Syllabus 4 - the Center for Teaching Excellence!

University of Hawai‘i
Department of Second Language Studies
SLS 730 K-12 Second Language Theory and Teaching
Fall 2010 Thursday 3-5:50
Instructor: Kathryn A. Davis Office: Moore 555
E-mail: kathrynd@hawaii.edu
Office Hours: By appointment
Course Description
This seminar is designed to explore a range of ESL, EFL, and bilingual/multilingual policy,
curriculum, and pedagogical theories and methods to inform primary and secondary school
curriculum development and instruction. Readings, class discussions, and course projects will
focus on the following questions:
How do current schooling policies and structures relate to local educational, social, and
economic needs? In particular, in what ways do current English language learner policies
and programs reflect second language/bilingual learning needs across diverse
populations? Are ESL and EFL students provided with the skills and knowledge needed
in this current era of transnationalism and 21 st literacy? What is the potential and what
are the obstacles for educational and economic advancement among all ELL/EFL
students?
In what ways can language-in-education policies and SL pedagogical practices best meet
the needs of students within the particular countries and local communities of interest to
course participants? Given the top-down and conserving tendencies of language-ineducation
policy-making (Lin, 2006), how can teachers work within, outside, and/or
challenge the system to support their students? In other words, how can second language
learning/teaching theories and methods effectively inform socially and culturally situated
schooling?
In addition to reading about and discussing primary and secondary school second
language teaching methods, for the final course project, participants will conduct
preliminary investigations of language policies, student needs, and school practices in
their particular country or community of interest. To engage in preliminary studies on the
above issues, the course includes readings/discussion on research methods appropriate to
this exploration such as policy analysis, interviews, narratives, participant observation,
and participatory action research.
The readings and final project are intended to provide course participants with the ability to: 1)
gain meta-awareness of how educational policies impact second language teaching and learning
and 2) determine ways to meet students’ needs by putting theory into practice within the
geographic, social, cultural, and economic lived spaces of their current and future students. .
Course Readings:
Course readings will be posted at Laulima or the source indicated in the Topics and Readings of
the syllabus.

Course Topics and Assignments:
We will be using Laulima not only to post announcements, readings, and assignments, but also to
share ideas about readings and personal/professional experiences with second language K-12
teaching. You’re required to post weekly reflections and discussion questions regarding readings
and related topics and also respond to questions that will be posted by the instructor and
classmates. These questions and exchanges on Laulima will form the basis of class discussions.
Each student is also asked to sign up to be discussion leader. Discussion leaders should include
Laulima questions and provide additional questions and/or resources (e.g. Teacher YouTube,
guest speakers, additional readings).
As stated in the course description, in addition to reading about and discussing primary and
secondary school second language teaching methods, for the final course project, participants will
conduct preliminary investigations of language policies, student needs, and school practices in
their particular country or community of interest. To engage in preliminary studies on the above
issues, the course includes readings/discussion on research methods appropriate to this
exploration such as policy analysis, interviews, narratives, participant observation, inquiry as
stance, and participatory action research. You may additionally either adapt or design curriculum
to fit with your own situation (see examples below). Class members will periodically present
their work-in-progress projects throughout the semester (see Course Topics and Readings).
Inquiry Learning: Teacher and Student Research across Sociocultural Borders and
Boundaries
The course instructor is currently working on two projects that cross sociocultural, geographic,
content area, and grade level borders and boundaries. These projects involve: 1) Hawai’i DOE
in-service teacher courses, co-developed and taught with Hye-sun Cho and 2) a collaborative
project with the School of Transborder Studies at Arizona State University and the Secretaría de
Educación, Departamento para la Formacíon Docente (Teacher Education Department), Guerero,
Mexico. Both projects are intended to help teachers develop research abilities through their own
studies of local human and material resources (funds of knowledge) as well as in collaborative
exploration of ways in which to develop age appropriate student inquiry abilities. Through
project- and inquiry-based curriculum across grade levels and/or content areas, teachers help
students explore issues of local and/or personal concern, especially as these connect with global
conditions. Some possible topics are economic and ecological sustainability, essential services
(healthcare, education, clean water and sanitation); peace (the right of children to be safe from
harm), and social equity issues (gender, race, religion, poverty). This inquiry approach can
provide ELL, EFL, and bilingual students from kindergarten through secondary school with first
and second language interactional/literacy skills while fostering critical thinking, knowledgebased,
and technological abilities required for addressing individual, local and global 21 st century
needs. Similar projects are currently being discussed with teacher educators in Japan and Taiwan.
