Educational Methods Commons^™

Creating School Partnerships: Multilingual Family Engagement Through The Arts, Sarah Davila, Maura Mendoza

Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice

Music artist and School-based Family and Community Liaison, Maura Mendoza Quiroz from the Somerville Family Learning Collaborative (SFLC), shares her experiences of how mu-sic, visual arts and language workshops have served as the entry point for immigrant families in the Somerville Public Schools. The examples help teachers “read” their community of parents and create spaces responding to families’ needs instead of providing arts programs that are un-familiar to them. As parents participate in these activities, their “physical time” inside the school increased, home-school communications improved, and over all the welcoming efforts translated into better school attendance. Sarah Davila, director of …

Introduction To Art As Voice: Creating Access For Emergent Bilingual Learners, Amanda Claudia Wager, Vivian Maria Poey, Berta Rosa Berriz

Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice

In this introductory chapter, we begin by introducing ourselves, so that you immediately know our positionalities—who we are and the lens we see the world through—and in the hope to provide you with knowledge of why this special issue is so close to our hearts. We then share current demographic information regarding emergent bilingual learners to further explain the importance of this work today. In the current political context, the topic of displaced populations, immigration policies (such as The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals [DACA]), refugees, as well as those who are undocumented is very alive in classrooms and relevant …

Reach For The Stars: Restructuring Schooling For Emergent Bilinguals With A Whole-Child, Arts-Infused Curricular Approach, Amy Gooden

Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice

This qualitative case study describes a two-year, multi-pronged university-urban school district partnership in Massachusetts sponsored by former Governor Deval Patrick’s Gateways Cities agenda to support an innovative middle school summer enrichment academy for emergent bilingual (EB) learners. The partnership between Boston University and Malden Public Schools aimed at improving EB student success through a whole-child, inclusive, community-arts- infused, content-based curriculum with field trips, guest speakers, conversation classes with bilingual university graduate students, and performing arts, fitness and wellness workshops; a comprehensive teacher training/coaching model; and parent education and community engagement experiences. This chapter examines the impact of the whole-child, community-arts- …

Between Two Worlds: Utilizing The Arts To Increase Engagement And Effectiveness In The Spanish For Heritage Learners Classroom, Kathryn E. Mostow

Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice

This article will address the need to increase positive attitudes toward Spanish in Spanish Language Heritage (SLH) classrooms and provide strategies to integrate the arts to support this goal. The primary goals of the contemporary SHL classroom are to maintain the language; to increase positive attitudes towards Spanish, including dialects; and to develop cultural awareness (Beaudrie, Ducal, & Potowsi, 2014). In many SHL classrooms the first two goals are accomplished by reading and writing in Spanish but the latter two goals are less prescriptive and in some classrooms, overlooked. However, it is essential to address students’ attitudes toward Spanish- in …

The Girl Factor: How Single-Sex Learning Environments Affect African American Girls' Discipline Referral Rate, Devonne Lampkin

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The mission of the single-sex education is to provide learning environments that will bring out the best in each student and will provide opportunities for success that may not be available in co-educational settings. Several explanations have been suggested for differences between single-sex and coeducational settings in educational processes and in student outcomes. Schools that implement single-sex schools do so with the hope of decreasing the social pressures and distractions that will lead to a decrease in office discipline referrals which unenviably lead to suspensions. The purpose of this ex-post facto casual comparative study examines the impact single-sex schools have …

The Role Of The Short-Term Mission Trip Process In The Development Of Cultural Intelligence In University Students: A Collective Case Study, Ashley Haygood

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this collective case study was to determine how, if at all, Cultural Intelligence (CQ) develops in undergraduate students through a three-stage mission trip process for students at a large Christian university in the southeast participating in three separate short-term mission trips (Africa, Asia, and Europe). This study found that across the entire short-term mission (STM) trip process, religious faith was a consistent theme impacting CQ development. Three spring break short-term mission trip teams were used as three separate cases, from which several participants, or embedded units, provided their individual experiences within the case. Data collection methods occurred …

Perceptions Of Students With And Without Limited Formal Schooling, Sarah Schmidt De Carranza

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The purpose of this study was to examine and compare the perceptions that refugee and non-refugee English language learners hold of their academic performance and their perceived sense of membership in a school community. Students currently served in EL programs in grades 9-12 in a large urban school district were invited to participate in the study. Student perceptions were measured using the Morgan Jinks Student Efficacy Scale (MJSES) and Goodenow Pyschological Sense of School Membership (PSSM) scale.

