Challenges in Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Elementary Settings with Math Instruction using Learning Technologies

This research effort reports the findings of an empirical study focusing on the ways in which technological tools are implemented specifically in mathematics education in a Title I school. The purpose was to identify the perspectives and actions of the school’s mathematics specialist and the multi-graded (grades 2–3) classroom teacher as they attempted to deliver instruction with technology for both English Language Learners¹ (ELL) and non-ELL students. Findings showed that a critical factor in access to mathematics education and technology for ELL students in a multi-graded 2–3 classroom in a Title I (K-5) school setting was language. Although potentially powerful technologies—analog (concrete objects) and digital (software) were used, many ELL students could not access the content solely because of language difficulties. Teachers used the concrete objects as modeling tools, to reveal students’ thinking, and for communication of foundational mathematics. Conversely, the software used served none of these functions because the available software did not do the kinds of things the manipulatives did, teachers’ knowledge of exemplary software was insufficient, the school used an impoverished model of technology integration, and teachers were constrained by the school district’s policies of English immersion for ELL students.This paper was presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting, 2005, Montreal, Canada, on Tuesday, April 12, 2005, 4:05–5:35 pm, in Le Centre Sheraton Montreal/Salon 7, in a session titled, “Science and Mathematics Teaching for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students” sponsored by Division K-Teaching and Teacher Education/Section 1—Research on Teaching Practices, Teacher Knowledge, and Teacher Education in Math and Science.Tirupalavanam G. Ganesh is a December 2003 graduate of the Interdisciplinary Ph.D. program in Educational Media and Computers, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, at the College of Education, Arizona State University. He also holds a Master of Computer Science degree from Arizona State University. His teaching interests include graduate and undergraduate courses for in-service and pre-service teachers in the use of learning technologies for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and technology integration. His research interests include studying the impact of informal learning experiences in settings such as museums and after-school programs, technology integration, and teacher’s practices in elementary/middle schools. Address correspondence to Tirupalavanam G. Ganesh, Assistant Professor, Instructional Technology, College of Education, Curriculum and Instruction, University of Houston, 256 Farish Hall, Houston, TX 77204-5027. Tel.: +1-713-743-0574; e-mail: tganesh@uh.edu.James A. Middleton is Division Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the College of Education, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ. He obtained his Ph.D. in 1992, in Educational Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His teaching interests include mathematics methods for secondary teachers and graduate courses in children’s mathematical thinking and technological innovation. His research interests include motivational processes in education, children’s mathematical thinking especially in the area of rational number and geometry, and technological innovation in mathematics instruction and assessment. James A. Middleton, Director, Division of Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education, Arizona State University, Box 871011, Tempe, AZ 85287-1011. Tel.: +1-480-965-9644; e-mail: james.middleton@asu.edu.     

Pathways in Learning to Teach Elementary Science: Navigating Contexts,Roles, Affordances and Constraints

This case study of a fifth-year elementary intern’s pathway in learning to teach science focused on her science methods course, placement science teaching, and reflections as a first-year teacher. We studied the sociocultural contexts within which the intern learned, their affordances and constraints, and participants’ perspectives on their roles and responsibilities, and her learning. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants. Audiotapes of the science methods class, videotapes of her science teaching, and field notes were collected. Data were transcribed and searched for affordances or constraints within contexts, perspectives on roles and responsibilities, and how views of her progress changed. Findings show the intern’s substantial progress, the ways in which affordances sometimes became constraints, and participants’ sometimes contradictory perspectives.     

Consultation and Collaboration to Develop and Implement Restorative Practices in a Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Elementary School

ABSTRACT

Through an embedded single-case study design and qualitative methods, this article describes the school-wide implementation and preliminary results of a restorative practices (RP) program within a culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) elementary school. Located in an urban area with high rates of crime, violence, and poverty, the three-year multisystemic project brought school psychology knowledge and skills to (a) use multicultural consultation and participatory methods to introduce, adapt, and support RP in a CLD school, (b) present findings related to teachers, parents, students, and school climate, and (c) increase youth, parent, and community engagement and voice. The authors developed a comprehensive, culturally relevant model through an interdisciplinary school-university-community partnership. They used multicultural consultee-centered consultation, including bilingual/bicultural practices and cultural brokers, and participatory culture-specific intervention methods to collaboratively design, implement, and evaluate outcomes for students, parents, teachers, and others.     

