Transcript session 3-17-15

SEDP 651: Multicultural and Global
Perspectives in Education
Language
•Culturally/Linguistically appropriate curriculum
•
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Diversity in Classrooms and
Schools

Understanding the U.S. Macroculture (Banks
& Banks, 1995)
◦ Equality of opportunities for individuals in society
◦ Individualism
◦ Social mobility through individual effort and hard
work
◦ Individualistic attitudes toward values and behaviors
◦ Belief in nation’s superiority
◦ Orientation towards materialism
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English Language Learners (ELLs)
How many language groups in the U.S.
public schools?
 What’s the difference between English
language learners (ELLs) and Limited
English Proficient (LEP) students?

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Terms
English language learners (ELLs) or English
Learners (EL)
 Linguistic minority (LM) students
 Linguistically diverse students

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Increasing Academic Success through School
Reflections (Cummins, 1992)
Minority students’ language and culture are
incorporated in the school program.
 Minority community participation is
encouraged.
 Instruction is used to motivate students to
use language actively to generate knowledge.
 Professionals involved in student testing are
advocates for minority students.
 Academic problems are located outside of
the student instead of within the student.

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Linguistic Diversity and
Second Language Acquisition
A growing number of students entering school
are learning English as a second language
 Teachers hold four common misconceptions
about how to teach these students

◦ Exposure and interaction will result in English language
learning
◦ All ELLs learn English in the same way and rate
◦ Good teaching for native learners and ELLs are the same
◦ Effective instruction means non-verbal support
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Factors affecting second language
acquisition
Situational factors
 Linguistic input
 Learner characteristics
 The learning and developmental process
 Secondary language output
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Strategies for Comprehensible
Linguistic Input
Selecting a topic of conversation familiar
to students
 Creating a context for what is being
discussed
 Using simpler sentence construction
 Repeating important phrases
 Incorporating students’ first language
into lesson
 Emphasizing key words

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Communication

The exchange of information and
ideas. Communication involves
encoding, transmitting, and decoding
messages. It is an interactive process
requiring at least two parties to play
the roles of both sender and receiver.
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Language

A code used by a group of people to
communicate with one another.
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4 Skill Areas +

Receptive skills:
◦ Reading: vocabulary, concepts of print, decoding,
comprehension, cognates
◦ Listening: sound identification, word identification,
meaning, clues for meaning, setting, types of speech

Expressive skills:
◦ Writing: letter formation, spelling, sentence
constructs, ideas into words, vocabulary, verb
conjugation, transitions, word choice/audience
◦ Speaking: sound production, accent reduction,
vocabulary, meaning, clues for meaning, setting, types
of speech
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What is the “+”?
In addition to the four skill areas of reading, writing,
speaking, and listening, there are some other factors to
consider
 Context: social or academic,
friend/stranger/professional, level of fear, meaningful
 Culture: cultural background, experience, level of feeling
welcome, prior education, familiarity with cultural
norms from second language (L2)
 Meta-cognitive skills: confidence, level of fear, ability to
self-correct, circumlocution, other coping skills

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Simultaneous vs. Sequential Second
Language Acquisition

Simultaneous second language acquisition
◦ Children learn two languages simultaneously
(before three years of age)
◦ The developmental pathway appears to be
similar to how monolingual children acquire
language (McLaughlin, 1984, 1995)
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Simultaneous vs. Sequential Second
Language Acquisition

Sequential second language acquisition
◦ Children learn a second language after three years of age
◦ Language development follows a different progression
◦ Language development is highly sensitive to characteristics of the
child and the language learning environment
◦ According to Tabors and Snow (1994), there is a four stage
developmental sequence:
 Home language use
 Nonverbal period
 Telegraphic and formulaic speech
 Productive language
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Social and Academic Language
BICS (Basic Interpersonal Communication
Skills)
 CALP (Cognitive Academic Language
Proficiency)
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BICS
Learned within 6 months to 2 years
 This is sometimes called playground language
 It is social language
 This is sometimes the reason why English
language learners (ELLs) get pushed through the
school system with less than adequate
support/instruction because it seems like they
can speak well and, therefore, have a high
English proficiency

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CALP
Learned within 5-7 years
 This is the academic language of school
 Major area of concern for states in regard to
English language proficiency and academic
achievement tests
 Consider what happens to our older students
who come in in grade 11 and have to get
academic content of biology, geometry, poetry,
essay writing, etc. and English as well
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Important Language
Considerations
(American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, 1982)
Language evolves within specific
historical, social, and cultural
contexts.
Language is rule-governed behavior.
Language learning and use are
determined by the interaction of
biological, cognitive, psychosocial,
and environmental factors.
Effective use of language for
communication requires a broad
understanding of human interactions,
including associated factors such as
nonverbal cues, motivation, and
sociocultural roles.
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Acquiring English as a
Second Language


Students who are learning English as a second
language (ESL) often exhibit error patterns that
can look like language disorders, when they are,
in fact, part of the normal process of secondlanguage acquisition.
Teachers must recognize these patterns to avoid
unnecessary referrals:
 Interference or transfer
 Silent period
 Code switching or code mixing
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Relationship Between
Communication Style and Culture


Culture has a strong influence on the style of
communication.
Communication style can be affected by factors
such as:
Gender
Age Roles
Status
Dialect
Rules of interruption and taking turns
Use of humor
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Relationship Between
Communication Style and Culture

Communication differences in style can
be manifested through nonverbal
means such as:
Gestures
Facial expressions
Physical space
Use of silence
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Multicultural Considerations in
Assessment


Because of the increasing numbers of
students who are culturally and
linguistically different and who require
services in ESL, teachers must consult to
obtain appropriate evaluation and
programming services.
Observation is an important form of
assessment, particularly when students
are linguistically diverse.
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