Note: Also see addendum for Standards and Objectives that currently guide curriculum
development in most U.S. States.
Developing Critical and Culturally Responsive English as a Second Language Teaching
Rosemary Henze, a professor at San José State University (SJSU) in California, describes a
collaborative project between SJSU and educators in Nicaragua as follows: The SJSU Puerta
San José project staff have taken a critical and culturally responsive approach in which, together
with Nicaraguan colleagues, seek to ask and answer fundamental questions, including why (or if)
English is needed, what kinds of English are needed, and what forms curriculum and teacher
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preparation should take in order to provide the most relevant and culturally responsive program
(Edge, 2006). These questions form the basis of our evolving, multifaceted inquiry process, the
goal of which is to develop a model of EFL which honors social, linguistic, and cultural diversity
while placing local teachers as leaders and decision makers over their own curriculum. This
critical inquiry process is intertwined with action and a principled concern for equitable education
that meets the educational and economic needs of all children.
COURSE TOPICS AND READINGS
Introduction
August 26: Introduction
1) Description and discussion of course purposes.
2) Discussion of students’ interests and course content.
Language Policy and Planning
September 2: Language-in-Education Policies
Garcia & Wiese (2009). Policy related to issues of diversity and literacy: Implications for
English learners. In Morrow, Rueda and Lapp (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Literacy and
Diversity, pp. 32-54.
Lin, A. & Man, E. (in press). The Context and Development of Language Policy and
Knowledge Production in Universities in Hong Kong. In Davis, K. (Ed.) Critical Qualitative
Research in Second Language Studies: Agency and Advocacy. In T. Osborn (Series Ed.).
Contemporary Research in Education Series. Greenwich, CN: Information Age Publishing.
September 9: Language-in-Education Planning
Pupus and Discussion Leader: Andrew
Lin, Angel , Wang, Wendy , Akamatsu, Nobuhiko and Riazi, A. Mehdi (2002) 'Appropriating
English, Expanding Identities, and Re-Visioning the Field: From TESOL to Teaching
English for Glocalized Communication (TEGCOM)', Journal of Language, Identity &
Education, 1: 4, 295 — 316. Note: Lin et al is an excellent example of narrative inquiry.
Cochran-Smith, M. & Lytle, S. 2009. Inquiry as Stance: Practitioner Research for the Next
Generation. Chapter 5: Inquiry as Stance: Ways Forward. New York: Teachers College
Press.
Guba, E. & Y Lincoln (2005). Basic Beliefs of Alternative Inquiry Paradigms. In
N.K. Denzin and Y.S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 195-
199). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc..
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Additional Resource:
Hass and Gort (2009). Demanding More: Legal Standards and Best Practices for English
Language Learners.
September 16: No Class.
Read and write reflections on the following readings. We’ll have a Question and
Answer session with Kathy on these readings September 27.
Davis, K. (Forthcoming). Ethnographic Approaches to Second Language Acquisition. Amy
Snyder Ohta (Ed) Social Interaction and Complexity Theory Approaches to SLA division of
Carol Chapelle (General Ed.) Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Wiley- Blackwell
Publishers.
St.Pierre, Elizabeth Adams and Roulston, Kathryn (2006). ‘The state of qualitative inquiry: a
contested science', International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19: 6, 673 —
684.
TESOL Quarterly Critical Ethnography Guidelines
September 23: Language Issues and Local Identities: Hawaiian and Pidgin
Guest Speaker: Dr. Laiana Wong, School of Hawaiian Knowledge, UHM. Topic:
Indigenous Languages and Language Varieties: The Hawai’i Case.
Luke, Allan(2009) 'On Indigenous education', Teaching Education, 20: 1, 1 — 5.
Maaka, M.J. (2004). E Kua Takoto te Manuka Tutahi: Decolonization, Self-determination,
and Education. Educational Perspectives 37: 1, 3-13.
