Carla Amaro-Jiménez

Learning From Our Mistakes: What Matters When Incorporating Blogging in the Content Area Literacy Classroom

This manuscript explores the inclusion of blogging as a pedagogical tool with preservice secondary teachers from a variety of content areas. The authors focus on data collected over two and a half years with preservice teachers in the content literacy classroom setting, specifically highlighting the qualitative data collected to determine students’ perceptions of blogging as a pedagogical strategy. Once the study is discussed, and qualitative findings outlined, the authors provide suggestions for other practitioners considering the use of blogging in their classrooms.

Students’ use of asynchronous discussions for academic discourse socialization

Our universities are becoming increasingly diverse at the same time as online asynchronous discussions (OADs) are emerging as the most important forum for computer mediated communication (CMC) in distance education. But there is shortage of studies that explore how graduate students from different ethnic, linguistic and cultural backgrounds use OADs for academic discourse socialization. This article discusses a qualitative study conducted to address these issues. Language socialization and community of practice theories informed the study. Analyses of surveys, interviews, and Blackboard postings from seven hybrid courses reveal that participants perceived OADs highly positively and used them as a virtual community for academic and professional discourse socialization and appropriation. Findings also suggest that students experienced some frustrations and disappointments regarding professorial presence and grading. We discuss these findings, show how academic and professional discourse socialization occurs in asynchronous virtual reality, and draw implications for further research and practice.

Teaching English Language Learners (ELLs) Mathematics in Early Childhood

to the National Center for Education (NCES), 47 million people living in the United States spoke a language other than English at home in 2000, representing approximately 18% of the total U.S. population (NCES, 2004). It is expected that these demographics will continue to change, and minorities will become the majority by 2030 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009). Of special interest is the fact that the population of English language learners (ELLs), especially those who are learning English in K-12 school settings, will continue to grow (Chang, 2008). According to an “Issue Brief” by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), about 20% of students were identified as an ELL in 2007, and a quarter of those students have difficulty with English (AYPF, 2009). A recent report from the Census Bureau (2009) suggests that one in every four children under the age of 5 in the United States is currently being raised in a home where a language other than English is being spoken.

Service learning: preparing teachers to understand better culturally and linguistically diverse learners

Very large numbers of students for whom English is not their native language attend public school classrooms in the USA every year. It is estimated that there are currently about 5.3 million Englis...

Blogging with Pre-Service Teachers as Action Research: When Data Deserve a Second Glance.

The implementation of digital pedagogies (i.e. blogging) is one way to mediate large classroom discussions in culturally relevant ways. This 2.5-year longitudinal mixed-method action research study reflects on the ways blogging can further promote culturally relevant discussions explored in face-to-face classes. Findings include pre-service teachers’ use of blogs in: interrogating issues as a means of developing cultural competence; recognizing their own trepidation and lack of self-knowledge related to topics of diversity; and exploring the disconnect between their current knowledge and future practice. Additionally, this study explores ways in which the authors could have further assisted students in challenging their beliefs and strengthening cultural competencies through blog responses.

Preservice teachers’ reflections of their involvement in a home-school connection project in teacher education

ABSTRACT Many future teachers have had little guidance on how to develop and foster home-school connections, especially when working with culturally and linguistically diverse families. This qualitative action research study aimed to identify what two different groups of preservice teachers enrolled in methods for teaching English learners courses (104 participants) perceived to be the gains of having participated in a semester-long home-school connection project as part of their teacher preparation program. The study also sought to identify what these preservice teachers indicated they will do to foster such connections in their own future classrooms. Suggestions for teacher preparation programs are provided in the manuscript.