Case Study Instructions:

You will watch the videos from the CUNY Teaching Bilinguals Web Series, found at: 

https://www.cuny-nysieb.org/teaching-bilinguals-webseries/ (Links to an external site.)

Create a document in which you answer the questions related to each video.  Please respond thoughtfully and robustly, with details and examples. Use APA format and follow the sample on Canvas.

Questions for Videos

Video 1: Getting Acquainted

1. New York and Florida are states with a large population of students whose first language is not English. According to Sara Vogel, in New York, these students were often forced to speak English or remain silent.  What language practices did you experience when you were in school in Florida (or elsewhere).  What practices have you seen in your previous field experiences?
2. Puerto Rican and other activists in New York in the 1960s and 1970s, with some degree of success, advocated for bilingual education. Which groups advocated for English language learners in Florida in the 1980s, resulting in the 1990 Florida Consent Decree?  What did the Consent Decree accomplish?
3. Define “translanguaging”. What is your opinion of this practice?
4. How can translanguaging practices create scaffolding structures for the language development of multilingual students?

Video 2: Being an Advocate for Bilingual Students

1. How does Ms. Conte use students’ backgrounds as resources in their learning?  Give two additional ideas to implement.
2. How does reading books featuring multicultural/multilingual characters create a culture of inclusion? Have you participated in this practice in the classroom, as a student, a teacher, or an observer?  Describe your experience.
3. How can English speakers profit from exposure to bilingual books?
4. Conte, being monolingual, was uncomfortable about her students speaking in languages she didn’t understand. She felt that she would lose control of the classroom.  What did she find out?  What are your thoughts about not controlling everything that goes on in the classroom?

Video 3: Bilingual Superpowers

1. What are benefits of graphic novels?
2. Describe the process Ms. Ballantyne-Berry uses with her graphic novel assignment.
3. How does Ms. Ballantyne-Berry use students’ language repertoire as a resource?

Video 4: Knowing your Students

1. Chapman-Santiago reads a quote from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. How does this quote apply to a teacher’s work?
2. What might you learn by carefully watching the cues students send through body language and facial expressions? Describe an example from when you were a student, or when you taught or observed a class.
3. What information can a teacher gain by encouraging students to use their home language?
4. What are some practical ways to incorporate home language as a scaffold?
5. What is the role of L1 in second language acquisition? How is second language acquisition theory tied to techniques used in second language development?

Video 5: The Benefits of Bilingual Education

1. What does Sara Vogel mean when she states in her introduction to the video that teachers can “push for more” in promoting their students’ learning?
2. Aponte says that reading the book My name is Jorge on Both Sides of the River has changed her students’ lives. Describe what you think is the impact of the book on students.
3. What is the goal of bilingual education programs? How does a bilingual program impact English speakers?

 Follow directions carefully. I expect you to answer ALL questions using a well-developed paragraph for EACH question. Respond to all questions thoughtfully and robustly, with details and examples. 

 

Use the readings to reply to the questions related to the class content: Consent Decree, translanguaging, L2 acquisition theories, linguistics, and bilingualism (these questions are highlighted in yellow in the guideline).

d) TSL courses are part of the Education Department. APA style must be used.

e) There are three (3) Case Study Samples below to guide and help you prepare your own case study:

Case Study Guideline

Videos	Questions	Comments	Points
Video 1 (7 pts)	Question 1 a) practices you experienced when you were in school b) practices you have seen in your previous field experiences
Question 2 a) advocated for English language learners in Florida b) accomplishments of the Consent Decree
Question 3 a) definition of translanguaging b) your opinion
Question 4 a) translanguaging practices and scaffolding structures
Video 2 (4pts)	Question 1 a) students’ backgrounds as resources b) two additional ideas
Question 2 a) reading and culture of inclusion b) your experience in the classroom
Question 3 a) profit from exposure to bilingual books
Question 4 a) Ms. Conte’s findings b) your opinion about full class control
Video 3 (3 pts)	Question 1 a) benefits of graphic novels
Question 2 a) process of the assignment
Question 3 a) language repertoire as a resource
Video 4 (7 pts)	Question 1 a) a quote applied to a teacher’s work
Question 2 a) body language and facial expressions? b) an example
Question 3 a) gain of home language
Question 4 a) practical ways to incorporate home language as a scaffold
Question 5 a) the role of L1 in second language acquisition b) the L2 acquisition theory tied to language techniques (linguistics)
Video 5 (4 pts)	Question 1 a) “push for more” in promoting their students’ learning
Question 2 a) the impact of the book on students
Question 3 a) the goal of bilingual education programs b) impact of bilingual education programs on English speakers
Overall Essay (5 pts)	Essay displays logical order of events, noting subheadings and appropriate paragraphing. Essay demonstrates ability to write in academic English.	Essay represents more of a stream of consciousness than a logical flow of reason. Essay showcases substantial need for further concentration in writing mechanics.	Essay displays no clever and advanced versions of academic reasoning.