Unexpectedly, the results indicated that differences of perceptions of student efficacy and school membership between the two groups of students were not statistically …

Any Time, Any Place, Flexible Pace: Technology-Enhanced Language Learning In A Teacher Education Programme, Jocelyn M. Howard, Adèle Scott

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Ongoing developments in e-learning, improved internet accessibility and increased digital citizenry provide exciting opportunities to integrate effective classroom pedagogies with online educational technologies, creating mixed-mode courses to enhance student engagement and facilitate greater autonomous learning. This research examines pre-service teacher education students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of experiential and digitally-mediated tools which take them beyond the constraints of traditional lecture-type delivery. Quantitative and qualitative results from distance and face-to-face cohorts show the value the students ascribe to tools employed in a modified language course. These are discussed in relation to reported changes in students’ proficiency in the target language and …

Synergy: Game Design + Qur'an Memorization, Sultana Jesmine Moulana

Theses and Dissertations

The rise of digital technology has transformed nearly every part of our daily lives, including the way we learn and memorize. Such transformations raise interesting questions for one of the most long-standing and demanding memorization tasks in the world: the memorization of the Islamic holy book, The Qur’an. For Muslims, The Qur’an is a timeless, sacred text, cradling within its covers many profound images, stories, and parables. Despite rigorous research in the fields of game design and memorization techniques, very little work has been done in combining these two areas of research to create a game-based memorization experience of The …

Level Of Democratic Educational Practices Among Health Faculty From Students Perspective In Northern Border University, Saud R. Alrwaili

International Journal for Research in Education

This study examined level of democratic practices among Health Faculty from students’ perspective in Northern Border University. In addition, the study aimed at uncovering the significant statistical differences in level of democratic educational among Health Faculty from students’ perspective in Northern Border University based on the gender variable, the faculty and grade. The study used the descriptive analytical methodology. A questionnaire has been conducted on (226) students (males and females), and its validity and reliability have been assured. The study concluded with the following results:

- Level of democratic practices among Health Faculty from students’ perspective in Northern Border University …

Introduction-Preface, Editor-In-Chief - Ijre

International Journal for Research in Education

No abstract provided.

Using Dif To Monitor Equivalence Of Translated Tests In Large Scale Assessments: A Comparison Of Native Speakers In Their Primary And The Test’S Source Language, Jorge Carvajal Espinoza

TAPESTRY

This study utilized a Differential Item Functioning (DIF) methodology for examining translated tests wherein all the examinees have the same native language -the target language of the translation- in order to provide information about the psychometric equivalence of the original and translated versions of the tests at item level. This study has also found possible explanations for translation DIF in certain types of items.

Language Policy And The Preparedness Of Mainstream Teachers For Serving Els In K-12 Classrooms, Laureen A. Fregeau, Robert D. Leier

TAPESTRY

English language learners (ELs) numbers are increasing steadily in classrooms across the United States. Some southeastern states have seen more than a 200% EL student increase in recent years (Migration Policy Institute, 2010). Since the inception of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and especially since Title I “flexibility” revisions, responsibility for educating ELs has shifted from ESOL and bilingual teachers to primarily mainstream teachers. States that have opted out of NCLB under flexibility revisions are no longer as accountable to the U. S. Department of Education for the education of ELs. States and school districts are no longer required to …

