Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Techniques For Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety In Adult English Learners, Andy Mardesich

Master's Projects and Capstones

Making presentations to a group is a complex skill that takes time to develop, and it can be intimidating and anxiety inducing. Using mindset theory and feedback from interviews with community college teachers, this teacher's guide, Techniques for Reducing Public Speaking Anxiety in Adult English Learners, discusses approaches for reducing anxiety in an adult ESOL/EFL speaking classroom. It discusses the importance of providing a safe and comfortable environment to practice and manage anxiety, building good support structures, providing clear rubrics and student roles, and offering plenty of opportunities for interaction through purposeful communication. This guide holds significance for students, teachers, …

Desde El Suelo: Resources For Anti Colonial And Abolitionist Educators In Puerto Rico, Jazdil Poupart-Feliciano

Master's Projects and Capstones

“Desde el Suelo” is a set of resources, activities and reflections created for educators looking to name, understand and heal from the systemic harms experienced in our schooling in order to interrupt these cycles and better support children, youth and ourselves in our liberation. For Puerto Rican educators, this process begins with the understanding that any system created with the goal of expanding the u.s. empire through racist occupation and epistemicide can never be reformed into promoting freedom or social justice. Pulling from abolitionist teaching and critical pedagogy, inspired by historical struggles for Black liberation across the diaspora and in …

When Culturally Responsive Practices Meet Social-Emotional Learning: A Guide For Educators, Sharon Ju-Ting Cheng

Master's Projects and Capstones

Many educators hope to give their students quality and well-rounded education while balancing all the contents they need to learn. Social-emotional learning (SEL) and culturally responsive teaching, however, are two areas that teachers seem to struggle with (Stark et al., 2021). Teachers have encountered situations where it was difficult for them to support their students due to the cultural differences between the teacher and student (Heineke & Vera, 2021). This lack of professional development in the culturally responsive aspect is concerning.

The shortfall of training leads to failure to apply these practices into schools. For newcomer students, who are usually …

Navigating Acculturative Stress: A Guide For Supporting Newcomer Students In California Esl Classrooms, Daniela Lopera Ruiz

Master's Projects and Capstones

Acculturation has been widely studied as a post-migration phenomenon that individuals face when coming in contact with their new recipient culture and environment. The different experiences, tasks, and requirements that newcomers must endure upon arrival may lead to their suffering prolonged periods of discomfort. This moderate, intermediate, or acute feeling of uneasiness is defined as acculturative stress. In it, the continued exposure to stressors such as adjusting to a new culture, rules, behavioral patterns, a second language, finding housing, and obtaining an education and employment can lead to trauma. This field project has been designed to provide educators and allies …

An Effective Method Of Teaching English: A Handbook For English Teachers In China, Zichen Cai

Master's Projects and Capstones

Along with the significance of learning English has been emphasized by Chinese government for more than thirty years, more and more Westerns who mostly came from the U.S and England were welcomed to teach English in China. However, most of them are not qualified to teach, and they are not well-prepared before teaching according to author’s observation, which make students lose their interest in learning English eventually. Moreover, these foreign ESL teachers follow the activities and exercises in the textbook step by step while teaching, which is very dull and monotonous. In the literature review, the factors that might influence …

Effective Ways To Lower Muslim Immigrant Students' Anxiety In Esl Classes: A Handbook For Educators, Mehrnaz Ayazi

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

This field project is a handbook for educators that recommends effective ways of lowering Muslim refugee students' anxiety in ESL classrooms. Schools are challenging for refugee and immigrant students as they have to navigate school systems that do not accommodate their unique needs. As a result, Muslim refugee students are often discriminated against, marginalized, and bullied in schools. They suffer from low self-confidence, high anxiety, and lack of motivation. Research concludes that educational institutions in host countries are ill-equipped in creating an equitable education and school environment for Muslim refugee students due to the lack of educators’ training and …

Using Sitcoms In Esl/Efl: A Handbook For Using Friends In The Classroom, Elif Konus

Master's Projects and Capstones

English learning has become the most significant objective throughout the world for learners of English as a second language (ESL) and foreign language (EFL). Unfortunately, most learners do not have a chance to learn the language in English-speaking countries. In most ESL and EFL classrooms, teachers have solely adapted their teaching method through textbooks even though there are numerous teaching techniques to support learners’ language process. Considering the fact that we live in an age of constant change of technology in which students’ attention spans have been shortened, students might lack engagement and motivation in learning English through solely textbook-adapted …

Teaching With Empathy In The Adult Esl Classroom: A Training Guide, Maureen Carapia

Master's Projects and Capstones

Many view empathy as a necessary skill for relating to different groups of people and successfully communicating across cultures. Research supports empathy’s importance in the education field for promoting positive outcomes in the classroom and fomenting a culturally sensitive class environment. Teaching with empathy is particularly important in the context of adult ESL (English as a Second Language) instruction, given the culturally diverse classroom environment and instructors who likely possess different cultural norms than their students. Regarding effective strategies to teach these students with empathy, however, the research falls short. The mere notion of defining empathy breeds disagreement, as many …