Computer-Mediated Classrooms for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners

No abstract available for this article.     

Preparing Preservice Teachers to Work with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children: A Service Learning Experience

This study investigated the influence of professional development on 20 preschool teachers' use of instructional conversations in classrooms for 2- to 5-year-old children. Instructional conversation is a small group discussion that builds on children's prior knowledge to assess and assist conceptual understanding. Over a 3-year period, the educators participated in professional development designed to increase their use of the strategy in their classrooms. Each teacher was video-recorded six times annually while teaching. Two coders rated the video recordings, and the data were analyzed using a longitudinal multilevel model. Results indicated that regardless of their prior teaching experience, all of the teachers increased their use of instructional conversation throughout their participation in the professional development program. These increases were along the same trajectory for all teachers, suggesting that the professional development was effective for both new and veteran teachers. Results suggest that those who taught older children tended to use instructional conversation to a greater degree, indicating that the strategy may be easier to implement with older preschoolers.     

Technology-Mediated Collaborative Learning Environments for Young Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Children: Vygotsky Revisited

Abstract

Given the instructional challenges posed by the influx of minority-language children in North America, this article attempts to examine early childhood bi- or multilingualism in one of the fastest growing ethnic minority groups in Canada, Korean-Canadians. By drawing on a Vygotskian perspective, the article focuses on the affective and social aspects of learning for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children and their families. With an emphasis on the integration of language and thought, this article first identifies the instructional applications of Vygotskian perspectives and then describes iterative phases of design-based research aimed at developing technology-mediated collaborative learning environments for trilingual Korean-Canadian children. The technology-mediated collaborative learning environment supported young CLD children's affective, social and cognitive needs and created meaning-centered collaborative learning environments. The paper concludes with a consideration of implications of this technology-mediated collaborative learning environment so as to assist teachers who might be confronted with the educational needs of the growing population of CLD children.     

Translanguaging as Inclusive Pedagogical Practices in English-Medium Instruction Science and Mathematics Classrooms for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students

Research in Science Education - In English-medium instruction (EMI), English-as-a-second-language students will learn all/some subjects through English. Although there are a considerable number of...     

Learning to Teach in Diverse and Dynamic Classrooms

Coteaching involves 2 or more teachers teaching together. This article describes how to set up coteaching and the advantages for teachers and students associated with it. Cogenerative dialogues are conversations among participants about shared experiences—often in a classroom. The participants include teachers; 2 to 3 students; and, when possible, representatives from other groups such as school administrators and teacher educators. Participants identify contradictions and negotiate agreements on how to resolve them, leading to changes to enact in future lessons and shared responsibility for improving the quality of teaching and learning.     

Reflections on Equipping Candidates to Teach Literacy in Culturally Diverse Schools

Abstract

This essay reflects on ways to equip teacher candidates so they are not only prepared to answer tough questions, but are educated for the linguistic and literacy challenges of today’s classrooms. We recognize that with an ever-growing majority minority population, it is time to change the teacher preparation system, and to support current teachers and the preparation of future teachers for the field; these changes need to be soon and are imperative.     

Educating Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners: The Need for Continued Advocacy

Recent political, fiscal, and educational equity challenges require a renewed emphasis in our efforts to advocate for increased culturally and linguistically responsive education, making certain to further advance the accomplishments of the past four decades. The education of diverse exceptional learners is well established within the fields of special education and culturally and linguistically diverse education. However, drawing on several contemporary features that currently shape education in today’s schools, the authors examine the need for continued special education advocacy to ensure appropriate referral, assessment, and instruction of all culturally and linguistically diverse exceptional (CLDE) learners within the changing pre-K-postsecondary teaching and learning environments. Implications and recommendations for educator preparation at the pre and inservice levels are provided to guide the future development of teachers of CLDE learners.     

