ethanporcaro/eric-fulltext-meta huggingface dataset:
Principals&apos; Beliefs about Language Learning and Inclusion of English Language Learners in Canadian Elementary French Immersion Programs
Author: Mady, Callie
Date: 2018-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Principals,Administrator Attitudes,Second Language Learning,Inclusion,English Language Learners,French,School Policy,Board of Education Policy,Access to Education,Discourse Analysis,Equal Education,Bilingualism,Definitions,Misconceptions

Gatekeepers' language ideologies and beliefs about language learning determine how learners experience French as a second language programs, in particular, their access to, and success and inclusion in, the French immersion (FI) program. In this article, we explore how FI principals understand language learning and the inclusion of English language learners (ELLs) and how these perspectives shape school policy in FI programs. The study took place in a large urban school board in southern Ontario with student population consisting of 50% ELLs. After conducting a questionnaire with principals across the school board, we interviewed a subgroup of principals gathering quantitative and qualitative data. In addition, we consulted the board's website and documentation provided to parents regarding enrolling their children in FI. The study highlights convergence or divergence from principals' beliefs in relation to board policy about access and inclusion to the FI program. Through critical discourse analysis, data revealed that principals have contradictory beliefs about language learning, and at times principals struggle to reconcile these beliefs with official board policy. While FI principals are mostly positive about including ELLs in FI, to provide equal access to the program, they would benefit from (a) moving away from a definition of bilingualism as equalingualism and (b) expanding and developing the meaning of inclusivity beyond physical presence to adapt the FI space for greater inclusion of ELLs.
Simulated vs. Hands-On Laboratory Position Paper
Author: Burkett, Vent Curtis
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Computer Simulation,Simulated Environment,Science Laboratories,Hands on Science,Student Attitudes,Laboratory Experiments,Science Experiments,Program Effectiveness,Secondary School Science,Secondary School Students,College Science,Science Instruction,Educational Technology,Technology Uses in Education

Virtual reality software has evolved to create ever more realistic virtual environments. Sophisticated virtual education laboratory experiments are now possible. Some educators and researchers question the value of hands-on laboratories relative to virtual laboratories. Researchers have investigated students' acceptance of virtual laboratories and the relative effectiveness of virtual laboratories compared to traditional hands-on laboratories. Research results indicated that students' attitudes toward virtual laboratory experiments are positive, and researchers found virtual laboratory experiments to be as effective as or more effective than traditional hands-on laboratories. However, researchers have not measured simulated laboratory effectiveness for all standard education laboratory goals. Simulated laboratory technology will be part of science education, but how to introduce laboratory simulations and the appropriate role for simulated laboratories remains a subject of debate. Are virtual laboratory experiments acceptable substitutes for hands-on laboratories in secondary education? To explore this question, laboratory goals and effectiveness criteria must be defined and measured for secondary education. This paper explores the goals and effectiveness of virtual and hands-on education laboratories. This paper also outlines the arguments for and against the replacement of traditional hands-on labs with simulated laboratories in secondary science education and makes a case for using laboratory simulations to supplement rather than replace traditional hands-on laboratories.
A Spoonful of Science Can Make Science Writing More Hedged
Author: Casenove, David
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,College Freshmen,Content Area Writing,Science Experiments,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Academic Discourse,Writing Skills,Technical Writing,Language Proficiency

The present paper focuses on the acquisition of hedging techniques by first-year undergraduate students at the University of Tokyo in Japan. One of the major difficulties faced by aspiring science writers lies in positioning their arguments in relation to the preexisting literature. This originates from the fact that writing in the field of natural sciences is built around the evaluation of uncertainty pertaining to an experimental analysis. In addition to the display of statistical estimators (e.g. p-value), the level of confidence inherent to scientific findings is generally communicated through hedging. Hedging allows authors to communicate the credibility of their statements so as to persuade the audience of the soundness of their interpretations while ensuring that these statements remain within the context that is accepted by their scientific community. Hedging is often used in the Discussion section of scientific reports and, to a lesser extent, in the Introduction. Second language learners of English face difficulties when writing these sections due to the use of hedges. Using a qualitative analysis of 20 student papers we found that students express uncertainty in relation to scientific information differently when dealing with their own experimental data compared to results in the literature. We argue that completing an actual scientific experiment within a science writing class is important to provide the context in which the theoretical rules of hedging are applied.
Assessing ELLs&apos; Reading Comprehension and Science Understandings Using Retellings
Author: Faggella-Luby, Michael
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: English Language Learners,Alternative Assessment,Science Instruction,Student Evaluation,Reading Comprehension,Reading Materials,Scientific Concepts,Grade 5,Elementary School Science,Urban Schools,Recall (Psychology),Concept Formation,Energy,Accuracy,Content Area Reading

