This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Tim McNamara, Mariela Aime Rodriguez, Norbert Nikiema, Natalia Evnitskaya, Iliana Alanis, Andrew Chodkiewicz, Ellen Frede, Georgina Stewart, W. Steven Barnett, and Maria S. Rivera Maulucci.
(2011). Science in the Maori-Medium Curriculum: Assessment of Policy Outcomes in Putaiao Education, Educational Philosophy and Theory. This second research paper on science education in Maori-medium school contexts complements an earlier article published in this journal (Stewart, 2005). Science and science education are related domains in society and in state schooling in which there have always been particularly large discrepancies in participation and achievement by Maori. In 1995 a Kaupapa Maori analysis of this situation challenged New Zealand science education academics to deal with "the Maori crisis" within science education. Recent NCEA results suggest Putaiao (Maori-medium Science) education, for which a national curriculum statement was published in 1996, has so far increased, rather than decreased, the level of inequity for Maori students in science education. What specific issues impact on this lack of success, which contrasts with the overall success of Kura Kaupapa Maori, and how might policy frameworks and operational systems of Putaiao need to change, if better achievement in science education for Maori-medium students is the goal? A pathway towards further research and development in this area is suggested. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Malayo Polynesian Languages, Science Education, National Curriculum
(2011). Multilingualism in Education: A Poststructuralist Critique, Modern Language Journal. Discussions of multilingualism in education, as exemplified by the articles in this issue, can be critically reevaluated using perspectives available from poststructuralism. These perspectives focus on the potential ambiguity of language and language practices. This, in turn, encourages us to question simple notions of the relationship of learners to the languages they speak, especially the "mother tongue," to see the individual's relation to language as a relation to power, and to recognize the polyvalent role of language tests in the context of multilingual education as, on the one hand, enforcing the relations of power in language and, on the other, disrupting them. The article focuses on the extent to which these themes are acknowledged in the articles in this issue, exploring the impact of the contrasting contexts represented, and presents examples of other discussions, especially in colonial and postcolonial contexts, that reflect alternative views of multilingualism in education. These include Derrida's reflections on his own language socialization as a colonial subject in Algeria during the time of the Vichy regime and studies of the role of language in contemporary education systems in Africa and Southeast Asia. [More] Descriptors: Criticism, Figurative Language, Language Tests, Multilingualism
(2011). Crossing Language and Identity as a Critical Border Ethnographer in Southern California, Journal of Language, Identity, and Education. This article discusses the language and identity challenges I faced as a critical border ethnographer from Spain doing fieldwork in Southern California. I focus on the multiple positionings that I negotiated doing fieldwork in La Clase Magica (The Magic Class), a computer-based, after-school bilingual program for Mexican/Mexican American/Chicano-a children, youth, and adults in Southern California. The article explores the processes of transformation I underwent as a female, Andalusian speaker of Castilian and researcher from Spain, in relation to a group of Mexican immigrant women participating in this program. Data come from naturally occurring interactions and interview data with children, mothers, caretakers, and university students attending the program. I consider interactional and interview data as "sites of struggle," where participants construct and negotiate representations of themselves and those they align with and distance themselves from, as well as "sites of transformation," where critical ethnographers can move beyond the traps and tricks of ethnography. [More] Descriptors: Mexican Americans, Ethnography, Foreign Countries, Hispanic Americans
(2011). Social Justice Language Teacher Education, Multilingual Matters. Social justice language teacher education conceptualizes language teacher education as responding to social and societal inequities that result in unequal access to educational and life opportunities. In this volume authors articulate a global view of Social Justice Language Teacher Education, with authors from 7 countries offering a theorized account of their situated practices. Following an introduction by I. Nasser, L.N. Berlin and S. Wong, the book is divided into 3 parts. Part 1, Education, contains the following chapters: (1) Palestinian Education under Occupation: Successes and Challenges (K. Shakhshir); (2) The Healing Power of Stories: Dialogue through English Language Learning (I. Deeb and G. Weinstein); (3) Positionalities and Personal Perspectives on Educational Research under Occupation: Where is Hope? ( S. Wong and I. Nasser); (4) Emancipatory Discourse? An