Article+Share


 * Suzanne Narain's Article Share**

The article “Immigrant Success Stories in ESL Textbooks” by Trevor Gulliver (2010) examines the representation of immigrants in Canada. This article is based on the assumption that the Canadian identity is presented in an “ideological square” (Gulliver: 730). The ideological square allows for the creation of binary identities like “us” and “them”. Gulliver explains that there are certain types of character traits that are associated with the “Canadian” identity and the “immigrant struggle”. Moreover, Gulliver asserts “in any construction of group identity, the overarching principle seems to be one of positive self-presentation and negative other-presentation” (730). In selected ESL textbooks, Gulliver demonstrates that the success of immigrants is used to normalize the trials and tribulations that most families face when settling in Canada. In many ways I can associate with the realities of the article in terms of the immigrant experience and normalized struggles. The particular assertion in this article that I am compelled by is the idea of dialogically placing immigrant identities within texts and enabling systematic racism and discrimination. Gulliver asserts that “the more dialogical options for framing other voices in a text include contradicting voices from differing discourses that challenge or problematize the assumptions of other voices in a text” (Gulliver 729). The image of the “other” is represented in way that is polemic and often negative, the other is often described in relation to the “dominant”. The immigrant stories that are usually discussed reflect that of hard, working, diligent people with good character; the realities of hardships and struggles are mentioned to establish the requirements of being a successful immigrant in Canada. I believe that Gulliver truly uncovers the norms that go unspoken for immigrants by giving voice to the stories that go unheard and describes the way in which Canada only allows certain immigrants to succeed.

This course has taught us how to be culturally sensitive to newcomer families and acknowledge their ways of being into our classrooms. Moreover, we were able to understand the hardships and struggles that newcomers face and empathize with that struggle. This article provides an inside into the loneliness and describes the difficulties adjusting to the Canadian way of life. Gulliver demonstrates the way in which Canada--at times enhance these struggles--for example bringing the most qualified immigrants to Canada, but not allowing them to work in their trained profession. Newcomers with higher education and professional qualifications more often than not have to work entry level jobs or labour intensive jobs. In a very practical way, this article, much like this class serves to remind us that newcomers have had a past life and one that needs to be respected.

“Immigrant Success Stories in ESL Textbooks” teaches us that it is important to disrupt the dominant stories that are told in textbooks about the immigrant experience and take the steps to tell more of the unheard stories. I believe by making newcomers and ELLs feel as though they are not alone and aware of the resources that are available to them and even allowing them to hear the stories of others gives them more solace when dealing with all of the emotions that comes with settling in a new country. As discussed in class, it just takes one adult to demonstrate that they care about an ELL student for them to succeed---what better way to do so than to include the student’s identity in your classroom.


 * Gulliver, Trevor. 2010. “Immigrant Success Stories in ESL Textbooks” TESOL Quarterly, Volume 44, Number 4, December 2010, pp 725-745**

**__Lily's Article Share:__**


 * Collier, Virginia P., and Wayne P. Thomas. "The Astounding Effectiveness of Dual Language Education for All." //NABE Journal of Research and Practice// 2.1 (2004): 1-19. **

__**http://njrp.tamu.edu/2004/PDFs/Collier.pdf**__

 The research by Virginia and Wayne speaks of the importance and success of implementing one-way and two-way dual language models in schooling. Through this article, the authors are able to prove that dual language is essential and beneficial for all ELL students. The authors lays out clearly that the students should be put into these dual language programs starting at a young age (kindergarten) so that they are accustomed to the system. This dual language program would include native English speakers in the classroom – it is not a classroom just for ELL students. The article shows that both parties benefit from being in the class. If the student who is a native English speaker because they were born in Toronto, but have a Chinese background, they could benefit from being put into this dual language class with other Chinese classmates who are learning English. The study shows that the students are able to learn from each other threw pulling knowledge based on culture, ethnicity, religion, and language and learn. The study also proves that administrators, teachers, and parents benefit greatly from this dual language classroom. Often times, parents of ELL students rarely get involved in the school or speak to teachers because language is a barrier for them. When this type of dual language program is set, the parents feel more comfortable and are willing to participate and get involved a lot more.

