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Multilingualism

• "Joinfostering: Adapting Teaching for the Multilingual Classroom" by Christian J. Faltis. [Book Review]
  Faltis's book succeeds in teaching the real meaning of equality of educational opportunity, as this concept relates to language differences in American classrooms. Content of instruction is hindered when students are taught through a language that differs from the language used at home, because limited-English-proficient students are treated in ways not conducive to learning.
• A Global Perspective on Bilingualism and Bilingual Education. ERIC Digest
  The number of languages spoken throughout the world is estimated to be 6,000. Although a small number of languages serve as important link languages or languages of wider communication around the world, these are very often spoken as second, third, fourth, or later-acquired languages.
• A Multilingual Perspective on Spelling Development in Third and Fourth Grades
  Investigated the spelling development of 60 third and fourth graders from a variety of linguistic backgrounds and compared the spelling development of students from five language groups. Students from the different backgrounds had remarkably similar spelling development.
• A Theoretical Framework for Training Monolingual School Psychologists to Work with Multilingual/Multicultural Children: An Exploration of the Major Competencies
  Suggests major competencies needed by all school psychologists, especially when working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. Suggestions were gathered from practitioners in the field, published data, literature reviews, and personal observations.
• ABE and a Pedagogy of "Difference."
  Interviews with six Australian adult basic education students confirmed the social nature of literacy, the social networks involved in literacy practices, and the multilingualism of students. Results suggest the need for a curriculum that recognizes and makes explicit linguistic and cultural differences.
• After the Tsunami, Some Dilemmas: Japanese Language Studies in Multicultural Australia. Language Australia Research Policy and Practice Papers
  This paper describes responses to linguistic pluralism in Australian policy in relation to Australia's Asian language context, and the teaching and learning of Japanese within these two frameworks. Finally, the paper considers some ideas relating intercultural language learning to all second language study termed: the Third Place.
• Beyond Bilingualism: Multilingualism and Multilingual Education. Multilingual Matters Series
  This collection of essays on multilingual education includes the following: "A Global Perspective on Multilingualism and Multilingual Education" (G. Richard Tucker); "Psycholinguistic Perspectives on Multilingualism and Multilingual Education" (Jasone Cenoz, Fred Genesee); "Curriculum.
• Cultivating the Natural Linguist. Spotlight: Montessori--Multilingual, Multicultural
  Describes Montessori's vision of young children as natural linguists and how home and school can support children's natural abilities in one or more languages. Presents five basic principles of second-language acquisition--related to educational environment, the acquisition process, components of proficiency, and cultural context and time--and describes how they can be successfully met in a Montessori environment.
• Current Research in Multilingualism and Education in Lebanon: A Report
  Examines 11 research projects on multilingualism and education in Lebanon, many of which focus on multilingualism and language learning. The research emphasizes three areas: different multicultural aspects of life and communication; specific patterns of multilingual communication (e.g., emphasizing home communication and children's language preference); and various language-related issues in multilingual elementary, secondary, and higher education.
• Early Childhood Bilingualism in the Montessori Children's House: Guessable Context and the Planned Environment. Spotlight: Montessori--Multilingual, Multicultural
  Describes the InterCultura Montessori School language immersion program in Oak Park, Illinois. Profiles the work of several children to illustrate important language learning strategies.
• Early Childhood Education in Eritrea, Proceeding as We Would Finish
  Describes the success of early childhood education programs in Eritrea which are based on the principle "we should proceed in the way we wish to finish." Identifies the social, cultural, and developmental factors an educator must consider. Notes how multilingualism and multiculturalism are of special importance in Eritrean early childhood education.
• Language Use of Mauritian Adolescents in Education
  Reports on a research project conducted in Mauritius that aimed to investigate patterns of language use, language choice, and language attitudes of Mauritian adolescents in full-time education. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire and interviews from a sample of the secondary school population.
• Literacy and Effective Teaching in Diverse Classrooms
  This study explored the ways in which English educators could most effectively plan and implement their teaching to best serve the multi-literacies of the diverse student populations in today's schools.
• Literacy and Effective Teaching in Diverse Classrooms
  This study explored the ways in which English educators could most effectively plan and implement their teaching to best serve the multi-literacies of the diverse student populations in today's schools. The researcher conducted interviews with classroom English teachers and teacher educators in north Alabama to gain the participants' perceptions of their effectiveness in teaching diverse literacies, opportunities for practicing effective strategies and pedagogical skills, and opportunities for improving teaching and learning and professional development.
• Literacy and Language Diversity in the United States. Language in Education: Theory and Practice 87
  This book was written for scholars, policymakers, and educators and provides both an introduction to issues in literacy and language diversity and compelling questions for those who work in the field. Based on national data, the extent of language diversity in the United States is explored; what is known about English literacy, native language literacy, and biliteracy is considered; and what is needed to make informed national policy decisions about this subject is discussed.
• Multilingual Proficiency in Fiji Primary Schools
  Determined language proficiency among multilingual Indo-Fijian primary school children who have the languages, Fiji-Hindi, Standard Hindi, Urdu, English, Fijian, and Fijian English in their speech repertoire. Identifies the variables that affect multilingual proficiency in this group and determines whether classroom practice reflects educational policy.
• Multilingualism Is Basic
  Demographic, economic, and social realities make linguistic and cross-cultural competence essential skills for today's students. This article discusses three innovative program types that build on basic education while enriching it through second languages: second-language immersion for native English-speaking students; developmental bilingual programs for language-minority students and two-way bilingual immersion programs for all students.
• Preserving Home Languages and Cultures in the Classroom: Challenges and Opportunities
  Decades of research document the powerful academic and socio-affective benefits of a strong home language base and affirmation of home language and culture as a valuable resource. This article explores the implicit challenges, daily realities, opportunities, and practical implications of incorporating language and culture into classrooms as they relate to culturally and linguistically diverse language learners.
• Processes and Outcomes in the European Schools Model of Multilingual Education
  In the European Schools model, linguistically and culturally diverse students receive most of their education in their first language but must learn at least two other languages. Content teaching of other subjects in the target languages and the regular mixing of different language groups promote multilingual proficiency and cultural pluralism at no cost to academic development.
• Scaling Up School Restructuring in Multicultural, Multilingual Contexts: Early Observations from Sunland County
  Examines implementation of various restructuring designs in 13 elementary schools in the culturally, linguistically, and ethnically diverse Sunland County Public School District (Florida). Preliminary findings indicate a variance in implementation across sites and suggest demographic and numeric shifts in student population, lack of teacher participation in program selection, and multiplicity of programs as possible explanations for this variability.
• The Language Situation in Mozambique
  Addresses the language situation in post-independent Mozambique from both a language-planning and language-policy perspective. Presents an up-to-date profile of the country, discusses the issue of linguistic diversity, and examines the language-spread dynamics in education, literacy, and the media.
• Training Teachers of Language and Culture. Language Australia Research Policy and Practice Papers
  This booklet posits that language teacher education is an important component of nation building in a multilingual community. Communication is a crucial component of nation building, and teachers play a key role in the creation, renewal, and re-negotiation of the nation and its bonds, the state and its resources.
• Voices of Cultural Harmony. Spotlight: Montessori--Multilingual, Multicultural
  Asserts the importance of viewing the world as an interrelated system in which each culture and person has important gifts to share. Examines how prejudicial attitudes can be changed through teaching tolerance.