Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Comparing Indigenous And External Teachers: Beliefs, Origins Of Beliefs, And Expectations, Richard H. Fowler

Dissertations

This phenomenology examines rural economically poor school teachers' beliefs, belief origins, and their expectations of and for their students. Data analysis employed two lenses. The proposed lens examined participants as either indigenous or external utilizing Banks' (2001) cross-cultural teaching experiences. In this study, the indigenous participants experienced childhoods in poor rural towns, while external participants experienced childhoods in urban/suburban areas. A second emergent lens examined participants as experiencing working-class or middle-class childhoods. Findings utilizing lens one were mixed and varied with no definitive pattern. The emergent lens utilizing economic class of participants' childhoods found a number of consistent differences between …

Meeting The Need For K-8 Teachers For Classrooms With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students: The Promise And Challenge Of Early Field Experiences, Amy Strage, Susan Gomez, Kari Knutson-Miller, Ana Garcia-Nevarez

Faculty Publications

The writers present the findings of their study focused on teacher learning through early fieldwork experiences to address the problem of teachers working with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population. Data were analyzed from an archive collected from approximately 500 students enrolled in six undergraduate child development courses at three state university campuses located in urban areas of California. Findings suggest that early field experiences provide participants with opportunities for career goal clarification, and the context of field experience is significant and may lead to outcomes beyond the initial goal of the experience.

The Use Of A Computer Graphic Organizer For Persuasive Composition Writing By Hispanic Students With Specific Learning Disabilities, Caridad H. Unzueta

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Many culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with specific learning disabilities (SLD) struggle with the writing process. Particularly, they have difficulties developing and expanding ideas, organizing and elaborating sentences, and revising and editing their compositions (Graham, Harris, & Larsen, 2001; Myles, 2002). Computer graphic organizers offer a possible solution to assist them in their writing. This study investigated the effects of a computer graphic organizer on the persuasive writing compositions of Hispanic middle school students with SLD. A multiple baseline design across subjects was used to examine its effects on six dependent variables: number of arguments and supporting details, number …

Teaching With Imagination And Learning By Doing: The Ideas, Methods, And Topics For Talk After School English Program In Korea From A Native English Teacher, Donovan P. Loomis

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Teaching the students of Songseok elementary to love learning, love learning English, and confidence to speak like a Korean takes curiosity, imagination, and creativity. I demonstrate these skills to the students to challenge the students and help them develop their own gifts, talent, and abilities in these areas. Using sight and descriptive vocabulary I will develop their ability to remark on the remarkable and perceive the unique qualities of an object. They will have an understanding of how these new skills can benefit them and can communicate that understanding within the segment of the global economy in which English is …

Shared Reading Lessons For Fourth, Fifth, And Sixth Grade English Language Learners, Erin Marie Goin

All Graduate Projects

This project explains what shared reading is and how it fits into balanced literacy. It explores the benefits of shared reading for English language learners and things the teacher should consider when teaching them. The project includes a collection of shared reading lesson plans for teachers of fourth, fifth and sixth grade ELL students. It explains what shared reading is, materials needed, possible texts, and skills and strategies that can be taught in a lesson. This guide is intended to help teachers of fourth, fifth and sixth grade ELL students teach shared reading lessons in their classrooms.

Incorporating Service-Learning Into The Esl Curriculum: What Aspiring Practitioners Need To Know, Andres R. Reyes

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

As an ESL teacher at a community college, my constant goal is to synergize teaching approaches and strategies so that in addition to maximizing students' language learning, their critical thinking skills, cultural competence, and reflectivity - as members of an increasingly growing multicultural society - are heightened. Most recently, I have been pursuing service-learning as a philosophy, pedagogy, and practice that can help students connect their classroom learning to concrete, exciting, and challenging learning situations beyond the classroom. This paper is an attempt to highlight service-learning as a powerful tool that can make a difference in students' lives as they …

Exploring Writing Of English Language Learners In Middle School: A Mixed Methods Study, Robin L. Danzak

Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

The study's purpose was to assess, through mixed methods, written linguistic features of 20 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in middle school. Students came from Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. Participants wrote two expository and two narrative formal texts, each in Spanish and English, for a total of eight writing samples each. Additionally, students developed 10 journal entries in their language of choice, and 6 randomly selected, focal participants were interviewed for the qualitative analysis. The quantitative analysis involved scoring formal texts at the lexical, syntactic, and discourse levels. Scores were analyzed using Friedman's 2-way ANOVA by ranks, …

What’S Your Perspective A Secondary Staff Cultural Proficiency Training, Jeanne A. Cunningham

All Graduate Projects

A two-hour and forty-five minute staff cultural proficiency training was compiled for an urban high school. Nearly thirty percent of the school's population is make up of non-majority cultural groups yet approximately ninety-nine percent of the staff is white. A review of literature indicates that culture matters when educating students and schools cognizant of this information realize higher student performance. Using current data, the project demonstrates the need for cultural proficiency training and provides staff information and resources to increase awareness of the role of culture in teaching and learning.

