EDUC 140AC Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Bilingual Education Act, Bilingual Education, Interpersonal Communication
Document Summary
Educators who attempt to teach english recognize that learning it is a complex, multidimensional skill that can only be acquired through meaningful interactions with speakers and materials that allow practicing of the form and function of the language. The education system has consistently referred to academic english to educate english learners there is no clear definition of this other then that advanced vocabulary is a component of it. However english language learners that thrive under proficiency tests fail to thrive in reality b/c language is multidimensional and testing only evaluates unidimensional skill and ability. Attempts to characterize academic english involves characterizing its discourse on subjects such as history, literature, and science. Other efforts involve characterization of grammatical complexity and use of technical and abstract vocabulary. With young readers, textbook writers avoid using technical terms from an academic register and stick w/ simple, unelaborated sentence patterns. By fourth and fifth grade texts become instructional tools to teach, expand, and support learning.
