Teaching Young Hispanic Children: Context, Language, and Learning* Bryant Jensen Arizona State University TNE-ELD Conference, November 6, 2006 The University of Texas at El Paso *Data from this presentation are taken from a working draft entitled The Linguistic Development of Young Hispanic Children in the United States: A Research Synthesis, authored by Eugene E. Garcia and Bryant Jensen

Overview Context and learning Dual-language development Language and learning Implications for teachers Further recommendations

Context and Learning Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development

Sociocultural theory Linguistic, cognitive, and social development are fundamentally connected and interrelated A child’s basic cognitive framework is shaped his or her early language and cultural experiences Current research suggests that bridging home- school differences in interaction/discourse patterns can increase students’ engagement and participation Context and Learning

The relationships of linguistic properties among Spanish and English are complex Transfer theory posits that language skills from the first language transfer to the second when grammatical structures between languages are similar Contextually-reduced and cognitively demanding linguistic skills are the most likely to transfer Dual-language Development

The quality of early linguistic development in the second language is dependent on the quality of native language development for young Hispanic ELLs (except for oral/conversational skills, which do not appear to transfer between linguistic systems) Factors that mediate dual-language transfer include individual factors (such as motivation) as well as contextual factors including language practices in the home and instructional practices in the school Dual-language Development

Spanish-use in the classroom has been shown to strengthen transfer of letter learning, phonemic awareness, word reading, and passage comprehension skills from Spanish to English for young Hispanic ELLs For young Hispanics ELLs, programs offering sound dual-language instruction are favorable to English-only approaches in terms of early achievement Evidence suggests that benefit of Spanish inclusion in the classroom varies by sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., levels of human capital in the home). Further research in this area is needed. Language and Learning

Language and Learning

Language and Learning In another study, the strength of transfer of early literacy skills (i.e., phonemic awareness) from Spanish to English was found to vary by receptive vocabulary scores in Spanish. No evidence of transfer was found for those with limited receptive vocabulary in Spanish. Linguistic competencies of the child and home language experiences influence rate of transfer and relationship between Spanish-use during instruction and early achievement. Further research in the area is needed.

Implications for Teachers Employ a theoretical model of learning and development that perceives the child’s abilities within multiple levels of the environment Understand that cognitive, social, and linguistic development are fundamentally interconnected Know child’s language and educational background well, including levels of proficiency in Spanish and English – this information can be partially attained from parents. Maintain ongoing dialogue with parents concerning child’s linguistic and educational progress and goals. Strengthening early literacy skills in Spanish can improve identical skills in English for young Hispanic ELLs

Implications for Teachers Realize that the strength of cross-linguistic transfer and the time it requires may vary by socioeconomic status and the child’s particular educational and language experiences. Provide rich dual-language environments in terms of the quality and frequency of reception and expression – allow for linguistic exploration and mixing. A “language specialist” should be provided to aide and serve as consultants to monolingual teachers Make effective use of peer pairing and cooperative groups

Further Recommendations Further research is needed – to develop empirically based instructional and curricular strategies to increase early achievement of young Hispanics and – to assess how school and home sociocultural contexts affect cross-linguistic transfer, school readiness, and achievement Educational policy should address the following: – Recruitment of bilingual and culturally competent PK-3 teachers and “language specialists” – Increasing expansion of state-funded pre-school programs – Developing parent outreach initiatives – Providing high quality PK-3 dual-language programs