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Language, Literacy, and Power in Schooling
by Teresa L. McCartyLanguage, Literacy, and Power in Schooling brings critical ethnographic perspectives to bear on language, literacy, and power in culturally and linguistically diverse contexts, showing how literacy and schooling are negotiated by children and adults and how schooling becomes a key site of struggle over whose knowledge, discourses, and literacy practices "count." Part I examines tensions between the local and the general in literacy development and use; Part II considers face-to-face interactions surrounding literacy practices in ethnically diverse classrooms; and Part III widens the ethnographic lens to position literacy practices in the context of globalization and contemporary education policies. Each section includes a substantive introduction by the editor and a synthetic commentary by a leading literacy researcher.Above all, this is a book oriented toward social action. Unpacking the complexity of literacy practices and experiences in diverse settings, the authors seek not only to build new knowledge, but to inform and transform the pedagogies and policies that limit human potentials. The chapters in this volume have much to teach us about the roots of inequality and the possibilities for positive change. Together, they highlight the urgent need for critical literacy researchers to engage politically, confronting education policies that deny the rich multiplicity of human literacies, thereby carving ever-deeper cleavages between those with and without access to literacies of power.The dual focus on language and literacy with critical-ethnographic accounts of identity and schooling speaks to a growing constituency of scholars and practitioners concerned with the role of literacy and discourse in alternatively affirming or negating knowledge, power, and identity, both within and outside of schools.
Language, Literacy, and Pedagogy in Postindustrial Societies: The Case of Black Academic Underachievement (Routledge Research in Education #91)
by Paul C. Mocombe Carol TomlinIn postindustrial economies such as the United States and Great Britain, the black/white achievement gap is perpetuated by an emphasis on language and language skills, with which black American and black British-Caribbean youths often struggle. This work analyzes the nature of educational pedagogy in the contemporary capitalist world-system under American hegemony. Mocombe and Tomlin interpret the role of education as an institutional or ideological apparatus for capitalist domination, and examine the sociolinguistic means or pedagogies by which global and local social actors are educated within the capitalist world-system to serve the needs of capital; i.e., capital accumulation. Two specific case studies, one in the United States and one in the United Kingdom, are utilized to demonstrate how contemporary educational emphasis on language and literacy parallels the organization of work and contributes to the debate on academic underachievement of black students vis-a-vis their white and Asian counterparts.
Language, Literacy, and Learning in the STEM Disciplines: How Language Counts for English Learners
by Alison L. Bailey Carolyn A. Maher Louise C. WilkinsonWith a focus on what mathematics and science educators need to know about academic language used in the STEM disciplines, this book critically synthesizes the current knowledge base on language challenges inherent to learning mathematics and science, with particular attention to the unique issues for English learners. These key questions are addressed: When and how do students develop mastery of the language registers unique to mathematics and to the sciences? How do teachers use assessment as evidence of student learning for both accountability and instructional purposes? Orienting each chapter with a research review and drawing out important Focus Points, chapter authors examine the obstacles to and latest ideas for improving STEM literacy, and discuss implications for future research and practice.
Language, Literacy and Diversity: Moving Words (Routledge Critical Studies in Multilingualism)
by Christopher Stroud Mastin PrinslooLanguage, Literacy and Diversity brings together researchers who are leading the innovative and important re-theorization of language and literacy in relation to social mobility, multilingualism and globalization. The volume examines local and global flows of people, language and literacy in relation to social practice; the role (and nature) of boundary maintenance or disruption in global, transnational and translocal contexts; and the lived experiences of individuals on the front lines of global, transnational and translocal processes. The contributors pay attention to the dynamics of multilingualism in located settings and the social and personal management of multilingualism in socially stratified and ethnically plural social settings. Together, they offer ground-breaking research on language practices and documentary practices as regards to access, selection, social mobility and gate-keeping processes in a range of settings across several continents: Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe.
Language Life in Japan: Transformations and Prospects (Routledge Contemporary Japan Series)
by Patrick HeinrichDespite its monolingual self-image, Japan is multilingual and growing more so due to indigenous minority language revitalization and as an effect of migration. Besides Japan's autochthonous languages such as the Ainu and Ryukyuan languages, there are more than 75,000 immigrant children in the Japanese public education system alone who came to Japan in the 1980s and who speak more than a hundred different languages. Added to this growing linguistic diversity, the importance of English as the language of international communication in business and science especially is hotly debated. This book analyses how this linguistic diversity, and indeed recognition of this phenomenon, presents a wide range of sociolinguistic challenges and opportunities in fundamental institutions such as schools, in cultural patterns and in social behaviours and attitudes. This topic is an important one as Japan fights to re-establish itself in the new world order and will be of interest to all those who are concerned language change, language versus dialect, the effect of modern technology on language usage, and the way national and social problems are always reflected through the prism of language.