Pidgin and Education by Da Pidgin Coup. http://www.hawaii.edu/sls/pidgin.html
Wheeler, R. and Swords, R. Chapter 4. Codeswitching succeeds in teaching Standard English.
Additional Resources:
Smith, L. (2002). ‘Introduction’. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous
Peoples (pp. 1-18). London & New York: Zed Books, Ltd.
Smith, Linda Tuhiwai. (2006). 'Introduction', Transnationalism Special Issue. International
Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19: 5, 549— 552.
Diversity, Equity, and SL Schooling Practices
September 27: Language Issues and Models in Multicultural Situations.
Question & Answer Session with Kathy on:
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Davis, K. (Forthcoming). Ethnographic Approaches to Second Language Acquisition. Amy
Snyder Ohta (Ed) Social Interaction and Complexity Theory Approaches to SLA division of
Carol Chapelle (General Ed.) Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics. Wiley- Blackwell
Publishers.
St.Pierre, Elizabeth Adams and Roulston, Kathryn (2006). ‘The state of qualitative inquiry: a
contested science', International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19: 6, 673 —
684
TESOL Quarterly Critical Ethnography Guidelines
Pupus and Discussion Leader: Thuy
Minami, M. and Ovando, C. (2004). Language Issues in Multicultural Situations. In Banks,
J. & C. Banks. Handbook of Research on Multicultural Education. San Francisco: Jossey
Bass.
Davis, K., Cho, H., Ishida, M., Soria, J., & Bazzi, S. (2005). “It’s Our Kuleana”: A Critical
Participatory Approach to Language Minority Education. In L. Pease-Alvarez and S. R.
Schecter (Eds.) Learning, Teaching, and Community (pp. 3-25). Mahway, NJ: Lawrence
Erlbaum Associates, Inc..
Students Transforming School DVD documentary of “It’s Our Kuleana” chapter. Will be
shown in class.
September 29: Globalization and Decolonization
Pupus and Discussion Leader: Jin & Jae
Kennelly, Jacqueline , Poyntz, Stuart and Ugor, Paul(2009) 'Special Issue Introduction:
Youth, Cultural Politics, and New Social Spaces in an Era of Globalization', Review of
Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 31: 4, 255 — 269
Rhee, Jeong-eun and Sharon Subreenduth. (2006). Introduction. De/colonizing education:
Examining transnational localities. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education.
Vol. 19, No. 5, September–October 2006, pp. 545–548.
Gilbert, Jane. (2010). Equality and Difference: Schooling and social democracy in the 21 st
century? Critical Literacy: Theories and Practices. Vol 4:1, 66-77.
Assignment: Work in Progress presentation of projects.
October 7: Localization: Issues of Social Class and School Knowledge
Pupus and Discussion Leader________________________________________________
Luke, Allan. (2010). Documenting Reproduction and Inequality: Revisiting Jean Anyon’s
“Social Class and School Knowledge”. Curriculum Inquiry, 40:1, pp 167-182.
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Portes, Pedro and Spencer Salas (2009). Poverty and Its Relation to Development and
Literacy. In Lesley Morrow, Robert Rueda, Diane Lapp (eds.) Handbook of research on
Literacy and Diversty. N.Y.: The Guilford Press.
Additional Resource:
Bloom, Leslie (2010). Global Perspectives on Poverty Research for Social Justice.
International Journal of Qualitatve Studies in Education, 22:3, 253-261.
October 14: Diversity and Schooling Practices
Pupus and Discussion Leader: Mike M.
Nieto, S. (2002). ‘We Speak many tongues: Language diversity and multicultural education.
Language, Culture, and Teaching: Critical Perspectives for a New Century. Mahway, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Readence, J. E., Bean, T. W. & Baldwin, R. S. (2005). Language, culture, diversity, and the
reading/writing process. In P. A. Richard-Amato & M. A. Snow (Eds.), Academic success for
English language learners: Strategies for K-12 mainstream teachers. pp. 150-173.
Additional Resources:
Moll et al. (1992). Funds of knowledge for teaching. Theory into Practice, Vol. 31,
No. 2, pp. 132-141.
Haneda, M. (2006). 'Becoming Literate in a Second Language: Connecting Home,
Community, and School Literacy Practices', Theory Into Practice, 45: 4, 337 — 345
Gorski, P. (2005 ). 25 websites for educational equity. Multicultural Perspectives, 7(3), 24–27.