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 Through this type of program, dual language is used in the sense that in kindergarten, the usage of the student’s native language vs. English is a ratio of 90:10, and as the students move up in grade level, the ratio for English usage in the classroom increases to 80:20, 70:30, etc. Through this type of system, the students are able to use their native language in all forms of class work. For example, students can use both languages in a role-play. The students who are native English speakers can help ELL students learn how to speak English, and vice versa. Culture is also something that the students can add onto their assignments. It is not just a class where students have to learn only curriculum-based material. They are always welcome to bring their culture into the work that they do. ======

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 In the end, this study proves that this dual language model program works really well and students of both ends benefit greatly from it. The school environment becomes more family-like and is more holistic. The students are more friendly towards each other and there is generally a greater acceptance for each other and the different cultures. ======

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 Although this seems ideal, this system will never work in the Ontario schools. This article is great to keep in mind simply because Toronto is extremely multicultural, and immigrants tend to move to areas where there are many people of the same kind – ethnicity, race, culture, religion, etc. In these schools where this is prominent, teachers can definitely use dual language to support student learning, and this can open up an opportunity for students to learn their own culture, if they are foreign to it (born in Canada, but not a Canadian background). ======

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 This article sheds light on the importance of dual language classrooms to support the ESL students, but speaks on how the native English speakers can benefit as well. I think this is a resource that can open your eyes to trying something new in the classroom. ======

Adrian D - Using Graphic Novels/Comics with ELLs
[]

 The article I found that will be useful for my inquiry is Bill Templer’s, //Graphic Novels in the ESL Classroom//from the Humanizing Language Teaching magazine. His paper encompasses a number of issues when it comes to graphic novels and their place in the schools and mainstream society. He begins with the idea of graphic narrative materials are an excellent means to reduce the “affective filters” of anxiety and lack of confidence blocking student pleasure in learning L2. They can spark student interest, thus increasing acquisition of L2 and invigorating kids to become “autonomous acquirers”. He goes on to discuss how they sharpen and deepen visual literacy and serves as an important multimodal learning tool, schooling multiple intelligences. Students drawing their own comics to tell the basic narrative of a text they are reading, or to invent a comic of their own is a form of active multimodal production – individual and collaborative -- that teachers can readily experiment with in their own classrooms everywhere. Templer makes it clear that graphic novels, biographies and histories can serve as a unique and powerful motivator to stimulating English language learners to more independent free voluntary reading. He points out that much graphic narrative material is especially suitable as “young adult literature,” a recognized underdeveloped focus for literature in the ESL classroom. The last focus of this article is the idea of graphic novels, biographies and graphic histories addressing crucial issues in society such as racism, war, poverty, justice, inequality, and gender rights. These are the core of education for citizenship which is a desired focus for children’s books. In the school board that I have volunteered in, I already see more and more graphic novels filling out the school libraries. I have not seen it used in the ESL classrooms as much, but I have seen it a few times in other classroom settings. I do agree with Templer that graphic novels can deepen and sharpen visual literacy since we now live in a generation where a vast majority of the information we receive is indeed visual. One theoretical avenue that this article mentioned that I have come across in my teaching experience is the idea of multi-modal learning. It balances the notion of allowing students to not only take in information differently, but to produce what they have learned in a variety of ways. This also speaks to Blooms multiple intelligences where it is up to the know how of educators to help facilitate the learning styles of each individual student.

Yara Elarabi
Article Share

Jonathan Inacio
ELL and SmartBoards

**Taha Berenjian**
Please click the PowerPoint file below to view my Article Share:



Hi...can we all post our article share here

Anne Dillon
Article Share: = "//Scaffolding oral language development through poetry for students learning English"// = = Nancy L. Hadaway, Sylvia M. Vardell, Terrell Young =