1

Case Study

Student’s Name

Florida International University

School of Education

TSL3080

2
Case Study

Video 1: Getting Acquainted

The language practice I experienced when I was in a Florida school was Spanish and

French. This was an incredible experience because I was exposed to different cultures. I learned

Spanish from my students! It was a pleasure to go to class daily and learn new words/phrases/

terms in a different language. The practices that I saw in my field were teachers teaching other

culture and languages to all students and being incredibly open with it through learning.

This was done by classroom decoration, parties, showing video clips, or even music to

dance too. Civil rights groups advocated for English language learners in Florida in the 80’s. The

Consent Decree earned the right to educate students within their community bilingually.

Translanguaging is a flexible, and critical use of language. It is the core of teaching and emerging

bilingual students. My opinion of this practice is that its great! it is a wonderful way to get teachers

and students to feel comfortable speaking in different languages and being themselves.

Everyone is learning and that is what it is all about. Translanguaging practices create

scaffold structures for the language development of multilingual students by being able to use all

their languages efficiently and creatively with core practices used in the classroom.

Video 2: Being an Advocate for Bilingual Students

Ms. Conte uses students’ backgrounds by understanding that its only going to help them

by encourage and embracing the students. An idea to implement that is viewing student’s language

backgrounds as resources in their learning. A second idea is reading books that feature

multicultural and multilingual characters. By reading books that feature multicultural/multilingual

3
Case Study

characters it creates a culture of inclusion for the student to be exposed to other languages and

cultures. As a teacher, I have participated in this kind of practice in the classroom before.

My experience was reading a book to students in Spanish about colors and it had English

words so that all the students could understand colors in both languages. It was also helpful for me

as the teacher to learn the language. English speakers can profit exposure to bilingual books by

learning with the students as they read to them. Conte felt like because she was an educator, she

needed be responsible of her important role. She learned that she should become a co learner

alongside her students. She also learned to have patience which later gave her empathy. My

thoughts about not controlling everything that goes on in the classroom are being able to

acknowledge the student’s language identities and their strengths.

Video 3: Bilingual Superpowers

Some benefits of graphic novels are culturally relevant mentor texts, students use English

for structures that have been taught, students us their home language to express complex ideas and

bilingualism leveraged as a resource Ms. Ballantyne uses notebook writing with her graphic novel

assignments. She created a checklist for her students, and they copied them into their notebooks.

The checklist had all the different things that they needed to write about. Some parts are in English

and some parts are in Chinese. Ms. Ballantyne-Berry uses students’ language repertoire as a

resource by getting the students ideas across. She uses that by focusing on where they need to build

their English skills. She drew on culturally relevant mentor texts, encouraged her students and

opened space for students to process ideas out loud to themselves in whatever language they speak

naturally.

4
Case Study

Video 4: Knowing Your Students

Chapman-Santiago believes as a middle school teacher, its all about empathy. The quote

that she read applies to a teacher work by really loving what you do. You must know students well

in order to teach them. As a teacher we gain connections with our students and each of them are

unique. We want to know about our students, help them achieve their goals, and be apart of their

journey. So, learning their home language is very essential as a teacher. If I were to carefully watch

the cues students send through body language and facial expressions, I would learn their feelings,

and their wants and needs. When I observed a class once, I learned how the teacher communicated

to her students just off their personal reactions/expressions.

Understanding who the student is and build a relationship with them. It is important to b a

keen observer of student’s expressions and behaviors. Provide opportunities so that students can

show what they know using their home language practices. (You can see their strengths and

challenges.) use observations to help create scaffolds. An exit slip is a way to incorporate home

language as a scaffold. With this assignment the student can talk to a partner in whatever language

they prefer. That way they are understanding of what is being asked of them. They must submit

the answers in English. This way the teacher can see how they progress on various language

objectives. Using cues beyond language to learn about students is the role of an L1 in second

language acquisition. Second language acquisition theory is tied to techniques used in second

language development by translated copies of texts and prompts.

Video 5: The Benefits of Bilingual Ed

5
Case Study

Sara Vogel states “push for more” meaning Teachers can still go a long way towards supporting

their students learning. Aponte reads the story “My name is Jorge on Both Sides of the River” and

the impact of this inspirational story could change her students’ lives because it touches topics that

they can relate too. The goal of a bilingual program is to be bilingual and biliterate. A bilingual

program impacts English speakers by empowering them to be fluent and help guide them through

their learning.

Runninghead: CASE STUDY-HORGAN

Student’s Name

Florida International University

School of Education

TSL3080

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 2

Video 1: Getting Acquainted

1. New York and Florida are states with a large population of students whose first

language is not English. According to Sara Vogel, in New York, these students

were often forced to speak English or remain silent. What language practices did

you experience when you were in school in Florida (or elsewhere). What practices

have you seen in your previous field experiences?

