Conference Sessions

Recently some scholars and practitioners have begun to question the practice of adhering to separation of languages in immersion teaching and learning. Representing one-way, two-way and indigenous immersion contexts, symposium participants will offer research-based perspectives and engage in a debate on the topic of L1/majority language use in immersion.

Based on classroom observations, student written production analysis, and discussions with kindergarten and first grade teachers, this presentation links theory and practice in writing instruction in the immersion setting. Participants will critically review video clips and authentic student writing, and participate in discussions regarding the most effective methodologies and genres.

Thematically integrated curriculum provides meaningful context for L2 development and makes rigorous language input possible. This session introduces theoretical foundations for thematic curriculum and methods to integrate academic subjects. The session also shows how to design standard-based thematic curriculum using Standard Maps and Essential Questions (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).

This session highlights a collaborative practitioner inquiry that seeks to provide Latino families, whose children participate in a dual language immersion program (K-6), with equal access to resources so they become engaged and become leaders within the school. Presenters discuss how the inquiry emerged, how it unfolded, and what they learned.

In this presentation, we will provide strategies for classroom management in a bilingual class that involve students in the language learning process through the regular curriculum. This presentation will go through the creative writing process, work in groups, centers, projects, and "missions." Participants will be given access to ready-to-use helpful materials.

This presentation will describe differences found between students who have and have not completed dual immersion programs. The researchers will present findings between these two groups of students regarding differences in ethnic identity, skill-specific language proficiencies, and the use of the Spanish language in family and community settings.

In Biel-Bienne (Switzerland), the role of language and intercultural skills is particularly prominent since it is located on the French-German language border within Switzerland. The presented pilot project is about the implementation of the first Swiss two-way immersion public school located on the French-German language border (Biel-Bienne), named Filière Bilingue (FiBi), which started in summer 2010 with four kindergarten classes. In October 2012, the first results of the evaluation of this innovative program will be at hand.

Presentation Handout (PDF)

This session will start with an introduction to the Minnetonka Public Schools. We will discuss Response to Intervention (RTI) strategies and activities utilized in the immersion programs, continue with an open discussion on the pros and cons of the strategies, and conclude with how to improve our RTI strategies.

This research will chronicle the current journey of Hawaiian educators and parents as we engage in an educational and political struggle over state and federal requirements to use translated English standardized tests on our Hawaiian speaking children in Hawaiian language immersion schools.

With new computer technology, is it less important to teach written characters and stroke order? This study compared character recognition in two groups of first grade Chinese immersion students. Each day one group received character recognition activities and the other group had writing practice. Pedagogical implications are discussed.

Through enacting a series of three parent-teacher interviews centering around the Chinese parent's eight-year-old daughter's report cards, we will explore the divergent goals, aims, and processes of education in China and Canada. We will draw attention to the complexities of cross-cultural and multilingual communication which can extend beyond simple language barriers.