Language Diversity Surveys as Agents of Change

Language Diversity Surveys as Agents of Change
Author: Joe Nicholas
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 180
Release: 1994
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9781853592324

This book is essential for anyone concerned with language or linguistic minorities in education. It provides a thorough and clear explanation of the background to, and issues surrounding, language diversity in British education. It will be of interest both to the expert and those seeking an introduction to the field. The study reviews and re-evaluates surveys of language diversity in British education in the context of 'action research'. The author argues that the process of surveying activity is at least as important as the data reported. Evidence for this argument is provided through original research undertaken among students and teachers in Further Education. The study includes ethnographic research into teachers' attitudes and responses to language surveys. The author offers a useful new model for surveys investigating language diversity among students or school children.

Language Diversity in the Classroom

Language Diversity in the Classroom
Author: Geneva Smitherman
Publisher: SIU Press
Total Pages: 183
Release: 2003-11-05
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0809388995

It’s no secret that, in most American classrooms, students are expected to master standardized American English and the conventions of Edited American English if they wish to succeed. Language Diversity in the Classroom: From Intention to Practice works to realign these conceptions through a series of provocative yet evenhanded essays that explore the ways we have enacted and continue to enact our beliefs in the integrity of the many languages and Englishes that arise both in the classroom and in professional communities. Edited by Geneva Smitherman and Victor Villanueva, the collection was motivated by a survey project on language awareness commissioned by the National Council of Teachers of English and the Conference on College Composition and Communication. All actively involved in supporting diversity in education, the contributors address the major issues inherent in linguistically diverse classrooms: language and racism, language and nationalism, and the challenges in teaching writing while respecting and celebrating students’ own languages. Offering historical and pedagogical perspectives on language awareness and language diversity, the essays reveal the nationalism implicit in the concept of a “standard English,” advocate alternative training and teaching practices for instructors at all levels, and promote the respect and importance of the country’s diverse dialects, languages, and literatures. Contributors include Geneva Smitherman, Victor Villanueva, Elaine Richardson, Victoria Cliett, Arnetha F. Ball, Rashidah Jammi` Muhammad, Kim Brian Lovejoy, Gail Y. Okawa, Jan Swearingen, and Dave Pruett. The volume also includes a foreword by Suresh Canagarajah and a substantial bibliography of resources about bilingualism and language diversity.

Migration, Education and Change

Migration, Education and Change
Author: Sigrid Luchtenberg
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 231
Release: 2004-07-22
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1134354738

This book discusses the impact of different forms of migration on education in Europe and Australia. It considers issues such as identity, citizenship and language education.

Urban Multilingualism in Europe

Urban Multilingualism in Europe
Author: Guus Extra
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Total Pages: 442
Release: 2004
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9781853597787

This book is the final outcome of the crossnational Multilingual Cities Project, carried out under the auspices of the European Cultural Foundation, established in Amsterdam, and coordinated by Babylon, Centre for Studies of the Multicultural Society, at Tilburg University. The book offers multidisciplinary, crossnational, and crosslinguistic perspectives on the status of immigrant minority languages at home and school in a dominant Germanic or Romance environment in six major multicultural cities across Europe. From North to South these cities are Goteborg, Hamburg, The Hague, Brussels, Lyon, and Madrid.

Maintaining Minority Languages in Transnational Contexts

Maintaining Minority Languages in Transnational Contexts
Author: A. Pauwels
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 218
Release: 2007-04-17
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 0230206395

Deals with challenges to the maintenance of minority (or community) languages in this era of globalization and increasing transnational movements of people. The contributors, experts in language policy, language maintenance and multilingualism offer complementary perspectives from Australia and Europe on the maintenance of linguistic diversity.

Language Diversity and Education

Language Diversity and Education
Author: David Corson
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2000-10
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135662991

Graduate-level text for students of language & linguistics, and students of education; provides a current & well-informed overview and theoretical perspective on the issue of equitable educational treatment for students from diverse language backgrounds.

Linguistic Diversity and Teaching

Linguistic Diversity and Teaching
Author: Nancy L. Commins
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 205
Release: 2006-04-21
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1135683158

Linguistic Diversity and Teaching raises questions and provides a context for reflection regarding the complex issues surrounding new English learners in the schools. These issues exist within a highly charged political climate and involve not only language, but also culture, class, ethnicity, and the persistent inequities that characterize our educational system. The text addresses these issues through conversations among experts, practitioners, and readers that are informed by representative case studies and by a range of theoretical approaches. It is designed to engage readers in beginning to evolve their own practical theories, to help them explore and perhaps modify some basic beliefs and assumptions, and to become acquainted with other points of view. Throughout, readers are encouraged to interact with the text and to develop their own perspective on the issue of linguistic diversity and teaching. This is the fourth volume in Reflective Teaching and the Social Conditions of Schooling: A Series for Prospective and Practicing Teachers, edited by Daniel P. Liston and Kenneth M. Zeichner. It follows the same format as previous volumes in the series. *Part I includes four cases dealing with different aspects of the impacts of the changing demographics of public schools. Each case is followed by space for readers to write their own reactions and reflections, and a set of reactions to the cases written by prospective and practicing teachers, administrators, and professors. *Part II presents three public arguments representing very different views about linguistic diversity: in public schools, English should be the only language of instruction; all children should receive instruction in both their first language and English; planning for instruction should be based not on absolutes, but on what is realistically possible in particular settings. *Part III offers the authors' own interpretations of the issues raised throughout the text, outlines a number of ways in which teachers can continue to explore these topics, and includes exercises for further reflection. A glossary and annotated bibliography are provided. This text is pertinent for all prospective and practicing teachers at any stage of their training. It can be used in any undergraduate or graduate course that addresses issues of language diversity and teaching.