Language Minority Students in American Schools: An Education in English

by Adamson, H. Douglas

• ISBN13: 9780805844962
• ISBN10: 0805844961
• eBook ISBN(s): 9781135626020
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-02-22
• Publisher: Lawrence Erlbau
• More Book Details

Summary

This book addresses questions of language education in the United States, focusing on how to teach the 3.5 million students in American public schools who do not speak English as a native language. These students are at the center of a national debate about the right relationship among ESL, bilingual, and mainstream classes. Bilingual education has been banned by constitutional amendment in California and Arizona, and similar amendments are being considered in other states.Language Minority Students in American Schools: An Education in Englishplaces this debate and related issues of teaching standard English to speakers of nonstandard dialects, such as black English, within the larger context of language acquisition theory and current methods of language teaching. Adamson draws from the large body of sociolinguistic, psycholinguistic, and educational research, and on his own experience as an English teacher in the U.S. and overseas, to shed light on some of these controversies and on the cognitive, cultural, public policy, and practical issues involved in educating English language learners. Presenting all sides of the issues fairly, he offers a strong endorsement for bilingual and bidialectical education based on programs designed and administered according to the principles discussed in the book and supported by language acquisition theory and classroom research. A strength of the book is the inclusion of original research conducted in a middle school enrolling a majority of Latino students. This research contributes to the field of language education by providing a detailed description of how English language learners study content subjects. Examples from the study are used to illustrate a discussion of Vygotskian learning principles and the relationship between the students' home and school cultures. Language Minority Students in American Schools: An Education in Englishis intended for students who are preparing to become teachers of English as a second language, and for teachers of other subjects who work with English language learners.

