This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Carmen Helena Guerrer, Christina Schelletter, Pilar Fort, Charmian Kenner, Salman Al-Azami, Anja K. Steinlen, Tzu-Yun Chin, Guillermo Solano-Flores, Susan L. Davis, and Mahera Ruby.
(2008). Bilingual Instructional Strategies, Online Submission. The aim of this working paper is to identify research-supported strategies for reading and writing that can be integrated effectively to promote the development of biliterate academic literacy by English language learners (ELLs) in middle-school bilingual classrooms. The paper begins with a review of the theoretical foundations that highlight the learning needs of the adolescent ELLs at the middle school level. The reading and writing strategies selected for inclusion in this paper will provide a scaffold for these learning needs and will be presented in an integrated framework supporting one of the curricular areas for eighth grade ELLs in the school district where the author teaches. [More] Descriptors: Educational Strategies, Writing Strategies, Bilingual Education, Second Language Learning
(2008). Content Area Instructional Strategies, Online Submission. The aim of this working paper is to identify research-supported strategies for content that can be integrated effectively to promote the development of biliterate academic literacy by English language learners (ELLs) in middle-school bilingual classrooms. The paper provides a research-based summary of relevant learning needs of adolescent English language learners (ELLs) at the middle school level. The content strategies selected for inclusion in this paper will provide a scaffold for these learning needs and will be presented in an integrated framework supporting one of the curricular areas for eighth grade ELLs in the school district where the author teaches. This paper supplements and complements a related working paper focused on bilingual instructional strategies for reading and writing. [More] Descriptors: Educational Strategies, Bilingual Education, Second Language Learning, English (Second Language)
(2008). The Cultural Responsiveness and Dual Language Education Project, Zero to Three. Early childhood programs are experiencing increasing numbers of children who are learning English as a second language. Staff members struggle with how to best support children and families who are working to preserve their home language and culture while helping their children succeed in educational settings outside the home where English is the predominant language. The authors explore the importance of cultural sensitivity and describe the national Head Start's Cultural Responsiveness and Dual Language Education project aimed at helping Head Start programs improve program practices for dual language learners. [More] Descriptors: Early Childhood Education, Disadvantaged Youth, English (Second Language), Second Language Learning
(2010). Bilingual Preschools. Volume I: Learning and Development, Online Submission. Drawing on data from eleven preschools in four European countries (Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and the UK), this edited volume explores the progress of preschool children learning English over a period of two years. In the first volume, children's lexical and grammatical comprehension, the quality of L2 input, the effect of immersion on L1 development, comparisons with English monolingual children, as well as intercultural learning are addressed. In addition, environmental learning in an immersion context, labelled "green immersion," is outlined with reference to a bilingual preschool located within a zoological garden. The following are included in this report: (1) Introduction (Kristin Kersten, Andreas Rohde, Christina Schelletter, & Anja K. Steinlen); (2) The Input Quality Observation Scheme (IQOS): The Nature of L2 Input and its Influence on L2 Development in Bilingual Preschools (Martina Weitz, Svenja Pahl, Anna Flyman Mattsson, Aafke Buyl, & Elke Kalbe); (3) Receptive L2 Lexical Knowledge in Bilingual Preschool Children (Andreas Rohde); (4) Receptive L2 Grammar Knowledge Development in Bilingual Preschools (Anja K. Steinlen, Gisela HÃ¥kansson, Alex Housen, & Christina Schelletter); (5) Lexical and Grammatical Comprehension in Monolingual and Bilingual Children (Christina Schelletter & Rachel Ramsey); (6) SETK 3-5: A Developmental Language Test on German for 3-to-5-Year-Old Children (Anja K. Steinlen, Katharina Neils, Thorsten Piske, & Christian Trumpp); (7) Intercultural Encounters in Bilingual Preschools (Lydia Gerlich, Holger Kersten, Kristin Kersten, Ute Massler, &Insa Wippermann); (8) Green Immersion (Shannon Thomas, Petra Burmeister, Michael Ewig, Kristin Kersten, & Suzanne Akerman); (9) Animal-Supported Environmental Education in a German-English Zoo Preschool (Inge A. Strunz & Shannon Thomas); (10) Profiles of the ELIAS Preschools (Insa Wippermann, Christine Tiefenthal, Annelie Schober, & Lena Gotthardt). The ELIAS Preschool Overview Questionnaire (ELIAS POQ) is appended. [For "Bilingual Preschools. Volume 2: Best Practices," see ED572868.] [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Bilingual Education, Preschool Education, English (Second Language)