===In this article, the authors evaluate the many, varied benefits of using poetry across the curriculum to improve the oral language development of elementary aged students. While the article emphasizes the positive impacts of poetry on all students, there is a particular emphasis throughout on the English language learners in our classrooms. The authors argue that poetry is "especially appropriate" for our English language learners because of its concise nature, its use of repetition, rhyme and rhythm, and the fact that it is a form of literature best experienced in an oral, collaborative manner. There is much praise in the article for the use of //choral reading// as a tool for improving oral language. For it allows students to build on the essential oral skills of pronunciation, expression, and fluency in a non-threatening environment. Students can begin by simply listening to their teacher read the poem, then take part in some or all of a class choral reading, possibly later engage in small group readings or reader's theatre, followed by solo readings when their comfort level and/ or fluency leads them to embrace that challenge. The article also recommends that poetry be studied as a type of text that we explore mainly for personal relevance or connection. Students will be much more willing to explore and deconstruct a poem when they are confident that there are no wrong answers. A poem is not a puzzle to solved. I agree that poetry is a natural fit for English language learners. It works on various levels, many of which are touched upon in this article. One approach I found particularly intriguing was the idea of having students illustrate images/ lines from the poem. This would benefit our ELLs in the earlier stages of language acquisition because they could create a visual representation rather than a piece of writing to explain an image/ chosen word. They would also benefit from seeing the visual representations of their classmates to aid in their overall comprehension of the poem's language and content. Another reason I like poetry for teaching ELLs is that it easily allows for the use of a dual language approach in the classroom. Resources can sometimes be an issue when dealing with longer texts, but there is such an abundance of powerful, meaningful, diverse poetry on the internet that we really do have the world at our fingertips when teaching poetry. We could easily populate our classroom with a variety of poetry that speaks to and about the experiences, struggles, and expectations that our particular set of students have had. We could ask our ELLS to translate a poem we are studying as a class into their first language, or even create a piece of poetry in their first language using a simple structured form. If they are more confident with the language and keen to experiment with words, a freeform poem. I do feel the options for poetry are limitless. With proper modelling and continued scaffolding, we can invite all of our students to explore the immense power and intense impact that a few well chosen words can have.===

Danielle Tanganco Article Share: “ESL and Canadian Multiculturalism: Multilingual, Intercultural Practices for the 21st Century” By Seonaigh MacPherson, Diana Turner, Ranya Khan Warren Hingley, Ann Tigchelaar, and Lori Dustan Lafond [] The article “ESL and Canadian Multiculturalism: Multilingual, Intercultural Practices for the 21st Century” is a collaborative initiative of Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) professionals in Manitoba. The authors articulate the role of the ESL teaching profession and practice in Canadian multiculturalism, and recount the evolution of ESL teachers’ role as (formerly) agents of assimilation and integration to (currently) promoters of equity, diversity, and Canadian multiculturalism. Although the ESL teachers’ professional responsibility formerly revolved only around the restricted domain of English language studies, the authors persuasively argue about broader concerns that ESL teachers now face: multilingualism, multiculturalism, first-language and cultural maintenance, explicit promotion of equity, diversity, and anti-racism through education. Through this article, the authors attempt to answer the question: “how can the field (of TESL) reorient itself to serve the equity and diversity needs of Canadians?” The argument of the paper gives a response: the promotion of more multilingual, intercultural approaches to ESL/SESD (Standard English as a Second Dialect) classes.

The authors of this article persuasively argue that Canada has had a long history of perpetuating assimilation into anglicized norms. This article talks about complex ideas of how English language education paradoxically both facilitates and undermines equity: on the one hand, English language education disadvantages non-English-speaking students by forcing them into cultural and linguistic assimilation. On the other hand, access to English or French (as one of the official languages of Canada) is a key component to realizing equitable conditions for well-being in Canada.

I definitely agree that the majority of English language education has been “subtractive assimilation” instead of the pursuit of multilingual/intercultural outcomes. In my experience, the English language education system involves a paradigm of bringing in multicultural and multilingual students, with the goal of re-creating and moulding them into monocultural and monolingual beings. Instead of the concept of simply “adding English” into the students’ repertoire of languages and skills, the English language education system instead sees students as blank slates, with the English language to fill these blank slates.

I also think that the authors do an excellent job of explaining multiculturalism and interculturalism as two distinct concepts. Multiculturalism merely means that several cultures exist in the same place. Interculturalism, however, involves “participating in two or more cultures and the ability to move between and across them effectively and with some degree of intention” (5). Thus, instead of simply teaching students to be functional citizens of a multicultural society, we should instead teach them to be functional citizens of an intercultural Canada and an intercultural global community.

This article is rich in theoretical connections to course content. For example, this article argues that ESL and other second-language classrooms must offer conditions to foster intercultural awareness and communication explicitly. The article also speaks to all TESL professionals with regards to our professional responsibilities. Although specifically responsible for teaching the English language to non-native speakers of English, the TESL professional’s responsibilities must also include: “(1) respecting and supporting students’ native languages and cultures, (2) understanding multilingualism as a key component of Canadian multiculturalism and ESL as a process of ‘adding English’, (3) providing an //intercultural// education that offers the knowledge, skills, and values to move between and across multiple cultures, with sensitivity to the challenges posed by the need to negotiate multiple cultures and identities” (8-9).