As a child growing up in the rich and culturally diverse city of Miami, as well as

living in an area where there is a dense population of bilinguals, I always had teachers

that spoke fluent Spanish. These teachers created an inclusive environment for students

whose first language was not English. From translating, to sometimes even giving

assignments in Spanish for those who were more comfortable with it, learning English in

Miami is still a difficult task, but not an impossible one. There are some who even say,

Spanish is a necessary language when living here!

In my experience as an educator in Miami, the displays of inclusion in the classroom

involve specific targeting methods for approaching the students who need the most help

with language acquisition. As for myself, I do my best to communicate with my Spanish

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 3

speakers in Spanish to make sure they feel comfortable when speaking up in my class,

and then translating their responses to the class in need be.

2. Puerto Rican and other activists in New York in the 1960s and 1970s, with some

degree of success, advocated for bilingual education. Which groups advocated for

English language learners in Florida in the 1980s, resulting in the 1990 Florida

Consent Decree? What did the Consent Decree accomplish?

The groups in Florida that advocated for English language learners in Florida are

as follows; The Haitian Educators Association, ASPIRA of Florida, Spanish American

League against discrimination, The Haitian Refugee Center, just to name a few. The

efforts of these groups resulted in the movement of the Consent Decree, which

guaranteed English language learners an equitable education in the state of Florida

without being discriminated upon. The decree also mandates that schools send out

surveys at the beginning of the school year to determine which language is spoken in the

household. It also gives teachers the opportunities needed to gain crucial knowledge in

educating English language learners, as well as how to create the equitable standards as

described in the decree.

3. Define “translanguaging”. What is your opinion of this practice?

Translanguaging is the practice of allowing students to use their first language in the

classroom, as well as bringing the students assets of becoming bilingual to light. This is a

crucial piece to the puzzle of education a diverse classroom, where you have 10 different

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 4

nationalities sitting in one class period. Ensuring that the student have a place to be

themselves outside of the home is extremely important in guaranteeing success in school.

4. How can translanguaging practices create scaffolding structures for the language

development of multilingual students?

Translanguaging breaks things down in the classroom even further. By allowing

students to do things such as explain and translate, writing first drafts in their first

language, as well as incorporating the language in the classroom, the students are able to

have that space to perfect both of their languages.

Video 2: Being an Advocate for Bilingual Students

1. How does Ms. Conte use students’ backgrounds as resources in their

learning? Give two additional ideas to implement.

Ms. Conte asks students about their backgrounds and shows a genuine interest in

where the kids roots stem. Her use of coloring where their senses are is interesting for

young kids, and since I teach 16 to 17 year olds I’d probably go with a more

conversational approach to learning about the students culture and backgrounds.

2. How does reading books featuring multicultural/multilingual characters create a

culture of inclusion? Have you participated in this practice in the classroom, as a

student, a teacher, or an observer? Describe your experience.

Reading books with characters that mirror these young boys and girls makes them

feel seen and represented. Often times in American schools, the books being read are

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 5

about Americans. Students need to see things that they can personally relate to and

learn about new cultures at the same time. This is wat inclusion is: representation in

the media and in the schoolhouse. Growing up in Miami, I read books from every

culture. The story of La Bamba, Langston Hughes poetry Maya Angelou. All of these

writings made us Hialeah kids feel seen and represented.

3. How can English speakers profit from exposure to bilingual books?

I’m not sure if profit is the right word: American students can benefit from

incorporating new cultures, and to break down the barriers of preconceived notions

about cultures outside of Americans. America is a very individualistic country, while

other countries tend to be more collectivistic. The sooner these students learn about

other cultures and work to expand their perception, the better they will be when they

are released into college, and the real world that follows. Americans tend to believe

that this is the greatest country without looking at the other countries that may appeal

to their own developing beliefs.

4. Conte, being monolingual, was uncomfortable about her students speaking in

languages she didn’t understand. She felt that she would lose control of the

classroom. What did she find out? What are your thoughts about not controlling

everything that goes on in the classroom?

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 6

Before answering this question, I’d like to touch on a seasonal topic. Being

uncomfortable in a classroom where English is not the first language for the students, but

it is for the teacher, and the teacher is uncomfortable with the fact that they are speaking

another language in her room paints a clear picture of white-privileged implicit bias.

Imagine how these students feel being in a whole other country where their language is

not the norm. She does not get to feel uncomfortable in that classroom. Her job is to

develop the students skills in their first AND second languages, not to feel like she won’t

have control of the classroom because the kids are speaking a language she doesn’t

understand.

Ms. Conte was able to learn that she is not just there to teach them English, she is

there to teach them to be bilingual.

