Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Reading Your Way Into Culture: A Materials Development Project, Marie Nestingen

MA TESOL Collection

The focus of this paper is to help beginning Spanish foreign language students increase and improve their reading skills in the target language while learning about some of the Hispanic culture and customs in Guatemala. In this paper I will combine the two, explaining and giving examples of how students, novice language learners, can learn more about the target language culture while improving their reading skills in the target language.

Teaching And Learning Multicultural Competencies: Finding The Key Within, Margaret A. Molitor, Niloufer M. Merchant, Alaine M. Aysta, Elizabeth M. Turk, Michelle Engblom-Deglmann

Faculty Publications - Graduate School of Counseling

No abstract provided.

A Teaching Resource For English Education In Japanese Elementary Schools, Jody Shimoda

MA TESOL Collection

Instruction in English in elementary schools in Japan was mandated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2002 and is being rapidly implemented in schools across the nation. This paper describes the development of a Teaching Resource for use in teaching English in Japanese elementary schools. The Resource is based on almost a decade of teaching experience in Japanese schools by the author, the shared experience of colleagues, and the concepts derived from the published literature on language development and instruction. The content of the Resource is discussed within the framework of Ministry guidelines, is conceptually …

Teaching Negotiation: The Choices, Ljerka Sedlan Konig

MA TESOL Collection

This paper discusses the choices for teaching business skills in an elective negotiation skills course in the graduate program for entrepreneurs at the Department of Economics, University of Osijek. The paper first describes the author's teaching context. Then, it offers the author's views of learning and teaching, and discusses the relationship between students and the material they learn, between students and teacher, between individual students as well as the relationship the student has with himself . Next, the theoretical frameworks of Reflective Model, Experiential Learning and Reflective Teaching are presented. In the third chapter, the paper discusses techniques and materials …

Opening The Classroom Door To Vocabulary Learning, Karl Finseth

MA TESOL Collection

This paper details my effort to focus my attention on the learning of my students and to help each student see his or her own learning. Limiting the focus of my study to vocabulary learning, I describe my attempt to develop activities which would help students learn new words in the classroom and, subsequently, to appreciate this learning for themselves. I explain how, after a rather troubling start, I turned to a combination of literature research, classroom experimentation, reflective writing, and student feedback in order to learn how to facilitate my students’ vocabulary learning. Following a description of my findings, …

Creating The Fluent, Confident Writer: Innovative Techniques For Esl Writing Courses, Prudence Ingerman

MA TESOL Collection

ESL students are usually concerned with writing with no errors and this built-in critical editor stifles the rich writing potential which all students have. Through creating a safe environment and activities which nurture the creative spirit, it is possible to limit this editor to infrequent but necessary appearances and encourage writing large quantities of ungraded material. This paper suggests techniques for building a classroom community, including the use of a scripted writing process, responding to instructor writing and one-to-one conferencing. The essay also demonstrates how fluency can be achieved via a weekly silent class, mind-mapping and copious free-writing. These techniques …

Integrating Technology Into Standards-Based Instruction For Second Grade English Language Learners, Catherine Levander Enbody

Theses Digitization Project

Rapid growth in the use of technology and the need for education reform resulted in the need for educators to integrate technology and standards-based instruction into their daily lessons. The growing number of students whose first language is not English requires a diverse set of teaching strategies and assessments to provide these students with optimal opportunities for achieving high standards.

Using Technologies Of The Self To Stimulate Students' Intelligences In English As A Foreign Language Learning, Shao-Hung Chen

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this curriculum project is to provide an approach to enrich the process of teaching and learning. This project uses psychological tools to stimulate students' multiple intelligences and to encourage students to know how to manage their learning, so that learning English will no longer be boring; instead it will be creative and practical.

Critical Thinking About Crosscultural Differences Between Chinese And Americans In English Education In Taiwan, Chih-Liang Huang

Theses Digitization Project

This project is designed to teach crosscultural differences in English education in Taiwan employing a strategy-based curriculum. By comparing crosscultural differences between Taiwan and American cultures, students will have a strong desire to learn English in order to know more about American culture.

Patterns Of Invented Spelling In Spanish, Mercedes Pérez

Theses Digitization Project

This study proposes to examine the invented spelling patterns that Spanish speaking children create in their writing. Their writing samples were then transcribed and each word was categorized as either conventional or an invented spelling.

A Parent Workshop For Motivating Emergent Literacy In English, Patricia Jean Bohanan

Theses Digitization Project

The goal of this project is to help teachers create a motivation-enhancing literacy environment that increases students' reading ability, improves the understanding of written material, fosters a love of reading, and develops life-long learners.

Teacher Attitudes And The Reading Achievement Of English Language Learners, Sandra Magdalena Ahumada-Penaloza

Theses Digitization Project

English language learners need teachers who are knowledgeable about the children they are teaching and they must be willing to learn more about their students' cultures, backgrounds and languages in order to make their educational experience meaningful.

