Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

English Language Learners And Special Education, Adam Sempek

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

Language acquisition is not a cut and dried process, nor is the evaluation of English Language Learners. There are many factors that go into, and must be understood and considered by educators when it comes to working with English Language Learners and deciding if evaluation is appropriate, and if so, which evaluations and evaluation methods are appropriate to gather the most valid, representative data on the student. Being open-minded, understanding, and empathetic towards not just the process of language acquisition, but the individual student’s journey is a laudable beginning.

Ell Students: Literacy Development And Language Development, Heidi T. Penke

Journal of Curriculum, Teaching, Learning and Leadership in Education

The article is about the history of ELL students and the challenges they are faced in an educational setting. Also literacy development is discussed as educators need to be aware of the importance of literacy development. The article also discusses language development and language acquisition for an ELL student.

Expanding Capacity To Serve Multilingual Learners: A University-School District Partnership, Beth Clark-Gareca, Kim Fontana

Excelsior: Leadership in Teaching and Learning

In a time of new teacher certification requirements in New York, school districts are grappling with how to meet the regulatory expectations imposed by Commissioner’s Regulations Part 154. One way that schools are solving staffing challenges is by forging new collaborations with university partners to expand their collective capacities to serve Multilingual learners (MLLs). In this article, we document a partnership between SUNY New Paltz’s Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) program and the Pawling Central School District during the 2017-18 academic year. We describe the partners’ distinct roles in the university-district collaboration, and discuss the logistical considerations …

Focusing On The "Learning" For The English Language Learner, Taneka L. Tate

Theses and Dissertations from 2018

Educators are faced with the challenge of teaching an ever-changing student population. The classrooms are filled with students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and cultures. English Language Learners account for 12% of our student population (Garcia, Jensen, & Scribner, 2009). Providing English Language Learners with effective instruction that integrates both content area knowledge and English language acquisition is necessary. English Language Learners are relying on educators to teach them what they need to know in order to be successful in all academic areas in schools. The purpose of this study was to examine the systemic approach of SIOP as …

Empowering Hispanic English Language Learners For Academic Success, Tanya Navarro

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

The following senior capstone research project examines the issue of empowerment of Hispanic English Language Learners (ELLs). Through the construction of this literature review and through interviews with various specialists at a middle school level, the following were identified as issues that have impacted the ELL students: academic disparities, dropout rate, modified curriculum, cultural relevance and lack of motivation and aspiration. The result findings indicate that there is a need to implement culturally relevant curriculum and instructions along with language support that could facilitate and empower the ELL students for academic success.

Lost In Translation, Kara M. Kavanagh

Dilemmas in Education: A Casebook for Ethical Reasoning

The majority of teachers in America would expect to and be prepared to teach the svastika symbol in relations to Nazi Germany, Hitler, the Holocaust, and as a symbol of White supremacy groups and hatred towards anyone who is not Blonde Haired and Blue Eyed. What would happen then, if a student doodled the svastika for fun or as an art project not related to the history or social studies curriculum?

The Howl - Spring 2018, Gwendolyn Derosa, Hide Iwata, Ayat Al Jbour, Rongrong Yan, Vivian Chen, Miki Kimura, Kristyna Karbanova, Yujin Kim, Yunan Huang

The Howl

The Howl is a magazine that is planned, researched, written, photographed and designed by Otterbein University’s ESL and international students. The magazine serves to give them a safe space in which to use their voice to share their cultures, experiences and lives. If you are interested in submitting to the Howl, please e-mail your writing or photography to [email protected]. Enjoy Otterbein ESL’s contribution to the Otterbein community’s literary scene.

The Use Of Response To Intervention With English Learners, Anna Burnley

ECTESOL Review

RTIs assist teachers in adjusting instruction to support ELs in acquiring English and content-area knowledge and learning behaviors. The use of RTIs with ELs can supplement support for ELs as an integrated concept of the sheltered instruction (SI) commonly provided for this student population.

