New ASU program tackles state's language issues (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

June 29, 2008 - 6:13PM

New ASU program tackles state's language issues

Andrea Natekar, Tribune
http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/119658

Spanish. English. Pima.

Some of Arizona's greatest education dilemmas deal with the languages that are
heard - or not heard - in its classrooms and homes.

Now, Arizona State University is hoping to create a body of doctoral-level
scholars, and research, to tackle those issues.

A new Applied Linguistics Ph.D. program, which is seeing its first five
candidates enroll this fall, aims to prepare linguists to find solutions to
challenges dealing with issues of language and literacy.

"This very much taps into the needs of the state," said program director Jeff
MacSwan, associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the Fulton
College of Education, where the program is housed. "We have a lot of immigrants
here and you hear a lot of chit-chat about this, but we want real, informed
public policy decisions. ... We need informed citizens throughout the state."

First on his list: Taking politics out of the issue of how to best educate
English language learners.

"It's not unlike the climate research. There you have something really
politicized, too, and activists on both sides," he said. "Our state has really
politicized issues around English learners, and its very unfortunate for the
state and for the students. ... We want to create an ongoing body of research
to help level-headed legislators make policies that help - that aren't
destructive."

Other universities in Arizona already offer advanced linguistics degrees. But by
organizing faculty who study linguistics, but who are spread out in departments
as varied as engineering, psychology and education, the university will offer a
unique, interdisciplinary program, MacSwan said.

"This isn't what most people think of when they hear it - just breaking words
apart," said Daisy Fredricks, a former Mesa junior high school teacher who will
enter the program in the fall. "This is more in a social context of how people
learn languages, not necessarily in the brain, but through the communities they
are in."

Students can focus on areas like bilingualism, language planning and policy and
indigenous language education.

Taunalee Bradshaw, who taught a dual language class at Tempe's Holdeman
Elementary School last year, will also start in the fall.

Bradshaw was already working on her master's in education at ASU, but the new
program piqued her interest after she saw the list of its professors. She said
many are leading researchers in the field.

Bradshaw believes her years of teaching experience will make her a valuable
researcher.

"I'll be studying educational linguistics, because I wanted to stay in my field
of education but also study linguistics. I think that there should more of a
bridge between those two fields and I think my background as classroom teacher
could help," she said.

MacSwan said he also hopes that by creating the program, more opportunities
could become available for undergraduate students to begin taking more
linguistics coursework, too. Ultimately, he said, it will benefit the
university, as well as the community and state.

Fredricks hopes her research will ultimately help teachers.

She has a degree in Spanish education and has spent several years working with
ELL students. Now, she will research second-language learners in middle and
high school.

"I just feel that so many teachers out there think, 'What do I do with these
students who are coming to me in 10th and 11th grade and they don't know
English?' How are we going to prepare them to graduate?" she said. "It's a very
difficult question."