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I have long had an interest in the school experiences
of second language learners, particularly those students who must
learn English as a second language while also mastering academic
content at school. What lays behind the struggle for achievement
that so many of our young citizens face as they navigate the complex
world of learning a second language while at school? How much of
a role does the school culture play in that struggle? How can teachers
help students develop the academic and language skills they need
for success at school?
It is the teacher development piece that energizes
my work in second language education. I currently direct a 5-year
U. S. Department of Education grant, Teaching English Language Learners — Action
Model to Unite Professionals. This project involves teams of grade-level
teachers, ESL teachers and paraprofessionals from particular schools
in long-term efforts to build on the strengths and address the needs
of bilingual learners. Teachers set individual and school-site goals,
meet, read, discuss and exchange information through formal and
informal processes, all directed at developing collaborative mechanisms
for providing effective instruction.
National and state-level policies about the educational
needs and services for bilingual students form a backdrop for the
curriculum, instruction, and assessment that make up their school
experiences. Often such policies and practices are built on myths
and misperceptions concerning language learning and developing bilingualism.
Preparing teachers to challenge such myths and to adjust practice
to best bring out the talents of bilingual learners is my primary
goal.
Selected publications
Walker, C. L., Ranney, S., & Fortune, T. W.
(2005). Preparing preservice classroom teachers for students learning
through a second language: A content-based approach. In Tedick,
D. (Ed.) Second language teacher education: International perspectives.
(pp. 313-333). New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Walker, C. L., & Tedick, D. J. (2000). Bilingual
education, English as a second language, and foreign language education:
Movement to a center. In D. Birchbickler & R. M. Terry (Eds.),
Reflecting on the past to shape the future (pp. 223-244).
Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Co.
Walker, C. L., & Tedick, D. J. (2000). The complexity
of immersion education: Teachers address the issues. Modern Language
Journal, 84(1), 5-27.
Walker, C. L., & Tedick, D. J. (1998). Multicultural
education in practice: What do teachers say? In M. Dilworth (Ed.),
Being responsive to cultural differences. How teachers learn
(pp. 182–196). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
McCollum, P., & Walker, C. L. (1997). Minorities
in America 2000. Education and Urban Society, 24(2), 178-195.
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