Not “One China,” Not “One Culture”: Multicultural Exploration Of Differences And Similarities Between Mainland China And Taiwan, Philip J. Ward, Michelle Loo

ECTESOL Review

This study focuses on the outwardly similar cultures of Taiwan and mainland China and the subtle differences within them. The study was conducted as part of the requirements of doctoral program in Instructional Design and Development at a public university in the southeastern United States. Using a qualitative case study approach, the study demonstrates that there are cultural similarities between mainland China and Taiwan, however instructors should also be aware of the differences when developing relationships with students and developing course content. A mini-workshop was developed for the study to help teach instructors about the two cultures. However, the mini-workshop …

Improvisational Teaching For Emergent Bilinguals, Denchai Prabjandee

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

The present collaborative ethnographic case study was design to explore teaching practices for English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States, hereafter called "emergent bilinguals" (García, 2009). Through the theoretical lens of ethnographic vulnerability (Behar, 1996), I conducted 40-hour observations, four interviews, and artifact collections. By using an impressionist tale writing style throughout this article (Maanen, 2011), this paper presents the journey of an elementary school teacher who tries to employ classroom practices, teaching strategies, and assessments to educate emergent bilinguals. Drawing on ethnographic data, I propose an effective teaching approach called improvisational teaching. This teaching approach may be beneficial …

Teaching The American Dream: The Unintended Consequences For Latinx Students Conducting Participatory Action Research, Jennifer Lucko

Education | Faculty Conference Presentations

In this paper, I draw on my ethnographic fieldwork with Latinx English language learners in Northern California to consider how schools inadvertently contribute to internalized racism by teaching the ideal of an American meritocracy while obscuring issues of social justice affecting students and their families. In what follows I will briefly cover four main points. First, I explain the conceptual framework guiding my analysis of the relationship between school policies and practices and internalized racism. Second, I outline my fieldwork site and the research methods used during my study. Third, I describe how educational policies and practices at the Latinx …

Levinas, Leviticus, & Language: A Case Study Exploring Acsi Maritime Teacher Challenges Of Practice Due To Increasing Esl Enrollment, Susanne Huizing

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this case study was to explain the perceived challenges of practice due to increasing enrollment of English Language Learners (ELLs) for ACSI teachers in the Canadian Maritimes. The theory guiding this study was ethics as first philosophy by Levinas (1981). Levinas’ theory aided in examining the ethical, relational, and linguistic challenges teachers experienced teaching ELLs. The central research question guiding this study was: what are the perceived challenges of practice K-12 ACSI Maritime school teachers face due to increasing ELL enrollment? Data was collected through pre-interview journals, semi-structured face-to-face interviews, and observations. Data analysis included transcriptions, documents, …

The Language Of Learning In Family And Consumer Sciences: English Language Learners In Career Technical Education, Kali S. Lenhoff

Empowering Research for Educators

Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) content and English as a Second Language (ESL) strategies can be organically incorporated to create a successful education for an English Language Learner (ELL). The first objective of this research project is to discover how prepared Family and Consumer Sciences teachers feel to work with English Language Learners in the classroom. The second objective is to identify practical and effective methods and strategies that are useful for Family and Consumer Sciences teachers instructing English Language Learners. The rationale for this project is that by identifying the challenges faced by English Language Learners in education, teachers …

Improving The Reading Level Of Middle School English Learners In English Language Development Classes., Anastasiia V. Mixcoatl-Martinez

Master's Projects and Capstones

Presently, there are about 2,664,921 English Language Learners (ELLs) and Fluent English Proficient (FEP) speakers in California public schools who speak a language other than English at home (CalEdFacts, 2016). Some of these students have immigrated to the United States from other countries, while others were born and have been raised in the United States. According to the California Department of Education, the vast majority of ELLs (83.5%) in California come from low-income families and speak a language other than English at home. 73% of ELLs attend English Language Development (ELD) classes kindergarten through grade six, and 27% are in …

Dreams Beyond Labels: Case Studies Of Four English Language Learners Who Are Beating The Odds, Julie Israelson

Journal of Educational Research and Innovation

Too often, English Language Learners are failing out or dropping out of school. However, there are ELLs that are enrolled in honors classes and on a college-bound path. This paper looks at four English Language Learners in Colorado who were beating the odds and experiencing high levels of academic achievement in school. Through in-depth case studies, these students identified the factors that were most influential in their educational routes. Parents, teachers, peers, and individual determination were described as significant factors.

