Language and Literacy Education Commons^™

Language Through An Unfiltered Lens, Paula Garrett-Rucks

Dimensions

SCOLT Dimensions Volume 56

L2 Classroom Willingness To Communicate As A Predictor Of Participatory Behavior, Ashley Shaffer

Dimensions

In the context of language instruction and learning, willingness to communicate (WTC) is an important factor in learners’ language use. It is viewed as a volitional process influenced by individual, social, linguistic, and situationally dependent factors. Foundational research focused on trait and state WTC-influencing factors as separate entities. Current research considers the dynamic relationship that occurs between the two and particularly how it manifests in classroom interaction. This study investigated such differences by examining learners’ self-reported WTC as trait-related and observed WTC as state-related. It compared WTC in both a teacher led and a peer led activity. Triangulated data were …

Perceptions And Practices In Language Teaching: A Survey Of Experts In Literary And Cultural Studies, Justin P. White, Andrew J. Demil, Geraldine Blattner

Dimensions

This study serves as a follow-up to VanPatten’s (2015a) demographic report including the makeup of many university language departments. The present study investigates what some literary and cultural studies experts self-report regarding their training in SLA/language pedagogy, term familiarity, perceptions of Communicative Language Teaching, and classroom practices. Participants included 38 university-level US Spanish and French professors with expertise in literary and cultural studies. Findings revealed a lack of familiarity with some SLA and language teaching constructs, feedback types, and the role of explicit grammar and mechanical drills. As such, we discuss the ramifications of these findings.

Connections: Exploring Charles Moravia’S Le Fils Du Tapissier: Épisode De La Vie De Molière In The Introductory French Language Classroom, Jacob Abell, Stacey Margarita Johnson

Dimensions

This paper describes one approach to focusing on Connections, one of the five Cs from the World Readiness Standards for Learning Languages, as a means of exposing introductory language students to culturally diverse authentic texts through drama-based pedagogy. Our approach focuses on an instructor working within an established departmental curriculum for introductory language courses. Despite these constraints, the instructor was able to create a two-day instructional sequence that allowed students to interact with each other through their engagement with the work of the Francophone playwright Charles Moravia (1875-1938). The activity sequence was embedded in the grammar and vocabulary presented in …

Yo Hablo El Español De Mi Pueblo: A Conscious Curriculum For The Heritage Language Learner, Gabriela Moreno

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The search for a more comprehensive and conscious curriculum for Spanish heritage language learners and Spanish native speakers (SHL/SNS) is a task that many educators are making a priority due to the diversity in the classroom. This paper focuses on presenting the theoretical framework and approaches that have facilitated SHL/SNS instruction in our institution in the Southwest. The theoretical framework includes a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive (CLR) approach, the World-Readiness Standards for Learning Languages, funds of knowledge, and Pueblo-based pedagogy, followed by activities that have been effective in establishing a conscious curriculum in SHL/SNS pedagogy.

Identifying And Placing Spanish Heritage Speakers: One Program’S Placement Test Approach, Oscar Moreno, Paula Garrett-Rucks

Dimensions

Despite the increasing number of U.S. born Latinos, placing heritage and native speakers in the Spanish curriculum is still a challenge (MacGregor-Mendoza & Moreno, 2020). The present article (a) addresses the unique needs of heritage speakers in the Spanish curriculum; (b) problematizes traditional grammar-based placement exams; and (c) describes a multiple-choice placement exam (free upon request) designed and used at Georgia State University (GSU), a major urban university in the Southeastern U.S. Taking a sociolinguistic approach to the dialectical nature of Spanish, the GSU Spanish Language Program Coordinator developed a placement test based on what students—heritage, native, and non-native—do when …

Letter From The Editor, Shannon Tovey

Georgia Journal of Literacy

Editorial by Shannon Tovey, Editor-in-Chief

Immigration Picture Books By #Ownvoices Authors, Sanjuana C. Rodriguez, Karina Gonzalez, Carolina Rojas

Georgia Journal of Literacy

Reviews of Latinx immigration picture books

Seeking Calm Among The Chaos: A Letter From The Editor, Shannon Tovey

Georgia Journal of Literacy

A letter from the Editor of the Georgia Journal of Literacy

Student Experiences, Attitudes, And Perceptions Toward Online Collaborative Tools: A Case Study, Jeremy Easley

Doctor of Education in Teacher Leadership Dissertations

Abstract

This case study (Merriam, 1998) describes the experiences, attitudes, and perceptions of four twelfth-grade students at Bob Jones High School (pseudonym) with literacy deficiencies as they used collaborative technology tools in an online after-school tutoring program that focused on reading and writing skills. Leveraging the sociocultural theory of reading (Freebod & Luke, 1990), participants worked collaboratively to strengthen skills while completing tasks. In addition, students used online collaborative tools, based on the principles of the New Literacies Studies (Gee, 2010), to construct and share meaning. Data collection included semi-structured interviews, participant observation and student artifacts. The data from these …