A Process Of Using Mini-Shared And Guided Reading To Transition Fluent Readers In Spanish To English, Pedro Rosas

Theses Digitization Project

A descriptive study was conducted using a modified approach to Guided Reading and Mini-Shared Reading to improve the reading comprehension levels of bilingual second graders in their second language, English.

Social Distance, Motivation And Other Factors Contributing To Success In Language Acquisition And Achievement Among Adolescent Mexican Immigrants, Alice Yvette Muniz-Cornejo

Theses Digitization Project

Adolescent immigrant English learners who enter U.S. schools at the secondary level are faced with challenges that distinguish their experience in second language acquisition from that of children and adults. Some of the challenges they face include limited time to acquire academic English proficiencey in reading and writing, difficulty in assimilating into English speaking American culture, and limited programs and services at the secondary level.

Instructors' Communicator Style In The College Classroom: Perceptions Of African American And European American Students, Angela Adair

Theses Digitization Project

This project concerns instructors' perceived communicator style in the college classroom with African American and European American students.

Incorporating Intercultural Communication Instruction In Programs For Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages, Selin Yildiz

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Academic Success In High School Spanish One Classes Between Hispanic And Non-Hispanic Surname Students, Joshua David Runyan

Theses Digitization Project

This study attemps to discover whether there is a difference in the academic performance of Spanish surname students in high school Spanish 1 language classrooms over their non-Spanish surname counterparts.

Teamwork And Place-Based Curriculum And Instruction In Teaching English To Speakers Of Other Languages, Mary Kay Bider

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to apply the theories of John Dewey's experiential learning, providing the foundation of place-based curriculum incorporating community investigation, outdoor education, and project-based learning into an EFL curriculum.

Identifying Gifted African-American Students: A Case Study Of A Louisiana School System, Donna Lynn Sutton

Doctoral Dissertations

In 1995, the Office for Civil Rights conducted a compliance review of the Bayou Parish School System (a pseudonym) in Louisiana. The review revealed a statistically significant underrepresentation of African-American students in the Bayou Parish gifted program. This case study examined how African-American representation in a gifted program may be increased through the use of research-based interventions implemented by the Office for Civil Rights.

The researcher used both quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyze data. Documents from the Office for Civil Rights and the Louisiana Department of Education were examined to: (a) show patterns of African-American and nonminority …

Over-Representation Of African-American Students In Special Education: The Role Of A Developmental Framework In Shaping Teachers' Interpretations Of African-American Students' Behavior, Valerie Maholmes, Fay E. Brown

Trotter Review

The authors draw on the findings of gestalt psychology to demonstrate how teachers' views of African American learning styles and behavior can determine whether these will be pathologized or supported by the educational system. The disproportionately large numbers of African American youth incorrectly assigned to special education courses indicate a lack of clarity in disability criteria and indicate also the use of a "deficit model" or perceptual lens through which teachers assign negative meanings to the behavior of African American students. Case examples of language used by teachers in describing randomly selected students illustrate teachers' deficit-based focus on student behavior …

High-Stakes Tests Require High-Stakes Pedagogy, Randy Lattimore

Trotter Review

High-stakes mathematics tests continue to gain popularity in the United States, with an increasing number of states setting the passing of such tests as a high school graduation requirement. Consequently, instruction and instructional content have changed, with teachers emphasizing materials on the test while neglecting other important aspects of learning. The tests have become all-consuming, taking over many students' lives. Yet students are often ill prepared for these tests. This is even more true for African-American students whose cultural and social circumstances make their preparation for high-stakes tests inadequate and ineffective. The author examines six such students - their hopes …

Why Makik Can "Do" Math: Race And Status In Integrated Classrooms, Jacqueline Leonard, Scott Jackson Dantley

Trotter Review

This case study reports on the small group interactions and achievements of Malik, an African American sixth grader, who attended a Maryland elementary school in 1997. Student achievement was measured by the Maryland Functional Mathematics Test (MFMT-I), which was given on a pre/post basis. Students' scores on the MFMT-I were analyzed using the ANOVA. The analysis revealed a significant difference (F = 3-330, p < .05) between the scores of Caucasian (M = 342.12) and African American students (M = 323-56). However, Malik's MFMT-I score rose from 293 to 353. A passing score is 340. This study examines Malik's interactions to ascertain what factors influenced his achievement. The findings are that Malik had a positive attitude about mathematics and a strong command of mathematical and scientific language. Recommendations are that teachers become cultural brokers to help all children learn the "language" of mathematics and encourage all students to become self-advocates to overcome negative social dynamics in small groups.