This article explores the use of alternative assessments as a way to determine the impact of science instruction on English Language Learners' (ELLs) abilities to comprehend an informational trade book text, both at the level of reading comprehension and at the level of science understanding. This multi-cohort comparison study of 47 fifth grade ELLs in a large urban district in the southwest compared students' retellings of an informational text on the science topics of wind energy and wind turbines. All students received 14 days of intensive, hands-on instruction on science concepts with the experimental group studying wind energy and wind turbines and the control group studying genetics and DNA. Findings from data analysis reveal that students who received instruction on the science concept of wind energy and wind turbines (experimental group) had more accurate retellings of the related text at the reading comprehension level. Students in the experimental group also demonstrated stronger conceptual understanding of the science concept of energy transfer. This study has implication for science teachers as it provides evidence to support retelling as an assessment method in the science classroom.
Developing the Bilinguality of Learners through the Expansion of Their Communicative Repertoire within the Science Class
Author: Santos Lombardi, Raquel
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Communication Skills,English (Second Language),Second Language Learning,Science Instruction,Language Skills,Foreign Countries,Language Usage,Grade 2,Public Schools,Bilingual Education,Grade 9,Elementary School Science,Grade 8

In this research, we analyze the process of expansion of the communicative repertoires during science teaching, observing how the bilinguality and literacy of the students are developed through this process. The context of the study is the English lesson integrated into the teaching of science at the Municipal School Jose Calil Ahouagi in Juiz de Fora (MG) within the project &quot;Ensino de línguas para crianças na escola pública: abordagem CLIL&quot; (Language teaching to children in public schools: the CLIL approach). Exploratory ethnography was the data collection and analysis methodology used. We conclude that students, in addition to learning the science content, also learned the English language, and were literate in various everyday practices, such as the understanding of the nutritional information of industrialized products, which contributed directly to the expansion of their communicative repertoires.
First Aid and Waves in English as a Foreign Language: Insights from CLIL in Brazil
Author: Finardi, Kyria R.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,English (Second Language),First Aid,Language of Instruction,Language Proficiency,Student Attitudes,Teaching Methods,Military Schools,Boarding Schools,Adolescents,Young Adults,Second Language Instruction,Course Content,Vocabulary Development,Grammar

The researchers designed, implemented and analyze a project to teach the contents of First Aid and Waves in English as a foreign language in Brazil using the Content and Language Integrated (CLIL) approach. Seventy participants belonging to two intact classes in a Navy Boarding School took part in the study. Both content and language teachers collaborated to plan and teach the contents. Data collection was carried out through questionnaires, class observation, and entries to teachers' diary. Overall results of the analysis of participants' perceptions on the approach used show that CLIL may be a relevant possibility in that context if certain aspects are considered carefully. Regarding the aspects related to the language of instruction, the study showed that CLIL should be implemented gradually and after students develop a certain level of proficiency in the foreign language. Regarding the aspects related to the content, it was found that participants' perception on CLIL in the First Aid class was much better than in the Waves class because the latter is perceived as being a more difficult content. This finding suggests that difficult contents might not be taught through CLIL depending on participants' language proficiency level. Finally, the study suggests that the implementation of CLIL poses many challenges for teacher practice and education that might be partially overcome through teacher collaboration.
Encouraging Students to &quot;Language&quot; in the Science Classroom
Author: Concario, Marcelo
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Instruction,Student Participation,Active Learning,Verbal Communication,Grade 5,Grade 6,Foreign Countries,Public Schools,Second Language Learning,Teaching Methods,Language of Instruction,Course Content,Second Language Instruction,Writing (Composition),Science Education,Language Usage