Classroom management stems from communication and clear expectation setting; but

moreover, it is built upon respect. As educators, we should be able to quiet a room in 10

seconds. How? By developing strong relationships with our students that are based in

respect. Students learn from teachers they like and respect. There is no control in the

classroom without respect being on the table first. Obviously, we are not omnipresent and

we can’t control every little thing that goes on in our classroom; but we can focus on

developing meaningful teacher-student relationships that will foster their learning.

Video 3: Bilingual Superpowers

1. What are benefits of graphic novels?

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 7

The benefits of graphic novels for emergent bilinguals are vast; but first and

foremost, there is a quote that everyone knows; a picture is worth a thousand words.

Students are able to tell what is going on, and make connections between what is

being depicted by the characters, and the words that are flashed on the page. While

thinking abiut what’s happening on the oage in the first language, they’re also

looking at how to say what’s happening in English. It’s like exciting flash cards!

2. Describe the process Ms. Ballantyne-Berry uses with her graphic novel assignment.

Ms. Ballantyne-Berry uses translanguaging in her graphic novel assignment. By

encouraging the students to express themselves in their first languages and is able to

implement and scaffold translangiaging into her teaching process.

3. How does Ms. Ballantyne-Berry use students’ language repertoire as a resource?

Ms. Ballantyne-Berry uses students language repertoire as a resource by allowing

students to draft, and sometimes include and express themselves in their first

language, Mandarin. By doing this, she has developed a relationship of trust with her

students, so they know they don’t have to feel shy about who they are in school.

Video 4: Knowing your Students

1. Chapman-Santiago reads a quote from Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a

Mockingbird. How does this quote apply to a teacher’s work?

The idea of not truly knowing someone until you’ve crawled in their skin is an

integral apart of teaching, especially in diverse schools. Before the lens of teacher, we

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 8

are human first made up of our own biases and cultural learnings. With that

understanding, we need to expand our lens as teachers to understand what students

may be facing both at home, and at school.

2. What might you learn by carefully watching the cues students send through body

language and facial expressions? Describe an example from when you were a

student, or when you taught or observed a class.

Facial expressions and body language are derived from the home. By

understanding a students social cues, we can also see how they’ve developed socially.

In the United States, eye contact with teachers and parents as a child is a sign of

respect-similarly, no eye contact is a cue that means blatant disrespect. Curing my

year as an interventionist, I had a Haitian student who was particularly talkative.

Everytime I would pull him out to talk to him, he looked at the floor and as a Cuban-

American myself, this was unacceptable. Until I learned that in Haitian culture, when

someone, specifically children, are being reprimanded, you show your respect by

looking down rather than making eye contact. Once I learned this, my whole

perspective on discussion with my students changed. I had to shift my lens to

accommodate this new information and act accordingly with my students to not only

show my respect for them and their culture, but to build trust with them.

3. What information can a teacher gain by encouraging students to use their home

language?

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 9

The knowledge a teacher can gain by encouraging students to use their home

language is special. By allowing students the space to be themselves while also

scaffolding in methods of teaching them their new language, the teacher benefits

from being able to get to know the students on a cultural level, building a system of

feedback with the student, and processing new information received by the student in

way they couldn’t have imagined.

4. What are some practical ways to incorporate home language as a scaffold?

Some practical ways to incorporate home language as a scaffold is building a space

for students to further develop their home language, as well and acquire their new

one. In these spaces, teachers give students the freedom to choose whether they’d like

to write or draft assignments in their home language, or to try drafting in English. By

doing this, the student will be able to start to build a goal—one day I’ll be able to

write my draft in English if I practice now. By pushing students out of their comfort

zones and providing a sense of freedom and choice, the student feels more in control

of their education.

Video 5: The Benefits of Bilingual Education

1. What does Sara Vogel mean when she states in her introduction to the video that

teachers can “push for more” in promoting their students’ learning?

When Sara Vogel states that teachers can “push for more” she is talking about the

impact that teachers have in the say of the education of their school. While in Florida,

there is not a specific bilingual education program, there are opportunities for

CASE STUDY-HORGAN 10

teachers to speak up about the needs of their students. While of course we all know

the struggle of the underpaid teacher with no voice, if teachers move forward to push

for that change that needs to be seen, even if it takes years, it can be accomplished.

2. Aponte says that reading the book My name is Jorge on Both Sides of the River has

changed her students’ lives. Describe what you think is the impact of the book on

students.

“My name is Jorge on both sides of the river” has a huge impact on students who

are recent immigrants. It showcases poems and stories in both English and Spanish

that give the students a chance to be seen and represented in their classroom. It gives

them the space to be comfortable as they are, and not just trying to forcefully

Americanize.

3. What is the goal of bilingual education programs? How does a bilingual program

impact English speakers?

The goal of bilingual education programs is to foster the students home language

as well as the acquisition of a brand new one. Through these bilingual programs,

students aren’t forced into a bubble of American kids speaking a language they aren’t

comfortable speaking yet. Instead, the teachers are able to fully meet the students

where they are at in regard to language acquisition.

