The Education of English Language Learners: Research to Practice(Challenges in Language and Literacy)

This comprehensive volume describes evidence-based strategies for supporting English language learners (ELLs) by promoting meaningful communication and language use across the curriculum. Leading experts explain how and why learning is different for ELLs and pinpoint specific best practices for the classroom, illustrated with vivid examples. Particular attention is given to ways in which learning English is intertwined with learning the student's home language. The book addresses both assessment and instruction for typically developing ELLs and those with language disabilities and disorders. It demonstrates how educators and speech–language professionals can draw on students' linguistic, cognitive, sociocultural, and family resources to help close the achievement gap.

Table of Contents:
Introduction, Marilyn Shatz and Louise C. WilkinsonI. Early Language Experience and School Readiness 1. The Brain and Language Acquisition: Variation in Language Knowledge and Readiness for Education, Barbara T. Conboy 2. The Process of Acquiring a First and Second Language, Kathryn Kohnert and Giang Pham 3. Language Choice and Competence: Code Switching and Issues of Social Identity in Young Bilingual Children, Iliana Reyes and Susan M. Ervin-TrippII. Language and Literacy Principles and Practices in School 4. Ways to Words: Learning a Second-Language Vocabulary, Lisa M. Bedore, Elizabeth D. Peña, and Karin Boerger 5. The Role of Phonology in Orthographically Different Languages, Ellen H. Newman 6. Bilingualism and Cognitive Linkages: Learning to Read in Different Languages, Ellen Bialystok and Kathleen F. Peets 7. Learning English as a Second Language, María Estela BriskIII. Assessment and Interaction: Working with Children and Families 8. Communicative Repertoires and English Language Learners, Betsy Rymes 9. Difficulty, Delay, or Disorder: What Makes English Hard for English Language Learners?, Carol Westby and Deborah A. Hwa-Froelich 10. Implications for Assessment and Instruction, Alison L. Bailey 11. Extended Implications for Practice: Families as Allies, Leslie Reese and Claude Goldenberg 12. Recent Research on English Language and Literacy Instruction: What We Have Learned to Guide Practice for English Language Learners in the 21st Century, Diane August, Claude Goldenberg, William M. Saunders, and Cheryl Dressler

About the Author :
Edited by Marilyn Shatz, PhD, Departments of Psychology and Linguistics, University of Michigan, USA, and Louise C. Wilkinson, EdD, Department of Reading and Language Arts, School of Education, Syracuse University, USA

Review :
"A 'must read' for every inservice and preservice teacher. The book is extremely well organized, with excellent continuity from one chapter to the next. The contributors are outstanding scholars who present reader-friendly chapters that cover theory, research, and best practices for the classroom. This book should be adopted as a text in an ELL course or courses that deal with teaching any content area. Kudos to the editors on this important volume." - Lesley Mandel Morrow, Distinguished Professor of Literacy and Chair, Department of Learning and Teaching, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA "Perhaps no topic is of greater interest today to educational researchers, policymakers, and practitioners than how best to meet the needs of ELLs. This state-of-the-art work, presented in a lively and accessible fashion, provides a thorough and practical treatment of this topic from leading experts in the field. A 'must have' for all of us." - Laura M. Justice, School of Teaching and Learning, The Ohio State University, USA