(2008). Who Is Given Tests in What Language by Whom, When, and Where? The Need for Probabilistic Views of Language in the Testing of English Language Learners, Educational Researcher. The testing of English language learners (ELLs) is, to a large extent, a random process because of poor implementation and factors that are uncertain or beyond control. Yet current testing practices and policies appear to be based on deterministic views of language and linguistic groups and erroneous assumptions about the capacity of assessment systems to serve ELLs. The question "Who is given tests in what language by whom, when, and where?" provides a conceptual framework for examining testing as a communication process between assessment systems and ELLs. Probabilistic approaches based on generalizability theory–a psychometric theory of measurement error–allow examination of the extent to which assessment systems' inability to effectively communicate with ELLs affects the dependability of academic achievement measures. [More] Descriptors: Generalizability Theory, Testing, Second Language Learning, Error of Measurement
(2008). "Escuchando a Las Maestras/os": Immigration Politics and Latina/o Preservice Bilingual Educators, Bilingual Research Journal. This article draws from a larger study based in South Texas that examines the professional and personal narratives of 63 Latina/o preservice educators preparing to teach in bilingual classrooms. Using qualitative methods, we collected data where participants' voices and opinions regarding U.S. immigration issues were documented during classroom activities that stimulated such discussion. We also administered a survey on the same topic. Findings suggest that while many bilingual Latina/o preservice educators may be sympathetic to the plight of undocumented immigrants–and hence, are working toward political and ideological clarity–they lack specific knowledge of laws that protect such children in this country. In addition, many participants utilized their own immigrant histories as a resource in relating to and understanding the contemporary struggle of economic migrants. [More] Descriptors: Class Activities, Learning Activities, Bilingual Education, Politics
(2010). Elite vs. Folk Bilingualism: The Mismatch between Theories and Educational and Social Conditions, HOW. This article aims at contributing to the ongoing discussion about how bilingualism is understood in the current National Bilingualism Plan (PNB for its initials in Spanish). Based on previous research and discussions held at academic events, it is evident that the promoters of the PNB use the term "bilingualism" in a rather indiscriminate way, without adopting a clear approach or definition. This ambiguity in conceptualization has serious consequences in the way the PNB is implemented around the country. The main contribution of this reflection article is, then, to explore from a theoretical perspective two opposite types of bilingualism: elite/folk bilingualism to show that even though on the surface the PNB seems to aim at an elite bilingualism, the educational and social conditions show otherwise. [More] Descriptors: Bilingualism, Folk Culture, National Programs, Spanish
(2008). Learning to Read Setswana and English: Cross-Language Transference of Letter Knowledge, Phonological Awareness and Word Reading Skills, Perspectives in Education. The current study investigates how beginner readers learn to read Setswana and English, and whether there is cross-language transference of skills between these two languages. Letter knowledge, phoneme awareness and reading of words and pseudowords in both Setswana and English were assessed in 36 Grade 2 children. A complex pattern emerged. Results revealed that letter knowledge in Setswana (which the pupils learnt a year before they learnt to read English) did not predict any cross-language reading of English or Setswana words. Letter knowledge in English, however, was a good predictor both across and within language of word and pseudoword reading. Phoneme awareness in Setswana predicted reading of English pseudowords and also reading of Setswana words and pseudowords. Phoneme awareness in English did not show any cross-language transfer effects, though it did predict reading of pseudowords but not real words in English. Implications for the teaching of reading are also discussed. [More] Descriptors: Beginning Reading, Phonological Awareness, Grade 2, Reading Skills