Classroom activities for multicultural awareness:
http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/teachers.html
Multicultural education Internet Resources: http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/Multi.html
October 21: Languages and Literacies across the Curriculum (1)
Pupus and Discussion Leader:_________________________________________________
McLean, Boling, and Rowsell (2009). Engaging diverse students in multiple literacies in and
out of school. In Lesley Mandel Morrow PhD (Editor), Robert Rueda Phd (Editor), Diane
Lapp EdD (Editors), Handbook of Research on Literacy and Diversity
N.Y.: The Guilford Press.
Subedi, Binaya & Daza, Stephanie (2008). The possibilities of postcolonial praxis in
education. Race, Ethnicity and Education. Vol. 11, No. 1, 1-10.
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Angrosino, M. (2008). Recontextualizing observation: Ethnography, pedagogy, and the
prospects for a progressive political agenda. In Denzin & Lincoln (Eds.) Collecting and
Interpreting Qualitative Materials. L.A.: Sage Publishers.
Additional Resources:
Rowsell, J. (2006) Chapter 4. Funds of knowledge and culture. In Rowsell (2006), Family
Literacy Experiences: Creating Reading and Writing Opportunities That Support Learning.
Markham: Pembroke Publishers.
Larson, J. (2006) Multiple literacies, curriculum, and instruction in early childhood and
elementary school, Theory into Practice, 45(4), 319-329.
Schwinge, D. (2008). Conceptualizing biliteracy within bilingual programs. In J. Cummins
and N. H. Hornberger (eds.), Encyclopedia of Language and Education (2 nd edition), Vol. 5:
Bilingual education, pp. 51-63.
August, D., Shanahan, T. and Escamilla, K. (2009). English Language Learners: Developing
Literacy in Second-Language Learners—Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-
Minority Children and Youth, Journal of Literacy Research, 41(4), 432-452.
October 28: Languages and Literacies across the Curriculum (2)
Pupus and Discussion Leader________________________________________________
Verplaetse, L. S. (2008). Developing academic language through an abundance of interaction.
In Verplaetse, L. S. & Migliacci, N. (Eds.), Inclusive pedagogy for English language
learners: A handbook of research-informed practices, pp. 167-180. New York: Lawrence
Erlbaum.
Gutierrez, K. & Lee, C. (2009). Robust informal learning environment for youth from
nondominant groups: Implications for literacy learning in formal schooling. In Lesley
Mandel Morrow PhD (Editor), Robert Rueda Phd (Editor), Diane Lapp EdD (Editor),
Handbook of Research on Literacy and Diversity N.Y.: The Guilford Press.
Chase, S. (2008). Narrative Inquiry: Multiple Lenses, Approaches, Voices. In Denzin &
Lincoln (Eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. L.A.: Sage Publishers.
Additional Resources:
Short, D. and Echevarria, J. (n.d.) Teacher skills to support English language learners (a brief
description of SIOP Models)
Ovando, C., Combs, M. C., and V. P. Collier (2006). (4 th edition) Bilingual and ESL
classrooms: Teaching in multicultural contexts. Chapter 6 Mathematics and Science.
NY: McGraw-Hill.
November 4: Diversity and Academic Language and Literacies (1)
Pupus and Discussion Leader________________________________________________
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Echevarria, J. & Graves, A. (2005). Curriculum Adaptations. In P. A. Richard-Amato
& M. A. Snow (Eds.), Academic success for English language learners: Strategies
for K-12 mainstream teachers. pp. 224-247.
McGoarty, M. & Calderon, M. (2005). Cooperative learning for second Language Learners:
Models, applications and challenges. pp. 174-194. In P. Richard-Amato, and M. Snow (eds.).
Academic success for English language learners, pp. 174-196.
Additional Resources
Gibbons, P. (2009). Ch. 4 Engaging with academic literacy: Examples of classroom activities.
(pp. 58-79). English Learners Academic Literacy and Thinking: Learning in the Challenge
Zone. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Gibbons, P. (2009). Ch. 5 Building bridges to text. (pp. 80-105). English Learners Academic
Literacy and Thinking: Learning in the Challenge Zone. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Assignment: Work in Progress presentation of projects.