Letter From The Editor

Georgia Journal of Literacy

A Letter from the Editor

A Balanced Approach To Literacy Instruction And Support For Diverse Learners, Bonnie Mondesir, Robert A. Griffin

Georgia Journal of Literacy

In this article, the authors explore various theories to inform educators and educational leaders who are looking for ways to better meet the literacy needs of all of their diverse students, including striving readers, culturally and linguistically diverse readers, and proficient and excelling readers. They call on educators to embrace a balanced approach that is informed by multiple bottom-up and top-down theories to better meet the needs of all their students. Focus is first given to Gough’s and LaBerge and Samuels’ information processing models (bottom-up models) followed by the psycholinguistic, schema, and transactional reader response top-down theories. Discussion of both …

A Book Review Of The Writing Strategies Book, Dale Suzanne Ioannides

Georgia Journal of Literacy

Instructional Coach Dale Ioannides shares a review of Jennifer Sarravallo's The Writing Strategies book.

About The Authors

Georgia Journal of Literacy

Read this to learn more about this issue's authors.

Educator Researched Methods And Interventions That Increase Below Level Readers’ Fluency And Comprehension, Shawnee Knott, Shannon Tovey

Georgia Journal of Literacy

A student walks into a classroom multiple grades below grade level and already on day one that student is behind and will most likely be behind their entire school year. Many teachers are faced with this scenario year after year. Students entering their classrooms unprepared for the on-level content they need to be on. Reading below grade level is just the beginning of the learning gap that exists in today’s classrooms. Teachers work hard to close that gap, but by upper elementary is it too late? What can teachers do to help these students grow and become successful learners?

This …

What’S Next For Literacy Education In Georgia? An Interview With Dr. Caitlin Dooley, Deputy Superintendent, Georgia Department Of Education, Shannon Tovey Howrey

Georgia Journal of Literacy

An interview with Dr. Caitlin Dooley

Focus On Heritage Language Learners, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Linwood J. Randolph Jr.

Dimensions

SCOLT Dimensions Volume 55

University Students’ Experiences In Spanish Heritage Language Programs In The Midwest, Jason A. Kemp

Dimensions

Historically, Spanish heritage language (SHL) scholarship has had connections to communities with established Spanish-speaking populations (Rivera-Mills, 2012). Regional SHL course offerings expanded in tandem with increases in Spanish-speaking populations, and little is known about students’ experiences in these new and emerging SHL programs. This study investigated the experiences of college students enrolled in SHL courses in the Midwest. Findings suggested a disconnect between the self-reported, sociolinguistic needs of students and the curriculum presented in their SHL classes. For example, some participants believed a link to future careers was missing from the SHL curriculum. Pedagogical implications and future research are discussed.

Heritage Language Learners In A Mixed Class: Educational Affordances And Constraints, Elizabeth Goulette

Dimensions

Despite a general consensus that heritage language learners (HLLs) and second language (L2) learners are best taught in separate classes, they often end up in mixed classes (Abdi, 2011; Burgo, 2017; Draper & Hicks, 2000). To date, however, there remains a lack of sufficient research on how to best support HLLs in mixed classes (Burgo, 2017). In this ethnographic case study, the researcher set out to understand the lived experiences of eighth grade HLLs in a mixed Spanish classroom. The researcher visited a Spanish class over the course of six months during which audio and video recordings captured classroom interactions. …

Writing Strategies To Develop Literacy Skills For Advanced Spanish Heritage Language Learners, Clara Burgo

Dimensions

Heritage language learners (HLLs) need to be exposed to different genres of academic texts (Chevalier, 2004; Correa, 2016) and instructors need to find resources to maximize HLLs’ learning experiences. There are multiple gains in improving HLLs’ writing to create an awareness of the power of the HL through the use of authentic resources with a meaningful goal. Since HLLs should be able to distinguish between registers and genres (Chevalier, 2004), writing chronicles is an effective way to master their communicative competence (Fuentes, 2018). Finally, HLLs’ writing is assessed holistically through rubrics moving from a focus on content to language.

Language, Culture, And Spanish Heritage Language Learners: Reframing Old Paradigms, Patricia Macgregor-Mendoza

Dimensions

Traditionally, the curriculum guiding many language programs has centered on the teaching of a “foreign” language to an audience of primarily second language learners (e.g. del Valle, 2014). Such a philosophy has relied on the belief in the existence of a single linguistic standard and an idealized community of native speakers from other countries. The increasing enrollment of Spanish Heritage Language (SHL) learners requires educators to reconsider the efficacy of such an approach in order to better address the needs of today’s student populations. A shift in classroom practices, however, requires a critical evaluation of the ideas that underpin the …

Introduction To Heritage Language Learning: An Interview With María Carreira, María Carreira, Paula Garrett-Rucks, Jason A. Kemp, Linwood J. Randolph Jr.

