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Seventh International Conference on Immersion and Dual Language Education

February 6–9, 2019

The Westin Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

Mandarin Immersion Teachers’ Perceptions of Learners’ Oral Language Use

Friday, February 8, 2019 at 11:15 AM–12:15 PM EST
Harris (143)
Strand

Strand V: Teachers, Administrators, Preparation and Professional Learning

Immersion/Partner Language(s)

Mandarin

Level
Pre-K
Elementary (K-5)
Program Summary/Abstract Description

A research review reveals that language learners in immersion classrooms prefer to use English (Tedick & Wesley, 2015).  In this collaborative inquiry, five Mandarin teachers, a Teacher on Special Assignment, and a university professor document language use in a one-way 50-50 Mandarin immersion program in a diverse high poverty elementary school.  As collaboration is critical to successful professional development (Cammarata & Haley, 2017; Hood, 2009), each Mandarin teacher paired with a coach to record classroom observations of their colleagues focused on language use.  Research questions for this ethnographic study are:  How do Mandarin immersion teachers view L1 and L2 use?  What pedagogy is used to promote L2 use?  What did Mandarin teachers learn by participating in peer-coaching?  Data collection includes transcripts from teachers’ observations, reflective discussions during which teachers shared observations, and focus group interviews.  Data are analyzed through socio-cultural theory (Vygotsky, 1987), with a specific focus on Swain’s output hypothesis (1985).  Presenters engage audience in what they learned through discussion of rich vignettes.

Cammarata, L. & Haley, C. (2018) Integrated content, language, and literacy instruction in a Canadian French immersion context: A professional development journey.  International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 21(3), 332-348, DOI: 10.1080/13670050.2017.1386617

Hood, S., Navarro, A., & Reynolds, D. (2010, November). Collaboration is key: Evaluation of a dual language immersion (DLI) program in rural Oregon. The ACIE Newsletter, 14(1), 1-14.

Swain, M. (2000). The output hypothesis and beyond:  Mediating acquisition through collaborative dialogue.  In J. Lantolf (Ed.), Sociocultural theory and second language learning (pp. 97–114). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Tedick, D.J., & Wesely, P.M. (2015) A review of research on content-based foreign/second language education in US K-12 contexts. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 28(1), 25-40, DOI: 10.1080/07908318.2014.1000923

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society. Cambridge, MA:  Harvard University Press.

Lead Presenter

Sally Jane Hood, 11/1959
Role/Title

Associate Professor

Co-Presenters

Sally Jane Hood, 11/1959
Role/Title

Teacher on Special Assignment-Chinese/Mandarin Immersion PK-5

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