Cultivating Space for the Language Boomerang: The Interplay of Two Languages as Academic Resources

Autor/in	Martin-Beltran, Melinda
Titel	Cultivating Space for the Language Boomerang: The Interplay of Two Languages as Academic Resources
Quelle	In: English Teaching: Practice and Critique, 8 (2009) 2, S.25-53 (29 Seiten) PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1175-8708
Schlagwörter	Linguistics; Holistic Approach; Grade 5; Minority Groups; Charter Schools; Rural Schools; Class Activities; Learning Activities; Language of Instruction; Spanish; Classroom Communication; Bilingual Education; Classroom Techniques; Hispanic American Students; Educational Policy; Discourse Analysis; Second Language Learning; Second Language Instruction; Bilingualism; English (Second Language); Immersion Programs; Writing (Composition); California + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Linguistik; Holistischer Ansatz; School year 05; 5. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 05; Ethnische Minderheit; Charter school; Charter-Schule; Rural area; Rural areas; School; Schools; Ländlicher Raum; Schule; Schulen; Lernaktivität; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Spanisch; Klassengespräch; Bilingual teaching; Bilingualer Unterricht; Klassenführung; Hispanic; Hispanic Americans; Student; Students; Hispanoamerikaner; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Diskursanalyse; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Bilingualismus; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Immersionsprogramm; Schreibübung; Kalifornien
Abstract	Grounded in sociocultural theory, this study uses an ecological approach to examine how student interactions within a dual-language school context may offer affordances for increased linguistic and conceptual understanding. Using qualitative analysis of student discourse, this paper focuses on data from recorded interactions between pairs of fifth-grade students engaged in writing activities (in English and Spanish). Findings demonstrated that the following key contextual factors cultivated a space for languaging (Swain, 2006), and thus enhanced conceptual understanding: 1) the interplay of two languages as academic tools; 2) the recognition of learners' expertise and distinct linguistic funds of knowledge; 3) opportunities for co-construction; and 4) student and teacher strategies that call attention to language. This study has implications for the education of language-minority students in English-medium classrooms and suggests that teachers should cultivate learning spaces that draw upon their students' other languages in order to promote a deeper analysis of English. This study urges future research to more closely consider reciprocal affordances for language learning among bilingual learners and seeks to bridge insight across the fields of second language acquisition and bilingualism. (Contains 2 tables and 8 footnotes.) (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Wilf Malcolm Institute for Educational Research, University of Waikato. PB 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand. Tel: +64-7-858-5171; Fax: +64-7-838-4712; e-mail: wmier@waikato.ac.nz; Web site: http://education.waikato.ac.nz/research/journal/index.php?id=1
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10