This annotated bibliography is reformatted and customized by the Center for Positive Practices. Some of the authors featured on this page include Jeannie Kry, Barbara Noel, Zulmara Cline, Zvi Bekerman, Alberto M. Ochoa, Okhee Lee, Martha Galloway, Berkeley Bay Area Bilingual Education League, Katrin Rolka, and William B. Hawk.
(2008). Improving Social Skills In Elementary Students Through Classroom Meetings, Online Submission. In the action research project report the teacher researchers targeted 70 elementary students in third- and fifth-grade classrooms that demonstrated a lack of social skills necessary to work cooperatively in a classroom. The purpose of the project was to improve the social skills in children. The three teacher researchers who conducted this action research project taught at two different schools. One was a fifth-grade teacher and one was an art teacher at Site A, while the third teacher taught third grade in a bilingual program at Site B. The study was conducted February 11, 2008 through May 16, 2008. In order to document poor social skills, the teacher researchers utilized three data collection tools: a parent survey, a teacher survey, and a student survey. The surveys were distributed, completed, and returned between the dates of February 11, 2008 and February 18, 2008. Data was also collected through the use of an observation checklist. The data revealed that students demonstrated a lack of respect, responsibility, cooperation, empathy, and self-control. The teacher researchers found that both teachers and parents agreed there was a common thread through the home and school, which was that the children were lacking the necessary social skills to successfully work cooperatively with others.The teacher researchers used intervention activities from the book, Tribes, and classroom meetings. Each activity was designed to promote a specific social skill. The targeted five social skills were respect, cooperation, responsibility, empathy, and self-control. The teacher researchers chose two activities per social skill to focus on every two weeks during the 10 weeks of intervention strategies. Although the students did seem to exhibit a higher level of confidence while participating in the activities, the teacher researchers did not notice a marked improvement in the students' social skills. The teacher researchers perceived a lower atmosphere of peer pressure allowing students to enjoy the activities and feel more open to respond appropriately. Even though the students learned about respect, cooperation, responsibility, empathy, and self-control the teacher researchers did not feel that the children had enough time to be deeply impacted by the activities. The teacher researchers attribute this lack of success to the time of year that the project was implemented and feel that it would be much more successful if implemented at the start of the school year. (Fourteen appendixes are included: (1) Parent Survey; (2) Teacher Survey; (3) Student Survey; (4) Teacher Observation Checklist; (5) Com Tag; (6) Tribal Portrait; (7) To Build a Better Bathtub; (8) What's a Ghost Going to Do?; (9) Student Contract; (10) Addump; (11) Resentment/Appreciation; (12) Dear Blabby; (13) Where Do I Stand?; and (14) Controlling Inappropriate Behavior. Contains 6 tables and 30 graphs.) [Master of Arts Action Research Project, Saint Xavier University & Pearson Achievement Solutions, Inc. Field-Based Master's Program.] [More] Descriptors: Check Lists, Intervention, Observation, Teacher Surveys
(2011). How to Reach and Teach English Language Learners: Practical Strategies to Ensure Success, Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley. This book provides practical strategies and tools for assessing and teaching even the most hard to reach English language learners across the content areas. Syrja offers educators the latest information on working with ELLs (including using formative assessments) and provides a wealth of classroom-tested models and measures. These tools have proven to be effective with ESL students at all levels, including Long Term English Learners (LTELs). Throughout the book, the author shares powerful research-based strategies and clearly illustrates how they should be implemented in the classroom for maximum impact. This book is filled with proven ideas and easy-to-implement tips for teaching ELLs. It is designed to be a practical ELL/ESL resource for classroom teachers. This value-packed guide offers educators accessible and research-based classroom strategies for reaching and teaching ELLs. [More] Descriptors: Second Language Learning, English (Second Language), Teaching Methods, Success
(1976). Spanish Test of Oral Proficiency. This test booklet is divided into four parts: (1) Oral Comprehension of Commands; (2) Visual Oral Comprehension; (3) Oral Comprehension of Common Verbs; and (4) Oral Questions. General instructions and teachers' instructions for grading are given in English and instructions for the student in Spanish. There are eight double pictures which are to be used in connection with Part II and ten pictures to be used with Part III. Descriptors: Bilingual Education, Language Proficiency, Language Tests, Second Language Learning
