Section 2 – Program Summary

BILINGUAL EDUCATION (printable version)

a.  Describes the philosophy, rationale and objectives of the program; explains how the program is consistent with the conceptual framework of the unit; and shows coverage of Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) subject standards, where available.

Philosophy and Rationale

       Eastern Michigan University’s Bilingual Bicultural Educational Teacher Training (B²ETT) Program is committed to provide equality of access to the full benefits of the educational experience for  National Origin Language Minority/ Hispanic non- and/or limited English proficient Latino school children and youth through the delivery of culturally and linguistically appropriate instructional services, in line with the Lau Remedies (US Supreme Court, Lau v Nichols Decision, 1974), Title IV and Title VII ASEA. 

      Beyond the dimension of compliance, the B²ETT Program is committed to optimize the richly diverse cultural and linguistic resources of the National Origin Language minority populations  to ensure our nation's competitiveness and position of leadership in the global community of the 21^st century. Bilingual Education affords this nation an opportunity to maximize the resources of the multiple languages and richly diverse cultures of Limited English Proficient (LEP) children for the benefit of English monolinguals who will require second language proficiencies in order to succeed in the global economy of the next century. 

Objectives

      Eastern Michigan University’s Bilingual Bicultural Teacher Training Program prepares certified/bilingually-endorsed teachers who, as advocates for the educational excellence for all children are:

Aligns with Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium

      EMU’s Bilingual Endorsement Program aligns with the following ten general principles of the INTASC in its preparation of bilingual teachers. 

Principle #1: The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures of the discipline(s) he or she teaches and can create learning experiences that make these aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

     Guidance in the concept design and construction of semester, unit and daily lesson plans in FLAN 422 ensures that endorsement candidates are skilled in the infusion of culturally relevant material/activities/references/home language vocabulary within the content of their major/minor teaching areas. Collaborative, cooperative, mastery project-based and accelerative learning modalities are considered against the backdrop of the culturally- influenced learning styles of the Limited English Proficient Learner.

Principle #2: The teacher understands how children learn and develop, and can provide learning opportunities that support their intellectual, social and personal development.

      As an extension of coursework in the professional education sequence (Human Development and Learning and The Social Aspects of Teaching), FLA 422 treats the socialization processes which influence the learning of the language minority child. Cultural values, norms, loci of control and impulsivity are also explored in order to develop the candidate’s skills in developing and delivering learning experiences that fully access students to the benefits of the educational setting and to those opportunities to optimize their intellectual, social and personal potential.

Principle #3: The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

      FLAN 422’s intensive treatment of the theories of multiple intelligence, introduction to and practice in dynamic and authentic assessment techniques offer candidates insight into and experience in the many and diverse ways in which children learn. Discussions of Best Practice Models (USDoE) for Instruction and Whole School Reform, which acknowledge and provide for diversity in learning are featured (e.g. Different Ways of Knowing, MicroSociety®, Talent Development High School, Atlas, LifeSkills, Mediated Learning). Visits are arranged to school locations of significant LEP enrollment in which  Best Practice Models  are being implemented.

Principle #4: The teacher understands and uses a variety of instructional strategies to encourage students' development of critical thinking, problem solving, and performance skills.

      FLAN 422 prepares the candidate to key-in to culturally relevant/contextualized strategies that develop critical thinking, performance and problem-solving skills: higher order questioning, intrinsic motivational techniques, metacognition; and the strategies for building the skills of interpretation, inference, extrapolation, interpolation, synthesis, judgment and transcendence.

Principle #5: The teacher uses an understanding of individual and group motivation and behavior to create a learning environment that encourages positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation

      FLAN 422 Bilingual education methodology, keys into the culturally influenced learning styles of individual students and groups, acknowledges the value of the home language, and employs a variety of strategies to support learning within a positive, engaging and productive environment, such as: construction of  a language-rich, culturally relevant classroom setting; active learning;  project-based learning; the use of demonstrations, role-playing, hands-on learning activities; and opportunities for  students to engage in experiments, discovery and creative expression.