Language Learning with Technology: Perspectives from Asia
by Lindsay Miller Junjie Gavin WuThis book is about language learning with technology, offering readers theoretical insights as well as practical case studies with a focus on Asia and Asian students. Although technology is rapidly advancing and most, if not all, students are already using technology in their everyday lives, traditional teaching/learning practices still exist throughout Asia. This book provides examples, written by representative educators, from a variety of countries/regions and contexts where technology has successfully been used to enhance language learning. In addition to some everyday examples of using technology: Wikipedia, PowerPoint, Google Docs and YouTube, the book also offers the readers an insight into the future possible uses of advanced technology: Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence and Eye Tracking. The book presents illustrations of how teachers can, and perhaps should, be open to integrating some form of technology into in-class learning or using it to supplement out-of-class activities.
Language Learning Through Captioned Videos: Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition
by Mark Feng TengThis research- and pedagogy-oriented book delves into the study and application of incidental vocabulary acquisition in English through captioned videos. This technology offers EFL students of different ages more opportunities for vocabulary learning compared to the traditional classroom. This book reviews the conceptual, methodological, theoretical, and practical issues associated with captioned videos and offers innovative ideas to help researchers, graduate students, and classroom practitioners enhance learners’ vocabulary acquisition at all levels.
Language Learning, Power, Race and Identity
by Liz Johanson BothaThis book investigates the strategies and identities of colonials who have learned the languages of colonised people, using the context of isiXhosa in South Africa. While power in language learning research has traditionally focused on the powerful native speaker and the relatively disempowered learner, this book studies the inverse, where elites are the language learners. The author analyses the life histories of four white South Africans who acquired isiXhosa during the apartheid years. The book offers insights into relationships between language, power, race, identity and change in their stories and in the broader context of apartheid and post-apartheid South Africa, with its conflicted history and disparities. This book should appeal to researchers interested in studies of language acquisition, narrative and identity, as well as those more broadly interested in South African history, multilingualism and race studies.
Language Learning of Adult Migrants in Europe: Theoretical, Empirical, and Pedagogical Issues (Educational Linguistics #53)
by Glenn S. Levine David MallowsThis volume focuses on the learning of host-country languages by migrants in Europe. It identifies, clarifies, and offers insights into issues and central questions related to the learning of host-country languages with an emphasis on adolescent and adult language learners in formal and informal settings. The book draws on data collected following the refugee ‘crisis’ in Europe of 2015-16, which led to dramatic increases in the number of migrants arriving in Europe.
Language Learning Motivation in Japan
by Dexter Da Silva Matthew T. AppleThis book synthesises current theory and research on L2 motivation in the EFL Japanese context carried out by internationally recognized researchers and upcoming researcher-educators working in various educational contexts in Japan. Topics covered include the issues of cultural identity, demotivation, language communities, positive psychology, possible L2 selves and internationalisation within a key EFL context. The studies in the book utilise a wide variety of research methodologies aiming to narrow the gap between theory and practice and examine L2 motivation in primary, secondary and tertiary education. This volume will be of interest to research/teacher professionals who are currently engaged in active ESL/EFL practice, EFL educators, researchers, and teacher-trainers both inside and outside Japan, who are interested in research on L2 motivation in general and within the Japanese context in particular, as well as graduate and postgraduate researchers.
Language Learning Motivation and L2 Pragmatic Competence
by He YangThis book provides comprehensive investigation of the effect of motivation on L2 learners’ pragmatic learning, which has been discussed for a long time but remains under-explored. This study examines whether and to what extent learners’ levels of motivation influence their pragmatic awareness, comprehension and production in an EFL context. It presents an original study that not only enriches our knowledge of the feasibility of modern technology in collecting large-scale data related to pragmatic competence but also eminently connects L2 pragmatics more closely with mainstream second language acquisition research by focusing on the role of motivation in pragmatic learning. This book will be of great value to researchers and postgraduates interested in second language acquisition, especially those who work on L2 pragmatics and individual variation among learners.
Language Learning in Children Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Multiple Pathways
by Susan R. Easterbrooks Sharon BakerThis book addresses the language development process from multiple perspectives, drawing on the latest research in bilingual biculturalism, cochlear implant technology and neuroscience. The book presents a unique view of language development, proposing that there are multiple pathways to the acquisition of a system of communication. For parents and educators working with deaf and hard of hearing children.
Language Learning in Anglophone Countries: Challenges, Practices, Ways Forward
by Martin East Ursula Lanvers Amy S. ThompsonThis edited book focuses on the state of language learning in Anglophone countries and brings together international research from a wide range of educational settings. Taking a contextual perspective on the language learning crisis currently facing Anglophone countries, the authors examine systemic challenges, real-world practices, and broader cultural trends that have an impact on the uptake of modern foreign languages in different Anglophone settings. This book will be of interest to scholars working in applied linguistics and language education, particularly those with a focus on educational policy and Global English.