Ethnographic Case Study of English Language Teaching in an Arabic-Hebrew Bilingual School (J. Schlam-Salman and Z. Bekerman); and (5) The Presentation of Palestinians in Israeli Schoolbooks (N. Peled-Elhanan). Part 2, Media, contains the following chapters: (6) Palestinians, Arab American Muslims and the Media (N. Ayish); (7) The Political Discourse of the Israeli Occupation: The Spirit of Orientalism (A. Atawneh); (8) The War on Gaza: American and Egyptian Media Framing (N.H. El-Bilawi); and (9) Language and the Art of Spin: Commendation and Condemnation in Media Discourse (L.N. Berlin). Part 3, Dialogue, contains the final chapters: (10) Dis-covering Peace: Dominant and Counterdiscourse of the Middle East (S. Silberstein); (11) An Israeli-Palestinian Partnership: Can We Find a Joint Language? And Should We? (M. Zak); (12) Postcolonialism and the Jewish Palestinian Encounter (R. Halabi); (13) Checkpoint: Turning Discourse into Dialogue (S.J. Kent, R. Sibii and A.R. Napoleone); and (14) Where is the Hope? A Call for Action (S. Wong, I. Nasser and L.N. Berlin). Also contained are an index, and references. [More] Descriptors: Social Justice, Teacher Education, Language Teachers, Access to Education
(2011). Language Experience Narratives and the Role of Autobiographical Reasoning in Becoming an Urban Science Teacher, Cultural Studies of Science Education. One of the central challenges globalization and immigration present to education is how to construct school language policies, procedures, and curricula to support academic success of immigrant youth. This case-study compares and contrasts language experience narratives along Elena's developmental trajectory of becoming an urban science teacher. Elena reflects upon her early language experiences and her more recent experiences as a preservice science teacher in elementary dual language classrooms. The findings from Elena's early schooling experiences provide an analysis of the linkages between Elena's developing English proficiency, her Spanish proficiency, and her autobiographical reasoning. Elena's experiences as a preservice teacher in two elementary dual language classrooms indicates ways in which those experiences helped to reframe her views about the intersections between language learning and science learning. I propose the language experience narrative, as a subset of the life story, as a way to understand how preservice teachers reconstruct past language experiences, connect to the present, and anticipate future language practices. [More] Descriptors: Preservice Teachers, Immersion Programs, Global Approach, Science Teachers
(2011). An Analysis of the Education Systems in Mexico and the United States from Pre-Kinder to 12 Grade, Online Submission. This article provides an overview of the public school system in Mexico from early childhood to high school, and compares it with the American education system. It also identifies educational terminology and concepts unique to the Mexican system that can become possible sources of conflict and confusion for American educators. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Public Schools, Comparative Education, Elementary Secondary Education
(2011). Knowledge Construction, Meaning-Making and Interaction in CLIL Science Classroom Communities of Practice, Language and Education. This paper draws on Wenger's model of community of practice to present preliminary findings on how processes of negotiation of meaning and identity formation occur in knowledge construction, meaning-making and interaction in two secondary Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) science classrooms. It uses a multimodal conversation analysis methodology to provide detailed analyses of how teachers and students use talk-in-interaction and other semiotic resources to build and maintain their communities of practice. The data come from two CLIL classrooms in Spain in the same curricular area (biology) but which differ in geographical and sociolinguistic context (Barcelona and Madrid), and in terms of age, level of secondary education and pedagogical approach. The findings show the complex patterns of participation and reification as teachers and learners use different linguistic and other resources to make meaning. The paper argues that a combination of Wenger's meso-level practice model and micro-level multimodal conversation analysis is highly effective in elucidating how learning and identity formation are accomplished in CLIL classrooms. It also suggests that the efforts to understand classroom processes and language use in CLIL classrooms can be strengthened by forging links between CLIL research and the classroom discourse work across different disciplines. [More] Descriptors: Discourse Analysis, Science Education, Classroom Communication, Teaching Methods
(2011). A First-Language-First Multilingual Model to Meet the Quality Imperative in Formal Basic Education in Three "Francophone" West African Countries, International Review of Education. This paper documents the new trend towards a first-language-first multilingual model in formal education in three former French colonies of West Africa, namely Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. It compares the sociolinguistic situations, the conditions of the development of multilingual education and the achievements of mother-tongue-medium education in all three countries. The evidence is that, contrary to common discourse in "francophonie," a strong first-language-first model in formal education is the best guarantee of a good mastery of French and, more generally, of quality education in francophone countries. [More] Descriptors: Multilingualism, Educational Quality, Foreign Countries, French