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study

1

Your Name Here

Florida International University

School of Education

TSL3080

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 2

Getting Acquainted

Q1: Practices you experienced when you were in school and have seen in your previous

field experiences

As a child living in the inner city of Miami, I attended a public school with a wide

demographic. There were about five different culture of students attending the school, less than

5% being of Caucasian race. The most populated culture was African American, the second most

populated culture were of Haitian descent then followed the Hispanic culture. A very small

portion were of Jamaican and Caucasian. The school I attended had two ESOL classrooms; one

was for native Spanish speakers and the other room was for Creole/French native speakers. Each

classroom had students who only spoke Spanish or Creole/French and the teacher was required

to speak either of those languages fluently to assist students in their transition. Native speakers

will have the opportunity to have a specific time during the day where they go to the foreign

classroom to learn that language’s basic vocabulary; this was usually when the emergent

bilingual students would go to lunch or P.E. Halfway through the year, the emergent bilinguals

who learned basic English would switch over to the regular classroom. This is where instruction

was in English only. When this occurred, the English-speaking teacher would use scaffolding to

assist the students and in return they would have to participate in cooperative learning. Native

speaking students of the class who also spoke Spanish or Creole/French such as myself had the

opportunity to help the native foreign speaker whenever they would have a difficult time

understanding and context clues weren’t helping them.

During my field experience, I was assigned to a school that was bilingual. My experience

in the school was much different then my experience in the school where I attended as a child.

There were no ESOL classrooms, instead the students who spoke a different language was

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 3

incorporated in the classroom alongside other students. The teacher was not required to speak

any other language other than English. The teacher used morphemes when writing the word of

the day for the class. So, if the word of the day was walking then she would write on the board

walk-ing so that the students can see the structure of the word. She also used translanguaging

pedagogy by supporting the emergent bilinguals when they engaged in group discussions and

gave them dual language worksheets to assist them in understanding the material. The teacher’s

curriculum incorporated opportunities for emergent bilinguals to stay in tuned with the classroom

daily tasks. There was also no punishment for emergent bilinguals for speaking their native

language instead the teacher would encourage them to try and explain it in English.

Q2: Groups that advocated for English language learners in Florida in the 1980s, as well as

accomplishments of the Consent Decree

The groups that advocated for English language learners as well as accomplished the

Consent Decree in 1990 were the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), ASPIRA

of Florida, The Farmworkers’ Association of Central Florida, Florida State Conference of

NAACP Branches, Haitian Refugee Center, Spanish American League Against Discrimination

(SALAD), American Hispanic Educators’ Association of Dade (AHEAD) and Haitian

Educators’ Association.

The Consent Decree accomplished opportunity rights for ELL’s to receive quality

education without being discriminated upon. The Decree mandates that schools send out home

language surveys; which asks parents what languages are most often spoken in the home. Once

all the surveys are received, the ELL Committee at the school must determine the eligibility of

the student into the ESOL program then they must devise the student plan; which makes sure the

student is receiving proper instruction within the appropriate time frame allotted. Then the

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 4

student must be assessed and reevaluated to determine their proficiency in the English language

before being removed from ESOL and into a regular classroom. This Decree also allows equal

access to many appropriate programing some of which are student services, pre-kindergarten

programs, free appropriate schooling, and home school communications. The Consent Decree

ensures that the federal and state laws listed are followed:

Title VI and VII Civil Rights Act 1964. Title VI prohibits discrimination and

intentional based on race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving financial

assistance. Florida is a melting pot of variety in cultures, so this act protects the people of

different cultures. This gives ELL’s security in knowing that they are being addressed equally.

Title VII protects the people in the same manner as Title VI but applies to employment

discrimination in the workforce.

Equal Education Equity Act, 1974. This act is similar in prohibiting discrimination like

the Title VI and VII Civil Rights Act of 1964, only it pertains to the children attending public

schools and concentrates on providing students who are educationally deprived the right

resources for a dual school system. This Act has been extended to included ESOL education for

emergent bilinguals which will help them succeed.

Florida Education Equity Act, 1984. This Act piggybacks off the Equal Education

Equity Act of 1974 with the addition of preventing loopholes through the school system. This

Act protects children gender, race, cognitive and/or linguistic differences enrolled in public

schools and ensures that the neighborhood that the student lives in is within boundaries for their

public school.

Q3: Definition of “translanguaging”, opinion of this practice, and translanguaging

practices and scaffolding structures

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 5

Multilingual speakers that use their integrated communication system in a critical,

flexible, intentional and creative manner is translanguaging. Bilingual/multilingual students uses

their language skills to understand the other language. They can use two or three languages at

once. An example of this is a Spanish speaking student is listening to the teacher speak in

English and responds to her in Spanish.

