Language Literacy And Learning In The Stem Disciplines

With 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.

This edited book is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of applied linguistics/literacies studies in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). It brings together a renowned host of experts involved in actual research projects on STEM practice and education. The book presents a range of projects covering the areas of science, engineering, and mathematics and provides a conceptualization of the concepts and methodologies that underpin these projects. A range of epistemologies, approaches, and methodologies including discourse/conversation analysis, ethnographic/content analysis and text linguistic analysis are exemplified and explained in the relation to specific interdisciplinary studies in STEM. This book provides a much-needed introduction to the ways in which applied linguists can work in the areas of science, engineering, and mathematics and ways in which work in these professions and academic disciplines can benefit from the research and educational knowledge of applied linguists.

This edited book is an introduction to the interdisciplinary field of applied linguistics/literacies studies in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). It brings together a host of experts involved in actual research projects on STEM practice and education. The book presents a range of projects covering the areas of science, engineering, and mathematics and provides a conceptualization of the concepts and methodologies that underpin these projects. A range of epistemologies, approaches, and methodologies including discourse/conversation analysis, ethnographic/content analysis and text linguistic analysis is exemplified and explained in relation to specific interdisciplinary studies in STEM. This book provides a much-needed introduction to the ways in which applied linguists can work in the areas of STEM and the ways in which function in these professions and academic disciplines can benefit from the research and educational knowledge of applied linguists.

This volume explores the challenges of teaching and learning Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects in local languages and local contexts in a range of countries around the world. Many countries around the world, including African countries, have been largely excluded from the transformation that is going on in STEM pedagogy in the USA, where the emphasis is on the importance of language choice and the development of English Language Learner (ELL). STEM subjects in many parts of the world have been taught in a global language, mainly English, rather than using a local language and local curriculum. This creates pedagogical challenges to the teaching of STEM. The contributions to this book review evidence and arguments for the teaching of STEM subjects in local languages and several chapters make this case that this should be considered a human right, both in national educational programs and in development aid. Working across disciplines and domains has the potential to lead to new understanding and the removal of barriers to progress with the ultimate goal of creating solutions to persistent problems in education. Cross-disciplinary work in science, language and literacy has shown much promise and demonstrated the importance of developing language along with disciplinary knowledge. This volume provides a deep dive into this topic, with articles by several scholars in the field of language in STEM.” – Jaqueline Barber, Director of the Learning Design Group at the Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California-Berkeley, USA “In an increasingly technological world, STEM Education has become a priority on national agendas and in educational institutions. Meaningful access to STEM education can enable or hinder young people from gaining entry into the world of work. It is against this backdrop that the edited collection, Human Rights and Language in STEM Education, needs to be welcomed. The various chapters tackle the big questions of access and many others. This edited collection is required reading for all those working in STEM and for policy makers who tend to see language and STEM as binaries, rather than as interdependent.” – Zubeida Desai, Professor and Dean of Education, University of the Western Cape, South Africa This volume by researchers from 10 countries provides a thought-and-action provoking multidimensional analysis of issues on the dignity of the use of STEM subjects in local education in the perspective of human rights. This book is especially recommended to researchers and education policy makers in such areas as STEM Educational Theory and Praxis, Human Rights, Future/sustainable Development, Science and Technology Literacy. May it inspire similar volumes in today’s politically ebullient world.” – Francisco Gomes de Matos, Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, human linguistic rights scholar, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.

The imperative that all students, including English learners (ELs), achieve high academic standards and have opportunities to participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) learning has become even more urgent and complex given shifts in science and mathematics standards. As a group, these students are underrepresented in STEM fields in college and in the workforce at a time when the demand for workers and professionals in STEM fields is unmet and increasing. However, English learners bring a wealth of resources to STEM learning, including knowledge and interest in STEM-related content that is born out of their experiences in their homes and communities, home languages, variation in discourse practices, and, in some cases, experiences with schooling in other countries. English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives examines the research on ELs' learning, teaching, and assessment in STEM subjects and provides guidance on how to improve learning outcomes in STEM for these students. This report considers the complex social and academic use of language delineated in the new mathematics and science standards, the diversity of the population of ELs, and the integration of English as a second language instruction with core instructional programs in STEM.

Childhood multilingualism has become a norm rather than an exception. This is the first handbook to survey state-of-the-art research on the uniqueness of early multilingual development in children growing up with more than two languages in contact. It provides in-depth accounts of the complexity and dynamics of early multilingualism by internationally renowned scholars who have researched typologically different languages in different continents. Chapters are divided into six thematic areas, following the trajectory, environment and conditions underlying the incipient and early stages of multilingual children's language development. The many facets of childhood multilingualism are approached from a range of perspectives, showcasing not only the challenges of multilingual education and child-rearing but also the richness in linguistic and cognitive development of these children from infancy to early schooling. It is essential reading for anyone interested in deepening their understanding of the multiple aspects of multilingualism, seen through the unique prism of children.

Because content and language learning go hand in hand New content standards integrate content and language in ways prior standards have never done. That’s why it’s so critically important that teachers attend to both content and language development when introducing new subject matter, especially for English learners. Here’s your opportunity to get started tomorrow and every day thereafter: Alison Bailey and Margaret Heritage’s all-new Progressing Students’ Language Day by Day. What’s so utterly ground-breaking about this book is Bailey and Heritage’s Dynamic Language Learning Progression (DLLP) process: research-based tools for obtaining much deeper insight into a student’s language progress, then for identifying the most appropriate instructional steps to elevate language proficiency and content knowledge. Step by step, Bailey and Heritage describe how to Engage with students to advance their development of sophisticated, high-leverage language features for explaining content Use the DLLP approach to formative assessment, then plan your teaching in response to assessment evidence Examine words, sentences, and discourse --the three dimensions of language that are part of the DLLP process for cultivating language development Discover how leadership support and communities of practice (CoPs) can facilitate a successful and sustainable implementation of the DLLP process Listen more closely and uncover new ways to advance content learning with Progressing Students’ Language Day by Day directly by your side. “Alison Bailey and Margaret Heritage open our eyes to the often invisible and context-specific language demands embedded in content learning. Understanding the ubiq¬uitous and highly influential role of language in learning takes time and effort but leads to transformative practice. Progressing Students’ Language Learning Day by Day offers an insightful and concrete framework to begin this transformation.” — Paola Uccelli, Professor of Education, Harvard University

Classroom Assessment and Educational Measurement explores the ways in which the theory and practice of both educational measurement and the assessment of student learning in classroom settings mutually inform one another. Chapters by assessment and measurement experts consider the nature of classroom assessment information, from student achievement to affective and socio-emotional attributes; how teachers interpret and work with assessment results; and emerging issues in assessment such as digital technologies and diversity/inclusion. This book uniquely considers the limitations of applying large-scale educational measurement theory to classroom assessment and the adaptations necessary to make this transfer useful. Researchers, graduate students, industry professionals, and policymakers will come away with an essential understanding of how the classroom assessment context is essential to broadening contemporary educational measurement perspectives. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.