Language Learning, Gender and Desire
by Kimie TakahashiFor many Japanese women, the English language has never been just another school subject. For them, English is the tool of identity transformation and the means of obtaining what they passionately desire - mobility, the West and its masculinity. Language Learning, Gender and Desire explores Japanese women's passion for learning English and how they negotiate identity and desire in the terrain of racial, sexual and linguistic politics. Drawing on ethnographic data and popular media texts, the book offers new insights into the multidirectionality of desire and power in the context of second language learning.
Language Learning, Discourse and Communication
by Weronika Szubko-Sitarek Łukasz Salski Piotr StalmaszczykThis volume brings together papers on a wide spectrum of topics within the broad area of language acquisition, stressing the interconnections between applied and theoretical linguistics, as well as language research methodology. These contributions in honor of Professor Jan Majer have been grouped in two sections: language learning, and discourse and communication. The former discusses issues varying from aspects of first, second, and third language acquisition, individual learner differences (i. e. gender, attitudes, learning strategies), and second language research methodology to the analysis of features of learner spoken language, the role of feedback in foreign language instruction, and the position of culture in EFL textbooks. The second part of the volume offers a theoretical counterbalance to the applied nature of the first one. Here, the contributions touch upon spoken and written language analysis, language awareness, and aspects of the English language; also, selected issues of language philosophy are discussed. The wide range of topics covered in the publication, authored by specialists in their respective areas, reflects Professor Majer's academic interests and corresponds to the complex nature of the general field the volume aims to portray.
Language Learning Beyond the Classroom (ESL & Applied Linguistics Professional Series)
by Jack C. Richards David NunanThis volume presents case studies of language learning beyond the classroom. The studies draw on a wide range of contexts, from North and South America to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Each provides principled links between theory, research and practice. While out-of-class learning will not replace the classroom, ultimately all successful learners take control of their own learning. This book shows how teachers can help learners bridge the gap between formal instruction and autonomous language learning. Although English is the primary focus of most chapters, there are studies on a range of other languages including Spanish and Japanese.
Language Learning and the Mother Tongue: Multidisciplinary Perspectives
by Sara Greaves De Mattia-Viviès, MoniqueInnovative and interdisciplinary in approach, this book explores the role of the mother tongue in second language learning. It brings together contributions from a diverse team of authors, to showcase a range of Francophone perspectives from the fields of linguistics, psychology, cross-cultural psychiatry, psychoanalysis, translation studies, literature, creative writing, the neurosciences, and more. The book introduces a major new concept: the (M)other tongue, and shows its relevance to language learning and pediatrics in a multicultural society. The first chapter explores this concept from different angles, and the subsequent chapters present a range of theoretical and practical perspectives, including counselling case studies, literary examples and creative plurilingual pedagogies, to highlight how this theory can inform practical approaches to language learning. Engaging and accessible, readers will find new ideas and methods to adopt to their own thinking and practices, whether their background is in language and linguistics, psychiatry, psychology, or neuroscience.
Language Learning and the Brain: Lexical Processing in Second Language Acquisition
by Ulf SchützeEvery person who encounters or learns another language is faced with the challenge of processing many new words in a short period of time. What are the conditions under which a learner can acquire those words successfully and process them to long-term memory? How do language and memory faculties interact? What role do the senses play in this process? Are factors such as age or individual backgrounds of learners to be considered? Taking the reader on a fascinating journey through the brain to demonstrate how language is processed, Ulf Schütze explains the dynamic environment involved in recording and producing words. The book also discusses how to use information technology, such as Apps, to make the learning of words entertaining and efficient. Describes learning words in another language as a dynamic and fluid process. Provides a strong research base in second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology, and neurophysiology. Outlines practical applications that are helpful for learners, teachers, researchers, and the general public.
Language, Learning, and Culture in Early Childhood: Home, School, and Community Contexts
by Ann Anderson Jim Anderson Jan Hare Marianne McTavishComplex factors affect young children and their families in today’s increasingly diverse world characterized by globalization, the transnational movement of people, and neo-liberal government policies in western and industrialized countries. This book focuses on three of these factors—culture, language and learning—and how they affect children’s development and learning in the context of their communities, families and schools. Taking an ecological perspective, it challenges normative and hegemonic views of young children’s language, literacy and numeracy development and offers examples of demonstrated educational practices that acknowledge and build on the knowledge that children develop and learn in culturally specific ways in their homes and communities. The authors highlight issues and perspectives that are particular to Indigenous people who have been subjected to centuries of assimilationist and colonialist policies and practices, and the importance of first or home language maintenance and its cognitive, cultural, economic, psychological and social benefits. Links are provided to a package of audio-video resources (http://blogs.ubc.ca/intersectionworkshop/) including key note speeches and interviews with leading international scholars, and a collection of vignettes from the workshop from which this volume was produced .