(2011). Benefits of Computer-Assisted Instruction to Support Reading Acquisition in English Language Learners, Bilingual Research Journal. Young children who are English language learners (ELLs) face major challenges in learning to read English. This study examined whether computer-assisted instruction (CAI) can be beneficial to ELL kindergartners enrolled in bilingual classes. The CAI programs provided systematic and structured exercises in developing phonological awareness and phonics skills. Comparisons were made between a treatment group given CAI support and a control group receiving the same classroom instruction without structured CAI support. Differences in pretest and posttest scores revealed significantly greater gains for the treatment group compared to the control group. The largest discrepancy between groups occurred in the area of phonological awareness. Significant differences favoring the treatment group were also found in sight word recognition. A subanalysis of low performers in the two groups showed similar outcomes as the full groups. Our findings indicate that ELL students benefit from intensive practice in basic reading skills as provided by CAI support. [More] Descriptors: Control Groups, Phonics, Sight Vocabulary, Computer Assisted Instruction
(2011). Creating a Professional Learning Community through Self-Study, Studying Teacher Education. This article describes the use of self-study as a frame for professional learning that grew out of a professional development program for teachers examining their practice in a dual-language K-4 school. Located in the center of the rural state of Iowa, the school's development of a bilingual program for native speakers of both English and Spanish created challenges for the educators involved. The authors reflect the spectrum of collegial partnerships fostered by the experience, representing two classroom teachers, a program coordinator, and two university professors. They present their analysis of the development of a dual language program and the impact of their collegial self-study on how they thought about their practice, how they engaged with others, and how they were able to achieve change within and across their practice. [More] Descriptors: Faculty Development, Native Speakers, Professional Development, Communities of Practice
(2011). Why Pre-K Is Critical to Closing the Achievement Gap, Principal. The recently released results of the 2009 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) comparison of educational achievement across 65 countries has brought renewed attention to the achievement gap and recommended changes to improve U.S. performance. The U.S. was well down in the middle of the pack for reading, math, and science while Shanghai, a Chinese city with a population equal to that of New York, was at the top of the leader board. If American schools are going to close the achievement gap and move toward the top of the international achievement comparisons, widespread access to high-quality preschool will have to be one of the reforms that schools implement. If principals take the steps outlined in this article, they will shortly find test scores rising, grade retention falling, and special education loads might even decline. [More] Descriptors: Achievement Gap, Foreign Countries, Grade Repetition, Academic Achievement
(2011). Negotiating Linguistic and Cultural Identity: One Borderlander's Leadership Initiative, International Journal of Leadership in Education. Meeting the academic needs of linguistically and culturally diverse students requires new perspectives on behalf of school leaders. Using the concept of the border epistemology of school leadership, this case study reveals the work of one "borderlander" in a dual-language school. Telling her story through self-reflection, the voices of her teachers and the success of her students, three critical components of effective educational leadership in a dual-language school were identified. These included advocacy, socially cognizant behaviour and curriculum expertise. Implications for school leadership within high poverty and high language-minority populations require the principal's role to become more than supervising curriculum, managing budgets and evaluating teachers but rather one of a "borderlander" who rejects deficit perspectives and promotes the acceptance and integration of all cultural and linguistic groups. [More] Descriptors: Linguistics, Epistemology, Instructional Leadership, Principals
