CORE PAPER PRESENTATIONS FOR LENSKI-MUKHOPADHYAY COHORT

Thursday, August 22, 11 AM

Diana Rodríguez

Academic resilience: The (new) indicator of student success

In the past few decades researchers have been examining the reasons why some students experience academic success while others do not while they originate from the same communities and come from similar social and economic backgrounds. Students at risk of academic failure often face an intricate set of social problems such as, poverty and health-issues that tend to negatively impact their success in school. One area of research that has implications for educational improvement of students at risk of academic failure is focused on “resilience”– students that succeed despite the presence of adverse conditions. The study of academic resilient students and the factors that contribute to this type of resiliency is promising. This paper looks at some of the underlying research from three interrelated perspectives of learning theories, organizational structures, and politics of policy implementations.

Committee composition: Swapna Mukhopadhyay, Chair; Susan Lenski, Co-chair; Julie E. Brown Friday, August 23, 9:00 AM

Yeng-Ling Wang

Heritage Language Maintenance: Spanish and Two-Way Immersion Programs in K-12 Schools

Many of our school-aged children speak one or more languages at home, yet our educational institutions do not formally acknowledge or further develop these students’ linguistic capital. Two-Way Immersion programs in K-12th schools embody a unique opportunity for language minority students to maintain their heritage language while attaining English language proficiency. Research has shown that academic success for English language learners is strongly correlated to native language literacy. English- Spanish Two-Way Immersion Programs can foment the maintenance of Spanish as a heritage language in Oregon’s K-12th schools, where Latinos represent the largest minority population in the state and have low high school graduation rates. By encouraging and further developing students’ heritage languages, an aspect of culturally sustaining pedagogy, the educational system can move closer to providing students with culturally sustaining curriculum that will promote academic success.

Committee composition: Swapna Mukhopadhyay, Chair; Susan Lenski, Co-chair; Esperanza de la Vega Justin Wilson Gabor

Friday, August 23, 11:00 AM

Re-framing Hegemony in Language Arts and Literacy in the Secondary Classroom

Within the American education system, literacy is a dominant value that holds authority in our classroom pedagogies. But current language arts practice can be seen as antiquated pedagogy based on traditions that facilitate a hegemonic structure through language instruction that oppresses culturally marginalized and lower socio-economic students. The post-modern American educator exists in a classroom of substantial diversity and an abundance of information stemming from multiple learning theories about how those students learn. And thus, must be well versed in the application of the research. It is my belief that educators, and the entire curriculum of language arts, needs to begin re-framing its praxis towards a more linguistic based framework. This paper looks at some of the research to illustrate how current practice can be hegemonic, as well as how it can reshape how students apply language and literacy in the complex socio- cultural system in which they inhabit.

Committee composition: Susan Lenski, Chair; Swapna Mukhopadhyay, Co-chair; Dot McElhone Friday, August 23, 1:00 PM

Rurik-Rory Nackerud

Academic Contextualization of Games in Schools

In recent years education has seen increasing attention and interest in games for learning. Educational institutions have long incorporated games, both analog and digital, but the increased attention paid to the engagement aspects of games, especially digital games, has been slow to penetrate daily practices. This paper examines the contextual factors of institutions of education impacting the implementation of games for learning. I contextualize games for education in terms of learning perspectives, institutional organization and leadership, and political processes and policies. Using these contexts I argue for future curricula involving game enhanced learning. This paper also outlines potential avenues to develop further research and instruments in order to improve effective and practical implementations of games for learning in education.

Committee composition: Susan Lenski, Chair; Swapna Mukhopadhyay, Co-chair; Anita Bright