Bilingual Methods & Material

Course Description

Foundations of bilingual education, bilingualism and bi-literacy. Implications of school, home and community collaboration as well as language and literacy instruction and assessment. Applications of language teaching styles, materials, assessment and the use of technology in bilingual education settings. Strategies and methodologies to teach Spanish language in the classroom and application of higher order thinking.

Learning Outcomes

• Research the differences between diverse models of bilingual education, their application, limitations and appropriateness. Investigate the influence of primary language, culture, school-community climate and student motivation on a child's academic outlook and progress.
• Demonstrate knowledge about and be able to appropriately use and administer informal and formal classroom assessments, different types of diagnostic instruments, including entry level, progress-monitoring and summative assessments. Know when and how to use specialized assessments based on students' needs. Use multiple measures, including information from families, to assess student knowledge, skills, and behaviors.
• Analyze, interpret and utilize assessment data to refine teaching by developing and modifying instruction through pacing and re-teaching
• Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of instructional strategies appropriate for use in literacy and content area settings, and be able to apply appropriate pedagogical theories, principles and instructional practices and strategies to enhance student learning.
• Incorporate specific strategies, teaching/instructional activities, procedures and experiences that address state-adopted academic reading, language and content standards for students in order to provide a balanced and comprehensive curriculum for all students; understand how to select and use a wide range of instructional materials.
• Synthesize the advanced skills of comprehending literature, content area content and writing, which all depend on a foundation of solid vocabulary, decoding, word-recognition and comprehension skills and thereby utilize this knowledge to instruct children. Evaluate strategies students utilize to read and comprehend text and be able to provide instruction and guidance for students to learn and refine the use of these strategies.
• Integrate instruction across disciplines with an emphasis on providing a balanced and comprehensive curriculum for all students in the content areas, specifically mathematics, history, social science and science.
• Assess student background and prior knowledge in both language and content area in order to adapt instruction in oral language, literacy, and curricular content thereby providing needed differentiation.