(2004). Bilingual Lessons and Mathematical World Views–A German Perspective, International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education. With the globalization of human activities, profound foreign language skills are of increasing importance. Bilingual lessons are a promising opportunity to enable pupils to acquire greater foreign language competence within the school context. In Germany, however, a foreign language is rarely used as a learning and working language in mathematics lessons. This paper presents the results of research on subjective convictions of teachers about mathematics as a bilingual subject which underline the central role of mathematical world views in this context. [For complete proceedings, see ED489597.] [More] Descriptors: Global Approach, Foreign Countries, Language Skills, World Views
(2008). Students Learn English Better… Learning to Teach It!, GIST Education and Learning Research Journal. This article provides a brief theoretical framework as well as literature review and describes the activities of an on-going research program which examines the experiences of students and professors at a specialized bilingual teacher's college in the Republic of Colombia, South America. It follows the development of a new pedagogical model as these same students and professors adapt their higher education academic practices to the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP), which integrates English instruction into content-courses. [More] Descriptors: Literature Reviews, Student Experience, Teaching Experience, Bilingual Education
(2008). E-Learning in a University Interdisciplinary and Bilingual Context: Analysis of Students' Participation, Motivation and Performance, Multicultural Education & Technology Journal. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of virtual learning environments in multicultural higher education of two different subjects: foreign language and marketing. Design/methodology/approach: The paper describes the aims, development and results of an interdisciplinary collaboration project was held between two European universities through a webCT system, where students had to work on linguistic aspects and economic and management topics. Findings: Univariate analysis shows students to have a great interest in the project. Different multivariate techniques determine a strong positive relationship between students' participation, implication and motivation in the project and their individual final grades in the course. Regression also proved that the more exciting and challenging the class activities, and the higher the student's active participation, the better the results obtained by the student. Research limitations/implications: Even if it is an exploratory research that should be replicated in other contexts, both the qualitative and quantitative results seem to confirm the positive contribution of this interdisciplinary e-learning activity to the multicultural teaching-learning process. Originality/value: Results support the positive influence of interdisciplinary activities in the students' performance and the use of learning methods that facilitate active and cooperative learning through audiovisual pedagogical resources in multicultural contexts. [More] Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Class Activities, Multicultural Education, Program Effectiveness
(2008). Science Curriculum and Student Diversity: A Framework for Equitable Learning Opportunities, Elementary School Journal. We address issues of science curriculum for nonmainstream students–students of color, students learning English as a new language, and students from low-income families–who are often concentrated in urban schools. First, we describe a theoretical framework for equitable learning opportunities with nonmainstream students. Building on this framework, we then discuss challenges in designing and implementing science curriculum materials for these students. Although some of these challenges affect nonmainstream students more broadly, other challenges are more directly related to specific student groups. Next, we provide examples of curriculum development and research programs to illustrate key components in the theoretical framework and to highlight how these programs address challenges in curriculum design and implementation. Finally, we offer an agenda to guide future research and development efforts. We discuss how alternative, sometimes competing, theoretical views of curriculum development in the literature can be brought together in the context of high-stakes testing and accountability policy. [More] Descriptors: Curriculum Development, Urban Schools, Research and Development, Curriculum Design
(2004). The Tyranny of Democracy: Deconstructing the Passage of Racist Propositions, Journal of Latinos and Education. This article examines race-based propositions and the movidas used to garner electorate support for these initiatives, which amount to the "tyranny of the majority" trampling on the rights of the minority as has happened so many times during our nation's history in the name of democracy. Specifically, the passage of Proposition 227 in California is analyzed for the tactics and strategies used to ensure that support for the initiative was garnered. Suggestions are made for how communities of color can work together to counter these legal and political attacks that use half-truths and propaganda to gain widespread support. [More] Descriptors: Minority Group Children, Bilingual Education, Limited English Speaking, State Legislation
