Erin Mikulec

Using Project-Based Instruction to Meet Foreign Language Standards

Abstract A challenge that language teachers face is meeting state and national standards while implementing sound methods and techniques. The authors addressed this challenge in a qualitative study of an eighth-grade exploratory French class where students were engaged in a variety of projects to enhance the learning of francophone language and culture. This article addresses how the projects helped students meet the five core national standards established by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

What Every Educator Needs to Know about Queer Youth.

In recent years, queer youth have been in the media spotlight on issues ranging from attending prom to suicide. As novice teachers adapt to their new profession, in order to truly meet the needs of all students, they must understand the variety of issues that impact their success. Where this topic is concerned, this article fills a major gap in the literature for teacher preparation and induction. The article discusses the plight of queer youth and provides suggestions for new and veteran teachers to become advocates for queer youth.

We Matter Just the Same: Students and Pre-Service Teachers Working Together in an Alternative Educational Setting.

This paper examines how a clinical experience in an alternative educational setting impacted both pre-service secondary teachers and the students with whom they worked. The participants were pre-service secondary teachers completing a clinical experience at a local agency that served a population of students for whom traditional school settings were not effective, as well as students at the agency. The results indicate that for the pre-service teachers, the experience allowed them to develop a deeper understanding of learner diversity and the importance of connecting to students. For the agency students, the interactions with the pre-service teachers provided them with additional academic support, as well as resources for post-secondary education. The agency students also recognized that they had the power to show pre-service teachers how to work effectively with students for whom traditional school settings are a challenge. The authors conclude with implications for pre-service teachers, agency students, and university and clinical site instructors, as well as practical considerations for developing such partnerships.