07S/07E/08P:182 Section 2
Language and Learning
Spring 2004

Instructor: Professor Anne DiPardo
E-mail: anne-dipardo@uiowa.edu

Course Description

Intended primarily for elementary and secondary pre-service language-arts teachers, this course focuses on the nature of linguistic development and performance.  WeÕll read works that reflect a range of scholarly approaches to language study, explore language use both in and out of school, and consider implications for classroom teaching.  Students will be expected to reflect thoughtful habits of mind in class activities and discussions, plan instructional sequences that promote awareness of linguistic diversity, and demonstrate understandings of young peopleÕs language practices and learning.

Required Readings

WeÕll all read the following texts:

á      Pinker, S. (1994).  The language instinct:  How the mind creates language.  NY:  HarperPerennial.  (Selected chapters)

á      Goodman, Y. (2003).  Valuing language study:  Inquiry into language for elementary and middle schools.  Urbana, IL:  National Council of Teachers of English.

á      Baugh, J. (2002).  Beyond Ebonics:  Linguistic pride and racial prejudice.  NY:  Oxford University Press.

á      Haussamen, B., Benjamin, A., Kolln, M., & Wheeler, R. (2003).  Grammar alive!:  A guide for teachers.  Urbana, IL:  National Council of Teachers of English.

á      Calderonello, A., Martin, V., & Blair, K. (2003).  Grammar for language arts teachers.  NY:  Longman.

á      Rowe Michaels, J. (2001).  Dancing with words:  Helping students love language through authentic vocabulary instruction.  Urbana, IL:  National Council of Teachers of English.

 

Choose one of the following empirical studies of language development:

á      Fu, D. (1995).  ÒMy trouble is my EnglishÓ:  Asian students and the American dream.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann/Boynton-Cook.

á      Igoa, C. (1995).  The inner world of the immigrant child.  Mahwah, NJ:  Erlbaum.

á      Rymes, B. (2001).  Conversational borderlands:  Language and identity in an alternative urban high school.  NY:  Teachers College Press.

á      Mahiri, J. (1998).  Shooting for excellence:  African American and youth culture in new century schools.  Urbana/New York:  NCTE and Teachers College Press.

á      Purcell-Gates, V. (1995).  Other peopleÕs words:  The cycle of low literacy.  Cambridge, MA:  Harvard University Press.

 

Choose one of the following studies of gender and literacy practices:

á      Finders, M. (1997).  Just girls:  Hidden literacies and life in junior high.  Urbana, IL and NY:  National Council of Teachers of English and Teachers College Press.

á      Smith, M. & Wilhelm, J. (2002).  ÒReading donÕt fix no ChevysÓ:  Literacy in the lives of young men.  Portsmouth, NH:  Heinemann.

 

Choose a memoir of literacy, learning, and identity:

á      Baca, J. S. (2002).  A place to stand:  The making of a poet.  NY:  Grove Press. (Selected chapters.)

á      Gilyard, K. (1991).  Voices of the self:  A study of language competence.  Detroit:  Wayne State University Press.

á      Hoffman, E. (1989).  Lost in translation:  A life in a new language.  NY:  Dutton.

á      Rose, M. (1989).  Lives on the boundary:  The struggles and achievements of AmericaÕs underprepared.  NY:  Penguin.

 

Choose a novel for young people that explores issues of language, such as:

á      Alvarez, J. (1991).  How the Garcia girls lost their accents.  NY:  Plume.

á      Gaines, E. (1993).  A lesson before dying.  NY:  Vintage.

á      Haddon, M. (2003).  The curious incident of the dog in the night-time.  NY:  Doubleday.

á      Hesse, K. (1996).  The music of dolphins.  NY:  Scholastic.

á      Jimenez, F. (1997).  The circuit:  Stories from the life of a migrant child.  Albuquerque:  University of New Mexico Press.

á      Joseph, L. (2000).  The color of my words.  NY:  HarperCollins.

á      Na, A. (2001).  A step from heaven.  NY:  Penguin.

á      Placide, J. (2002).  Fresh girl.  NY:  Random House.

á      Santiago, E. (1993).  When I was Puerto Rican.  NY:  Vintage.

Focus Standards and Related Student Work

A. Student learning. Candidates understand how learning occurs, how students construct knowledge and acquire skills, and know how to use instructional strategies that promote student learning.

Observing a Language Learner assignment.

B. Diverse learners. Candidates understand how students may differ in their approaches to learning and create instructional opportunities that are equitable and adaptable to diverse learners.

Theme Cycle assignment.

F. Communication. Candidates communicate effectively, understand the role of language in learning, and foster active inquiry, collaboration, and interaction in the classroom.

Theme Cycle assignment.

H. Reflection and Professional Development Candidates understand the importance of reflection, self-assessment, and learning as ongoing processes and actively seek opportunities for professional growth.

End-of-term reflective paper.

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