Translanguaging has become more common in the public school because there are less

ESOL classroom and more classrooms with emergent bilinguals in them. The emergent

bilinguals are using their translanguaging to improve their English and the teachers have been

receptive in the translanguaging pedagogy. In my opinion translanguaging gives both students

and teachers the opportunity to communicate and ensures that students of the native language

aren’t criticize when they take on the risk to participate in class. I have a sense of gratitude

towards translanguaging in the classroom because it allows the students to become open minded

of one another’s cultures and beliefs creating a democracy of languages that are equally valued.

Some of the practices that can be used for translanguaging are supporting students while

they are participating in classroom discussions or group projects by words of encouragement and

constructive criticism. Teachers can have dual language books and digital resources so that it

gives the student an opportunity to develop linguistic practices. Allowing all students to share

their knowledge in both languages will make space for bilingual students to utilize their

translanguaging skills and most of all allow students who speak the same native language to

participate in small group studies so that they can have a deeper understanding of the assignment.

Teachers can also use scaffolding structures to assist the students if they are struggling

with reading assignments such as instructional scaffolding where teachers allow the emergent

bilingual to have mini assignments in comparison to native speakers then the student can

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 6

gradually complete four mini lessons in a week and that will succumb to the one assignment the

native students took that one day. Teachers can also use scaffolding to assist in translanguaging

by showing illustrative of the assignment or by giving an example of the assignment. What I’ve

seen in classrooms with emergent bilinguals were teachers teaching a set of vocabulary words

before giving an assignment that consist of the vocabulary words that he/she just taught so that

the students have a better understanding of the material.

Being an Advocate for Bilingual Students

Q1: Students’ backgrounds as resources, as well as two additional ideas

Ms. Conte and Ms. Canton Kim creates a classroom culture by using students’ native

languages as tools to become successful. They also use the term Emergent Bilingual because

they want their students to understand that they want them to be bilingual and understand how to

use both languages fluidly. In the beginning of the school year they had the class create a

language culture self-portrait to build community by getting to know each other. In the video Ms.

Conte shows an example of one of the portraits and shares that the student shaded half the lip

blue and the other half red. This indicates that the student speaks both English and Spanish. Then

she points at the ear and it’s also shaded both red and blue which signifies that he understands

both languages as well. They use this resource to understand what level of understanding each of

their students are at. Ms. Conte also used dual language books as a method to assist the students,

she further communicates with the students by a show of thumbs up who will be able to copy

quotes in Spanish from their book. By communicating with her students, she is able to further

use their backgrounds as resources in their learning.

Both teachers can additionally use music to create a dynamic culture in the

classroom.

They can have the students write down the lyrics to a song from their native culture and translate

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 7

it in English to the class or they can sing to the class. This activity focuses on their risk-taking

skill and language skill. Both teachers can also implement their culture by having students say

hello in their native language every morning and creating a geographical activity that gets

students engaged with their home country and where it is located on the map then write their

thoughts on the location and the weather in that country. This will focus on their writing skills.

Q2: Reading and culture of inclusion, and your experience in the classroom

Ms. Candon Kim discusses how reading books that feature multicultural/lingual

characters create culture of inclusion by demonstrating on a book that she shared with her class

of a foreign student participating in a fieldtrip with her American class to an orchard farm.

Although the young girl doesn’t speak English, she is able to interpret what is going on and

where she is at by the visuals that are given to her and her participation with her classmates. Her

students of a different culture background were then asked questions where they were able to

relate how the character felt with examples of situations they have encountered as well.

As an observer at an elementary school, I had observed the reading teacher read a

multicultural book to the class. She had the main book and the students had a copy of the book so

that they can follow as the teacher read to them. She began by giving a background on Chinese

culture then asked the students to think about their culture while she reads the book and how they

can relate to the characters in the book. The book is about a Chinese family who goes on a picnic

and share their memories on community and culture using food chosen at the picnic. At the end

of the story the teacher told the class to take out their crayons and construction paper. She had

them draw a picnic of their own and use foods from their culture. I thought this was an intricate

way for the students to participate and understand the cultures of the classroom.

Q3: Profit from exposure to bilingual books

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 8

Introducing bilingual books in the class brings culture and interrelationships to the

classroom. This allows English speaking students as well as bilingual students to engage in

discussions that may benefit both by being exposed to the content. Students are also able to share

their experiences in relation to the books which provides meaningful learning to class. Without

this exposure to the students, English speaking students will have a hard time understanding the

emergent bilingual and the emergent bilingual may feel ostracized from the class leading to not

being successful in the class. English speaking students will also be able to read the emergent

bilingual language and learn from them. Teachers gains a sense of success when they know that

they have included their emergent bilinguals and created a sense a culture in the classroom

through incorporating bilingual books.