Principle #6: The teacher uses knowledge of effective verbal, nonverbal, and media communication techniques to foster active inquiry, collaboration, and supportive interaction in the classroom.

     Candidates have an opportunity to explore effective media communication techniques through active participation in the Internet conferencing environment created for FLAN 421 and FLAN 422. The on-line environment, coordinated by the instructor, allows them to engage in independent or collaborative research, interaction and exchange. Additionally, candidates use a set of protocols to guide them in identifying and discerning verbal and non-verbal communication modalities  in their observations of the Bilingual classroom and/or in community-based organization settings

Principle #7: The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community, and curriculum goals.

     In preparation for the bilingual teaching experience, endorsement candidates engage in activities that meld content knowledge, cultural competence and language proficiency, including: the development of thematic units; lessons that infuse a cultural and/or linguistic elements; and response/reaction papers to case studies and scenarios that call upon their skills to interpret and synthesize content, cultural and linguistic elements in the resolution of hypothetical issues/problems.

Principle #8: The teacher understands and uses formal and informal assessment strategies to evaluate and ensure the continuous intellectual, social and physical development of the learner.

      Candidates are introduced to the various tools used to assess LEP students’ home and English language proficiencies (B-VAT, IDEA/IPT, BSM, LAS and LAB Tests) and their academic progress (state mandated criterion-referenced and national norm-referenced tests). Scales of Adaptive Behavior, such as the Vineland Test are also considered.

Principle #9: The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow professionally.

     Through the guided Field Observation components of FLA 421 and 422, candidates are introduced to the life-long learning essential to their growth as professionals. The required field observations provide candidates with opportunities to interact with students in the classrooms, practitioners in the field in the school setting and at professional conferences, colloquia, and other special events. They are also encouraged to become members of professional organizations such as the National Association for Bilingual Education, TESOL, Inc., National Association for Mediated Learning, National Association for Multicultural Education. Candidates also have the option of observing meetings of Parent Advisory Committees, attending parent-sponsored events, Town Hall Meetings, as well as local and State Board of Education meetings in fulfillment of the required Field Observations. 

Principle #10: The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and agencies in the larger community to support students' learning and well-being.

      Bilingual endorsement candidates are introduced to the in-school support services, human service, law enforcement,  community-based  agencies’ programs that support student learning and well-being through the introduction of model collaborative programs in the FLAN 422 course through direct contact with representative stakeholders in lecture hall, or as part of the Field Observation, and/or on-line in the dedicated Internet conferencing environment.  

b. Describes the sequence of courses and/or experiences to develop an understanding of the structures, skills, core concepts, ideas, values, facts, methods of inquiry, and uses of technology for the content candidates plan to teach.

Admission Criteria: Admission to the EMU initial teacher preparation program. Acceptance and demonstration of Language Proficiency (Teacher Certification Code R390.1157 [a])

       The EMU Bilingual Education endorsement candidate formally enters the program upon admission to the EMU initial teacher preparation program, and with demonstration of Language Proficiency determined by examination as follows:

The number and sequence of Spanish Language courses is determined by the candidate’s levels of proficiency at the above specified critical points.

Language Proficiency

        The Bilingual Teacher Education program ensures that endorsement candidates demonstrate proficiency in both the Spanish and English languages.  Entrance to the program requires a near native level of proficiency as indicated by the results on the S-CAPE computerized reading proficiency examination.  At critical points in the candidates’ educational experience, additional assessments of Oral Language Proficiency and Writing with demonstrations of native-like proficiencies in the target language are required.  The Bilingual Education Teacher Training Program provides opportunities for the enhancement of Spanish Language Proficiency through coursework, opportunities both on campus and through arrangements with the autonomous university at Querétaro, Mexico and at the Language Institute of Cuernavaca also in Mexico.  These intensive language/cultural immersion opportunities are individualized to meet every level of the candidates’ proficiencies. 

