Developmentally and Culturally Effective Instructional Strategies for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Young Children

The rising numbers of English Learners (ELs) in our schools requires educators to have a specialized knowledge base for understanding their linguistic needs, especially when planning for instruction; teachers also need to use language acquisition principles for working with ELs and integrate effective instructional strategies in their teaching. Studies have found factors affecting student success in public schools: 1) inadequate preparation of teachers, 2) ineffective teaching practices, and 3) at-risk school environments. These complex factors impact the instruction and ultimate success of student learning which is extremely detrimental to ELs. Therefore, the focus of the chapter addresses: the changing demographics, historical reasons for low achievement of ELs, and how educators can use their understanding of best practices to motivate ELs and increase their academic achievement. This chapter provides effective teaching practices for ELs and instructional activities that teachers can implement to help young ELs succeed academically.

The Effects of Transitional Bilingual Education vs. Dual Language Immersion on English Language Learners' Reading Assessment Scores

This action research study was completed in a North Texas school district where English language learners comprised 52% of the K-12 student population during the 2015-2016 academic school year. Data from a campus which used a two-way dual language immersion (DLI) program and another campus which used a transitional bilingual education (TBE) program were evaluated. The study analyzed the district's third to fifth grade reading assessment results of 128 students from the DLI campus and 223 from the TBE campus. Researchers compared the scores of students in each program to determine if one bilingual model produced higher scores than another. The results showed that there were greater gains for ELLs in the TBE program at all grade levels (third to fifth). Although the TBE program resulted in higher student scores, limitations make it unclear to what degree the program impacted students' achievement.

Creating Spaces for Critical Literacy for Bilingual Learners

With heightened emphasis on critical literacy pedagogies, attention to critical literacy for young children (CLYC) has rapidly increased. Yet, there is a paucity of studies examining CLYC in bilingual settings, particularly in Pre-K contexts. Utilizing a qualitative case study design, the current study examined how early critical literacy can be implemented as a medium to help young bilinguals critique texts and develop critical perspectives about race and gender. The study was conducted in a kindergarten classroom at the Korean Language School in a Midwestern city in the US. The data were collected over a semester using multiple collection sources including audio/video recordings, observational field notes, interviews, and children's artifacts. Findings suggest the potential of early critical literacy practices in bilingual contexts to open critical conversations about race and gender with young children. The study also provides teachers with tips on how to create supportive literary environments for young bilingual children.

Foundational Processes, Home-School Partnerships, and Culturally Responsive Practices for Dual Language Learners

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the current empirical studies on foundational processes, home-school partnerships, and culturally responsive practices in regard to Dual Language Learners (DLLs) for early childhood education in order to inform teacher education programs (TEPs).

Play-Based Literacy Instruction

Too often, young children in kindergarten spend their time on worksheets and paper and pencil tasks, rather than being given developmentally appropriate instruction that incorporates active learning and play. This study explores the relationship between dramatic play and vocabulary development in an urban kindergarten classroom. We report on data from six culturally and linguistically diverse students, who participated in play-based vocabulary instruction. The findings suggest that dramatic play with teacher involvement helped participants' vocabulary gains. The study findings suggest the potential benefit of dramatic play. The authors offer recommendations, and explain challenges and limitations of the study.

Perspectives on English Language Learners

With an increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse school-age student population, there is a need to understand the extent and support needed for English language learners' (ELLs) reading and literacy success, and the scope that these students are provided with equitable and effective reading and literacy instruction as a common classroom pedagogical occurrence to support their reading and literacy development as well as academic achievement. Specifically, ELLs require more interactive and engaging pedagogy that actively involves them in the learning process with many and varied opportunities for academic and linguistic proficiency development. There is an increased emphasis on native language instruction (L1) as a foundation for literacy skill development. Also, several constructivist and student-centered approaches for literacy instruction and strategies for reading should be implemented for English language learners' linguistic and academic success. A classroom scenario sets the platform for culturally responsive teaching and learning through practical and authentic classroom application.

Phonemic Awareness and Literacy Development in Young English Learners With Non-Alphabet-Based Home Language

This chapter examines a widely accepted assumption that phonemic awareness is a precursor to early literacy development through a review of existing research studies in the field of phonemic awareness, early literacy acquisition and development and bilingual literacy acquisition and development. Based on a foundation that success in early literacy acquisition has a significant impact on students' later academic success, the author argues that unconditionally and uncritically accepting the view that phonemic awareness and literacy development are positively correlated can exclude many English learners (ELs) from learning opportunities and thus from later academic success. The author concludes that if educators are committed in providing equitable education for all students, we should not assume that all ELs have the same needs in early literacy acquisition instruction, and to do otherwise is to marginalize ELs especially the ones whose first language system bears no resemblance to that of English.

Mi Familia

This chapter discusses the results of a writing activity during Family Literacy Night at a predominantly Hispanic, Title I school in the Southwest. This study, based on Socio-Cultural Theory (Moll, 2013), demonstrates the efficacy of asset-based approaches for instruction and assessment versus more traditional deficit models of minority education. As an analytic, the researchers applied the six Capitals from the Community Cultural Wealth (CCW) model (Yosso, 2005) to the children's writing samples. This framework revealed a variety of strengths common to Latino and bilingual households including the metalinguistic skill of translanguaging. Data was processed through Holistic Content Analysis (Lieblich, 2005) followed by thematic analysis (Falk & Blumenreich, 2005) supported by CCW. Results underscore the importance of out-of-school literacies and their affective impact on children from underserved communities. Moreover, results argue for more home- and community-based writing assignments to reveal student values, desires, and emotions, which encourage the joy of writing.

Cultivating Civic Generosity in Elementary Youth Across Glocal Cultures, Ecologies, and Generations

This research explores cultivation of civic generosity in elementary youth as a cultural, ecological, generational practice developing global-local connections and enhanced by arts-based pedagogies, including reading, creating, and sharing children's books. In this study, 2nd grade students across two public school contexts (rural middle-income and rural low-income) reflect on learning generosity from a grandparent/parent to create a children's book presented in a public library. This study draws upon perspectives of participating elementary school teachers, administrators, and librarians to understand how the curricula and their partnerships enhanced student understanding, appreciation, and expression of generosity as a glocal civic practice.

Understanding Teachers' Cultural Competencies

As linguistic and cultural diversity in public schools continues to rise, an increased need for culturally aware teachers is warranted. This chapter informs the development of cultural competencies in teachers by integrating anti-bias education (ABE) goals into teacher preparation. Existing research in preparing teachers to work with diverse student populations tends to focus on how teachers gain appropriate knowledge and practices to work effectively at school. However, there is little evidence that researchers have approached the issue of developing teacher's cultural competencies with the intent of building a cohesive understanding and providing practical tools, such as ABE goals, to positively influence the development of social awareness and self-awareness in teachers and their students. Consequently, the aim of this chapter is to provide empirical evidence to substantiate the instructional importance of understanding the development of teacher's cultural competencies.