Dimensions

Heritage language learners (HLLs) of Spanish are a diverse population of students with diverse needs. Important issues for HLLs include, but are not limited to, sociolinguistics (topics such as translanguaging, language variation), the affective dimension of language learning, the acquisition of new registers (for careers/use in professional/formal settings), literacy, using Spanish to (re)connect with family and community members, linguistic insecurities, identity, culture, and linguicism, just to name a few. HLLs participate in many different program models: dual language immersion schools, traditional second/world language classes, and heritage language tracks when available. It is not an easily accomplishable task; however, language educators—at …

Developing Writing In Spanish Heritage Language Learners: An Integrated Process Approach, Ariana Mrak

Dimensions

There is no clear-cut division between orality and literacy (Street, 1993). This idea is central to literacy development in the Spanish heritage language (SHL) context because the opportunities to use heritage language (HL) skills are often oral, not written. Furthermore, the cultural situations that speakers find for their language are less extensive since they are in an environment where their HL is not the dominant language. This paper surveys the research on the writing of SHL learners (SHLLs) and proposes an integrated approach of product, process and post-process writing within a critical pedagogy that allows SHL writers to own the …

Global Initiatives In North Carolina: The Impact On Culturally And Linguistically Diverse Learners, Charlotte R. Hancock, Kristin J. Davin, John A. Williams Iii, Chance W. Lewis

Dimensions

In 2013, the North Carolina state Task Force on Global Education put forth a goal of preparing students to be globally prepared for the twenty-first century. This study explored, through interviews with officials from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) as well as NCDPI’s website, the influence of that global initiative on dual language (DL) programs and the Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) in the state through the lens of culturally and linguistically diverse learners’ (CLD) involvement. For other states seeking ways in which to increase DL programming and the number of students earning the SoBL while simultaneously ensuring …

Streamlining The Placement Of Spanish Heritage Language Learners, Patricia Macgregor-Mendoza, Gabriela Moreno

Dimensions

The rise in Spanish heritage language and Spanish native speaker (SHL/SNS) learners in language programs traditionally designed for second language (L2) learners has prompted an interest in the development of a more inclusive placement exam for diverse learners. Some practitioners opt for an instrument that compiles a comprehensive profile of the learner’s ability. Taking the perspective of the natural acquisition of SHL/SNS of select linguistic areas as well as background information on the learners’ exposure to Spanish, we developed a simplified placement exam that efficiently identifies learners of different backgrounds and abilities. A one-way ANOVA demonstrates that the small number …

Dyslexia And Georgia Senate Bill 48, Nora W. Schlesinger

Georgia Journal of Literacy

The interest in and understanding of dyslexia has become increasingly important in educational fields and the legislative process in the United States. This article provides information on what dyslexia is, the history of research on dyslexia, dyslexia laws across the US, and Georgia’s Dyslexia Law: Senate Bill 48 and its impact on educational entities.

In Memory Of Dr. Ronald Reigner, Dawn Owens

Georgia Journal of Literacy

Leaders and members of Georgia Association of Literacy Advocates (GALA), formerly Georgia Reading Association (GRA), were deeply saddened by the recent passing of a revered friend, Dr. Ronald Reigner. The association extends sincere appreciation for the contributions of Dr. Reigner, a Georgia Reading Association (GRA) Past President. Dr. Reigner served the organization faithfully in numerous positions during the past twenty years, including GRA President, GRA Executive Committee member, GRA Board of Directors member, GRA committee chair, local council president, and student council sponsor/liaison.

A Comparative Study Of The Effects Of Computer-Assisted Instruction On The Reading Achievement Of First Graders, Tracy Renae Hudson, Linda Reeves, Rebecca M. Giles, Lauren R. Brannan

Georgia Journal of Literacy

With reading proficiently by the end of third grade as a common goal, many school districts are exploring options to enhance early reading instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the supplemental, computer-assisted reading program i-Ready would significantly affect first grade students’ reading achievement. Participants (n=159) were first graders at two elementary schools - treatment (n= 82) and comparison n= 77). An independent samples t-test was used to compare the mid-year reading achievement scores of the treatment and comparison groups and found no statistically significant differences between groups. Following 10 weeks of twice-weekly 45-minute sessions of …

Teaching The Sun As Simile: Bringing Nature Into Language Arts Middle School Classrooms, Stormy Kage

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Teaching the Sun as Simile is an essay that explores an interdisciplinary approach to teaching middle school English Language Arts (ELA) by infusing nature and environmental studies. This essay defines emerging concepts of new literacy studies and eco-criticism, literacy, and composition as it relates to ELA pedagogy. Also, it provides an explanation for the importance and relevance of using nature to develop an ecosystem of better readers, writers and communicators in middle school general ed and special ed classrooms.

Ballot Readability And Plain Language, Roger Poole

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

The goal of this study was to examine the effect that readability and plain language had on voters' responses to Georgia's five legislatively-referred constitutional amendments (LRCA) in the November 2018 election. This study sought to answer the following questions regarding ballot readability and plain language:

1. Do voters distinguish the difference between traditionally composed ballots and plain language ballots?
2. Do voters have a preference between conventional worded ballots and reworded ballot language that improved readability?

Given that partisan lawyers and lobbyists write many state ballot questions, there may be tendencies to compose legislatively-referred constitutional amendments in confusing and unclear language designed …