Demystifying English Simple Past Tense: A Thai Teachers’ Guide To Teaching English Simple Past Tense To Thai Adult Learners, Chitkamon Tungkaburana

Master's Projects and Capstones

Similar to many English learners whose native language does not use tense-aspect system to describe events/ or actions, Thai learners find English tense-aspect system very challenging to fully acquire. Ineffective current pedagogical teaching approaches used and mother tongue influence inhibit English tense-aspect acquisition and pose learning difficulties. In this field project, I would like to show Thai teachers how to teach English Simple Past tense more effectively with application of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) approach. I created a teachers’ guidebook solely just to prove that English tenses are not too difficult to acquire. It is relatively accomplishable if done right. …

Thinking Outside The Box: Incorporating Critical Thinking Strategies In Esl Reading & Writing Instruction, Johanna Carranza

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

ESL students in the United States avail the resources of community college to achieve their goal of academic excellence. However, many community colleges struggle to prepare their students for mainstream four-year institutions. Aside from reading, writing, and speaking, learning a second language requires the development of critical thinking skills which are not emphasized enough for many ESL students in contemporary American academia.

As such, there are two major problems that this project aims to address. The first is that English as a Second Language (ESL) and English instructors have different expectations for ESL students. ESL instructors do not focus …

Effective Teaching Techniques And Study Strategies For English Language Learners In Esl Community College Classes, Dorothy M. Steiner

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this field project, Effective Teaching Techniques and Study Strategies for English Language Learners in ESL Community College Classes, is to provide guidance to the busy instructors who work with adult ESL students, particularly in non-credit programs. This field project can also be used by instructors of credit community college ESL classes, Adult schools, or (Community Based Organizations) CBOs. The handbook is designed to be a resource on the many areas that present common challenges in the ESL classroom such as diverse needs, low literacy levels, building academic rigor and vocabulary, communicative language teaching, increasing engagement and …

Can Addressing Language Skills For Fifth Grade Ells In A Multiplication Curriculum Help Address The Achievement Gap In Math? A Multiplication Workbook For Big Kids, Michelle Douglas

Master's Projects and Capstones

Currently, the state of California has 1,332,405 students from grades k-12 who speak a language other than English at home (Caledfacts, 2016). When I started my first year teaching fifth grade with 95% of my students being English language learners (ELLs), I was surprised to see an achievement gap of two to three years in my student’s reading and math skills. I found that my student’s developmental language and math skills contributed to a lack of engagement during math time. Upon further research, I found that these three factors play a role in the wide achievement gaps between ELLs and …

Teaching Efl/Esl College-Level Learners Through Current Global Topics: Integrated Lessons For Efl/Esl Teachers, Chaiyeon Sylvia Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

The importance of educating effective English users competent in communicating and interacting in a variety of social settings is highlighted in today’s highly globalized world. Being able to understand and discuss complex global topics related to current cultural, social, and business issues and events has become an integral skill of English learners to achieve greater international connectivity. Unfortunately, many EFL/ESL college-level students, specifically Korean EFL students, do not seem to have sufficient preparation to build English communicative competence and cultural awareness necessary to cope with various situations in which they need to communicate meaningfully and purposefully as effective English users. …

Neighborhood Strategizing: Understanding Community Collaborations Within California Bay Area Public Schools, Windi Hazzard

Master's Projects and Capstones

For the better half of a century, education policy has been guided by economics and profit. One after another, every U.S. president since the 1960s has championed legislation that reflects neoliberal ideals of competition and profitable skills. Through the standardization of the public school system, education has become a marketplace rather than an environment for cultivating empowered learners and critical thinkers. The purpose of this field project is to show how communities are challenging the current education system in order to influence education policy in San Francisco, California. I interviewed four participants from two organizations that advocate parents’ rights as …

Integrating Language And Content Instruction: A Linguistic And Cultural Guide For Content-Area Teachers Of Asian International Secondary School Students In The Us, Joy R. Suzuki

Master's Projects and Capstones

As more and more international Asian ESL high school students seek an education at private American high schools, where students spend most of their time in content-area classrooms, it is imperative that content-area teachers understand the important role they play in their students’ linguistic development and cultural adjustment. The purpose of this project is to provide teachers of content-area classes with an easily accessible professional development opportunity, including tools they need to help their international ESL students achieve linguistic and academic success and guide these students through a rewarding cross-cultural experience. As supported by second language acquisition theory, with the …

Humanistic Approach Vs. Technological Approach: Accelerate Language Learning By Having Fun In The Sun, Alex M. Lopez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Technology continues to spread throughout the world, and it seems that this trend will continue for some time. Many students have been left behind because the focus has been largely on viewing computer screens and communicating without the use of a voice, through text messages and chatting.

This project is based on the humanistic approach, and it is designed to promote activities that involve group work, taking the students outside of the classroom, and building a familial support system within the classroom by promoting class chemistry.

