Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Restructuring A Developmental Esl Course At An Urban Community College: Asking The Right Questions, Deniz Gokcora, Raymond Oenbring

Michigan Reading Journal

This article provides an example of the integration of topics of race and racial awareness and anti-racist pedagogy into an ESL developmental writing course in a community college setting. The study describes how the lead author has redesigned an ESL developmental writing course at the Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) to include an explicit focus on critical racial pedagogy and social justice topics to foster students’ critical thinking and encourage students to be socially responsible individuals in a challenging global world. The manuscript offers insights into how an advanced ESL remedial writing course can be a suitable setting to …

Toward A Theory Of An Integrated Theoretical Approach Of Literacy For Black Boys, Aaron M. Johnson

Michigan Reading Journal

In the education landscape the literacy of Black boys is viewed from deficit framing. Often, educators, politicians, and laypeople point to scores on standardized assessments such as the MSTEP, NAEP, ACT, SAT, and NWEA, these tests only tell a part of the story. The part of the story that those assessments do tell is the abject failure of schools’ ability to engage Black boys in school-based literacy and catapult them into proficient and advanced proficient reading levels. The part of the story that those assessments do not tell is the literate lives that Black boys lead. Furthermore, schools do a …

Celebrating Multilingual Learners With Bilingual Children's Literature, Andrea Starr Karpf, Kathleen Hinman

Michigan Reading Journal

Research on bilingual books suggests that all children in a classroom benefit from the windows and mirrors that bilingual books provide. This article presents relevant research on the placement and use of bilingual books in classroom libraries, and offers an annotated bibliography of many high quality examples.

A Research-Based Approach For Teaching Written Apologies To English For Academic Purposes Learners, Lisa Leopold

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

This article describes a research-based approach for teaching written personal, corporate, and public apologies to advanced English language learners. Following an explicit-inductive approach, the proposed lessons incorporate authentic input, metapragmatic explanation, noticing activities, corpus-based exercises, and empirically based research findings, all of which have been shown to enhance learners’ sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic competence. Learners apply research findings to analyze authentic apologies, revise them for greater sincerity, and use a corpus to expand the range of expressions for apologizing. The pedagogical activities expand the scope of written pragmatics instruction which has been relatively under-represented in the field of pragmatics.

Connecting Dots: Using Learner Self-Narratives To Address The Disconnect Between The Texts And English Learners' Prior Experience, Rui Niu-Cooper

Michigan Reading Journal

With the rapid increase of ELs in Michigan and around the United States, scholars have been exploring ways to narrow or close the achievement gap. This pursuit is significant, but hard to achieve due to various challenges that ELs experiencing in their schooling. This situation worsened in relation to ELs from refugee backgrounds due to the traumatic experience that occurred before they were resettled in the U.S. More critically, EL teachers and paraprofessionals are often marginalized from other teachers. The purpose of this article is to introduce and advocates for a Learner Self-Narrative-based (LSN-based) approach to better support EL students. …

Why Not Sign? Classrooms As Sites Of D/Deaf And Multilingual Literacy Development, Dawnavyn James, Brianne R. Pitts

Michigan Reading Journal

While often, “bilingual” literacy instruction has overlooked the potential of incorporating ASL in classrooms (U.S.DPE, 2021), this article engages discussions of practice from a Missouri Kindergarten classroom to argue that teachers can improve student literacy outcomes by leveraging d/Deaf and hard of hearing multilingual learning (DML) strategies as a way of (re)imagining students’ multimodal literacy development. By engaging with a variety of strategies learned from DML students, readers may conceptualize DML inclusive classroom practices. Following a review of the literature and discussion, games, instructional strategies, and text recommendations for educators seeking DML inclusive literacy environments are provided.

Advocating For English Language Learners: The Role Of The Literacy Educator, Briana Asmus, Austyn Sabin

Michigan Reading Journal

The authors explore how place-based advocacy effects and pedagogies have provided a way to address the needs of students. Insights on the ways authors have confronted challenges in their elementary and secondary settings reveal strategies that can be carefully integrated by literacy educators into other “places” of learning.

TRANSLATE with x English Arabic Hebrew Polish Bulgarian Hindi Portuguese Catalan Hmong Daw Romanian Chinese Simplified Hungarian Russian Chinese Traditional Indonesian Slovak Czech Italian Slovenian Danish Japanese Spanish Dutch Klingon Swedish English Korean Thai Estonian Latvian Turkish Finnish Lithuanian Ukrainian French Malay Urdu German Maltese Vietnamese Greek Norwegian Welsh Haitian Creole Persian …

To Be Young, Black, And In The Academy: A Collection Of Lessons, Yetunde Alabede, Jessica Reed, Blake Thompson

Michigan Reading Journal

Literacy, a foundational tool that unlocks opportunities, can be viewed in both narrow and confining lenses. We, doctoral students at Michigan State University, center our own experiences in order to redefine such narratives of what literacy means, can mean, and should mean for students of color throughout the African Diaspora. We explore methods to disrupt, experiences to resist, and questions to challenge the ways that students and educators engage with various concepts of literacy. Though we come from various backgrounds, this manuscript seeks to push forward a dialogue that allows for the multiple literacies that Black children have, language and …

Building Bridges: Culturally Relevant Teaching With Literature Circles And Multicultural Literature, Amber Lawson

Michigan Reading Journal

In this article, the author suggests that teachers can create culturally relevant learning experiences by creating a diverse classroom library, using culturally diverse literature for their read-alouds, and adding literature circles as a routine for literacy instruction. Literature circles around diverse books offer students opportunities to discuss texts and expand their meaning-making and comprehension skills. The article provides readers with a guide, resources, and education research in doing so effectively to support culturally diverse learners’ literacy development through meaningful and authentic approaches.

