing Mainstream Teachers To Support English Language Learners, Christopher Cannady
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing student population in the United States. Despite this fact, many classroom teachers lack the specific knowledge, experience, and skills necessary to provide effective instruction to linguistically diverse students. This capstone seeks to answer the question: How can mainstream teachers be better prepared to support English language learners? The final result of this project is a series of professional development seminars covering the pattern of second language development, types of language, the importance of educators maintaining high expectations of their ELL students, the value of culturally compatible instruction, and the unique challenges facing …
Spatial Awareness Language For English Language Learners, Casey Seeling
Spatial Awareness Language For English Language Learners, Casey Seeling
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The aim of the project was to create a unit on spatial awareness language for Spanish-speaking English learners (ELs) to help them understand the meanings of positional words and use them in the correct way. The guiding questions investigated in this capstone project were: How can Spanish-speaking ELs develop their spatial awareness language? What role do cross-curricular connections play in developing spatial awareness language? The topic was chosen because for the past decade, I have found myself struggling with teaching spatial awareness language to ELs. Through my teaching experience, I have noticed that several ELs have had difficulty using positional …
El Considerations For Refugee Students, Kelly Palmer
El Considerations For Refugee Students, Kelly Palmer
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Many advances have been made considering English learners within the US school system. Laws, policies, assessments, curriculum, and pedagogy have all been affected by the need to provide differentiated educational programs. Refugees are a distinct subset of EL students whose experiences have created a unique set of needs which prompted the study and assessment of approaches educators can use to meet them. This capstone conducted a comprehensive review of literature in the areas of poverty, trauma, and SLIFE to answer the question, What are effective practices for meeting the unique educational needs of refugees as EL learners? The results of …
Co-Teaching Strategies For Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Learners In Middle School English Language Arts, Adena Berg
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project is: What are the most effective co-teaching strategies for teaching literacy skills in a middle school English Language Arts class that is culturally and linguistically diverse? It documents one teacher’s creation of an ELA-based curriculum that includes strategies for ELD co-teaching, learning activities to increase middle school literacy skills and supports for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Designing the curriculum using the Understanding by Design framework, it is for use when teaching Free? Stories Celebrating Human Rights ( Morpurgo et al., 2015) in a co-taught sixth grade classroom. The overall goal of the …
Program Design: A Practical Guide For Creating El Programs With A Focus On Social-Emotional Development, Brigitta Bognar Cronin
Program Design: A Practical Guide For Creating El Programs With A Focus On Social-Emotional Development, Brigitta Bognar Cronin
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
The research question addressed in this project was, how can English Language (EL) teachers design a program that best serves the social-emotional needs of English Learners (ELs)? The author of this capstone documented her personal experience as a first-year teacher, which inspired her to research methods to improve students’ social-emotional skill sets. The available research on social-emotional learning was merged with theories concerning second language learning to create a framework that addresses the social-emotional learning of ELs. A website was created for secondary EL teachers featuring articles and teaching resources.
Growing Reading Skills Through Oral Language Activities: Reading Intervention/English Learner Curriculum, Sarah Lundgren
Growing Reading Skills Through Oral Language Activities: Reading Intervention/English Learner Curriculum, Sarah Lundgren
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
Promoting student growth in reading comprehension and language skills is a primary goal of every language teacher. Research increasingly shows that engaging English learner (EL) students in oral language activities is connected to growth in both language skills and in reading comprehension. Research also shows that oral language activities improve engagement and comprehension not only in EL students but in native English-speaking students. This project combines oral language activities in reading prosody, Routine, Integrated, Structured, Academic (RISA) Oral Interactions (Watson, 2015), and reading comprehension for groups of both mainstream and EL students covering both Minnesota standards and WIDA standards for …
How Culturally Responsive Teaching Can Support Small Group Math Instruction, Ryan Moran
How Culturally Responsive Teaching Can Support Small Group Math Instruction, Ryan Moran
School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects
For this project, the author studied culturally responsive teaching methods and mathematics instruction strategies applicable to teaching fractions to third grade English Learners (ELs) in a small group. Throughout his career as an educator, the author consistently observed the need for additional EL math support . Therefore, the guiding question addressed by the author’s capstone project is How can culturally responsive mathematics strategies be implemented in a small-group EL setting? The research conducted in this project was used to create a 10-day, small-group fraction curriculum designed for third grade ELs.