        Seminars, individualized instructions and practical pre-student teaching experiences supplement formal instruction at both the EMU Campus and its foreign extensions.  All off-site language immersion programs receive appropriate course credit through Eastern Michigan University’s Foreign Language and Bilingual Studies Department.  It should be noted that at every step in the development of Bilingual Education Teacher Candidates attention is given to prescribed those appropriate Spanish language courses that will strengthen the language mastery that is required for the designation of “native-like proficiency” as measured by the ACTFL Test of Oral and Written Proficiency administered by the ACTFL Certified Examiner.

Content Mastery

        At the junior level, Bilingual Education candidates have acquired a level of mastery in their specific content area, major and minors, and professional education course of study to interpret and transfer content concepts into the culturally and linguistically appropriate media and methods of instruction.  Specifically, instructional methods in content areas prepare the endorsement candidate to: 

              Includes basic mathematics, science, and social science concepts.

              Includes characteristics and uses of inquiry-discovery techniques, individualization techniques, and multidisciplinary approaches in the native language

              Includes ways of using audiovisual materials and equipment; procedures for modifying native-language instructional materials; and ways of analyzing native-language instructional materials in terms of cultural, linguistic, and intellectual factors.

              Includes assessment methods and their uses; cultural and linguistic bias in assessment instruments; principles of scoring, score interpretation, and diagnosis; and principles for using assessment results

              Includes reading comprehension and vocabulary development strategies and procedures for determining level of mastery of concepts and skills in the native language.

              Includes characteristics and uses of inquiry-discovery techniques, individualization techniques, and multidisciplinary approaches; and exercises and experiences for reinforcing and extending knowledge of concepts and skills

             Includes grouping patterns, scheduling systems, staffing patterns, and characteristics and uses of learning centers

Bilingual Education Core Courses

Foundations of Bilingual/Bicultural Education (Teacher Certification Code R390.1157 [b] [i])

        Coursework in the history and theory (FLA 421) and Methodology (FLA 422) provides candidates with:

History and Theory – FLAN 421

        An overview of the historical, legal, political and socio-cultural foundations of  bilingualism and bilingual education in the US, including treatment of the educational issues arising from language diversity, and of their possible solutions through linguistically and culturally appropriate teaching and learning program strategies. In addition, the course will treat the sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic foundations of bilingualism; language acquisition and cognitive development of the bilingual learner; and research-based instructional models for bilingual education programs and the role of community relations and parent involvement. Course content in history and theory provides candidates with intensive study of the historic, socio-cultural legal foundations undergirding the development of Bilingual Education in the United States.  Linkages are made between the evolution of US Bilingual Education and those recent events in the socio-political re-organization of Europe which have given rise to changes in language policy, now allowing for a renaissance in bilingual education across the global community (particularly in the European community). 

A minimum of 24 clock hours of direct field contact in schools that serve bilingual and/or linguistically diverse student populations.

Methods and Materials – FLAN 422

        Sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic aspects of bilingualism, language acquisition, and cognitive development in the bilingual child; different instructional models for bilingual education programs, and school-community relations. A minimum of 24 hours of field study is required.
This methodology course links regular and bilingual methodology to those specific skills and concepts in the academic content areas, while identifying culturally appropriate learner-centered instructional strategies to ensure LEP students’ content area mastery, as well as their comprehension/application  of abstract concepts, theories, and the development of higher order thinking skills. Specific emphases on development of customized curriculum units and content-based reading instructional strategies for LEP learners including: vocabulary development, diagnosis and analysis of miscue ( L₁ interference), transferability of skills (e.g. use of cognates, prefixes and suffixes), word recognition, comprehension (encoding and decoding), literary appreciation, writing, writing process

Spanish Language (Teacher Certification Code R390.1157 [a] and [b] [ii] [iii] [iv])

       The following complement of skills ensures that the endorsement candidate can effectively utilize the transitional approach to support academic progress and the attainment of second language (English language) proficiency through:

Language of Hispanic Groups in the US- SPNH 482

        A survey of present-day social and regional variations in the Spanish spoken in the US and the historical backgrounds of these variations. Prerequisite: Good Skills in Spanish and a Linguistics course are required.