Q4: Ms. Conte’s findings and your opinion about full class control

Ms.Conte found that while she was teaching and introducing culture to the classroom, her

emergent bilingual students had much to teach her as well. She needed to be able to take her time

with her students and not get aggravated when they didn’t meet her expectations. Unfortunately

for her in the beginning she wasn’t comfortable at all having Spanish speaking students in her

classroom because she didn’t understand them which created a barrier for her students’ success.

Now she had learned to let go and that helped her gain empathy by understanding what it feels

like to try and understand a new language. She found that being a co-learner was much more

beneficial to her students’ success.

Full class control is not always the best way to be successful in the classroom. As a

teacher one is not a ruler to dominate but a leader that guides, observes and directs students.

Having a full class control restricts translanguaging amongst students and shows that the teacher

is uncertain with situations beyond her means. I will be flexible and open minded to not

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 9

controlling everything that happens within my classroom because this is where the true learning

begins to occur amongst students. I do believe in structure and accordance in a classroom and

because I have been exposed to bilingualism in a classroom setting, I would be comfortable to

accommodate with my students needs of the classroom. This way the students can risk take and

communicate with each other with self-confidence and not pressure.

Students are our future so we as teachers can learn lots from our students especially our

emergent bilinguals. They allow us to gain the knowledge of what material still works for the

students and what material needs to be tossed and renewed to accommodate the needs of the

students. We can strategize with our students efficiently and in return the students won’t feel

bored or excluded from the wonderful world of knowledge. As our students are growing and

learning so are, we as teachers.

Bilingual Superpowers

Q1: Benefits of a graphic novel

Graphic novels give insight to the world around them and allows students to engage in

the action of the graphic novel. Unlike regular novels graphic novels shows expressions and

actions through each page and has the dialogue usually a little above the characters head. This

helps the students stay focused with whose speaking. It also gives students the visual of the

background environment which is especially useful for emergent bilinguals it improves their

cognitive processes. With this they can recreate their own version of a graphic novel using their

culture background so that others can understand their culture.

Q2: Process of the assignment

Ms. Ballantyn-Berry’s process for her graphic novel assignment includes planning,

drafting and final drafts. The teacher first begins the assignment by having students write in their

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 10

notebooks using a checklist that she created that will assist them in creating their own graphic

novel. The students can use their translanguaging for deeper thinking as they answer the items on

the checklist. After they are done with the notebook, Ms. Ballantyne-Berry allows them to create

a draft that shows more of what is in their notebook checklist. The students can use their home

language for more complex ideas and emerge them with pictures so that the teacher can

understand what they are trying to say. The teacher also encourages the students to use English

for structures that they already learned in class. The final draft shows a complete novel filled in

with either only English words to show their knowledge of the English language or a mix of

English and mandarin, this shows their progression.

Q3: Language repertoire as a resource

Having her class with non-native speakers, Ms. Ballantyne-Berry understands that her

students naturally uses translanguaging to risk take and gain self-confidence in her classroom. By

this knowledge it is expectant that the students become flexible and show their own personalities

while participating in classroom discussions and assignments. She shows us a couple of graphic

novels, one from a female student and one from the male student. She expresses her thoughts on

the male student’s graphic novel stating that he likes to use the word “banana” with a funny

accent. This is a way that he becomes self-confident and comfortable in his surroundings.

Knowing your Students

Q1: A quote applied to a teacher’s work

Ms. Chapman-Santiago shares a quote from a book that she has read with her class that

sparks a sense of empathy with her. The book title To Kill a Mockingbird is quoted “You never

really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, you climb in his skin

and walk around it”. I understand how this can be used for a teacher to create a culture in his/her

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 11

classroom that represents community amongst each other. Everyone has their own background

and perception on things, as we all have individual minds. Teachers will be better equipped

mentally understanding this quote and living by it. It will provide interrelationships amongst the

students and teachers of the class. This result in a higher success rate in the classroom which can

otherwise be a lower success rate if teachers doesn’t acknowledge empathy.

Q2: Body language and facial expressions, as well as an example

Each student possesses their own personality especially when they are from a culture that

a teacher may not be familiar with. Therefore, body languages and facial expressions are so

important to recognize. A lot of the time students are receptive to talking with their teacher if the

teacher picks up on these cues. Ms. Chapman-Santiago says that she would notice instantly if

one of her students were not having a good day and would step them outside to briefly discuss

what was going on. This is being a proactive teacher and is great method to showing her student

that she cares. Being a keen observer of the students allows the teacher to have better control of

the classroom environment.

As a student in my elementary school, I was very timid when it came to class

participation but was very talkative when it dealt with my friends. My teacher was great at

observing her students and knew this about me. She also knew when I didn’t complete an

assignment my chin would dig into my throat, knowing the consequences of my actions because

in my culture if a child doesn’t complete their responsibility they will be reprimanded. With this

knowledge she knew not to reprimand me but get to the root to the problem as to why I hadn’t

completed my assignment. She came to learn that I had difficulty understanding the questions

that were asked on the assignment and instead of asking for help (timid) I would decide to get an

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 12

F and deal with my consequence. This was unacceptable to her and decided to have me meet

with her after class twice a week to go over any misunderstanding I may have.