November 11: Week 8 Diversity and Academic English (2)
Pupus and Discussion Leader________________________________________________
Leu, D. et al. (2005). Developing New Literacies Among Multilingual Learners in the
Elementary Grades. Working paper. University of Connecticut.
McDaniel, C. (2004). Critical literacy: A questioning stance and the possibility for change.
The Reading Teacher, Vol. 57(5), pp. 472-481.
Appadurai, A. (2006). The Right to Research. Globalization, Societies and Education, Vol.
4, No. 2, pp. 167-177.
Additional Resources
Gibbons, P. (2009). Ch. 6 Scaffolding EL learners to be successful writers. In Gibbons, P.
English Learners Academic Literacy and Thinking: Learning in the Challenge Zone. pp.
106-129. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Cooper and White (2008). Critical literacy for school improvement: an action research project.
Improving Schools, 11(2), 101-113.
Comber, B. Thomson, P. & Wells, M. (2001). Critical Literacy Finds a "Place": Writing and
Social Action in a Low-Income Australian Grade 2/3 Classroom. The Elementary School
Journal, Vol. 101(4), 451-464.
November 25: Thanksgiving Week
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December 2: Participatory Action Research as Pedgogical Approach
Pupus and Discussion Leader________________________________________________
Morrell, Ernest (2008). Six summers of YPAR: Learning, action, and change in
urban education. In J. Cammarota & M. Fine (Eds.) Revolutionizing Education:
Youth Participatory Action Research in Motion. NY: Routledge.
Fontana & Frey (2008). The Interview: From Neutral Stance to Political Involvement. In
Denzin & Lincoln (Eds.) Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials. L.A.: Sage
Publishers.
Additional Resource:
Vasquez, V. (2004). Ch. 2. Getting started. In Vasquez, V. (2004), Negotiating critical
literacies with young children.. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc.
Assignment: Work in Progress presentation of projects.
December 9: Assessment for Diverse Students and Course Evaluation
Pupus and Discussion Leader________________________________________________
Alvermann, D. E. & Phelps, S. F. (2005). Assessment of students. In P. A. Richard-Amato &
M. A. Snow (Eds.), Academic success for English language learners: Strategies for K-12
mainstream teachers. pp. 311-341.
Falk, B. (2005). Possibilities and problems of a standards-based approach: The good, the bad
and the ugly. In P. A. Richard-Amato & M. A. Snow (Eds.), Academic success for English
language learners: Strategies for K-12 mainstream teachers. pp. 342-362.
WestEd. (2002). Understanding young readers: The role of early literacy assessment.
Course Evaluations
Final Project Due December 16
DOE Standards and Objectives
Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners.
These standards intend to guide teachers in providing a facilitative environment in which ELLs
can succeed in school by having access to:
Teachers and personnel at the school and district levels who are well prepared and
qualified to support ELLs while taking advantage of the many strengths and skills they
bring to the classroom;
Literacy-rich school environments where students are immersed in a variety of language
experiences;
Instruction that develops foundational skills in English and enables ELLs to participate
fully in grade-level coursework;
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Coursework that prepares ELLs for postsecondary education or the workplace, yet is
made comprehensible for students learning content in a second language (through
specific pedagogical techniques and additional resources);
Opportunities for classroom discourse and interaction that are well-designed to enable
ELLs to develop communicative strengths in language arts;
Ongoing assessment and feedback to guide learning;
Speakers of English who know the language well enough to provide ELLs with models
and support.
Literacy for Learning
Literacy for learning objectives foster teacher use of evidence-based “best practices”, assessment
strategies, and school, home and community partnerships through drawing on the “theory-intopractice”
literature developed by national leaders in K-12 English Language Learner and literacy
education for all students. These objectives include the following:
Integration of learning through literacy:
o Connects reading, writing, talking, listening and thinking
o Connects to all content areas and everyday life
Student develops higher order thinking skills in terms of:
o Formulating ideas
o Solving problems
o Making meaning
o Deeper and more discerning understanding of text
Teacher provides differentiated instruction through:
o Use of different texts
o Different supports depending on learning needs
Teacher creates a community of learners
o Collaborative learning experience
o Multicultural values development
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