Culture and Literature of Hispanic Groups in the US- SPNH 471

       An introduction to the cultures of this nation’s Latino- Americans (primarily the Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Mexican-Americans) through the writings of contemporary Latino authors

English as a Second Language (Teacher Certification Code R390.1157 [b] [ii] – [iv])

      The Bilingual Education Endorsement Program requires coursework in TESOL methodology designed to prepare the candidates to:

English as a Second Language- TESOL 410

        TESOL 410 focuses on developing the various techniques and methods used to teach language components (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation) and language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking). endorsement candidate’s understanding and skills in phonology/phonemics, syntax, grammar and lexicon in English.  This course is designed to help each student: (1) obtain basic theoretical knowledge of ESL practices; (2) develop fundamental skills in ESL instructional strategies and approaches; (3) acquire an awareness of the needs of English Language Learners (ELL), professional standards and available resources.

Program Enhancements

       While conforming in design to the stipulated rules and guidelines of the State of Michigan Certification Code, with requisite coursework and distribution of hours replicating the state's endorsement model (University of Detroit - Mercy, 1975-77), the EMU BETT Program has enhanced the model with the addition of:

        Required field studies, totaling 72 clock hours in as an enhancement to the foundations courses in History / Theory (FLA 421) and Methodology (FLA 422) and SPNH 482. The field studies components of these courses allow endorsement candidates to:

Core Curriculum, Restricted Electives and Professional Education Sequence of Studies

      The following listings present the core curriculum, restricted electives, and professional education sequence required for endorsement in Bilingual/Bicultural Education.

Core Curriculum

COURSE / NO.	TITLE	HOURS
TSL 410	TESOL Methods	3
FLAN 421	History and Theory of Bilingual Education	3
FLAN 422	Teaching Hispanic Culture and Language	3
SPN 471	Culture and Literature of Hispanic Groups is US	3
SPN 482	Language of Hispanic Groups in US	3
	TOTAL COURSE HOURS	15

                With nine (9) credit hours Electives are from the following:

COURSE/NO.	TITLE	HOURS
ANT 233	Peoples and Cultures of Mexico	3
FLA 215	The Culture of Latino Groups in the US	3
LNG 223	Introduction to Language	3
LIN 201	Introduction to Linguistics	3
LIN 401	Introduction to Linguistic Science	3
LIN 402	Modern English Grammar	3
GEO 321	Geography of Latin America	3
HIS 457	History of Mexico	3
PSY 340	Psychological Perspectives on Prejudice and Discrimination	3
SOC 214	Racial and Cultural Minorities	3
SPN 443	Advanced Spanish Grammar and Composition	3
SPN 444	Advanced Spanish Conversation and Composition	3
	TOTAL ELECTIVE HOURS	9

                3. Professional Education Sequence Secondary Certification

COURSE/NO.	TITLE	HOURS
EDT 300	Intro to Computer Applications in Education	1
SGN 300	Exceptional Child in the Regular Classroom	1
CUR 305	Curriculum and Methods - Secondary	3
RDG 311	Teaching Reading in the Secondary School	3
EDP 322	Human Development and Learning	4
SFD 328	Social Aspects of Teaching	3
EDP 340	Intro to Measurement and Evaluation	2
EDM 345	Media for Classroom Teacher	1
Methods	Courses (in Major)	3-6
EDU 496	Student Teaching	4
EDU 497	Student Teaching (Bilingual Contact)	4
	TOTAL HOURS	29-32

Elementary Certification

COURSE/NO.	TITLE	HOURS
EDT 300	Introduction to Computer Applications in the Classroom	1
SGN 300	Exceptional Child in the Regular Classroom	1
CUR 304	Curriculum and Methods-Elementary	3
RDG 314	Teaching Reading in the Elementary School	6
EDP 322	Human Development and Learning	4
SFD 328	Social Aspects of Teaching	3
MTH 381	Teaching of Mathematics K-6	3
EDP 340	Intro to Measurement and Evaluation	2
EDM 345	Media for the Classroom Teacher	1
EDU 492	Student Teaching	8
		32-36

c. Describes how candidates are prepared to utilize a variety of instructional approaches to address the various learning styles of students.