Language Learning: A Lifelong Process
by Joseph Foley Linda ThompsonLanguage Learning provides an introduction to language development that differs from existing books in that it traces language and cognitive development (together with the associated debates) from babyhood, through the school years of middle childhood and adolescence, into adulthood and the world of work.Increasingly, the global trend is towards learning to speak, read and write more than one language. Language Learning is a comprehensive book that includes descriptions and discussions of learning more than one language sequentially and simulataneously.The only book to look at language with a lifelong perspective, it is ideal as an introductory student text. Each chapter contains ideas and suggestions for students to follow-up and begin their own small scale investigations into language development.
Language Learners in Study Abroad Contexts
by Eton E. Churchill Margaret A. DufonExamining the overseas experience of language learners in diverse contexts through a variety of theoretical and methodological approaches, studies in this volume look at the acquisition of language use, socialization processes, learner motivation, identity and learning strategies. In this way, the volume offers a privileged window into learner experiences abroad while addressing current concerns central to second language acquisition.
Language Knowledge for Primary Teachers: A Guide To Textual, Grammatical And Lexical Study
by Angela Wilson Julie ScanlonTeaching children to develop as language users is one of the most important tasks of a primary school teacher. However, many trainee teachers begin their careers with a low knowledge base. Language Knowledge for Primary Teachers is the reader friendly guide designed to address this. This book provides a clear explanation of the knowledge and understanding required by teachers to implement the objectives of the National Curriculum for English. It reveals how an explicit knowledge of language can enrich their own and their children’s spoken English. It will give teachers confidence in developing children’s enjoyment and comprehension of reading and writing so children can use their language skills in the real world. Updated to include references to the new curriculum, this book explores: The importance of subject knowledge in supporting children in language and literacy; Language knowledge within the context of authentic and meaningful texts, from fiction to ‘Facebook’; The links between subject knowledge and real teaching situations; New areas on talk and dialogic learning; Increased emphasis on ICT and cross-curricular study. This book will appeal to all trainee and newly qualified teachers needing to achieve both the demands of subject knowledge for Qualified Teacher Status, and a firm understanding of the expectations of the National Curriculum for English.
Language is the Key: The Canadian Language Benchmarks Model (Politics and Public Policy)
by Monika JezakThe CLB/NCLC success was dependent on many factors—outstanding work by leading Canadian scholars; steady commitment of the government and non-governmental stakeholders at the federal, provincial, and local level; and, last but not least, unconditional commitment and caring on the part of an invested community of practice. Language is the key covers a range of topics: historical and political context that lead to the development of the Canadian standards, their current positioning in global educational markets, as well as their research and teaching cultures. This edited volume provides a comprehensive overview of recent and ongoing projects and of CLB- and NCLC-related materials, tools and resources for teaching and assessment. Finally, it offers a bold outlook, proposing various scenarios to branch out beyond these benchmarks into the domains of higher education, essential skills, literacy, workplace training, as well as international and indigenous languages. The 20th anniversary of the CLB/NCLC provides an opportunity to reflect on the scope and importance of this exceptional Canadian intellectual product.
Language is Politics: Exploring an Ecological Approach to Language
by Frank van SplunderLanguage is Politics discusses power relations between languages in the world, with a particular focus on English. Even though English is the most widely spoken and the most powerful language worldwide, it is not the lingua franca it is often supposed to be. The basic tenet of this book is that languages do not exist in the natural world; they are artefacts made by humans. The book debunks some common myths about language and it suggests that we should be more modest in our assumptions, for instance concerning the linguistic uniqueness of our own species. The author argues in favour of an ecological or balanced approach to language. This approach sees humans and other animals as part of the larger ecosystems that life depends on. As in nature, diversity is crucial to the survival of languages. The current linguistic ecosystem is out of balance, and this book shows that education can help to restore the balance and cope with the challenges of a multilingual and multicultural world. With an ecological approach to language and a focus on narratives and personal language histories, this will be key reading for researchers and academics, as well as students of English language and linguistics.
Language Investment and Employability
by Mi-Cha Flubacher Alexandre Duchêne Renata CorayThis book provides a unique insight into negotiations around language investment for employability in the context of public employment services. Drawing on extensive ethnographical research carried out in Regional Employment Offices in Switzerland, the authors follow the stories of various job seekers. In doing so, they challenge the currently dominant assumption that investment in language competences leads to better employability. Arguing for a political economic perspective on these issues, this book will be of interest to anyone concerned with the connections between language and social inequality, as well as students and scholars of sociolinguistics and applied linguistics.