Book Review, Nooshan Ashtari

TAPESTRY

Text: Nutta, J. W., Mokhtari, K., & Strebel, C. (2012). Preparing every teacher to reach English learners. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

An Esol Curricular Model: Infuse Esol Standards In Teacher Education, Deborah L. Wheeler, Jane M. Govoni

TAPESTRY

Florida approved teacher preparation programs provide coursework in English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) based on a mandate that began for graduates in 2004; however, there are few studies on the effects of an ESOL integrated model. The data show that an ESOL-infused program effectively prepares teacher candidates in demonstrating ESOL standards. The data were applied to a Likert scale and the results revealed that the program ranked between the ranges of average and exceeds expectations. The results will foster further research on a larger scale on ways to effectively prepare teacher candidates to work with English learners (ELs).

Accommodations And English Learners: Inconsistencies In Policies And Practice, Florin M. Mihai, N. Eleni Pappamihiel

TAPESTRY

This article outlines the results of a survey of all the large-scale testing accommodations used with English learners across the United States, addressing the increasing challenge of integrating this population into a state’s accountability system in a valid and reliable manner. This examination of accommodation policies used in standardized content area assessments reveals that there is little consistency across states with regard to testing accommodations for ELs in providing accommodations when ELs are tested in academic content areas.

Editors' Note, Tapestry Staff

TAPESTRY

Editors' Note of the Special Issue, 2014

Acknowledgement Note, Tapestry Staff

TAPESTRY

A Thank You Note from the editorial team

Book Review, Joe Terantino, Susanne Kelley

TAPESTRY

Stanley, G. (2013). Language learning with technology: Ideas for integrating technology in the classroom. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cambridge University Press.

Literacy In Our Lives, Past, Present And Future: Exploring Digital Stories By Uae Pre-Service Teachers, Patience A. Sowa

TAPESTRY

The purpose of this research study was to examine how pre-service teachers in a college of education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used multimodal digital storytelling to explore their language and literacy learning experiences in Arabic and English. Twenty-one pre-service teachers participated in this qualitative study. Drawing on the digital stories, reflection papers and open-ended surveys as data, the study explored the pre-service teachers’ bilingual literacy language experiences and how they created their digital stories. Emerging themes included early experiences in language and literacy learning at home and at school, and expanded notions of literacy. The memoirs offered a …

Toward Integrative Call: A Progressive Outlook On The History, Trends, And Issues Of Call, Kasumi Yamazaki

TAPESTRY

With the advancement of technology now allowing complex and intricate simulation gaming and virtual reality (VR), current trends and issues in language learning extend their research on the topic of digital literacy, aiming to find the ways in which the use of technology fosters, or perhaps hinders, overall performance of language learning. While there have been many published articles that claim the successful utilization of technology and digital media into the classroom, there are considerably few that deliver a successful integration of theory into practice. To address this issue, this paper provides a historical review of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL), …

Problems And Possibilities: Emergent Bilinguals And Multimodalities, Kathy Marie Bussert-Webb

TAPESTRY

This commentary and review focuses on my teaching and research experiences with Mexican-heritage youths in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas, alongside Mexico and the Gulf of Mexico. Most of these youths were emergent bilinguals of poverty. I argue that high-stakes testing environments limited their experiences in diverse sign systems, including technology, in and out of school. These youths engaged in entertainment and friendship uses of technology outside of school, even though most had access to up-to-date digital tools at home for more higher-order technology use. They did not appear to have mentors or teachers who taught them to use …

Multiliteracy In Three English As A Second Language (Esl) Middle School Classrooms, Elena Andrei

TAPESTRY

This study investigated the teaching of multiliteracy in three middle school English as a Second Language Arts classrooms. The research question was: How are English learners (ELs) developing multiliteracy - defined as critical literacy, electronic literacy, and socio-cultural literacy, if at all, in middle school ESL Language Arts classrooms? Collected data consisted of classroom observations, transcribed teacher and focus student interviews; copies of teacher and student artifacts such as handouts and student notebooks. The findings of the study suggest that teachers did not teach all aspects of multiliteracy and the students seemed to be developing mostly electronic literacy, but not …

