The Triangulation of the Science, English, and Spanish Languages and Cultures in the Classroom: Challenges for Science Teachers of English Language Learners

2013 ◽  
pp. 209-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Regina L. Suriel
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Uma Ganesan

English language learners (ELLs) are a talented pool of culturally and linguistically diverse students who are persistently increasing both in absolute size and percentage in the U.S. school population; however, they are underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields in college as well as in the workforce (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). Education and scientific communities have found it challenging to improve students’ participation in STEM fields (Martinez et al., 2011). Exploring science teachers’ experiences could aid in improving academic achievement of ELLs and promoting educational equity. The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to explore and describe the extrinsic and intrinsic aspects, support systems, and challenges that science teachers of ELLs experience at a public high school in a large Midwestern city in the United States. Data collection methods include individual in-depth, semi-structured and focus group interviews to analyze and search for dominant themes. The anticipated findings and discussion describe dominant themes, i.e., the overall essence of the phenomenon of teaching science to ELLs. Insights into teachers’ experiences will help educators, educational leaders, policy makers, and researchers to better understand methods to improve ELLs’ science outcomes. Potential limitations, implications, and possible areas for future research that could pave ways for increasing participation of ELLs in STEM fields and related careers are addressed


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Faatimah M. Murad

Increasing intakes of English Language Learners in British Columbia’s education system brought a wave of unforeseen challenges; with teachers insufficiently equipped to face this rapidly growing student demographic, and these students who similarly are undergoing challenges of their own. This research article explores some of these challenges while researching current systems set in place to minimize the struggles teachers report, and ultimately proposes a new and unique program that is built on a more supportive educational theoretical framework. A specific focus is drawn on the ELL science teachers’ struggles to modify content so as to maintain its rigor and lessen the language demands, while another is their struggle to employ a culturally responsive pedagogy in their practice. The findings showed much of the BC Ministry of Education’s approaches to be centered around reminders of roles and responsibilities upon teachers and their respective school districts, a select number of workshops that provide teachers with a multitude of strategies, and the sponsorship of outside sources that provide a deeper more prescribed set of strategies. The intention of this article is achieved through the design of a proposed program that uses a number of theoretical frameworks (i.e. Vygotskian perspective, Cummins’ (1983) language model, Tylerian Objectives-based approach) to ensure its success. Using activity theory with a Vygotskian framework, and a Tylerian objectives-based approach, a dual-purpose program is designed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (Spring) ◽  
pp. 115-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Leacox ◽  
Carla Wood ◽  
Gretchen Sunderman ◽  
Christopher Schatschneider

Author(s):  
Nancy Lewis ◽  
Nancy Castilleja ◽  
Barbara J. Moore ◽  
Barbara Rodriguez

This issue describes the Assessment 360° process, which takes a panoramic approach to the language assessment process with school-age English Language Learners (ELLs). The Assessment 360° process guides clinicians to obtain information from many sources when gathering information about the child and his or her family. To illustrate the process, a bilingual fourth grade student whose native language (L1) is Spanish and who has been referred for a comprehensive language evaluation is presented. This case study features the assessment issues typically encountered by speech-language pathologists and introduces assessment through a panoramic lens. Recommendations specific to the case study are presented along with clinical implications for assessment practices with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations.


Author(s):  
Vera Joanna Burton ◽  
Betsy Wendt

An increasingly large number of children receiving education in the United States public school system do not speak English as their first language. As educators adjust to the changing educational demographics, speech-language pathologists will be called on with increasing frequency to address concerns regarding language difference and language disorders. This paper illustrates the pre-referral assessment-to-intervention processes and products designed by one school team to meet the unique needs of English Language Learners (ELL).


2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-79
Author(s):  
Sara C. Steele ◽  
Deborah A. Hwa-Froelich

Nonword repetition performance has been shown to differentiate monolingual English-speaking children with language impairment (LI) from typically developing children. These tasks have been administered to monolingual speakers of different languages and to simultaneous and sequential bilingual English Language Learners (ELLs) with mixed results. This article includes a review of the nonword repetition performance of monolingual and bilingual speakers and of internationally adopted children. Clinical implications for administration and interpretation of nonword repetition task outcomes are included.


2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (16) ◽  
pp. 15-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henriette W. Langdon ◽  
Terry Irvine Saenz

The number of English Language Learners (ELL) is increasing in all regions of the United States. Although the majority (71%) speak Spanish as their first language, the other 29% may speak one of as many as 100 or more different languages. In spite of an increasing number of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who can provide bilingual services, the likelihood of a match between a given student's primary language and an SLP's is rather minimal. The second best option is to work with a trained language interpreter in the student's language. However, very frequently, this interpreter may be bilingual but not trained to do the job.


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