The article also offers practical connections to course content, specifically addressing four student bodies that TESL professionals serve in particular: (a) first and second generation immigrant and refugee students, families, and communities; (b) Aboriginal students, families, and communities; (c) Deaf students, families, and communities; and (d) international students. Although the article extensively covers each student body in detail, especially in the area of language development, TESL in bilingual language programs, and implications for professional development, for the purposes of this article share I can only cover them briefly. In this article, the authors argue that equity must be a key principle of Canadian multiculturalism and requires continuing assessment and funding for all learners to meet their individual proficiency needs. The authors also advocate the development of bilingual or dual-language programs in ESL or SESD and heritage languages or dialects for communities with sufficiently large numbers of students. Finally, the authors urge all teachers in Manitoba to be professionally trained to teach ESL, bilingual literacies, multilingual and intercultural approaches to ESL. The authors also add that sensitivity training may help teachers better understand the literacy, technological, and psychological-emotional challenges facing many students. The authors of this article also greatly emphasize the need for the partnership of TESL professionals and the student bodies they serve. For example, serious consideration needs to be given to developing programs and hiring Aboriginal teacher educators for support. Additional support may come from elders and Aboriginal leaders with specialized linguistic or cultural knowledge.

I believe this article urges me as an ESL teacher to remember that I must prepare my curriculum with a multilingual, intercultural approach. English as a second language instruction needs to complement, not replace, the central place of my students’ first language(s) and culture(s). This article also urges me to be intentional about collaborating with different communities, especially those of the student bodies that I serve, to develop culturally appropriate content and ways to teach my students. English language education must be situated in the broader context of second-language education in a multilingual, intercultural world (Canadian and global).

Tanya Matsuoka **Article Share: Art Education and the Possibility of Social Change** **by Peggy Albers** The article by Peggy Albers covers the importance of art education within our student’s lives. Essentially, she argues that art provides students with the tools to identify and construct how they view the world. It also allows them to reveal their own beliefs about social location, gender, race and class. Albers demonstrates that student’s retention of literacy through the arts can be a much more effective way of learning than through other curricular content areas. She writes, “unlike the texts in other areas that take time to read, with art we stop, respond, and reflect in a matter of moments”. Altogether, she believes that critical conversations through the arts is an effective way of instilling social change. From a socially just perspective, we can teach our students how to deconstruct some ideologies (ie. pink is for girls, blue is for boys) but at the same time help them in their language acquisition skills. For example, drama is an important form of art because it requires students to create, practice, perform, and reflect while also improving on their literacy skills, (more specifically their oral language acquisition). I definitely agree with Peggy Albers when she argues that art education is critical within our schools. Especially with ELL’s, I feel that differentiated instruction is key and drama for example provides students with the opportunity to learn in new ways. It definitely meets the needs of the kinetic, verbal, visual, and creative learner. Likewise, it provides ELL’s with the opportunity to work collaboratively with other students as well as learn about non-verbal social cues. Alber’s article has explored some interesting ways of helping ELL students feel welcomed. For example, the students who will be learning English in Taiwan can be asked to perform a skit using dual language scripts as well as incorporating some elements of their own culture. It is also a good way of exposing these students to some familiar and new vocabulary as they prepare to present it to the class. The article also provided a new light on the value of art education. She makes a good point about schools boards placing most of the emphasis on literacy and numeracy rather than the arts and this puts some students at risk**.** Ultimately, the article provides some new and critical insight onto the world of art education and encourages teachers to implement it in a more effective and meaningful way throughout their classroom.

//TESOL Quarterly, 35//: 307-322. Taylor, Tracy and Doherty, Alison (2005) 'Adolescent sport, recreation and physical education: experiences of recent arrivals to Canada', Sport, Education and Society, 10: 2, 211 — 238. Print
 * Nick Vescio**

Taylor and Doherty’s article //Adolescent sport, recreation and physical education: experiences of recent arrivals to Canada//, looks at the perceived benefits and challenges of sport, recreation and physical education participation of culturally diverse adolescent girls and boys who are recent arrivals to Canada. This article analyzes newcomers to Canada and their experiences within sport, recreation and physical education particularly English as a Second Language (ESL) students. It further discusses the relationships between ethnicities, first language and personal identification with their own cultural norms and the likelihood of participation in physical activity. Nuances were uncovered in the study and further studies in addendum to this one will likely take place.

