MON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Spring Semester 2002
EDUC 367 - 4 ?
Bonnie Waterstone
Teaching Children from Minority Language
Office: TBA
Backgrounds in Elementary Classrooms
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Phone: 291-3395
E01.00 ?
Email: bwaterst@sfu.ca
Thursday 16:30-20:20 in EDB 8651/2
PREREQUISITES
60 credit hours
DESCRIPTION
This course will prepare pre-service and practicing teachers in effective elementary curriculum and
instruction with students from a wide variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Children of
minority language backgrounds (those often labeled as ESL students) face particular challenges and
bring particular strengths to learning English in elementary school. What practices and classroom
conditions facilitate language learning? We will consider theory and research in second language
learning and examine teaching/ learning practices in multilingual, multi-ethnic classrooms.
Participants will have an opportunity to develop plans for practice relevant to their own educational
milieu.
REQUIREMENTS:
1.
Reflection essay: 10%
2.
Responses to readings, presentations, class participation: 40%
3.
Classroom observation: 20%
4.
Final term paper or action research proposal: 30%
REQUIRED READINGS:
Toohey, K. (2000).
Learning English at school: Identity, social relations and classroom practice.
Gibbons, P. (1991).
Learning to learn in a second language.
Additional selected readings on reserve.
