Expanding Curriculum
Dual Language Programs: Lessons Learned in the Trenches in the Past Three Years View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Lucia Buttaro
A successful dual language program is one that appreciates and supports the cultural, linguistic, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds of the students in our schools. These backgrounds need to be incorporated into the curriculum to make sure that our students receive the same educational opportunities as their peers. The believers in immersion hold that bilingual education causes the brain to be confused - a zero sum game where learning one language necessarily trades off with the capacity to learn another one. Many against bilingual education also hold the mistaken belief that the academic skills a child learns in one language, like the multiplication tables, will not transfer and and that children must then relearn how to multiply once they are proficient in English. These beliefs may have been based on a crude understanding of how the brain works. Many more methodologically sound studies have shown that preserving one's heritage language is very beneficial for students. This study considers how three schools in New York City that were using a dual language language model (either a 90/10 or 50/50 model) and how did not provide authentic materials and translated texts that caused the children to be confused. For example, when geography was taught in Spanish the teachers indicated that there were seven continents instead of five, as is indicated in texts from central and South America; and they refer to"tooth fairy" instead of "El Raton Perez," etc.
Integrating American History and Culture: Engaging Young Minds Across the Curriculum View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Evgenia Berdesi
This short-term, student-focused course was developed to enrich the English Language curriculum by introducing key aspects of the American culture and history such as the significance of Liberty, contributions of African-American personalities, an overview of the Native American history, and insights into the impact of immigration. It was created in an attempt to address a gap in the 6th-grade English curriculum of Greek primary schools, which predominantly focuses on British culture. It derives inspiration from the Study of the U.S. Institute for Scholars and Secondary Educators (SUSI) Fulbright program entitled "Liberty, Equality, and the American Dream-Democracy and Citizenship”, which took place in Montana University in June 2022. Moreover, it employs an interdisciplinary approach, incorporating student-centered methods (e.g. the Task-Based Approach, the transformative learning theory, the technology-based learning, the project learning, and the group learning) and integrating Web 2.0 Tools to encourage students’ critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication. It involves varied tasks and independent reflective activities aiming to increase students' awareness of the American culture encouraging critical reflection on resources and fostering students’ own interpretations of the facts.
Teaching Mathematics to All Learners by Tapping into Indigenous Legends: A Pathway towards Inclusive Education View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Nahid Golafshani
This pilot studies explores the use of storytelling in the planning and teaching of mathematical content and the possibility to create learning opportunities that are authentic to Indigenous learners and those of diverse backgrounds. In collaboration with Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators, mathematical lessons where developed, implemented and reviewed in an elementary school located in Northern Ontario. The result of this pilot study is the positive effects that such culturally inclusive lessons have on both the learners and the educators, creating learning opportunities mathematically, culturally and personal growth that was not initially seen. This pilot study combined a culturally authentic approach to teaching with the current educational issue of diversity and resulted in finding the endless application of storytelling. Storytelling can allow students to relate and understand abstract mathematical concepts, expose students to diverse cultures and foster a positive and open learning environment. This pilot study demonstrates a practical example of integrating cultural diversity into mathematics, which is a method that can be replicated to various subject matter and grade levels.