Does A Co-Learner Delivery Model In Professional Development Affect Teachers’ Self-Efficacy In Teaching Mathematics, John J. Ribeiro, Denise Demagistris

Teacher Education

A mixed method study is reported examining teacher efficacy regarding professional development in mathematics instruction for two groups of teachers: in building with peers (N=17) and MAT student co-learners in the classroom (N=14). An end-of-course survey, focus group interviews and pre-post data for the Teacher Self Efficacy Scale were used to investigate:1. What is the difference in teachers’ efficacy regarding mathematics instruction based on the professional development delivery system they experienced? 2. What are teachers’ perceptions of their professional development with peers conducted onsite in district compared with professional development with peers and preservice teachers at a university setting? Descriptive …

Expectations For Career And Social Support By Mentors And Mentees Participating In Formal Elementary And Secondary School Mentoring Programs, Monique Jacob, Robert K. Gable

Teacher Education

Teacher shortages are a nationwide concern, attributable primarily to high attrition rates among new teachers (Ingersoll, 2003; Ingersoll & Kralik, 2004; Ingersol & Smith, 2004). Ingersoll and Kralik (2004) claimed that an estimated 50% of new teachers left the profession within their first 5 years. Reasons for leaving include: isolating and non-supportive teaching environments, poor working conditions and overwhelming teaching assignments (Alliance for Excellent Education, 2005). To support beginning teachers, Rhode Island passed legislation requiring districts to develop a mentoring process (Law 16-7.1-2 Accountability for Student Performance). One variable measuring mentoring success is how closely participants’ expectations for the relationship …

A Questionnaire For Incoming High School Ell Students To Better Assist Them In Entering The American Educational System, Narine Balayan

All Graduate Projects

This project is designed to help teachers get a better understanding of the incoming ELL students' backgrounds to better assist these students in the education process and make the transition from their native educational system to the American educational system smoother. Teachers must be aware of ELL students' family situations, lives outside the school, diverse background knowledge and how these things affect reading and writing comprehension, and be able to choose the most appropriate assessment and instruction.

No.2, April 2009: Vision As An Impetus For Success: Perspectives Of Site Principals, Franca Dell'olio Ed.D., Kristen Anguiano

Education and Policy Briefs

Findings from the first two years of a 3-year evaluation of the PROMISE Model pilot are presented in this policy brief that seeks to understand the extent to which school principals know, understand, and act upon research-based principles for English Language Learners (ELL) and their intersection with the California Professional Standards for Educational Leadership related to promoting ELL success. Surveys and focus groups were used to gather data from school principals at fifteen schools throughout Southern California including early childhood, elementary, middle, and high schools. School principals identified several areas where PROMISE serves as a beacon of hope in promoting …

Building On The Cultural And Linguistic Capital Of English Learner (El) Students, Kathryn Brooks, Katya Karathanos

Scholarship and Professional Work – Education

...While our nation has a long history of competing ideologies and political controversies related to English immersion (in which the primary language of instruction is English) programs versus bilingual education, scholars contend that these two educational approaches need not be conceptualized as dichotomous. Rather, when educators consider what approaches and strategies will provide the best opportunities for particular students to learn in particular contexts, they must bear in mind that for EL students, their native languages and cultures are key resources to draw upon for teaching both content and language (Lucas & Katz, 1994). They must also think about how …

Developing Multicultural Intelligence Through The Work Of Kehinde Wiley, Melanie L. Buffington

Art Education Publications

Through a review of current events, contemporary ideas on multicultural education, and the art of Kehinde Wiley, this article argues that using the work of contemporary artists is one way to introduce pre-service teachers to the complex issues of multiculturalism, race, and culture in contemporary society. By learning about contemporary artists whose work overtly relates to race and culture, pre-service teachers may become more comfortable with the realities of the multicultural schools they encounter throughout their careers. Additionally, the article introduces portraiture methodology as a means of understanding interactions in university classrooms, especially as they relate to pre-service teacher education. …

Sustainable Living In The Pacific: Exploring The Role Of Multiculturalism In Teacher Education, Cresantia Frances Koya Vaka'uta

Cresantia Frances Koya Vaka'uta

The Pacific is arguably one of the most diverse regions in the world, both culturally and linguistically. Although much has been said about the relationship between culture and education, the topic of multiculturalism in education is one that remains unexplored. Although sporadic discussions have occurred with reference to the fourth Pillar of „living together‟ in the Delors‟ report, much of the discourse surrounds the need to incorporate cultural knowledge and culture inclusive pedagogies into local curricula. The author is of the view that quality educational development requires an examination of multiculturalism in teacher education and training. This paper presents the …