Taylor and Doherty write about issues surrounding individual socio-economic status are barriers to physical education and recreation for most people. Prominent with new comers to Canada, “racial and ethnic discrimination have been identified as significant constraints to physical education, leisure and recreation participation“ as well as “race and gender school experiences have been found to influence male and female outlooks on lifestyle options”. Findings show that a direct link between the sports high school aged children chooses to participate in is associated with student’s unconscious desire to keep their culture alive. New immigrant students had a tendency to choose sports such as soccer and basketball as appose to the average Canadian student choices of hockey, baseball and basketball.

The article is helpful for potential teachers because is raises questions on how language, cultural identity, and gender influence students physical recreation choices. “Race and gender experiences in a variety of settings including school can also have a cumulative effect on adolescents’ outlook towards education”. This information is useful when selecting sports for participation in a classroom.

Physical education classrooms that I have observed often have students sitting out not participating because students do not like the sport that is taking place. I think that this article raises great questions around the choices I will make as the PHE teacher. Choices I make are subconsciously reflective of my own cultural background thus I need to be aware of those biases and choose sport and activities reflective of my students. One approach I will use to achieve this talking to my students about what they would like to learn and participate in. I feel that this article supports my personal teaching philosophy, student centered. By taking this approach I hope to increase ELL student’s participation in PHE classes thus creating an inclusive environment.

The article also looks at issues of gender and how sport can alleviate depression and negative feelings in women. Also, an expected area mentioned was the fun aspect of increased participation.

PHE classrooms are an interactive and fun way to increase interaction among new comers to Canada and students who have lived in Canada their whole lives. Students can share and build on previous knowledge to increase confidence, social skills and communication. This article does not mention how students and teachers can work together or how socio-economic status can be confronted head on in a classroom to break down barriers to physical education. Further research is needed in this area.

I feel that this article reinforces my ideology of how all classrooms should look. Inclusive education benefits everyone in a class by tearing down previous barriers by increasing student participation through cultural relevant sport.

Article Share “The Role of Music in Young Learners’Oral Production in English” written by Daniel Fernando PerezNino
 * OlgaShvetsova**

This article reports the findings of theresearch conducted at the National Columbian University in 2009 among students between the ages of 12-18. The author examines how oral proficiency in the foreign language can be enhanced through music, and how the activities applied by a music teacher helped to reinforce the learning of other aspects of the second language. Describing the research, the author touches upon some very important points. For example, he states that learning a second language is very different from studying other subject-areas because it involves learning a different culture, traditions and many years of history associated with it. In addition, he argues that students’ responses to learning language with the help of music were very positive. Thinking over my inquiry, one of my major concerns was about how teenagers would react to such across-subject area strategy. Would they be comfortable to sing in class? The results of the research presented in this work demonstrate that it highly depends on the ability of the teacher to build a safe and inclusive environment in the classroom in which everybody is respected and sensitive to each other. He also points out that the variety of alternatives the teacher gives the students is important, as it allows them to take ownership for the choices they make and as a result, their enjoyment of the process. Thus, having implemented those principles, music will serve as a great motivational tool and can help the teacher to facilitate language acquisition as well as to make the class enjoyable. Thereafter, the author talks about the physiological and psychological changes which adolescents go through,discussing the personality and identity development of young learners. The social pressure they experience in adolescence, personal self-esteem and values they are trying to establish for themselves are key factors at this age. Before I read this article, I had not thought about the role of music as emotional support for students. This triggered some new questions for me. How can I establish a high level of comfort for my students so that they all become active participants of music activities? How can I incorporate music from their cultures? What types of musical activities, genres, and styles I should use?

Maria Bojagora:

__ Article Share __

Chesterfield Ray and Kathleen (1985). “Natural Order in Children’s Use of Second Language Learning Strategies,” in //Applied Linguistics.// Vol. 6 No. 1.

Ray and Kathleen Chesterfield report on the use of second language learning strategies in a bilingual program. The participants are Mexican-American, Spanish speaking, English Language Learners in pre-kindergarten to grade one. The goal of the study was to measure the effectiveness of different communicative strategies on students’ oral language acquisition. The study found twelve main strategies used by children to increase language competence. The authors placed these strategies on a hierarchy according to value. In the end, Chesterfield and Chesterfield found that high levels of oral language proficiency were associated with a varied use of strategies.