(2011). Effective Instruction for English Learners, Future of Children. The fastest-growing student population in U.S. schools today is children of immigrants, half of whom do not speak English fluently and are thus labeled English learners. Although the federal government requires school districts to provide services to English learners, it offers states no policies to follow in identifying, assessing, placing, or instructing them. Margarita Calderon, Robert Slavin, and Marta Sanchez identify the elements of effective instruction and review a variety of successful program models. During 2007-08, more than 5.3 million English learners made up 10.6 percent of the nation's K-12 public school enrollment. Wide and persistent achievement disparities between these English learners and English-proficient students show clearly, say the authors, that schools must address the language, literacy, and academic needs of English learners more effectively. Researchers have fiercely debated the merits of bilingual and English-only reading instruction. In elementary schools, English learners commonly receive thirty minutes of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction but attend general education classes for the rest of the day, usually with teachers who are unprepared to teach them. Though English learners have strikingly diverse levels of skills, in high school they are typically lumped together, with one teacher to address their widely varying needs. These in-school factors contribute to the achievement disparities. Based on the studies presented here, Calderon, Slavin, and Sanchez assert that the quality of instruction is what matters most in educating English learners. They highlight comprehensive reform models, as well as individual components of these models: school structures and leadership; language and literacy instruction; integration of language, literacy, and content instruction in secondary schools; cooperative learning; professional development; parent and family support teams; tutoring; and monitoring implementation and outcomes. As larger numbers of English learners reach America's schools, K-12 general education teachers are discovering the need to learn how to teach these students. Schools must improve the skills of all educators through comprehensive professional development–an ambitious but necessary undertaking that requires appropriate funding. [More] Descriptors: Family Programs, Second Language Learning, Educational Change, English (Second Language)
(2011). Exploring and Supporting Home Language Maintenance in Informal Playgroups: Working with Pacific Communities, Heritage Language Journal. This paper draws on three years of fieldwork within informal supported play-groups in inner Sydney. In Australia, some 40% of children reach school age without attending formal preschools. Aboriginal and immigrant groups are greatly overrepresented in this statistic. For these children, informal playgroups, funded from a range of government and non-government sources are important sites for learning. For children who speak a language other than English in the home, the playgroups also offer an opportunity to strengthen and support the use of the home language and connection to heritage cultures. Using data from observations, audio and video recordings, interviews with mothers and carers as well as interviews with play-group workers, literacy specialists and community workers, this paper will examine the challenges facing these families as their children prepare for schools in which their home language will be "submerged." The case study includes an evaluation of a bilingual program within informal playgroups aimed at strengthening home language use among children from the Maori and Tongan communities. The program was designed and implemented in collaboration with these communities as a part of research discussed in this paper. The evaluation will examine the benefits and limitations of such programs as well as foregrounding those strategies that engage and support families in their efforts to maintain their home language. The effects of these programs in terms of strengthening parental home language support cannot be underestimated and the results of this study highlight the importance of supporting home language in early childhood education settings through structured programs that are responsive to local needs. [More] Descriptors: Video Technology, Language Maintenance, Play, Early Childhood Education
(2011). The Concurrent Development of Spelling Skills in Two Languages, International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education. The study reported on in this paper investigated the concurrent development of spelling in children learning two languages. The study compared over time and between languages the types of spelling errors made in English as a first language and French as a second. Fortyseven grade one English-speaking children completed an English and French spelling task in October and May of the school year. The study relied on a repeated measures design using 2- tailed paired sample t-tests at the beginning and end of the school year. Results revealed students made more basic spelling errors at the beginning of the year and more complex spelling errors at the end of the year in both French and English. Despite the lack of direct instruction in English, students' English spelling skills developed over the course of the year suggesting that transfer of skills was occurring between languages. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Immersion Programs, Spelling, Spelling Instruction