(2008). Antiracist Pedagogy and Empowerment in a Bilingual Classroom in the U.S., circa 2006, Theory Into Practice. How can teachers and administrators improve the educational environment for Latino/as and other racially stigmatized youth? What does antiracist pedagogy for Latino/a immigrant youth look like? This article describes the thought, action, and reflection employed by a bilingual 9th grade teacher in the Southwest. Antiracist pedagogical strategies include creating an empowering classroom physical space, articulating an antiracist discourse, and encouraging students to resist oppression through civic participation and activism. The author argues that antiracist pedagogy that is anchored in empowering Latino/a immigrant youth is a key part of creating welcoming school spaces that nurture the resilience of Latino/a youth and their families. [More] Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Grade 9, Educational Environment, Immigrants
(2008). Bilingual Learning for Second and Third Generation Children, Language, Culture and Curriculum. Throughout the English-speaking world, children from bilingual backgrounds are being educated in mainstream classrooms where they have little or no opportunity to use their mother tongue. Second and third generation children, in particular, are assumed to be learning sufficiently through English only. This study investigated how British Bangladeshi children, learning Bengali in after-school classes but mostly more fluent in English than in their mother tongue, responded when able to use their full language repertoire within the mainstream curriculum. Through action research with mainstream and community language class teachers, bilingual literacy and numeracy tasks were devised and carried out with pupils aged seven to eleven in two East London primary schools. The bilingual activities were video-recorded and analysed qualitatively to identify the strategies used. The following cognitive and cultural benefits of bilingual learning discovered by researchers in other contexts were also found to apply in this particular setting: conceptual transfer, enriched understanding through translation, metalinguistic awareness, bicultural knowledge and building bilingual learner identities. The findings suggest that second and third generation children should be enabled to learn bilingually, and appropriate strategies are put forward for use in the mainstream classroom. [More] Descriptors: Metalinguistics, Action Research, Bilingualism, Bilingual Education
(2008). Self-Perceptions of Native Language Abilities in Bilingual Hispanic Young Adults, Language, Culture and Curriculum. This study compared bilingual Hispanic university students who had participated in bilingual programmes/English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) (Spanish L1 + English L2) instruction in their elementary schooling with similar students who had not participated in such programmes (English L2 only) to gauge their perceptions of their skills in Spanish. The Language and Education Survey provided data pertaining to the subjects' perceptions of their bilinguality with respect to speaking, reading, writing and comprehension. A Spanish writing sample confirmed language ability. Although the majority of the subjects within the two groups considered themselves to be bilingual, the statistically significant differences in language ability and written communicative competence between them indicated that Hispanic university students who were enrolled in bilingual programmes/ESOL in their earlier schooling had better perceptions of their abilities in Spanish. [More] Descriptors: Language Aptitude, Communicative Competence (Languages), English (Second Language), Bilingualism
(2008). Examining Panelist Data from a Bilingual Standard Setting Study, Journal of Applied Testing Technology. This study examined the relationships between the evaluations obtained from standard setting panelists and changes in ratings between different rounds of a standard setting study that involved setting standards on different language versions of an exam. We investigated panelists' evaluations to determine if their perceptions of the standard setting were related to adjustments they made in their recommended cut scores across rounds of the process. The standard setting was conducted for a high school mathematics test composed of multiple-choice and constructed response items. The test was designed for a population of students who speak and receive primary instruction in either English or French. Results indicated panelists' ratings of their ratings and their comfort with the process were related to how their ratings changed across sequential rounds of the process. Differences in the degree to which the evaluations influenced the standard setting judgments were observed across the English and French panelists, with the French group reporting increasing comfort across rounds in contrast to the English group that had relatively higher comfort at the beginning of the process. The results illustrate how standard setting evaluation data can provide insight into factors that affect panelists' ratings. [More] Descriptors: Mathematics Tests, Standard Setting (Scoring), French, Evaluation Research
