This paper discusses some misconceptions about Asian American elementary school and secondary school students, and describes ways of building effective communication with the families of these students. The essay begins by noting the stereotyping of Asian American students as "whiz kids" and discussing the damaging effect of that…

The central tenet of Cummins' framework for intervention is that students from "dominated" social groups are either "empowered" or "disabled" as a direct result of their interactions with teachers. These interactions are mediated by the role definitions that educators assume in relation to certain institutional…

In response to the increasing diversity of the student population at Golden West Community College, in California, the the Intercultural Center (IC) was established in 1989 to enhance campus-wide awareness of cultural diversity through services to immigrant and international students and the campus community. An Intercultural Task Force was first…

Characteristics of Hispanic, African American, Jamaican, and Haitian students, the most prevalent minority groups in the adult school population in Polk County, Florida, are described in this resource book. The book, which is intended to supplement staff development in cultural diversity and to help implement classroom strategies for reaching all…

An inservice teacher education course was designed to address the problems of content-area teachers in teaching limited-English-proficient (LEP) students. Goals were for content-area teachers: (1) to gain sensitivity to and understanding of the special needs of this population; (2) to become aware of the cultural and linguistic diversity and…

The goal of this practicum was to design an effective program orientation session for teachers and parents that would enhance parent involvement in an American Indian Head Start preschool program. Objectives were that: (1) a total of 90% of families and 100% of staff would attend a program orientation session; (2) a parent involvement activity…

This document consists of the two issues of "Dialog on Language Instruction" (DLI) published during 1987. The following articles appear in these issues of this "occasional" internal publication: "Foreign Language Technology in the 21st Century" (Frank Otto); "Cultural Distance and the Foreign Language…

Intermediate level students of English as a second language reach a critical stage in their language learning after which motivation wanes if no specific attainable goals are offered as encouragement to progress. The ability to enjoy recreational reading can provide those goals, but students must make the transition from dependence on the teacher…

The Upper Arlington, Ohio school reorganization, in 1983, to include a middle school resulted in the development of a seventh-grade foreign language exploration course. The course provides nine weeks each of French, German, and Spanish, and relates the languages to content areas using an interdisciplinary approach. The fourth nine weeks would be…

In the 1988-89 school year, Bilingualism in the Computer Age completed its final year of instruction at Morris High School in the Bronx. The project provided bilingual instructional and support services to 240 Spanish-speaking students of limited English proficiency (LEP) and utilized computers to develop students' English skills and native…

An experimental, interdisciplinary, mastery learning course in intercultural communication--designed to help students at Santa Barbara (California) City College overcome barriers arising from language, attitudinal, nonverbal, and ethnocentric variations in communication styles--is described in this collection of documents. The collection includes…

Teaching literature as a basis for teaching writing affords a paradigm for teaching structure and meaning. While a truly integrated English department would put equal emphasis upon composition, language, literature, and reading, two-year college curricula have emphasized composition and challenged literature's place. A reader-based model for…

Canadian research relevant to French immersion program development in Ontario is reviewed and summarized. The review includes studies on six program or instructional aspects: (1) attitudes and motivation of immersion students and parents; (2) achievement of immersion students in English language arts and other subjects; (3) French proficiency and…

The local-language-medium schools of North Solomons Province are described and evaluated. The Viles Tok Ples Skuls (VTPS) provide education in both the indigenous languages (tok ples) and English as a means of integrating the past with modern development, as is preferred by the local people. The report contains seven chapters. The first gives the…

Project Esperanza, a staff development effort, was designed in order to supplement the basic educational program for handicapped students with limited English proficiency in New York City Schools. The project served the teachers of 458 students in elementary, intermediate, and secondary schools, and provided (1) staff training and consultation;…