English Language Learners In The Mathematics Classroom, Julia Mccormick

Senior Honors Projects

Mathematics is often considered a universal language. Most of us have heard this statement from a math teacher at some point throughout our academic careers. However, for students moving to the United States from another country with minimal fluency in English, this is clearly not the case. They may walk into math class, a subject area in which they may have excelled in their native country, and see the words “polynomial”, “coefficient”, and “differentiate” on the board. Regardless of their experiences in their native language, there are disconnects and cultural differences between languages and skills emphasized that prevents mathematics from …

Ignatian Pedagogy Certificate Final Project, Mitchell A. Hendrickson

Ignatian Pedagogy Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Unprepared: Are Educator Preparation Programs Effectively Training Pre-Service Teachers To Teach English Learners?, Lorie Johnson

ECTESOL Review

All students deserve high-quality, strategic instruction, yet pre-service teachers are not always taught best practices for instructing English Learners (ELs), students for whom English is not their native language. Almost 10 percent of the students in American public schools are classified as ELs, yet research indicates most educator preparation programs across the country have not yet integrated best practices for teaching ELs into their pre-service programs in meaningful ways. It is important for educator preparation programs to provide pre-service teachers with opportunities to understand the unique needs of ELs and to learn effective teaching strategies to meet those needs. This …

Drama In Dialogic Read Alouds: Promoting Access And Opportunity For Emergent Bilinguals, James V. Hoffman, Doris Villarreal, Sam Dejulio, Laura Taylor, Jaran Shin

Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice

In this report, we explore the potential for drama pedagogy in the classroom to support the engagement and growth of emergent bilingual students in language and literacy. We are focused on the use of drama to promote dialogic interactions during teacher read alouds. This study was conducted as a collaborative, action research investigation involving classroom teachers and university-based researchers. Our goals focused on three areas. First, we were interested in the impact of the drama intervention on comprehension. Second, we were interested in the responses of students to drama in read alouds with attention to differences in responses related to …

Influence Of Technology On English Language Learners' Vocabulary, Reading, And Comprehension, Catherine Elizabeth Crum

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Researchers have shown that vocabulary development is a challenge for English Language Learners (ELLs) as they are less prepared to use contextual and linguistic clues to decode unfamiliar vocabulary. Beginning in the upper elementary grades, reading in content areas becomes lengthier and more complex. Technology-supported vocabulary instruction to teach social studies to ELLs is a relatively new concept in the 5th grade classroom. The purpose of this comparative study was to assess the vocabulary and reading comprehension outcomes of ELLs in the content area of 5th grade social studies when taught using technology-supported versus traditional textbook instruction. Mayer's cognitive theory …

Deliberative Democracy: A Contested Interactive Space. A Response To "Deliberative Democracy In English Language Education: Cultural And Linguistic Inclusion In The School Community", Esperanza De La Vega

Democracy & Education

This is a response to Liggett’s (2014) call to implement “deliberate democracy” in English language education classrooms. While the concept of participating in deliberate democracy is a solid ideal and worthy of pursuit, I present questions and scenarios that illustrate the complicated nature of the tasks. By sharing my testimonio along with the research, I propose that in order for teachers to guide their students' participation in deliberate democratic activities, they must step back and understand the context of the sociocultural interactive space created in the classroom and whether ELL students are able to and/or prepared to speak in an …

Perceptions Of Educator Preparation In The Field Of English Language Learners, Vivian R. Fry

Selected Honors Theses

This study investigated how well pre-service teachers felt prepared to teach English Language Learners in the areas of second language (L2) acquisition and culture. 62 preservice teachers responded to a survey sent out to education majors at Southeastern University. Majority of the participants in the study indicated that they had less than adequate knowledge in the area of L2 acquisition and were less than adequately prepared to educate ELLs in the area of L2 acquisition. The participants indicated that they wanted professional development opportunities that focused on pedagogy for the specific stages of L2 acquisition. Regarding culture, a little more …

Betla Teacher Leaders: An Unselfish Sense Of Purpose, Lillian Hernandez, Christian Solorza

Occasional Paper Series

Recognizing that much of the leadership in resolving the issues of quality and equity for English Language Learners (ELLs) will fall to teachers themselves, Bank Street's Bilingual/ESL Teacher Leadership Academy (BETLA) has taken on the mission of preparing teachers of ELLs for the intense and unique leadership challenges they will face. Our study of the narrative accounts of nine BETLA teacher leaders was designed to give voice to teachers who have often been silenced and to speak to the positive relevance of teacher leaders in today's schools.

Into The Field: Learning About English Language Learners In Newcomer Programs, Cecila Silva Dr., Stephen B. Kucer Dr.