Improving The Selection Process For Identifying Gifted Ethnic Minority Children, John Dillard, Nettye R. Brazil

Trotter Review

Poor and ethnic minority students are underrepresented in programs for the talented and gifted. As the number of public school students from ethnically diverse and low income backgrounds steadily increases, schools need to revise assessment tools that cannot effectively evaluate the academic potential of these populations. The authors examine the definition of giftedness, outline the limitations of current testing methods, and explore the role played by teachers' perceptions of ethnic minority children. The authors explore as well the range of social pressures on gifted African American students which may lead them to adopt behaviors that camouflage their giftedness. Dillard and …

The Relationships Between Attitude, Motivation, Anxiety, And Proficiency In English As A Second Language Of First-Year University Students In Puerto Rico, Carmen Mercedes Cortés

Dissertations

Purpose of the study. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes, motivation, and anxiety levels of first-year university students toward the learning and use of English as a second language. The study also examined the nature of the relationships between attitudes, motivation and anxiety, and English proficiency asmeasured by the College Entrance Examination Board.

Method. A Spanish version of The Attitudes/Motivation Test Battery (Gardner, 1985a), "Espejo de Actitudes: Aprendizaje del Inglés como Segundo Idioma en Puerto Rico," was administered to first-year college students at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus. These students came from various …

Multicultural Novels And Activities: An English And Language Arts Curriculum For Middle And High School Students In The Yakima Valley, Karen A. Jenner Gemeinhart

All Graduate Projects

Research in the area of education concludes that both white and underserved populations benefit from the use of multicultural education. The curriculum provided in this project is founded on the research findings of educational specialists who outline these benefits. The use of multicultural education as a way to connect students to the curriculum is crucial in providing all students with an equal opportunity to learn. The Yakima Valley in Washington State is home to a number of Hispanic and Native American students who reflect a lack of academic achievement on standardized tests that assess literacy. Theories and strategies for teaching …

A Handbook For First Grade Children's Literature: A Teacher's Guide To Pre-Reading Comprehension Strategies For The Second Language Learner, Tiffany Lynn Wise

All Graduate Projects

Relevant literature pertaining to reading, reading comprehension, comprehension evaluation, characteristics of readers, findings regarding strategy instruction and its use on comprehension, and specific pre-reading strategies was studied. The need for second language learners to receive comprehension strategies in order to develop schemata, activate prior knowledge, and develop meaning for unknown vocabulary was noted. Teaching specific reading strategies to increase the second language learner's comprehension of a text was emphasized. A handbook of pre-reading strategies to be used with first grade learners was created for teacher use. The handbook outlines each pre-reading strategy, its purpose, and the procedure to follow when …

Promoting Literacy Through Literature And Content-Based Radings In The Secondary English-As-A-Second-Language Classroom In Conjunction With The In Contact 1 Curriculum: A Handbook For Educators, Tanya Lynn Adamson

All Graduate Projects

The use of literature and content-based readings in the secondary ESL classroom was researched. The research suggests that providing second language learners with meaningful readings that provide for comprehensible input will build schema and background knowledge that will help them to be successful in their content area classes. A handbook for educators was created to supplement the existing curriculum, as well as to show readers that this type of supplemental reading handbook can be created by anyone to be used with any type of ESL curriculum. This handbook contains both literature and content-based resources that coincide with the themes and …

A Secondary Multicultural Discipline Based Art Education General Art Education, Rex Randall Deloney

All Graduate Projects

With the growing number of multicultural populations in Washington State schools, there is a need to provide all students with an understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures. The goal of the Discipline Based Art Education is to enhance understanding of other cultures through the study of art. This project was developed to foster multicultural awareness among students and to help them better understand themselves, their communities, and the world in which they live. Through a multicultural discipline based art education curriculum, students will be able to see themselves and the personal connections they have with what is being taught in …

Introduction, Philip Hart

Trotter Review

We are pleased to share with our readers this issue of the Trotter Review. The events of September 11, 2001, will forever reshape our world as we know it. In addition to the far-reaching effects of this tragedy, it has revealed our general lack of knowledge about Islam and places in the world where religion and faith shape governmental and civic engagement. In crisis often comes opportunity. This opportunity to learn more about other religions and cultural pluralism is positive. It underscores the continuing importance of education and learning in today's world. So I think it particularly appropriate that …

Latino Students In Lawrence: An Educational Profile, Lorna Rivera

Gastón Institute Publications

With financial support from the National Council of La Raza, the Gastón Institute is developing "Educational Profiles" for the sixteen Massachusetts public school districts with the highest Latino student enrollments: Boston, Springfield, Lawrence, Worcester, Holyoke, Lowell, Lynn, Chelsea, New Bedford, Brockton, Fitchburg, Salem, Chicopee, Framingham, Haverhill, and Somerville. The profiles present basic data provided by the Massachusetts Department of Education including information on student enrollment, MCAS results, dropout rates, and student aspirations. We hope this information will be used by Latino students, parents, educators, and policy-makers to make informed decisions and improve public education for Latino students in Massachusetts.