Q3: A teacher gain of home language

Interrelationships, students with self confidence and high success rate are some of the

gains a teacher can have by encouraging their students to speak their home language when they

are having difficulty expressing their selves. Teachers can also get information about their

culture and us scaffolds that relates to the student’s culture. When a student can sense that their

teacher cares like in the video Ms. Chapman-Santiago makes the effort to take her cell phone out

and have google translate what she needs to ask the student, the student feels supported and

opens up to her. This extra mile helps the teachers gain the trust of their students resulting in a

higher success rate in the classroom because the students feel the communication competence

they are receiving from the teacher.

Q4: Practical ways to incorporate home language as a scaffold, the role L1 in second

language acquisition, and the L2 acquisition theory tied to language techniques (linguistics)

Ms. Chapman-Santiago stated that understanding the student’s skill in their home

language as well is a valid start to knowing where they will be working on assignments that are

not of their level. She used an example of scaffolding through a student in her class that was

required to write her response to a question that was given and the student had the option of

writing the response in her own language if she felt comfortable to do so. Based on the student’s

response, the teacher was able to identify a challenge that the student had in her own home

language and was able to work a plan for that student to improve. Other practically ways that

students can incorporate their home language is through second language acquisition. A teacher

can write on the board the key words that used in the article in English and a second language so

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 13

that students can read the key words in their language as well and have a deeper understanding of

the material. Teacher may also have students pair up in groups to discuss the assignments which

helps their cognitive ability and deeper understanding and provide resources to help further their

understanding.

A student’s second language acquisition can only progress if their L1 does, and not all students
are equally proficient in their L1. Chapman-Santiago assesses her student’s L1 proficiency by
comparing their writing abilities to other speakers of that language. Using that method, she can
decide what sort of interventions the students will need in order for them to gain proficiency in
both languages. The behaviorist theory, the interactionist theory, and the sociocultural theory
(SCT) argue that there are different ways in which second language learners acquire
languages. The behaviorist approach
argues that “language learning is a process of habit formation. Repetition and drills result in
language acquisition (Platt, 2018, p. 158).” Interactionist theory argues that “[language]
acquisition occurs during interaction (Platt, 2018, p. 155).” The SCT is similar to the
interactionist theory: “language is internalized as a result of social interaction (Platt, 2018,
p.158).” The interactionist theory and SCT are more effective than the behaviorist theory; many
theorists argues that you can repeat what you hear with never understanding what it is you’re
saying or writing.

The Benefits of Bilingual Education

Q1: “Push for more” in promoting their students’ learning

Sara states that teachers can “push for more” what this means is that teachers can

incorporate both languages in the classroom instead of accepting the bilingual students in their

class and being empathetic towards their struggle to understand English. Ms. Glady’s Aponte

mentions that in a bilingual classroom the students bring their whole because the goal is for the

student to be bilingual and biliterate, which is to learn both languages through writing as well as

reading. Pushing for more means to promote translanguaging in the classroom so that students

could bring more to the classroom and utilize their up most potential to succeeding in the

classroom.

Q2: The impact of the book on students

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 14

Being able to familiarize their self with a book means that they will understand and

accept this identity realization that is crucial to growth as an individual. This will have an impact

on students’ lives and give them inspiration to improve and be a better version of their self. Ms.

Aponte mentions that she schedules for her class to have a Spanish day and English day but on

those days the students can still take part in translanguaging. While the students are reading the

dual language book, they can answer questions and discuss parts of the book not only in English

but in Spanish which impacts the way they approach life. Being that the character is of Hispanic

background and her students are of the same background many of her students can relate to the

characters feelings about taking part of a new world. They begin to learn the importance of their

cultural even in a new world. They also learn that because they are in a new world that doesn’t

mean that they must disregard their culture and learn a new one, it means that that may mesh the

two cultures together creating their identity.

Q3: The goal of bilingual education programs and the impact of bilingual education

programs on English speakers

Bilingual education programs invite students to bring their whole and by whole this

includes their culture background. Students are encouraged to be their selves and not lose their

home language. The goal of these programs is to make sure every student whether native or

nonnative speaking leaves the school reading, writing, speaking both languages fluently. Schools

that promote bilingualism tried their best to avoid having the students lose part or all their native

language. Parents also feel that they can get involved in the school because their voices will be

heard which makes them comfortable having their students go to school because they know the

teachers are going to meet their expectations. English speakers also benefit from a bilingual

RUNNING HEAD: Case Study 15

education because they can learn a new language and culture. It allows students to understand

both language forms and students are seen holistically.