THE SPANISH PEDAGOGICAL DISCOURSE OF BILINGUAL STUDENT/TEACHERS

THE SPANISH PEDAGOGICAL DISCOURSE OF

BILINGUAL STUDENT/TEACHERS

First International Conference on Heritage/Community Language EducationFebruary 19-21, 2010

Laura Dubcovsky <[email protected]>University of California, DavisSchool of Education


WRITING

Teachers’ perspective• Writing

instruction/teaching• Feedback

Foreign Language classroom

Second Language classroom

Students’ perspective• Writing Process• Oral to writing• Reading to writing• Academic Literacy• Different contexts Laura Dubcovsky <[email protected]>

University of California, DavisSchool of Education

Mainstream Language classroom

Heritage Language classroom


BILINGUAL TEACHERS’ WRITING

SPANISH• Few courses in Spanish for teachers• Second language acquisition, diversity, • multiculturalism, etc.• Strategies for English Learners.• Topics in English.

• To develop high level of Spanish • Proficiency (colloquial and academic registers)• Teachers’ language awarenessLaura Dubcovsky <[email protected]>




RESEARCH QUESTION

Which linguistic features characterize the pedagogical discourse written in Spanish by undergraduate students and student/teachers pursuing a bilingual teaching credential?



• Classes conducted in Spanish• Instruction based on hands-on activities• Student-centered activities• Authentic reading (articles)• Purposeful writing (journal)

SETTING



PARTICIPANTS (N=15)

7 undergraduate students 8 BCLAD students 12 females/ 3 males 4 born in Spanish speaking countries14 heritage speakersStrong writers (5 BCLAD/ 4 Undergrad)Weak writers ( 3 BCLAD/ 3 undergrad)

• Language in context (situated)• Meaningful• Users of languageSocial ConstructivismWriting activity within the profession• Systemic Functional Linguistics• Interpersonal, Experiential and Modal dimensions

METHOD OF ANALYSIS


• DATA COLLECTION• 135 JOURNALS• 30 COMMENTSLaura Dubcovsky <[email protected]>


INTERPERSONAL DIMENSION


Which type of distance did writers establish with their interlocutor?Did writers present an outside or an inside perspective of the teaching role?


INTERPERSONAL DIMENSION: SHORT DISTANCE



To give explicit instructions: lo trozas en tiras… del color que más te guste…pones a calentar agua y le agregas harina y lo revuelves hasta que te quede una consistencia algo espesa … (“… you break it in stripes … of the color you like the most… (you) heat water and add flour and stir until you get some stick consistency…”)

To explain procedures Por ejemplo, cuando estás dividiendo el dividendo es el número que estás dividiendo … (“For example, when you are dividing, the dividend is the number that you are dividing…” )

INTERPERSONAL DIMENSION: SHORT DISTANCE



To generalize the participant/sLa alternancia de códigos es cuando cambias de lengua/registro…(“Code alternation is when you change language/register…”)

To narrow the addressee to educational agentsPor ejemplo, al hacer un libro tú misma/o puedes modificarlo específicamente para tus estudiantes…(“For example, when making a book you can modify it, especially for your students…“).

INTERPERSONAL DIMENSION TEACHING POSITION


Continuum from outside: he/she/they (“teacher(s); student(s); the classroom”).The other


To inside perspective: I/We (as teachers), (“my/our future students”), impersonal forms (“one as a teacher”)InclusiveUndergrad and BCLAD students were closing the gap between outsiders/insiders.

EXPERIENTIAL DIMENSION


Did writers incorporate technical words and expressions from the educational field ?Did writers reflect on their own Spanish development?




EXPERIENTIAL DIMENSIONPEDAGOGICAL TERMS

Content-based specific: balanza (“scale”), pentagrama, común denominador (“common denominator”) Educational vocabulary: Alfabetización (“literacy”), investigaciones escolares (“scholastic investigations”), facilitar el aprendizaje (“to facilitate the learning”).Technical vocabulary: Andamiaje (“scaffolding”), zona de desarrollo próximo (“Zone of proximal development”). Acronyms: BICS, CALP, EFL, ELD .



EXPERIENTIAL DIMENSIONPEDAGOGICAL TERMS

La característica de integración de lengua y aéreas de contenido enfoca la teoría que dice si les integras vocabulario a los estudiantes a corta edad sobre un tema… esos estudiantes van a entender la materia mejor... En la lectura sobre el aprendizaje los estudiantes aprendieron sobre la materia de ciencias… (“The characteristic of language and content areas integration focuses on the theory that says that if you integrate vocabulary about a topic to the students at early age … these students are going to better understand the subject matter…In the reading about learning, students learned about science subject…”).