(2000). Online Professional Development for Adult ESL Educators. Many adult English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teachers and tutors, paid and volunteer alike, often have great difficulty finding the time, opportunity, and resources to get training in areas vital to adult instruction, such as principles of adult education and learning, second language acquisition theory, teaching methodology, and the use of technology in instruction. These challenges have contributed to recent interest in distance learning opportunities available via the Internet. This article examines the benefits and challenges of online professional development, surveys the range of options available to adult ESL teachers and tutors, and provides guidance in exploring and evaluating these options. Several Web sites are described and discussed. The details of online professional development opportunities are also examined, including discussion lists and chat groups, online newsletters and journals, available lessons, instructional activities, and curricula, staff development materials, Web sites of ESL organizations and institutions, and Web portals. The article concludes with a discussion of what is to be expected of online professional development in the future. Nine references are provided and 5 additional resources are suggested. (Adjunct ERIC Clearinghouse For ESL Literacy Education) [More] Descriptors: Adult Education, Computer Mediated Communication, English (Second Language), Professional Education
(2004). Literacy as Social Practice: Primary Voices K-6. Based on a view of literacy as social practice, this book highlights the ways in which classroom teachers and educators have practiced and imagined teaching literacy in everyday classrooms. The twelve essays published here originally appeared in the NCTE journal Primary Voices K-6 and highlight four key issues essential to literacy practice in elementary classrooms: (1) access; (2) meaning making; (3) inquiry; and (4) transformation. The individual essays challenge us to go beyond a view of literacy as a simple matter of skill and help to realize its transformative power. In providing a contemporary conceptual framework and further resources, the editors have looked not only back to Primary Voices K-6 but also forward, noting that the practices reported in the book represent only the tip of what is possible and including throughout the volume discussions of what the future might look like and how particular sets of social practices might mature and evolve. After the Preface and Introduction, the book is divided into four parts. Part I, Practices That Support Access, contains the following chapters and authors; (1) Learning with Jaime (Dianne Yoshizawa); (2) Talk during One-on-One Interactions (Sylvia Forsyth, Rosalie Forbes, Susan Scheitler, and Marcia Schwade); (3) Driven to Read (Carrie Kawamoto). Part II, Practices That Support Meaning Making, contains the next 3 chapters: (4) Community, Choice, and Content in the Urban Classroom (Amy Wackerly and Beth Young); (5) Revising Teaching: Drawing, Writing, and Learning with My Students (Elizabeth Olbrych); (6) Units of Study in the Writing Workshop (Isoke Titilayo Nia). Part III, Practices That Support Inquiry, contains 3 more chapters: (7) Bringing Children and Literature Together in the Elementary Classroom (Karen Smith); (8) Linking Authenticity and Advocacy in Assessment to Inclusion Tomas Enguidanos; (9) Cultures of the Fourth-Grade Bilingual Classroom (Eileen Craviotto, Ana Ines Heras, and Javier Espindola). Part Practices that Support Transformation, contains the final 3 chapters of the book: (10) Finding Our Way: Using the Everyday to Create a Critical Literacy Curriculum (Vivian Vasquez); (11) Making Real-World Issues Our Business: Critical Literacy in Third-Grade Classroom (Lee Heffernan and Mitzi Lewison); and (12) Critical Literacy: Enlarging the Space of the Possible (Christine H. Leland and Jerome C. Harste). This book also contains a section on Concluding Thoughts: The Future Is Ours for the Making; Editors; and Contributors. [More] Descriptors: Units of Study, Classroom Techniques, Writing Workshops, Bilingual Education
(2003). Reshaping Conflicts through School Ceremonial Events in Israeli Palestinian-Jewish Coeducation, Anthropology & Education Quarterly. Describes a joint Hanukkah/Id'l Fitter/Christmas celebration to examine Arab-Jewish coeducation aimed at encouraging students to take pride in their cultural heritage while experiencing and respecting others' heritages. Interviews with students, parents, teachers, and administrators indicated that the ritual highlighted alternative social realities and improved intergroup relationships through reduction of prejudice and discrimination. (Contains references.) [More] Descriptors: Arabs, Bilingual Education, Cultural Awareness, Cultural Pluralism
(2008). Raising the Achievement of English Language Learners in the Seattle Public Schools: Report of the Strategic Support Team of the Council of the Great City Schools. The Seattle Public Schools serve one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation. The school system's enrollment represents many racial and ethnic groups and includes students from around the world who come to Seattle speaking many languages and families who came to the city generations ago. The challenge facing Seattle and all other major city school systems across the country is to educate all of its students to the highest standards regardless of their national origin, native language, or previous educational experiences. District leadership of the district asked the Council of the Great City Schools to conduct a critical review of the school system's programs to teach students who are learning English as their second language. The Council Strategic Support Team found