The two communicative strategies found to be the least effective for language learning were repetition and memorization. The two strategies that were the highest on the list included requesting clarification and role-play. After reading articles and listening to various guest speakers I am more convinced that it would make sense for role-play to be the highest on the list as the most effective language learning strategy, especially if the role-play is conducted in a meaningful setting. When students are placed in a situation where they take ownership over their own learning, where they are directly involved and participating in an interactive environment, then they are more likely to learn more quickly. This strategy, as opposed to repeating lines in a workbook, causes students to individually experience and take part in the language by using it, making mistakes and learning from them. This article is most valuable because it provides a hierarchical sample list of strategies that children use naturally. The authors clearly state that it is important to have variety in the class, but that experiential learning is most effective of all strategies, and that in order to allow students to use this natural strategy, it is the teacher’s role to facilitate this.



**__ Bailey Rose: Article Share __** **// A Secondary School Career Education Program for ESL Students //**

//A Secondary School Career Education Program for ESL Students// is an article about the ESL Co-Op program offered at two schools in the Vancouver area. The article addresses pros and cons of the program as well as opinions of teachers, parents and students involved. The program offers enables ESL students who are at risk of obtaining a high school diploma to gain workplace and employability skills. A drawback of the program is the students do not receive a high school diploma upon completion. The students still must acquire the necessary credits, however these students would not be able to complete them by the time they turned 19 (the maximum age to be enrolled in high school in British Columbia). The article also addresses the challenges educators face when convincing parents of the benefits of the program. Immigrant parents want their children to pursue a post secondary education in college or university, and not entering the workplace or pursuing an apprenticeship. The article also discusses issues faced by the ELLs in their ESL courses as well as mainstream courses. Many of the students feel they acquire more language and communication skills in mainstream classrooms, however there is very little support from mainstream teachers. The ESL teachers are seemingly the only ones that care.

I agree with the authors that this program is of great benefit to the ELL students. If the students are at risk of not completing their high school diploma by the time they reach 19, they should at least be leaving high school with workplace and employability skills. I agree with the authors that dealing with the immigrant parents and their high expectations of higher-level education can be a great challenge to overcome.

This article makes practical connections to the course content by alignment with the severity of the at risk situations the ELLs are facing. The particular struggles of ELLs who have arrived in Canada and begun taking courses in high school are presented. These students are at risk when they walk through the door and have no chance of achieving a diploma by the time they must exit the school at 19. I have a greater appreciation for our system in Ontario, allowing the students to remain in school until the age of 21. The article places emphasis on the role of the ESL teacher and the need to foster a positive relationship with the students, because the ESL teachers are the only link for the students in the school and to the workplace. The article strengthens my belief that caring, compassion, empathy and advocacy are keys to the success of these students not only in high school, but also in providing them with the skills they need for success. The article also furthers my belief the students need to understand their postsecondary options and that apprenticeships and skilled trades are NOT simply an alternative.

This article reflects the current realities of my school because as a teacher with the Continuing Education Department with the TDSB, I see a number of students who have ‘aged out’ and are still trying to achieve their credits because their career choices require the credits. However, I would like to believe that my board does more for newcomers than these two schools in Vancouver appear to be doing.

Wyatt-Beynon, June, Roumiana Ilieva, Kelleen Toohey, and Linda Larocque. "A Secondary School Career Education Program for ESL Students." //Curriculum Inquiry// 31.4 (2001): 399-420. Web. 6 Jun 2011.

//Adolescent ESL Students’ Interpretation and Appreciation of Literary Texts: A Case Study of Multimodality// []

//__Article__//: //Adolescent Students’ Interpretation and Appreciation of Literary Texts: A Case Study of Multimodality// by Margaret Early and Sondra Marshall.
//__Case Study__//
 * Good resource for visual and dual language strategies.*
 * Lord Byng Secondary School in Vancouver
 * Sondra Marshall – ESL and English teacher and 2 classes of ‘transitional’ English. (Mostly Gr. 10, but Gr. 8-11 – Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Russian, Farsi, Korean, Romanian)
 * Goal: To scaffold ESL learners in English literature by using visually symbolic representations of key elements (theme, style, character) in short stories
 * Students very weak reading/writing) (e.g., Gr. 5-8 reading comprehension)
 * Classes observed over __ 4 week period __ – interviewed, observed, self-eval, teacher eval

__Theory__: Students have trouble interpreting complex and abstract written concepts. à Transmediation: Translating signs of one system to another. Constructing meanings in different systems may afford deeper understanding, engagement and learning opportunities

Basically, if teachers use multimodal strategies (specifically signs and symbols), they can better comprehend literature.

