Conference Sessions

In this paper, we will first discuss the development of a research agenda for the Dual Language Immersion programs in Utah that identifies stakeholders, research priorities, and the political and educational contexts. We will then present preliminary data and their implications for the research agenda and educational policy.

Presentation Slides (PDF)

This paper explores student investment in bilingual identities in a dual language program. Building on current literature, we question the separation of languages paradigm and consider a potentially powerful alternative, grounded in identity theory, for promoting bilingualism. Data from an ethnographic discourse analysis supports our discussion.

Among immersion program administrators, one major worry is that students learning content in a target language will not be able to transfer knowledge into English, jeopardizing their success on standardized tests taken in English. This presentation addresses this myth and discusses specific strategies for maximum transfer from one language to another.

In this session, VIF International Education will report on its monitoring and evaluation framework, findings in the areas of efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of its Splash language immersion model, and how this data is used for continuous improvement in a design-based research approach.

How can teachers get students to use the minority language (in our case, Spanish) with increasing complexity during math class? Taking a developmental approach to language learning, and using math journals to get students to explain their thinking, we show the improvements students have made in their Spanish.

How do we assess language competency levels rather than program completion or exam results to determine levels of bilingualism attained by students? A brief exploration of the Common European Framework, the DELF (Diplôme d'études en langue française) exams and their impact on assessment for learning and language instruction will be followed by questions and discussion.

Immersion education at the secondary level faces significant challenges in meeting the needs of adolescent learners and motivating them to attain advanced level proficiency. Presenters will provide an overview of their efforts, share successes, and discuss issues in making secondary level immersion work. Participants will join this critical dialogue.

Presenters will share the overarching themes of Ka Papahana Hawaii Program Guide and their relationship to the curriculum, instruction, assessment, administration and operation of the program in the Hawaii Department of Education.

The Maori language is an indigenous language at risk, and Maori-medium schools have a vital role in its revitalization. Knowing the language proficiency of the students is critical not only for revitalization purposes but also because national standards for literacy and numeracy drive educational policy and practice in New Zealand. For Maori-medium education, establishing progressions in oral language is a key part of that process. This paper discusses the process and levels of proficiency established.

Previous work has pointed to a connection between a speaker's identity and his pronunciation. This presentation will report findings on the correlation between attitude/motivation and the Spanish pronunciation of one-way and two-way immersion learners. The presentation will make comparisons to previous work and explore instructional implications.

Presentation Slides (PDF)

Curriculum theory becomes an indispensable tool for understanding the intersection between culture, identity, and community in the immersion classroom. Creating an immersion culture of its own is not unlike the "Third Culture" of foreign nationals attending international schools far away from their passport country.