Structure: comparison and contrast between L1 and L2. Vocabulary: specialized, technical terms.Register: colloquial/formal Spanish,Academic language.Sociolinguistic notions: norm, dialects and variants.


EXPERIENTIAL DIMENSIONSPANISH LANGUAGE AWARENESS


… En el pasado, mi vocabulario sobre materias siempre ha sido un vocabulario “de la calle” por decir. Lo importante sobre el español formal es que *en un lugar como la escuela tiene que desarrollar al estudiante en forma escolar. (…“In the past my vocabulary about subject matters have always been, say a “street” vocabulary. The important (thing) about formal Spanish is that *in a place like school, it has to develop the student in a scholar way”).


EXPERIENTIAL DIMENSIONSPANISH LANGUAGE AWARENESS

Yo no sabía la palabra esfumar. Yo sé cómo hacerlo cuando estoy usando los pasteles al óleo, pero no sabía la palabra en español.(“I did not know the word shade painting. I know how to do it when I am using oleo pastels, but I did not know the word in Spanish”).


How did writers present the reading material? Did they elaborate ideas from the text?Did writers present an outside or an inside perspective of the reading material?


MODAL DIMENSION


From…Projecting clauses: … el artículo dice que (“the article says that”)… la teoría explica que (“the theory explains…”)…. El autor menciona que… (“The author mentions that”).

Quotes and citations, verbatim.

To…Abstract expressions and nominal clausesEl artículo discutió el uso del arte con literatura (“The article discussed the use of art with literature…”)


MODAL DIMENSION PRESENTATION OF TEXTS’ IDEAS

MODAL DIMENSIONINSIDE/OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE


Continuum from detached and external perspectives to integrated use of the reading material/theory to the practical teaching experience.Negotiating meaning with the author. It includes: Expressing opinion, (dis) agreements, (dis) satisfaction: me parece bien (“I think it is right”), no me gustó cuando… (“I did not like when…”) , etc.Use of modal verbs (“should/must”), etc.Objective impersonal constructions, es necesario (“it is necessary” ), es evidente (“it is evident”), etc.Subjective impersonal expressions, es obvio (“It is obvious”), está claro ( “it is clear”), etc. Do’s and don’ts : teachers’ value system.


MODAL DIMENSIONINSIDE/OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE


Para mí el artículo de Hudelson et al. … nosotros, como maestras/os podamos tener las conversaciones… Yo, como maestra, reconozco la importancia del arte … en mi salón… Finalmente, yo creo que …necesitamos plantear problemas que van a desafiar a nuestros estudiantes… Los artículos han demostrado cómo el arte puede ser un gran beneficio para la educación de nuestros estudiantes…(“To me the article by Hudelson et al. … we as teachers can keep our conversations…. As a teacher I recognize the importance of art … in my classroom… Finally, I believe that… we need to state problems that are going to challenge our students… Articles have showed how art can be very beneficial to our students’ education …”)


RESULTS 1


The participants of this study showed a general progress in their writing skills in Spanish, based on increasing exposure and practice. Their texts grew in length, expansion, and elaboration.


RESULTS 2


In-depth analysis showed two main areas of growth:1) Development of a teaching Position.2) Development of Spanish for pedagogical purposes.


CONCLUSION/SUMMARY



Creation of a pedagogical discourse based on:1) Close distance and assumption of a teaching position (Interpersonal dimension).

2) Technical vocabulary from the educational field and reflection upon one’s language development (Experiential dimension).

3) Blend of authoritative voices (theory) and teaching experience (Modal dimension).

DISCUSSION


Perspective as professionals in education Teacher’s discourse in Spanish includes colloquial and academic registers.

Most successful writers combined sayings, comparisons and examples from everyday language, with technical terms, nominalizations and abstract expressions from academic language.

To support their position as bilingual teachers, they express a set of values by means of modal verbs (should/must) expressing the do’s and don'ts.


PEDAGOGICAL DISCOURSE



Como maestros nosotros tenemos la obligación de hacer nuestro salón y la escuela un lugar donde todos los padres se sientan incluidos y dispuestos a hacer preguntas y participar... Como maestros podemos realmente conectar con los padres y tenerlos de nuestro lado para formar una alianza en la educación de su hijo/a. (“As teachers we have the obligation of making our class and school a place where all parents feel included and able to make questions and participate... As teachers we can really connect with parents and have them at our side to make an alliance in their son/daughter’s education”).

THE SPANISH PEDAGOGICAL DISCOURSE OF BILINGUAL STUDENT/TEACHERS

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