ERIC Number: EJ1059227
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
22 Students and 22 Teachers: Socio-Cultural Mediation in the Early Childhood Classroom
Lozano, Leticia I.
Association of Mexican American Educators Journal, v8 n1 p94-101 2014
It is essential for teachers to provide a setting where student interaction is fostered as a mediational tool for learning, thus expediting the natural transfer of language and knowledge among students (Cummins, 1979). Doing so provides students a way of learning in an additive environment (Soltero, 2004). Could such a classroom have the potential to transform and empower students to feel valued, impacting their cognitive and self-identity growth? This reflective paper looks at the experience of one Dual Language Kindergarten class through the lens of socio-cultural mediation (Donato & MacCormick, 1994) while considering the Communities of Practice as a theoretical framework (Wenger, 1998) for Dual Language classrooms. Implications indicate that these classrooms could potentially be communities for transformative pedagogy where interactive practices are developed in a way that advances life-long academic success for Spanish-speaking students and English-speaking students alike.
Descriptors: Kindergarten, Bilingual Education, Spanish Speaking, English Language Learners, Interaction, Peer Relationship, Student Empowerment, Self Concept, Communities of Practice, Transformative Learning, Language of Instruction, Teaching Methods, Urban Schools, Immersion Programs, Culturally Relevant Education, Social Influences, Cultural Influences
Association of Mexican American Educators. 634 South Spring Street Suite 908, Los Angeles, CA 90014. Tel: 310-251-6306; Fax: 310-538-4976; e-mail: executivedirector@amae.org; Web site: http://www.amae.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Kindergarten; Primary Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Texas
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A