__Strategy__: Multimodal Written (literature) à visual (interpretation) à oral (group discussion/presentation) à written (final essay)
 * All of these steps were infused with opportunities for the students to use their L1 to brainstorm, collaborate and discuss before completing the task.

__Results__: __Conclusion__: __What can other teachers learn from my inquiry and the article?__ 1) Constructing meanings in different systems (e.g., visual or oral) may afford deeper understanding, engagement and learning opportunities. 2) Dual language strategies can be combined with other strategies to enhance reading comprehension. Written (literature) à visual (interpretation) à oral (group discussion/presentation) à written (final essay) 3) Having students re-read and collaborate in English and L1, may not just improve understanding of vocabulary and text, but promotes critical thinking by “harnessing the cultural, social, and intellectual capital that students bring to school” (e.g., L1 skills). 4) Collaboration and discussion can foster social skill development. 5) Promoting home language development in bilingual learners does not hinder the acquisition of English or academic performance in other areas. 6) We can incorporate dual language strategies in any subject at any level.
 * First reflection and interview – 26/28 students said mandala helped interpretation
 * Group collaboration builds insight, understanding, sharing, critical thinking à social/interpersonal communication
 * They used L1 to facilitate understanding and understand complex ideas *
 * Subsequently could deconstruct poems, make connections and use language (proof of improvement reported by Sondra)
 * Analysis of the data strongly suggests that multimodal (visual/verbal) transmediated interpretation afforded these ESL students a ‘deep reading’ of a literary text
 * Promoted an extended concept of literacy, one that links visual and verbal
 * Written, visual, oral practice in collaborative group setting

Stefanie Liassides
“Language immersion programs for young children? Yes ... but proceed with caution: young children can benefit from dual-language immersion programs that are developmentally appropriate” (Report). COPYRIGHT 2010 Phi Delta Kappa, Inc.

By: [|Anne K. Soderman]

The article written by Anne K. Soderman is about dual-language immersion programs in Beijing, China that provide schooling to children in English and in Mandarin. Soderman carefully opens the article with a conversation between two five year old children attending 3e International in Beijing and they are speaking to each other about how full they are in English. However, neither of children have English as their first language. This article speaks to the importance of attending and having a dual language program all over the world. In order to become better world-wide citizens, students need to be able to communicate and understand language and culture in order to truly achieve multiculturalism. Furthermore, Soderman raises the point that in order to remain a competitive country with economic success, national security and hold strong international relations, the people within a country should be knowledgeable in several languages. The article is also helpful in addressing how early to begin such programs, how to do it, and the benefits of having these programs on student success.

Overall this is a helpful article in showing the benefits of using dual-language model approaches in any classroom. Although this article is specifically interested in starting these immersion programs at an early age, I find that maintaining such programs in later years are just as important. I also agree with several of the points made in the article regarding cognitive advantages and high levels of success. If we follow the guidelines provided in this article for all level students, we will have very proficient and highly successful students in all areas of the class.

This article raises many theoretical and practical connections to course content that I have explored both in a classroom and through research discourse. The first interesting connection made in the article deals with the reflection of student’s ability to problem solve and develop those thinking skills to be successful in a range of subjects. For instance, students whose first language is Mandarin may select a word in Mandarin first and then begin to problem solve the word in English. These problem solving tools can be used in math to solve a problem, or perhaps in a law classroom when giving a presentation etc. Another interesting connection made by the author is the dislike of textbooks and workbooks for students. Instead teachers should be coming up with interactive activities that can relate to students previous knowledge while building and skills and concepts. This article also emphasizes the importance of teachers, students, parents, and administration all working together to develop a successful dual language program. If not all members of the community work towards developing and maintaining a carefully constructed program, students will not benefit from such a program.

The information offered in this article definitely influenced the way in which I would like to run my ESL classes. I feel better equipped from the research described by Soderman to successfully use dual language strategies within my history or law secondary classroom. Although the results written were specifically targeted to primary level students, it doesn’t necessarily mean that all students are beginning their education in English at such a young age. The same tools can be delivered to students of any age.