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This research examines the impact of field experiences with English language learners on the conceptual and emotional development of preservice disciplinary students. For one semester, preservice university students worked with English language learners enrolled in middle and high school Newcomer Programs. During this time the university students wrote reflection papers and grand learnings/lingering questions essays linking the field experiences with course readings and in-class activities. A qualitative analysis of these reflections found four critical content-based learnings related to English Language Learners emerged from these field experiences: (1) the distinction between content, language, and activity challenges, (2) conversational versus academic language, …

The Effect Of A Self-Regulated Vocabulary Intervention On Word Knowledge, Reading Comprehension, And Self-Regulated Learning For Elementary English Language Learners, Qizhen Deng

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Theses and Other Student Research

English language learners (ELLs) represent an increasing population in U.S. public schools. Research reports from the past two decades suggest a persistent reading underachievement for ELLs. Academic vocabulary knowledge, due to its frequent use in academic texts, contributes significantly to ELL children’s English language development, reading comprehension, and general academic achievement. However, a gap of vocabulary knowledge exists between ELLs and their mainstream peers. One potential approach to address this issue is to help ELLs become mastery independent and proactive word learners. This study examined the effect of a researcher-led self-regulated vocabulary intervention on word knowledge, reading comprehension, and self-regulated …

English-Spanish Cognates In The Charlotte Zolotow Award Picture Books: Vocabulary, Morphology, And Orthography Lessons For Latino Ells, José A. Montelongo, Anita C. Hernández, Roberta J. Herter

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts

English-Spanish cognates are words that are orthographically and semantically identical or nearly identical in English and Spanish as a result of a common etymology. Because of the similarities in the two languages, Spanish-dominant Latino English Language Learners (ELLs) can be taught to recognize English cognates thereby increasing their bilingualism and bi-literacy for these two languages.

There are over 20,000 English-Spanish cognates, many of the academic vocabulary words. Despite their vast educational potential, however, cognates are typically excluded as a word category in the language arts curriculum, thus denying Latino ELLs of a resource for acquiring English-Spanish bilingualism and bi-literacy.

English-Spanish …

The Phenomenon Of Teacher Leadership And Cross-Cultural Confusions: What Teachers' Narratives Reveal About School Leadership And Intergroup Communication, Jennifer M. Green

Theses and Dissertations--Educational Leadership Studies

English Language Learners (ELLs) comprise the largest growing subgroup of students in the United States, yet for decades this special population has persistently underachieved as compared to White non-Hispanic students in the public school system. Throughout the nation, ELLs receive an array of services from English as a second language pull-out to sheltered content instruction to dual language education. Much debate has centered on instructional programs for ELLs and the language of instructional delivery. The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of teacher leadership during the adoption and implementation of a one-way dual language education program at …

Stakeholders' Perceptions Of English Language Learners Meeting Adequate Yearly Progress In Reading, Susan Calibo Loney

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

English language learners (ELLs) in a Midwestern urban elementary school have not been meeting the local school's adequate yearly progress (AYP) in reading in 3 consecutive years on statewide test scores. Meeting school standards is important because failing to meet AYP for 6 consecutive years can result in the restructuring or closing of any public school in the nation. The rationale for this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of stakeholders, 7 parents, teachers, and school administrators, all of whom have demonstrated knowledge of and proximity to the school's AYP decisions, to develop vocabulary strategies that may increase …

Crossing The Street: Civic Engagement And The Politics Of Belonging Among Latino And Jewish Middle School Students In Northern California, Jennifer Lucko

Education | Faculty Conference Presentations

In this paper, I draw on 10 months of fieldwork with English language learners in Northern California to explore the possibilities and limitations of Participatory Action Research (PAR) in schools doubly segregated by race and class. Today much of the progress integrating American public schools that occurred in the decade following Brown vs. Board of Education has been reversed—even as the overall population of public school students has become increasingly diverse (Orfield et. al. 2014). During the 2011-2012 academic year, 55% of Latino students and 45% of Black students in California attended intensely segregated schools (i.e., 91-100% minority students), and …

Qualitative Phenomenological Study Exploring Instructional Practices That Contribute To Academic Success For Public Elementary School English Language Learners, Mechelle Champion

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to explore effective instructional strategies of mainstream classroom teachers working with English Language Learners (ELLs). Many teachers feel unprepared to adequately educate English Language Learners. School systems have attempted to rectify this situation by providing teachers with professional development that provides instructional strategies which may or may not be effective. This study answered the questions: What teaching strategies do teachers and administrators perceive to have the most positive impact on learning for ELLs?; How does the culture of the classroom and school impact ELLs’ academic success?; and What are building level administrators’ …