an instructional program serving its English language learners is highly fragmented, weakly defined, poorly monitored, and producing very unsatisfactory academic results. The report recommends an almost complete overhaul and reform of the district's efforts on behalf of its English language learners. The most important proposals are designed to strengthen English-language development efforts and to boost the ability to teach these students to the highest standards in the various content areas. Key proposals call for the school system to define its goals for the academic attainment of English language learners more precisely and to define the nature of its instructional programs for these students more deliberately. The report also calls for the infusion of greater accountability at all staff levels for improving the academic proficiency of English language learners as the district is working to close gaps among all children. The Council's team proposes to restructure the current program by replacing the pull-out approach that the school district now uses with an initiative that more systematically strengthens English-language development and mastery of core content. The report also calls on the district to develop a network of dual language programs for students across the school district. Other proposals are made to revamp the district's data systems, upgrade professional development, redefine and redeploy instructional assistants, and involve the community more intensely in the district's programming. Five chapters include: (1) Background; (2) Purpose and Origin of Project; (3) Findings; (4) Recommendations; and (5) Synopsis and Discussion. Six appendices are included: (1) Demographic History of Seattle Public Schools; (2) Excerpt from Washington State Standards; (3) Individuals Interviewed; (4) Documents Reviewed; (5) Strategic Support Team; and (6) About the Council. [More] Descriptors: Urban Schools, Public Schools, Ethnic Groups, State Standards
(2008). Neighborhood Social Processes and Academic Achievement in Elementary School, Journal of Community Psychology. To examine how neighborhood characteristics influence academic achievement, data were drawn from a community survey of low-income neighborhoods and linked with data on performance on standardized testing for third-grade students attending elementary schools in those communities. Results of multilevel logistic regressions indicated that probability of passing the reading portion of the test was associated with high neighborhood expectations for educational attainment and high collective socialization. Contrary to expectations, higher probability of passing reading was associated with higher fear of victimization and retaliation. Passing rates for the mathematics portion of the test were greater in neighborhoods with high levels of collective efficacy. Neighborhood economic impoverishment was not a significant predictor of passing after adjusting for neighborhood social characteristics. [More] Descriptors: Neighborhoods, Social Characteristics, Educational Attainment, Standardized Tests
(2004). Two-Way Immersion Bilingual Programs in Texas, Bilingual Research Journal. This article summarizes the results from the first statewide study of two-way immersion (TWI) programs for English language learners. The survey was conducted electronically with 304 Texas bilingual/English as a Second Language directors in districts that serve English language learners. Data are reported for the following research question: What information can be identified about TWI programs in Texas, specifically: (a) number of districts reporting TWI programs, (b) program types, (c) grade levels served, (d) number of classrooms at each grade level, (e) languages of instruction, (f) distribution of native Spanish and native English speakers, (g) TWI program by regional educational service center, and (h) years of implementation? This article concludes with implications for further research related to TWI programs in Texas and the United States. [More] Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Bilingual Education Programs, Immersion Programs, English (Second Language)
(2004). Towards Promoting Biliteracy and Academic Achievement: Educational Programs for High School Latino English Language Learners, High School Journal. The Latino student presently faces many obstacles to achieve educational equity and excellence at the high school level. This article examines academic programming for Latino middle and high school English language learners (ELLs) and provides recommendations for addressing programming that promotes biliteracy policy and programming as a valued outcome for academic and life success. One of the largest high school districts in California was selected to evaluate middle and high school programs for Latino ELLs. Eight quality indicators were used to assess the services to Latino ELLs. The study was guided by two research questions focusing on services to Latino ELLs to support and develop biliteracy development and competence. The findings revealed that while the school district has the capacity and personnel to provide pedagogically sound programs to Latino ELLs, the district is lacking the consistency and academic rigor needed to provide equal educational access. The results suggest the need for a language policy that is supportive of additive language programs that have multiliteracy as an educational standard. [More] Descriptors: Academic Achievement, High School Students, Middle School Students, Bilingual Education