Learning to Teach Through Teaching and Being Taught

Teacher shortage has been a problem in northern Norway for decades. The authorities have taken steps to stimulate the supply of teachers in these regions through economic incentives and decentralized or part‐time teacher education. The full effect of these measures cannot be fully evaluated till the early or middle 1990s. In this article, structure and assessments of first and second generation decentralized and part‐time teacher education are referred. Even though this approach to teacher education has been disputed, it now seems to be accepted by most interest groups. The main problems of these programs seem to be related to the pressures on students trying to fill multiple roles (student, part‐time teacher, mother), and the supervision of students.     

The Formation of Communities of Practice in a Network of Schools Serving Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students comprise the most rapidly expanding, and among the most educationally marginalized, group in the United States. CLD students’ opportunities to learn are often diminished through service delivery models that are deficit-oriented, viewing linguistic diversity as a challenge to overcome, not a strength on which to build. Such models frequently leave CLD students clustered and segregated within underresourced schools. Moreover, schools that effectively educate CLD students frequently operate in isolation from one another. In this context, this article provides a counternarrative. It reports the formation of a network of schools transforming their service delivery model from monolingual English immersion to bilingual 2-way immersion. Through a nested case study, we examine how learning among educators within communities of practice occurs in and across networked schools. We discuss this at the network level, and highlight one school's use of courageous conversations and formative assessments to foster this learning.     

Developing Motivation to Teach Elementary Science: Effect of Collaborative and Authentic Learning Practices in Preservice Education

Journal of Science Teacher Education -     

What Counts and How: Mathematics Teaching in Culturally, Linguistically, and Socioeconomically Diverse Urban Settings

This article presents findings from an ongoing study of urban teachers' efforts to embrace mathematics reform with student populations that are culturally, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse (CLSD). We investigate the teacher's role in providing accessible and valuable mathematical learning opportunities to diverse students. Through narrative vignettes of practice and analyses of the personal and intellectual resources teachers draw on in CLSD contexts, we examine the challenges and possibilities two third-grade teachers face as they attempt such reform. One teacher's strengths were in making cultural connections with her students; the other's strengths were in pursuing complex and meaningful mathematics with her students. Building on our analysis, we offer a framework for examining the work of attending to mathematical and cultural issues simultaneously. Our findings suggest that such work is complex; however, teachers are seldom supported in their efforts to integrate these two perspectives. Our aim is to examine the dimensions of culturally relevant mathematics teaching and explore where the fields of mathematics and bilingual-bicultural education need to speak to one another.     

Motivating Young Native American Students to Pursue STEM Learning Through a Culturally Relevant Science Program

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Data indicate that females and ethnic/race minority groups are underrepresented in the science and engineering workforce calling for innovative...     

Reaching out to Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families: Strategies and Challenges Reported by Parent Training and Information Center Staff

Within special education policy and practice, parents are expected to advocate for their children to receive appropriate special education and related services. However, the majority of parents report feeling disempowered to advocate; families from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds may feel especially disempowered. Federally funded Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) exist in each state to empower historically underserved (including CLD) parents of children with disabilities. In this study, we examined how PTIs educate and empower CLD families through semi-structured interviews with 13 PTI staff members who work with CLD families across five states. The participants emphasized the importance of strategies such as conducting outreach in local communities and developing parent leaders among the CLD families they support. The findings also indicated that PTIs struggle with addressing external, systemic barriers which influence CLD families. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.     

Implementing Engineering in Diverse Upper Elementary and Middle School Science Classrooms: Student Learning and Attitudes

Journal of Science Education and Technology - Recent reforms in education call for science teachers to incorporate STEM concepts into their curricula. This study explores the association among...