Second languages and cultures - M.A.
Second languages and cultures (SLC) education is nationally and internationally known for its programs which focus on English as a second language (ESL) for K-12, postsecondary, and adult classrooms; bilingual and immersion education; and traditional foreign language education in both K-12 and postsecondary settings. Our perspective on language learning and teaching is markedly pedagogical and informed by an awareness of the role social context plays in the process of language learning and teaching. Master's students in SLC engage in coursework and projects that balance theory and research with practical application. Students pursue a course of study that is designed in collaboration with the faculty adviser to correspond to the interests and background of each student and to provide a solid understanding of research and best practice in the field. Independent scholarship is encouraged and typically comes in the form of a final project (Plan B) or a more formal thesis (Plan A).
Faculty
Martha Bigelow
I am a former ESL and Spanish teacher whose research interests
focus on adolescent immigrant youth — their English language
learning processes and schooling experiences.
Kendall King
My research encompasses ideological, interactional and
policy perspectives on second language learning and
bilingualism, with particular attention to educational
practices impacting language use among minority populations
in Latin America and Spanish speakers in the U.S.
Susan Ranney
My teaching and research interests include questions regarding
what second language learners require in order to become
competent speakers of the target language and how teachers can
promote language learning through contextualized and engaging
classroom practices.
Diane Tedick
My primary research interest focuses on the pedagogy required
for the successful integration of language and content
instruction, particularly in language immersion contexts, where
a world or indigenous language (e.g., French, Spanish, Yup'ik) is used as the vehicle for teaching
academic subject matter.
Constance Walker
I have a longstanding interest in the schooling experiences of second language learners. My research interests include the identification of collaborative practices among school personnel that can best enhance students’ language development and academic content learning.
Current Students
Jodi James
As a
second language learner and teacher, I have lived in Europe,
Africa, and China, picking up languages along the way. I now
teach Chinese for the Fridley Public School District with almost
300 students on my class rosters while pursuing a M.A. followed by
a Ph.D. in second languages and cultures at the U of Minnesota, Twin
Cities.
Each class with Dr. Martha Bigelow is like a mini-conference of second language teachers with a diversity of languages. Dr. Bigelow facilitates dialogue, in the Bakhtinian sense, on the issues of language acquisition. We examine theory and practice as we research psycholinguistics and sociolinguistics. She is the quality of educator that we all aspire to be.
Both Dr. Bigelow and Dr. Diane Tedick, my adviser, are leaders with the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) Mandarin Chinese Initiative. The second languages and cultures program area is current with schools at the district level, and at the forefront of where our state is headed in Chinese language education. As a teacher of Mandarin Chinese, I participate on a MDE committee under the leadership of these professors. The District/State/University link in Chinese pedagogy is exceptional.
Dr. Tedick believes that “teaching language through content is the most effective approach to teaching second/foreign languages.” This is exactly where my own research is headed, in a less commonly taught language (LCTL), Chinese. Fridley’s program is a district-wide IB program. It is a broad-based program with grades 5-12 on an 8-year track of Chinese language classes. Students can graduate with a Chinese-English bilingual certificate. It is therefore opportune to teach language in content areas, vital to language education, as Dr. Tedick comments..
Chinese is one of the LCTL due to the character writing. My research focuses on the acquisition of a logomorphic written language (Chinese), which is not phonology-based/alphabetic (like English). From this research I develop best practice classroom teaching of Chinese.
Course requirements
Revised August 2008