I feel that the article reflects some of the strategies that many teachers are trying to implement within their classroom, however not across the entire Toronto District School Board. I am unaware of many dual language immersion programs in the secondary classroom. The French and English immersion programs are pretty popular within the TDSB. However, as a our demographics shift I find it important to implement more dual language classroom programs, such as Mandarin, Arabic, etc.

Sinead Owens Susi Long //Research in the Teaching of English//
 * Learning to Get along: "Language Acquisition and Literacy Development in a New Cultural Setting"**

Vol. 33, No. 1 (Aug., 1998), pp. 8-47 Published by: [|National Council of Teachers of English] Article Stable URL: []

Summary:

This article is about a woman (the author) who moves to Iceland from the USA with her husband and her daughter Kelli, who is in elementary school. Neither Susi nor Kelli speak any Icelandic, but Susi attributes Kelli’s rapid oral proficiency development of the language to her participation in after school play with her native-speaking Icelandic peers. Although Susi was taking Icelandic lessons throughout their year-long stay, Kelli’s Icelandic, particularly when spoken, improved much quicker overall than did her mother’s. Long hypothesizes that this is because of Kelli’s experience playing with her peers after school, wherein she was able to experiment with the language in a non-judgemental environment. She and her friends would play outside and inside, go rollerskating, and do other activities like that. When she didn’t have the language to communicate at all with them, they would use non-linguistic oral communication. Long made a list of all the things she observed her daughter and her friends doing: laughter, intonated sound, action and facial expression, performance, invented words, familiar objects, written word, and using English. She also had the added benefit of the friends’ parents who were able to speak English, as well as her teacher at school who could speak English. Through this after school activity, she was able to learn the rules and customs of Iceland and pick up the language fairly quickly, although she still had trouble in the long run with academic, written fluency.

How it relates:

This is relevant to my topic because I am researching the benefit of co-curricular activities for ELLs’ oral communication skills. Long presents a case in favour of language learners to participate in extra- and co-curricular activities with native speaking peers, such as after school clubs, sports, or even just non-school affiliated play. This gives the learner a chance to experiment with oral communication in a casual setting that isn’t moderated or being evaluated (or perceived as being evaluated) by a teacher. My research thus far has shown me that extra-curricular activities of any kind that involve native speakers tend to improve the ELLs’ English speaking skills. Kelli is an excellent example of this, and gives the description to her mom of her language learning so fast that it is “zooming” and her mother’s learning so slow that it is “chugging along”. I believe it to be to the benefit of any child to partake in after-school activities with native speaking peer groups so that they, too, can scale the oral language learning curve and become more comfortable speaking both outside of the classroom and in.


 * Punam Dhaliwal - Article Share**

[|Region of Peel. Peel Newcomer Strategy Group. “Meeting the Needs of Immigrants Throughout the Lifecycle.” By Judith K. Bernhard, Ilene Hyman, and Ellen Tate. 2010.]  This paper focuses on new immigrants to Canada and the various difficulties they face, specific to their age group. The paper begins with a discussion on early childhood, by examining child care and education programs, and then proceeds with an in-depth look at first, 1.5 and second generation immigrant youth. This section is the most relevant to my inquiry because it discusses social inclusion and academic disengagement. The authors discuss the identity formation process in adolescents and how this is complicated by their status as either a first, 1.5 or second generation immigrant. The importance of the development and maintenance of heritage languages is mentioned, particularly in relation to language proficiency and the concept of different varieties of English. This in turn is connected to social inclusion, with an examination of how to create a sense of belonging and well-being for immigrant youth. The topic of “cultural marginalization,” but the main focus of this paper is provide ways in which social structures can be improved to allow for a better understanding of the needs of immigrant youth. As my inquiry is focused on youth and parents, I believe these suggestions will be important in discussing how to break down barriers to increase further involvement of parents in their child`s education. The most interesting point the writers make is the need for youth to feel accepted in their new society. I believe this relates to my focus on transitioning from middle school to high school because just as the students; two of the students I will focus on my inquiry came to Canada at the beginning of grade 5, and had to adjust the school system only having to move to another school the following year. The students are now at the cusp of yet another transition, and will once again seek social inclusion in their new school. I would like to focus on the suggestions the authors offer to ease this transition process and apply it to my own analysis.