English-For-Teaching In Higher Education: Discourse Functions And Language Exemplars, Eun-Young Julia Kim

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Increasingly more colleges and universities in non-English speaking countries are requiring instructors to teach in English. Although existing research addresses various issues related to using English as a medium of instruction in higher education, few studies have specifically addressed how to provide language scaffolding to college instructors who are asked to teach their subjects in English for the first time. The study builds on Freeman et al.’s (2015) discourse functions for English-for-teaching and presents a refined functional framework to suit college-level classes. It provides authentic language samples to help instructors prepare to teach in English based on the analysis of …

Graphic Novels For Multimodal Learning: Equity For English Learners, Katherine Suender, Susan Piazza

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article provides a synthesis of current research and theory that makes a case for using graphic novels to improve adolescent literacy achievement through multimodal, equitable learning opportunities for English learners (ELs) while meeting the required English Learner Proficiency Standards (ELPS). Supported by multimodal theory and culturally responsive teaching (CRT) approaches, research shows that graphic novels are inspirational teaching tools for adolescent ELs to engage more deeply with reading and writing. Specific recommendations for classroom use of graphic novels include a focus on a) motivation and engagement, b) discussions, c) visual information, and d) multimodal composition. Educators can make use …

Using Interactive Notebooks To Help Ell Students Find Confidence In Writing, Jessica L. Horne, Rebecca Harper

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Writing can be a challenge for students whose first language is not English. The number of English Language Learners in the United States is increasing exponentially year after year. Educators can easily find themselves overwhelmed and unsure how to help these students with their understanding and ease of use with English. ELLs may find it difficult to write in their non-native language. Due to this issue, these students can lack a sense of confidence in writing if they are not given the adequate support needed to achieve this task. The use of interactive notebooks is a simple, strategic tool to …

A Tesol Service Learning Program In Rural Michigan: An Innovative Approach To Preparing Pre-Service Teachers, April M. Burke, Sarah Case, Caitlin Hamstra

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Central Michigan University offers a TESOL service learning course that provides pre-service teachers the opportunity to apply their understanding of course content while addressing the needs of school-aged and adult emergent multilinguals. An innovative aspect of the course is that it provides clinical experiences, prior to student teaching, at the university’s English Language Institute and at multiple sites within a rural K-12 school district. To contribute to an understanding of how to prepare pre-service teachers while supporting emergent multilinguals in rural communities, the authors describe the development and research basis of the course, discuss the benefits of the course and …

Enhancing Cultural And Linguistic Responsiveness In Argument Writing Pedagogy Through Effective Adaptations For English Learners: Insights From C3wp Resource Analysis And Three Experienced Teachers’ Practices, Katelyn Walsh, Katey Robinson, Rachel Deacon, Zuzana Tomaš

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article examines recommended adaptations for English Learners (ELs) in the nationally-recognized C3WP argument writing program through the lens of effective EL literacy practices and culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy. We present an analysis of C3WP EL tips and EL notices and argue that when evaluated from the second language literacy and linguistically and culturally responsive pedagogy perspectives, the C3WP program could be enhanced by adding guidance for 1) specific instructional supports designed to increase ELs’ access to the resources and 2) helping teachers leverage these learners’ multicultural and multilinguistic capital. To help imagine how such effective additional guidance could …

Workplace English As Professional Development: The Uw-Madison Model, Karen Parrillo

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

University human resources departments dedicate themselves to providing relevant professional development to their institutions’ employees. However, few of these departments consider the language learning needs of employees who are nonnative English speakers. This paper introduces the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)’s unique approach to meeting the English language learning needs of employees through its Cultural Linguistic Services (CLS) department within the Office of Human Resources (OHR). The CLS Workplace English Program features the development of contextualized learning materials, active participation of employees’ supervisors, dynamic scheduling, and on-the-job practice with authentic communicative tasks. The collaboration between CLS/OHR and other UW-Madison departments has …

How Much Is Enough To Learn? Exploring The Effects Of An Abbreviated Implementation Of The National Writing Project’S College, Career And Community Writers Program (C3wp) On English Learners’ Argumentative Writing Growth, Samantha J. Manzo, Kelsey Decamillis, Sarah Lorenz

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Without doubt, explicit instruction is essential as English learners develop important academic skills such as argument writing. Less clear is the extent to which students need to receive such explicit instruction and engage in practice in order to benefit from it. The National Writing Project’s College, Career, and Community Writing Program (C3WP) provides teachers with resources and assessments for the explicit instruction of argument writing. Prior research on C3WP has indicated that in order to see student growth, teachers must implement at least four short cycles in an academic year. The four cycles can seem ambitious and difficult for teachers …