(2000). If Your Child Learns in Two Languages: A Parent's Guide for Improving Educational Opportunities for Children Acquiring English as a Second Language = Si su nino aprende en dos idiomes: Una guia para que las familias sepan como mejorar las oportunidades educativas de los ninos que adquieren el ingles como segunda lengua = Neu lon Ban Hoc Bang Hai Thu Tieng: Chi-nam cua phu-huynh de cai tien co hoi hoc van cua con em dang hoc Anh van nhu sinh ngu thu hai. This guide, in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, aims to inform parents of students who have learned or are learning English as a Second Language about appropriate approaches for educating children so that they can work with schools to ensure a high quality education for their children. The emphasis is on explaining the laws, schools, and research related to the education of the English language learners (ELL). It is hoped that this information will help parents understand and participate in the education of their ELL child. Covered topics include the following: the benefits of learning two languages, how parents can determine if the school is meeting the academic needs of their children, what the characteristics of effective schooling for ELLs are, how schools determine if a child needs English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) help, the academic requirements of ESL students, federal policies and programs that can assist parents in monitoring the quality of the education schools are providing, a comparison of educational systems in the United States with those in other countries, and where additional information can be found. Thirteen sources of additional resources are provided. [More] Descriptors: Elementary Secondary Education, English (Second Language), Family School Relationship, Family (Sociological Unit)
(2008). The Poetry of a Minority Community: The Deaf Poet Pierre Pelissier and the Formation of a Deaf Identity in the 1850s, Sign Language Studies. This study investigates the cultural and educational ideas of the French deaf poet-teacher Pierre Pelissier (1814-1863) who was an instructor at the Paris Deaf Institute from the early 1840s until his death in 1863. As a young man, Pelissier became interested in composing poetry and through his verse, captured many of the social frustrations facing deaf people who had to manage in a hearing world. Once he became a teacher, Pelissier devoted his energies to developing the best methods to educate deaf youth. In the mid-nineteenth-century, he found himself defending natural sign language against proponents of spoken language. Pelissier responded with a his own book (published in 1856) on how sign language could be used in the French primary schools to educate deaf children. He advocated a type of bilingual educational environment for primary schools that relied on hearing and deaf students using the manual alphabet and sign language in a shared classroom setting. Pelissier's analysis of sign language as a pedagogical method clearly challenged the prevailing social view that deaf teachers were somehow less capable educators of deaf children than those who were hearing. [More] Descriptors: Speech, Sign Language, Oral Language, Poets
(2000). Biliteracy for a Global Society: An Idea Book on Dual Language Education. This document asserts that dual language education is a program that has the potential to promote the multilingual and multicultural competencies necessary for the new global business job market while eradicating the significant achievement gap between language majority and language minority students. The appeal of dual language programs is that they combine successful educational models in an integrated classroom composed of both language majority and language minority students, with the goals of bilingualism and biliteracy, academic excellence for both groups, and multicultural competencies. Topics covered include the following: the educational needs of students in the global economy, dual language education programs and their key features, the three research-based premises underlying dual language education (a second language is best acquired by language minority students when their first language is firmly established and that a second language is best developed by language majority children through immersion in that language; knowledge learned through one language paves the way for knowledge acquisition in the second language; students need to reach a certain level of native language proficiency to promote higher levels of second language development and bilingual proficiency), different dual language education models, the effectiveness of dual language education programs, and considerations in their implementation. Results demonstrate that the model works because students learn the communications skills and multicultural competencies to work on multicultural teams–the kind of skills prized in a global economy. Dual language education is not a panacea; variations in outcomes demonstrate the importance of carefully planned programs, well-trained teachers, strong leadership, and administrative support. [More] Descriptors: Culturally Relevant Education, Elementary Secondary Education, English (Second Language), Immersion Programs