The project outlines activities that involve more communication and collaborative activities because these enable …

The Immigrants In The Central Coast Of California Need Motivation To Attend Classes And Learn English As Their Second Language, Martin Rodriguez-Juarez

Master's Projects and Capstones

This field project shows that the immigrant community that works in the fields from the Central Coast of California need the motivation to attend adult school to learn English as their second language. A six-week courses is included.

Learning Through Reading: A Handbook Of Literature-Based Lessons For Esl, Lota I. Rygiel

Master's Projects and Capstones

Learning through Reading: A Handbook of Literature-based Lessons for ESL A Field Project written by Lota Rygiel in the spring of 2016. This project is a handbook of lessons for adult ESL students at intermediate or advanced proficiency levels of English as a Second Language. The handbook offers the use of authentic materials in the form of short stories and poems in English. The authentic materials serve as a challenge to students (Krashen's "i + 1" level): with careful guidance of the instructor they will be interesting and meaningful to students. The use of various literary genres corresponds to the …

Culturally Aware Teaching: A Supplemental Reference Guide For Intermediate Secondary School English Language Learners, Jessica A. Mccrane

Master's Projects and Capstones

This project takes a critical eye at the cultural biases in place in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) curriculum and the New York State (NYS) English Regents examination currently being used in the state of New York. Taking into account the diverse population of students currently attending secondary school in NYS, more culturally diverse lesson activities have been created. These activities take the Whorf-Sapir Hypothesis (Whorf, Lee, Levinson, & Carroll, 2012) and interlanguage pragmatics (Martínez Flor & Alcón Soler, 2008) into consideration to help English language learners (ELLs) learn the language in a manner that lowers anxiety and is …

Strategies To Reduce Foreign Language Anxiety In Adult Efl Students Of The European Union, Kathleen Hershner

Master's Projects and Capstones

One of paradoxes in adult foreign language learning is that older learners must communicate in the very language, in this case English, they struggle to acquire. The discomfort that arises from needing to use deficient or non-existent skills in a new language is more acutely felt in adults than children. Adults approach learning new languages with an assumed level of control over themselves and their environment and can easily become frustrated when they're unable to maintain their usual levels of confidence and competence, which can lead to foreign language anxiety. FLA is a specific kind of anxiety defined as an …

Encouraging Esl Teachers To Empower Their Students To Read, Rachael M. Van Liefde

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the US, thousands of international students are studying, or are preparing to study, at institutions of higher education. Unfortunately, the below satisfactory English skills of these students are a concern worldwide. One of the most critical factors affecting their academic progress is their reading skills.

It is widely accepted that a successful student in higher education must be able to read and comprehend assigned readings quickly. However, reading speed and comprehension pose a significant obstacle for ESL students who are pursuing these goals. How can ESL teachers assist their students at the high beginning, intermediate or advanced levels in …

Queering Social Justice Curricula Within Higher Education, Kate P. Cabot

Master's Projects and Capstones

Within higher education, social justice education has gained significant ground. While issues of gender, race, and class are increasingly addressed and incorporated into classes there remains a lack in inclusive curricula and pedagogies within colleges and universities when it comes to issues of gender and sexual identity. The social construction of gender and sexualities remains overlooked on the majority of college and university campuses, as well as the discrimination faced by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA) students unaddressed within curricula. The representation of the LGBTQIA community can be attended to within classrooms, campuses, and curriculums in …

Teaching Respect, Inclusion, And Acceptance In Ethnically And Culturally Diverse Early Childhood Classrooms, Romina S. Sapinoso

Master's Projects and Capstones

Given the increasingly diverse demographics of American public schools, it is necessary for teachers who are interested in exposing their students to concepts of inclusion, respect, and acceptance to have access to a resource guide and model for implementing a curriculum that is culturally and ethnically inclusive. This project sought to develop a resource guide for teachers of early childhood in schools to teach about inclusion, respect, and acceptance in a diverse classroom setting. This resource will be useful for teachers in grades Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, first and second in creating a safe space to celebrate students’ differences and increase …

Teaching Health Literacy In Conjunction With Esl, Dora Lee

Master's Projects and Capstones

In the United States, many English as a Second Language (ESL) speakers who have limited English proficiency also have low levels of health literacy. The purpose of this project is to create a curriculum that ESL teachers can implement to improve the English language proficiency and the health literacy skills of adult ESL speakers with limited English proficiency residing in the United States. The curriculum is designed for teachers who work with ESL speakers who may be having trouble obtaining, processing, communicating, or managing health information due to language barriers.

Empowering Female English Language Learners To Pursue Computer Science Fields: A Practical 4-Hour Workshop For Beginning Teachers In High School, Osaro Althouse

Master's Projects and Capstones

Female English language learners (FELLs) are not taken under consideration when trying to attract new student populations to computer science fields. Frequently, females are studied cohesively without regard to their individual distinctions and challenges. This unique population has to overcome traditional gender perceptions and linguistic confronts when considering the field of computer science. This paper provides a practical four-hour workshop for novice teachers in high school that are eager to empower female English language learners (FELLs) that demonstrate potential or are interested in entering computer science fields. An overview of research within the last ten years is exhibited, which includes …