      The methodology course, FLAN 422, allows for the exploration of a number of key instructional delivery approaches, including, but not limited to: comparative study of dual language models; cooperative and collaborative learning; learning style-appropriate instruction; project based and mastery learning; individualization and inclusion.  Various models of instructional delivery in the dual language mode are also treated in a series of lectures accompanied by targeted field observations in the public school classrooms of districts reporting high concentrations of LEP students.  Review of available assessment tools and instructional materials in the native language as a vehicle of instruction is an important, practical aspect of this course, along with the acquisition of skills in assessment in the home and English language to determine levels of proficiency and previous academic skills development of the LEP learner.

d. Describes any differences that may exist between elementary or secondary preparation to teach in each major or minor area.

       Although there are no formal distinctions in the coursework for elementary and secondary endorsement in Bilingual Education, provisions are made in the course content for history, theory and methodology to accommodate the differences in approach, instructional delivery, teacher-student interaction, curriculum design and development (teacher adaptations), strategies for parent engagement/involvement for each level of the educational experience at the elementary, middle and high school levels. Further, endorsement candidates are familiarized with the difference in the organizational cultural s between

       Special considerations for adaptations in instructional delivery, potential cultural barriers related to content, culturally influenced learning styles are made in the instances of the content areas of art, special, vocational, business, physical, industrial arts and computer technology education. 

e. Describes how the program incorporates gender equity, multi-cultural, and global perspectives into the teaching of the subject area.

       Bilingual/Bicultural Education Teacher Training Program is consistent with its origins in those judicial decisions[1] and those policies and guidelines pursuant to their implementation which assure and promote equity. Specifically, the landmark USC Lau v. Nichols Decision of 1974 , ruled that identical education does not constitute equal education under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The ruling mandated that school districts must take affirmative steps to overcome educational barriers faced by non-English speakers, including the provision of materials and instruction using the child’s first language as a vehicle of instruction. Further, this ruling established that the Office for Civil Rights, under the former Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, currently in the Department of Education, has the authority to establish regulations for monitoring, reporting, and enforcement. 

       As such this program contextualizes equity issues related to gender, racial and national origins, language, religion and age within the 10 ½ -12  hours of instruction in FLAN 421 which  treat the legal  and historical perspectives of Bilingual Education. Examples from historical/current events are cited to illustrate the continuing needs areas along with the efforts of this nation toward achieving equity in the classrooms.

      Global perspectives are integrated into the coursework of FLAN 421 and 422 through presentations on global diversity and opportunities for students to explore the rise of bilingualism in the European community, the former Soviet nations, and in Canada

f. Describes how the program covers multiple methods of student assessment appropriate to the content area.

       In FLAN 422, students are exposed to a variety of assessment approaches including criterion (the MEAP and other state-mandated measures) and norm-referenced testing; English language proficiency testing and assessment (including but not limited to: Language Assessment Battery I-III; IDEA Tests/IPT; Language Assessment Scales, Bilingual Syntax Measure; Woodcock-Munoz; Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test; Bregance Tests Battery); and, measures of achievement in the first language (Spanish) which are available as translations of instruments regularly used in the schools.

       Beyond the traditional “paper-pencil” assessment measures, students are introduced to authentic and dynamic assessment protocols/measures, such as those offered through Skylight and the Center for Mediated Learning. Finally, students are given an opportunity to explore those instruments which identify multiple intelligences, learning styles and hemisphericity preference.