Teachers' Discourse On English Language Learners: Cultural Models Of Language And Learning, Amy Heineke

Education: School of Education Faculty Publications and Other Works

This qualitative case study explores teacher learning about English language learners (ELLs) in a small-group, school-based context at an urban elementary school inArizona. Sociocultural perspectives on teacher learning guided the analysis of teachers’ participation in a teacher study group over six months. The teacher study group aimed to support educators of ELLs at a time of new language policy implementation, which required ELLs to enroll in an English language development (ELD) classroom for four hours of skill-based English language instruction.

In the first semester of language policy implementation, I collected discursive data that showcased the social interaction of teachers and …

Colorblind Nonaccommodative Denial: Implications For Teachers’ Meaning Perspectives Toward Their Mexican-American English Learners, Socorro Herrera, Amanda Morales

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

Many parts of the United States are facing an increasing number of immigrant students. Focusing on mostly White teachers at a junior high school, which enrolls predominantly Mexican immigrant students, Socorro Herrera and Amanda R. Morales examine these teachers’ belief system. The authors identify the perspective of colorblind nonaccommodative denial among these teachers. • What is a colorblind perspective? How does it affect everyday teaching practices? • How would teachers justify their not accommodating minority students? What are the educational consequences of nonaccommodation?

Improving the learning experiences of culturally and linguistically diverse Mexican-American students in the United States is a …

Sojourners In Mexico With U.S. School Experience: A New Taxonomy For Transnational Students, Víctor Zúñiga, Edmund T. Hamann

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Faculty Publications

There are many school-age children involved in the transnational movement of peoples between the United States and Mexico. Among those currently in Mexico (typically regarded as a sending country rather than a receiving country), most expect to return to the United States someday, although not necessarily permanently, and they variously identify as Mexican, Mexican American, or American. This suggests that the prospect of enduring geographic mobility affects the complicated work of identity formation and affiliation. Central to this negotiation are Mexican schools, which, like U.S. schools, are not deliberately designed to consider the needs, understandings, and wants of an increasingly …

The Relationship Between Cooperative Learning And Physics Achievement In Minority Students, Victor Chester

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Minority students lag Caucasian students in science performance and are underrepresented in the fields of science and technology. It is therefore pivotal for minorities, African American and Hispanic students, to show improved performance in science education. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of cooperative learning strategy on physics achievement by high school minority students. Constructivism formed the theoretical framework for the study. Independent learning, the traditional strategy, and cooperative learning dyads, the novel intervention, were the independent variables, and the dependent variable was achievement in physics. A repeated measures design and a convenient sample group of …

Meeting The Need For K-8 Teachers For Classrooms With Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Students: The Promise And Challenge Of Early Field Experiences, Amy Strage, Susan Gomez, Kari Knutson-Miller, Ana Garcia-Nevarez

Amy Strage

The writers present the findings of their study focused on teacher learning through early fieldwork experiences to address the problem of teachers working with a culturally and linguistically diverse student population. Data were analyzed from an archive collected from approximately 500 students enrolled in six undergraduate child development courses at three state university campuses located in urban areas of California. Findings suggest that early field experiences provide participants with opportunities for career goal clarification, and the context of field experience is significant and may lead to outcomes beyond the initial goal of the experience.

Adult Esl Student Perceptions On Computer Assisted Language Learning, Jillian Burrus

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this research study was to explore my adult English as a second language (ESL) student's experiences with technology as a method of improving English acquisition. The area of computer assisted language learning (CALL) is increasingly becoming important within the second language learning arena. As the expansion of available technology continues to increase, insight into opinions about the effectiveness of CALL and specifically those opinions of the actual users will be needed.

As an instructor of adult ESL students, my study focused on providing information about my student's use of technology for future personal classroom praxis. This research …

Teacher Candidates' Attitudes Toward Immigration And Teaching Learners Of English As A Second Language, Midena M. Sas

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While in theory, democratic ideals promise the equal participation of all its citizens in the decisions that affect them, in practice some populations, i.e., those who do not possess membership to the dominant cultural group, often miss out on the privileges a democratic society is supposed to ensure. Critical theorists pointed out that "democracies like ours exhort equal opportunity but often ignore ways in which our schools operate unconsciously and unknowingly to guarantee that there will be no real equality" (McLaren, 2007, p. 176). In the education arena, inequitable treatment has received significant attention, perhaps due to the glaring repercussions …

Cohort Based Learning In Teacher Education, Susan Barduhn

Susan Barduhn

No abstract provided.