Intersections At A Multiethnic High School: C3wp Meets Culturally Relevant And Sustaining Pedagogy, Amy Carpenter Ford, Maria G. Kioussis

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

In this article we describe how an English teacher at a multiethnic, suburban high school adapted the National Writing Project’s innovative argument writing program, the College, Career, and Community Writing Program, to be culturally relevant and sustaining for students in her 10^th grade English Language Arts classroom. Building on the C3WP’s roots in critical pedagogy and emphasis on engaging multiple perspectives, we explore the program’s potential in multiethnic classrooms as part of a culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy. Specifically, we recount how the teacher employed tools from three mini-units (“Coming to Terms with Evidence,” ”Coming to Terms with Opposing …

Scholastic Liberation: Schools' Impact On African American Academic Achievement, Aaron M. Johnson

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article addresses some of the factors that contribute to low achievement observed in African American students. It is common that either schools or school districts are unable to fix the problem or they are unaware about how the beliefs and attitudes about African American students can contribute to their low performance in school. Furthermore, this article encourages school institutions to examine themselves and change school environments to align to the identities of African American students. African American students must be liberated from negative assumptions about them and to do that, individuals and the institution of school as a whole, …

Real Boys Don't Do Language And Literacy--Or Do They?, Christen M. Pearson

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Over the past several decades, there has been a decline in boys’ achievement, along with documentation of increasing struggles in language (both first and second) and literacy acquisition (Carr & Pauwels, 2006). To address this problem, gender differences have been looked at through the lens of socially and culturally constructed identity (Kindlon & Thompson, 2000; Pollack, 1998); however, emerging neurolinguistic research supports biological determinism, with evidence of strong biological (sex) differences in brain structure and function that impact language and learning (Bonomo, 2010; Gurian, 1996; Sax, 2005). This paper first provides an overview of current brain-based research on sex differences, …

The Quest For Respect: Esl Faculty And Programs In U.S. Higher Education, Ildiko Porter-Szucs

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Relying on data from two nationwide surveys, this study examines the status of ESL programs in primarily U.S. higher educational settings as perceived by professionals in such programs. The focus is on the perceived lack of recognition and on measures taken against it. Survey respondents make suggestions for increasing the field’s visibility and respect on campus through interdepartmental outreach, policy and curricular initiatives, marketing, publishing/presenting, and academic as well as non-academic initiatives involving students.

Empowering Teachers With The Tools Of Linguistics: A Review Of Razfar And Rumenapp's Applying Linguistics In The Classroom: A Sociocultural Approach, Lindsay Vecchio

MITESOL Journal: An Online Publication of MITESOL

Book Review

Applying Linguistics in the Classroom: A Sociocultural Approach, A. Razfar & J.C. Rumenapp. Routledge: New York (2014).

If Not Us Then Who? Exploring The Role Of Hbcus In Increasing Black Student Engagement In Study Abroad, Megan Covington

College Student Affairs Leadership

Black students are alarmingly underrepresented in participation in study abroad experiences. The reasons for this vary, but are most often consists of barriers, such as financial constraints, lack of support from family, and fear of racial discrimination. Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are regarded as sanctuaries for Black students with emphasis on their commitment to providing low-income Black students with positive and nurturing educational experiences. As such, HBCUs are believed to be positioned to assist in overcoming the barriers to participation in study abroad for Black students. However, because they receive significantly less resources, they are limited in their …

A Wood Comes Toward Dunsinane: The Synthesis Of Traditional And Constructivist Methodologies, Randall L. Kaplan

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

Education professionals now favor Constructivist and project-based strategies for learning over Traditional methods, which include such frowned upon practices as rote memorization and recitation. The Constructivist approach is being taken to its natural apex by educators like Larry Rosenstock who have created Constructivist utopias such as High Tech High in San Diego, the school put under the microscope in the 2015 documentary film Most Likely to Succeed. Project-based, experiential units of study are effective, exciting, and edifying for both students and teachers. They promise to prepare students for the type of world they will inhabit, a world whose economy …

Why “Correcting” African American Language Speakers Is Counterproductive, Alice Lee

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

In this article, I address the topic of AAL usage in the classroom, particularly the line of thinking that assumes “correcting” the language is what will “set students up for success” in the future. By providing some abbreviated information on how children acquire language, I explain how AAL “correction” is actually counterproductive for student “success”—in both language acquisition and learning. Additionally, I will offer practical suggestions for how AAL can be incorporated in curriculum and instruction.

Black Voices Matter, Shenika Hankerson

Language Arts Journal of Michigan

This article examines the role of voice in the writing of African American students from the African American Language (AAL)-speaking culture. Drawing on data from a qualitative study, this article presents empirical evidence that is likely to inform existing and new initiatives to support the voice and writing practices of AAL-speaking students, and by extension, all culturally and linguistically diverse students. This rarely considered insight, I argue, is important as in recent decades there have been a growing number of calls for instructional material that meets the language and literacy development needs of second language speakers and writers. By generating …