In this paper I underscore the notion of &quot;languaging&quot; as students' ways of functioning in and through language, particularly in interactions that involve spoken and written texts in the classroom. Thus, &quot;to language&quot; should be understood as active student participation - verbally, in particular - that can reveal how they deal with and respond to the challenges and opportunities that originate in the encounter with new content, or while knowledge is being constructed. I argue that &quot;Content and Language Integrated Learning&quot; (CLIL) is an adequate approach for school in general because it accommodates the goals of teachers of languages and teachers of other school subjects. Ultimately, mediators in both categories aim at helping their students to be able to communicate (about) what they know. In addition, I provide a few examples from research that, hopefully, can highlight the importance of opportunities to language in the classroom as a way to develop skills and confidence in formal educational contexts.
Linguistic Cohesion in Middle-School Texts: A Comparison of Logical Connectives Usage in Science and Social Studies Textbooks
Author: Román, Diego X.
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Linguistics,Connected Discourse,Reading Comprehension,Textbooks,Semantics,Sentences,Science Instruction,Social Studies,Comparative Analysis,Middle Schools

Learning from textbooks is challenging because students must understand novel concepts while also comprehending the language used to convey those concepts. In the domain of science, one posited reason for the perceived difficulty in the reading comprehension of science texts is the low frequency of logical connectives (words that signal relationships between sentences and ideas). To test this claim and discuss its potential effects on the reading comprehension of texts used at the middle school level, this study measured whether the usage of logical connectives (e.g., therefore, so) differed between science and social studies textbooks. Our findings from a large corpus of 12 science and 12 social studies textbooks showed that science texts contained a higher rate of logical connectives than social studies texts. This main effect of subject area also interacted with grade level: The rate of logical connectives usage increased over grade levels in science but not in social studies. Our results showed further differences in the types of logical connectives used across subject areas, with science texts favoring inferential connectives (e.g., furthermore) and social studies texts favoring contrastive connectives (e.g., however). The implications of these findings for the development of science-specific literacy practices are discussed here.
Discourse Practices in the New Standards: The Role of Argumentation in Common Core-Era Next Generation Science Standards Classrooms for English Language Learners
Author: Cheuk, Tina
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Discourse Analysis,Common Core State Standards,Persuasive Discourse,English Language Learners,Science Education,Classroom Communication,Science Process Skills,Science Instruction,Scaffolding (Teaching Technique),Instructional Improvement,Definitions,Elementary Secondary Education

In this paper, I argue that the practice of argumentation will have implications for students not only in science learning, but also, potential transfer in other disciplines. More importantly, the shift toward a shared discursive language practice of argumentation provides an opportunity for both content-area and language development teachers to build on each other's pedagogical knowledge around argumentation, design tasks that support both content and language development, and create a more coherent learning experience for students. For English language learners, this convergence in the discourse practice of argumentation from evidence is particularly salient because content area teachers will be expected to create a more communicative classroom that supports both content and language development.
An Exploration of Two &apos;Modern Classrooms&apos;: Elementary Science and Technology in the Shadows of Time, Standards, and Testing
Author: Allison, Elizabeth
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Elementary School Science,Science Instruction,Technology Education,Elementary School Teachers,Student Attitudes,Multiple Literacies,Scientific Attitudes,Grade 4,Grade 5,Technology Uses in Education,Student Empowerment,Elementary School Students,Time Management,Testing,Standards,Accountability

This study explored two elementary teachers and their students' perceptions of multiliteracies in science. The technological components of multiliteracies, including online communication tools, were of particular interest for this paper. The multiple case study included: two teachers and their students. One teacher taught a fourth grade classroom and the other a fifth grade classroom located in the same elementary school. Data collection included field observations, semi-structured teacher interviews, student focus groups, and semi-structured student interviews. Through extensive data analysis, we have constructed cases that represent the multiliteracies framework of a Modern Classroom defined by characteristics that include: 1) increasing and evolving access and use of technology, and 2) a lingering shroud of accountability to factors such as testing performance, state standards, and time limitations. Specifically, students voiced perceptions of technology as an effective tool for learning science and communicating in and out of the classroom. Teachers, though aware of the value of technology in science education, expressed concerns with logistical and pedagogical issues of implementation (e.g., grading online assignments and access to the internet). Teachers also noted time limitations and the breadth of standards as barriers to teaching science through inquiry. Whereas some students imagined the modern science classrooms as engaging with meaningful &quot;projects,&quot; other students demonstrated an enculturation to the common process of &quot;schooling&quot; involving reading then testing.
Science Teachers&apos; ESOL Professional Learning and New Hybrid Identity Development
Author: Lew, Shim
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Teachers,English (Second Language),Professional Identity,Faculty Development,Secondary School Teachers,Secondary School Science,Teacher Education,Classroom Techniques,Language Teachers,Second Language Instruction,Science Instruction

