| Glossary academic language : language used in the learning of academic subject matter in formal schooling context; aspects of language strongly associated with literacy and academic achievement, including specific academic terms or technical language and speech registers related to each field of study (TESOL, 1997). additive bilingualism : an enrichment process where students acquire a second language with no fear of native language loss or abandonment of their own cultural identity. BICS: Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills; refers to conversational language. biculturalism : nativelike knowledge of two cultures; includes the ability to respond effectively to different demands of these two cultures (TESOL, 1997). bilingual instruction : instruction in two languages, usually a native and a second language. bilingual program : enriched program where students learn knowledge and skills in two languages. biliteracy : capability to read, write, listen, and speak with nativelike skill and comprehension in two languages. CALP: Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency; refers to the academic languages of the disciplines. code-switching: using more than one language interchangeably within the same sentence/conversation. comprehensible instruction: carefully making instruction understood by using strategies that scaffold language acquisition. content-based ESL : a model of language education that integrates language and content instruction in the second language classroom; a second language learning approach where second language teachers use instructional materials, learning tasks and classroom techniques from academic content areas as the vehicle for developing second language, content, cognitive and study skills (TESOL, 1997). cultural responsiveness: capability to respond to others with consideration, respect, and sensitivity due to an increased awareness of the need to recognize and validate interpersonal/cultural differences. culture : a sum total of the ways of life of a people; includes norms, learned behavior patterns, attitudes and artifacts; also involves traditions, habits or customs; how people behave, feel and interact; the means by which they order and interpret the world; ways of perceiving, relating and interpreting events based on established social norms; a system of standards for perceiving, believing, evaluating and acting (TESOL, 1997). developmental bilingual education : attempts to preserve and enhance students’ skills in the native language while they acquire a second language (Crawford, 1991). dual language immersion (DLI) : provides instruction in two languages for English speakers and non-native speakers of English; the goals of the program promote bilingualism, biliteracy, high academic achievement, and multiculturalism. early exit: removing students from supportive and additive bilingual programs at the earliest date possible towards total immersion in the second/target language. ESL : English as a Second Language; students receive specified periods of instruction aimed at the development of English language skills, with a primary focus to learn the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skill for reading and language arts. ESL pullout : program that provides language assistance to English language learners by pulling them out of mainstream reading/language arts classes and providing them accommodated English instruction. ESOL : English Speakers of other Languages; refers to recent immigrant students in high schools in the state of Texas. FLES : Foreign Language in the Elementary School; provides instruction in a second language to help students reach functional proficiency in all content areas in the targeted language. Listening and speaking the language is somewhat more emphasized than reading and writing. The program emphasizes the learning of the 5 C’s: Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. FLEX : Foreign Language Exploratory; enables students at all grade levels to learn basic phrases in one or more language; develop an awareness and appreciation of foreign cultures; and develop an appreciation of the value of communicating in another language. Although students do not attain any degree of language proficiency, the program motivates students to study foreign language and enhances the students’ understanding of English. foreign language : a language other than an individual’s native language. home language : language(s) spoken in the home by significant others (e.g., family members, caregivers) who reside in the child’s home; sometimes used as a synonym for the first language, primary language or native language. immersion education : children are taught a second language through subject-matter instruction in that language, with an emphasis on contextual clues and with lessons geared to students’ level of competence (Crawford, 1991). language minority : a student who comes from a home in which a language other than English is primarily spoken; the student may or may not speak English well (TESOL, 1997). language proficiency : the level of competence at which an individual is able to use language for both basic communicative tasks and academic purposes (TESOL, 1997). learning strategies : mental activities or actions that assist in enhancing learning outcomes; may include metacognitive strategies (e.g., planning for learning, monitoring one’s own comprehension and production, evaluating one’s performance), cognitive strategies (e.g., mental or physical manipulation of the material) or social/affective strategies (e.g., interacting with another person to assist learning, using self-talk to persist at a difficult task until resolution) (TESOL, 1997). late exit : developmental bilingual program where students are taught in two languages for the longest time possible, preferably PK-12. LOTE : Languages Other Than English; division of the Texas Education Agency that coordinates the development of the TEKS and all instructional activities in foreign language programs. maintenance bilingual education : attempts to preserve and enhance students’ skills in the native language while they acquire a second language (Crawford, 1991). multilingualism : ability to speak more than two languages; proficiency in many languages (TESOL, 1997). native language : primary or first language spoken by an individual (TESOL, 1997). one-way dual language : bilingual program where homogeneous groups of students (English language learners) are instructed in the TEKS in two languages. primary language : first or native language spoken by an individual (TESOL, 1997). scaffold : providing instructional support/guidance in such a way that students transition from a state of dependence on the teacher to independence. sheltered instruction : an approach in which students develop knowledge in specific subject areas through the medium of English, their second language; teachers adjust the language demands of the lesson in many ways, such as modifying speech rate and tone, using context clues and models extensively, relating instruction to student experience, adapting the language of texts or tasks and using certain methods familiar to language teachers (e.g., demonstrations, visuals, graphic organizers or cooperative work) to make academic instruction more accessible to students of different English proficiency levels (TESOL, 1997). SIOP : Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol; an observation tool that teachers can use to plan sheltered lessons and to hold themselves accountable for the instructional needs of English language learners in the content areas. social language : the aspects of language proficiency strongly associated with basic fluency in face-to-face interaction; natural speech in social interactions, including those that occur in a classroom (TESOL, 1997). structured immersion : all students in the program are English-language learners, usually, though not always, from different language backgrounds; they receive instruction in English, with an attempt to adjust the level of English so subject matter is comprehensible; typically, there is no native language support (August and Hakuta, 1998). subtractive bilingualism : an erosive process that refers to the gradual abandonment or subtraction of a child’s primary language and its cultural accomplishments for English. transitional bilingual education : provides a portion of instruction in LEP children’s native language to help them keep up in school subjects, while they study English in programs designed for second-language learners (Crawford, 1991). two-way bilingual immersion program : a program in which monolingual English-speaking children study the regular school curriculum alongside children who are native speakers of the target, or second, language; a portion of the instructional day is taught in English and another portion is in the target language; aims for additive bilingualism and biculturalism for all the students involved (TESOL, 1997). Adapted from the Intercultural Development Research Association’s Glossary of Terms at www.idra.org/research/glossary.htm. |