Microblogging: Using Digital Literacies To Engage Middle School English Learners, Carolyn J. Stufft, Susan Casey

TAPESTRY

As a result of the changing technologies associated with the 21st century, the definition of literacy has changed and expanded (Antonacci & O’Callaghan, 2011) to encompass e-books, text messages, blogs, and even videogames and the peripheral literacies associated with gaming. These new literacies have demonstrated promise for engaging students in literate practices (Gee, 2007; Gerber, 2009). One practice in particular, microblogging, provides a way to engage English learners in writing and responding to text. Microblogging is a participant web technology that allows users to interact and share information in succinct online posts (Hricko, 2010). For middle school English learners, microblogging …

Exploring New Paths To Academic Literacy For English Language Learners, Mayra C. Daniel, Dong-Shin Shin

TAPESTRY

This article discusses a revised paradigm for understanding the role of technology in learning in today’s 21st century’s digital world. We propose that the digital literacy that is an integral part of learners’ daily lives requires a concentrated examination. We argue that appropriate selection and incorporation of current technologies in instruction can improve today’s schoolhouse and raise the academic achievement of English language learners. This commentary addresses the ways teachers prepare to use technology effectively in literacy education for collaborative learning, for multi-modal authoring, and for the virtual classroom. Specific applications are considered and recommended for classrooms with English learners.

Editors' Note, Tapestry Staff

TAPESTRY

Editors' Note of the Special Issue, 2014

Announcing The Publication Of Educating English Learners, Tapestry Staff

TAPESTRY

The Editors of Tapestry are pleased to announce the publication of Educating English Learners: What Every Classroom Teacher Needs to Know by Joyce Nutta, Carine Strebel, Kouider Mokhtari, Florin Mihai, and Edwidge Crevecoeur-Bryant (Harvard University Press, 2014).

Tapping The Potential Of El Paraprofessionals Through Professional Development, Michaela Colombo, Qing Zhao, Heidi Perez

TAPESTRY

Many paraprofessionals provide instructional support to English Learners (ELs), yet little research exists regarding their preparedness. Research on paraprofessionals in special education suggests that paraprofessionals are often under-prepared for their responsibilities. This paper explores ongoing professional development (PD) for paraprofessionals using findings from a study of the first year of a 5-year PD initiative for 109 paraprofessionals who worked with ELs in a high-poverty, high-minority urban district. Study findings are derived from the analysis of 57 participant reflection journals, interviews with 12 paraprofessional participants, a focus group with six PD providers, and de-identified observation and focus group data provided by …

Bridging The Gap: Preparing Teachers To Meet The Needs Of Ells Through Service-Learning, Michele Regalla

TAPESTRY

Although the U.S. student population has become increasingly diverse, our teaching force does not reflect equal levels of diversity. Teacher education programs are charged with the task of preparing pre-service teachers to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. This paper addresses one option for providing pre-service teachers with diversity experiences by offering a short term service-learning program abroad. Research has shown that pre-service teachers feel more prepared to meet the needs of English learners after their participation in international experiences with service-learning or study abroad. This paper presents practical guidance for teacher educators who wish to start …

“Textbooks Come Alive:” Engaging Teacher Candidates In Service-Learning To Enhance Their Learning About English Language Learners, Carla Amaro-Jiménez, Kim K. Winter

TAPESTRY

This article describes the results of a Service-Learning collaboration initiative between several community partners and two teacher preparation programs (i.e., bilingual education and middle level education) at a large, urban university in the Southwest. We draw on data collected from a total of 77 teacher candidates (38 in bilingual education and 39 in middle level education) who were enrolled in a course focusing on methods of literacy instruction for ELL. The manuscript focuses on the impact that participating in Service-Learning had on teacher candidates’ personal, professional, and academic experiences as they worked with ELL as part of their teacher preparation …