This multiple case study investigates four science teachers' experiences of boundary crossing through participation in an ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages) professional development program and the extension of their identity as ESOL/language teachers. The study examines how science teachers transform into science and language teachers by exploring teachers' disciplinary identity, their adoption of a new extended professional identity, and the mismatch between their new identity and its enactment in science classrooms. Through classroom observations, interviews, and document analysis, this study finds that the secondary science educators had a flexible disciplinary identity, and thus, adopted a new professional identity as ESOL/language teacher without strong resistance. However, their extended identity was not enacted in their classrooms. For successful transformation of science teachers into science and ESOL teachers, contextual adjustment and a continuous support system is required. The paper concludes with implications for further research on teacher education for content area educators teaching English learners.
Working Together to Prepare Teachers of Science and Language: Examining the Value of Collaboration among Science and Language Faculty
Author: Jimenez-Silva, Margarita
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Preservice Teacher Education,English Language Learners,Teacher Competencies,Teacher Education Programs,Problem Based Learning,Teaching Methods,Science Instruction,Methods Courses,Second Language Learning,Elementary Secondary Education,Partnerships in Education,Science Teachers,Teacher Collaboration,Language Teachers,English (Second Language),Interdisciplinary Approach

This qualitative study examines the change in a preserve program as our faculty members systematically work together to change the culture of our college to one in which everyone assists future teachers to work with ELLs. The iTeach ELL Systems Framework has promoted understanding of the interconnected nature of student learning, which includes: university/school partnerships designed to impact that learning through more effectively prepared teacher candidates, school and university organizational features, and state statutes and policy regulations. One focus of this work is to infuse problem-based learning (PBL) and ELL strategies into science methods courses. This qualitative study of efforts and approaches to reform science methods courses has identified three themes: a) Value of Agreeing on Terms (b) Value of Integrating Content and Language Learning (c) Value of Presenting a Unified Message. Successes and challenges for supporting pre-service teachers to develop knowledge of both PBL and ELL strategies are discussed.
Exploring the Negotiation of the Meaning of Laboratory Work in a Continuous Professional Development Program for Lower Secondary Teachers
Author: Lunde, Torodd
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Foreign Countries,Science Laboratories,Faculty Development,Professional Continuing Education,Secondary School Teachers,Secondary School Science,Inservice Teacher Education,Scientific Principles,Science Activities,Active Learning,Inquiry,Scientific Literacy,Science Instruction,Teaching Methods,Scientific Methodology

This study aimed to explore lower secondary teachers' negotiation of the meaning of laboratory work in a professional development program. A total of 15 in-service teachers participated in the program. In the program, tensions between key ideas concerning traditional way of addressing laboratory work -- with emphasis on subject content and skills -- versus key ideas concerning laboratory work as a way of imitating aspects of real-world scientific practices -- with emphasis on nature of science as process -- was highlighted. The tensions between these key ideas were used in the program as a starting point to frame group discussions and negotiations among the teachers about purposes of laboratory activities. The participants were grouped into three and audio recordings of group reflections and group interviews were used as sources of data for analysis. The results also showed that there were differences between the groups in how they addressed the processes of meaning making of laboratory work. There were two groups of teachers challenged themselves and each other and developed an explicit awareness of tensions between different objectives of laboratory activities. However, a third group of teachers never did the same way of challenging and there is no indication of explicit awareness of different purposes of laboratory work in the data material from the group.
Science and Language Special Issue: Challenges in Preparing Preservice Teachers for Teaching Science as a Second Language
Author: Smith-Walters, Cindi
Date: 2016-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Science Instruction,Second Language Learning,Second Language Instruction,Teaching Methods,Vocabulary Development,Elementary School Teachers,Preservice Teachers,English (Second Language),Difficulty Level,Teacher Education Programs,English Language Learners,Scientific Literacy

Science is a subject steeped in specialized vocabulary and elementary preservice teachers may find themselves less than comfortable with that vocabulary. Couple this with their long documented fear of the subject and we have teachers who enter their first classrooms unsure of themselves and the content and thus, less able to prepare their own students. Common challenges these new teachers face include the specialized vocabulary of science, the speed at which words are introduced as well as the sheer vocabulary load of the subject, and the difficulty of English language learners attempting to learn science. This article suggests vocabulary strategies for each challenge and advocates for the incorporation of modified Total Physical Response methods when teaching science content. These suggestions will help science educators relieve the stress preservice teachers find when attempting to learn the language of science.