Table of Contents

List of Figures and Tables	xiii
Preface	xv
A Personal Introduction	1	(14)
Introduction	1	(4)
Orientalism Versus Anglicism	5	(2)
Anglicism in Bilingual Education	6	(1)
Operation SER	7	(2)
Language Minority Students in Public Schools	9	(4)
Joel	10	(1)
Marielena	11	(1)
George	12	(1)
Conclusions	13	(1)
Suggested Reading	14	(1)
First and Second Language Acquisition	15	(48)
Introduction: Three Stories of Language Acquisition	15	(1)
Behaviorist Approaches to Language Acquisition	15	(4)
Nativist Approaches to Language Acquisition	19	(22)
Plato's Problem	19	(1)
Generative Approaches to First Language Acquisition	20	(1)
Generative Grammar	20	(6)
Universal Grammar	26	(5)
Inside the Black Box	31	(1)
Generative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition	32	(1)
The Critical Period Hypothesis	33	(1)
Perspectives From Pidgin and Creole Studies	34	(1)
Description	35	(2)
Bioprogram Theory	37	(1)
Articles in Creoles and Child Language	38	(3)
Perspectives From Cognitive Psychology	41	(5)
The Nativization Hypothesis	41	(3)
Information Processing Approaches	44	(2)
Summary: The Computer Metaphor	46	(2)
Social/Cultural Approaches to Language Acquisition	48	(13)
First Language Acquisition	48	(1)
Communicative Competence	48	(2)
Learning Speech Acts	50	(1)
Learning a Language Variety	51	(1)
Learning to Tell a Story	52	(2)
Second Language Acquisition	54	(1)
Illocutionary Competence	55	(2)
Sociolinguistic Competence	57	(2)
The Acculturation Model	59	(2)
Reconciling Cognitive and Social/Cultural Accounts of Language Acquisition	61	(1)
Suggested Reading	62	(1)
Language Teaching	63	(37)
Introduction: Three Approaches to Language Teaching	63	(1)
Language Teaching Before Chomsky	64	(7)
Traditional Education	64	(1)
Grammar--Translation Method	65	(1)
Progressive Education	65	(2)
John Dewey	67	(1)
The Direct Method of Berlitz and deSauze	68	(1)
Behaviorism	69	(1)
Audio-Lingual Method	70	(1)
Language Teaching After Chomsky	71	(11)
The Monitor Model	72	(2)
The Natural Way	74	(2)
Community Language Learning	76	(1)
Content-Based Instruction	77	(2)
Teaching Communicative Competence	79	(3)
Research on Language Teaching---Focus on Form	82	(5)
Swain and Lapkin's Study	82	(2)
Doughty's Study	84	(3)
Summary	87	(1)
Teaching Other Subjects	87	(11)
Reading	88	(1)
The Reading Wars	88	(1)
The Whole Language Approach	89	(1)
Teach Your Baby to Read	89	(1)
Whole Language Theory	90	(1)
The Language Experience Method	91	(1)
The Phonics Method	92	(2)
Evaluation of Reading Methods	94	(1)
Teaching Mathematics	95	(3)
Conclusions	98	(1)
Suggested Reading	98	(2)
Standard and Vernacular English	100	(32)
Introduction	100	(1)
Language Variation	101	(11)
Anniston English	103	(2)
Double Modal Verbs	105	(2)
A-Verbing	107	(1)
Done	108	(1)
Negative Agreement	109	(1)
Anniston as a Speech Community	110	(2)
The Grammar Gurus	112	(2)
The Rise of Standard English	114	(4)
Standard English in England	114	(2)
Standard English in the United States	116	(2)
Black English	118	(11)
Description	118	(3)
Ebonics in the Schools	121	(1)
The Oakland School Board Resolution	122	(4)
Classroom Aspects of the Ebonics Controversy	126	(3)
Conclusions	129	(1)
Suggested Reading	130	(2)
Learning in a Second Language	132	(34)
Introduction	132	(1)
Models of Learning	133	(18)
Philosophical Background	134	(2)
Teaching Implications	136	(1)
Experiential Realism	137	(1)
A Cognitive Study of Learning	138	(2)
A Social/Cultural Study of Learning	140	(3)
Discussion	143	(1)
Vygotsky	144	(1)
Activity Theory	145	(1)
The Zone of Proximal Development	146	(3)
Teaching Within a Vygotskian Framework	149	(2)
Academic Discourse	151	(10)
Register Variation	151	(2)
Douglas and Selinker's Study	153	(3)
Rhetorical Discourse Conventions	156	(3)
Access to Academic Discourse	159	(2)
Academic Strategies	161	(3)
Suggested Reading	164	(2)
School and Family	166	(35)
H. D. Adamson
Ellen Courtney
Introduction	166	(1)
School	166	(3)
Family	169	(1)
Language Classes and Mainstream Classes	170	(10)
Spanish for Native Speakers	171	(3)
Advanced English as a Second Language	174	(4)
Mainstream Language Arts	178	(2)
Bilingual Classes	180	(8)
Interviews	180	(3)
Observations	183	(1)
Bilingual Social Studies	183	(2)
Bilingual Engineering	185	(3)
Learning	188	(7)
Juan Studies Chemistry	188	(4)
Joel Studies History	192	(3)
Conclusions	195	(3)
Suggested Reading	198	(1)
Appendix: A Review of the Periodic Table of the Elements	199	(2)
Bilingual Education	201	(33)
Introduction	201	(1)
Bilingual Education Abroad	202	(5)
The Netherlands	202	(1)
Sweden	203	(1)
Quebec	204	(3)
Bilingual Education in the United States	207	(3)
Richard Rodriguez	207	(1)
Nuria	208	(1)
Coral Way Elementary School	209	(1)
Types of Bilingual Education Programs	210	(2)
Transitional Bilingual Education	210	(1)
Maintenance Bilingual Education	211	(1)
Two-Way Bilingual Education	211	(1)
Methods of Bilingual Teaching	212	(1)
Legislative and Legal History	213	(6)
Philosophy of Education	213	(2)
Bilingual Education Legislation	215	(2)
Bilingual Education Legal History	217	(1)
Lau v. Nichols	217	(1)
Lau Remedies	218	(1)
Arguments For and Against Bilingual Education	219	(12)
Bilingual Education Theory	220	(2)
Program Evaluations	222	(1)
Large-Scale Evaluations	222	(1)
The AIR Study	222	(1)
Baker and de Kanter's Study	223	(1)
Willig's Study	224	(1)
Thomas and Collier's Study	224	(2)
Evaluations of Individual Programs	226	(1)
Porter's Critique	226	(1)
Woodward and Gersten's Study	227	(1)
Rock Point Study	228	(1)
Krashen and Biber's Study	228	(2)
California Update	230	(1)
Conclusions	231	(1)
Suggested Reading	232	(2)
References	234	(11)
Index	245