[lg policy] Arizona: Professor's immigration gave way to career devoted to language

[Harold Schiffman]

Professor's immigration gave way to career devoted to language

Carlos Ovando, an ASU profefssor, has devoted his career to promoting
bilingual education and English as a world language. His research,
teaching and service focus on factors that contribute to academic
achievement of language-minority students and ethnically diverse
groups.

As a faculty member with the Mary Lou Fulton Institute and Graduate
School of Education, Ovando teaches courses in language policy;
principles of second language acquisition; bilingual, ESL and
multicultural education; culture and schooling. He is widely known and
respected internationally, having given presentations in 15 countries
outside the United States on the importance of developing and
implementing innovative strategies for improving the curriculum for
teaching English as foreign language.

“English has become a highly valued commodity because of
globalization,” Ovando said. “There is a danger that a new class
structure could develop between those who know English – the ‘haves’ –
and those who don’t – the ‘have-nots.’”

He knows only too well the potential for discrimination against
non-English speakers. His work is informed by first-hand experience
with the academic, sociocultural and emotional issues that confront
language-minority students in the United States.

A native of Nicaragua, Ovando describes himself as an “involuntary
immigrant” to America. Before his parents brought him to the United
States when he was 12 years old, Ovando was a self-confident pre-teen.
But as an American immigrant who didn’t know the language, he
struggled to keep up in school while learning English and was fearful
of appearing unintelligent to his peers.

Ovando remembers an especially humiliating experience when he
unknowingly broke a rule against speaking Spanish in school. The
teacher overheard and promptly sent him to the principal’s office,
where he received five whacks from a ping pong paddle.

“That principal’s name is forever tattooed on my subconscious,” he said.

However, it’s the memories of teachers who took a special interest in
him and helped him find his path in life that drive and inspire him,
particularly those of his high school Spanish teacher. Rather than
being punished for speaking Spanish, in her class, Ovando won praise.

As a result of her encouragement, he earned a college scholarship and
completed bachelor’s degrees in English and Spanish. After teaching
high school Spanish for several years, Ovando went on to earn master’s
degrees in Spanish, Latin American studies and political science, and
a doctorate in curriculum, instruction and international comparative
education.

He later transitioned to a career in academia, serving as a professor
and administrator at the University of Southern California, University
of Alaska, Oregon State University and Indiana University before
joining the faculty at ASU in 2001.

“Carlos’ own life and experiences make him an invaluable inspiration
to English language teacher improvement efforts,” said Kay Davis, head
of the Regional English Language Office for the U.S. Embassy in Peru
and a former doctoral student of Ovando. “He is the perfect example of
how far a person with dual language skills can go.”

Last summer, Davis invited Ovando to deliver a keynote address at
English Opens Doors, a conference that examines English language
teaching initiatives. There, he emphasized the critical need for
embracing the use of online resources to reform the curriculum and
introduce new methods of teaching English.

“One of the things I talked about was the importance of creating
curriculum that is project-based, problem-based, exciting and that
respects the local cultures and intersects with new technologies,” he
said. “One of the biggest challenges in teaching English as a foreign
language is getting the students to want to speak English outside the
classroom as well as in class.”

His efforts recently resulted in a transnational partnership that
brought 10 teacher-trainers from Peru to ASU to participate in a
four-week intensive English language training program that is intended
to jumpstart efforts to improve English teacher training in that
country.  Their travel and learning experience was supported by the
Fulbright Commission, the U.S. Embassy in Peru and the Peruvian
Ministry of Education.

Guided by the American English and Culture Program (AECP) at ASU, the
Peruvian teacher-trainers arrived at ASU on Jan. 26 to begin a
rigorous professional development program that included 27 hours a
week of intensive English study, divided equally among reading and
writing skills, listening and speaking skills, and teacher training
methodology.

The participants lived with American families during their stay and
also were exposed to numerous cultural experiences. They visited the
Grand Canyon, Sedona, the Heard Museum and Desert Botanical Garden;
attended ASU and Phoenix Suns basketball games, a theater performance
and watched the Super Bowl. They also took part in conversation clubs,
a reading theater club and conversation clusters with American
students at ASU.

“These types of field activities are what make our program so rich,”
said Mark Rentz, director of the AECP, which has offered intensive
English as a second language instruction since 1974.  The program has
previously provided language training for English teachers from China,
France, Japan, Korea and Mexico.

“The students experience how Americans live, what our values are, what
we eat and how we communicate. It’s a great extension of the
classroom,” Rentz said.

For their part, the students from Peru seemed sad to leave when the
program ended on Feb. 26, but were grateful for the experience. They
attended a graduation luncheon the day before their departure where a
few tears flowed.

“I was very surprised by people from Arizona,” said one participant,
Yury Briones Torres. “My teachers and all the people I met were so
kind and warm. I love all of them.”

http://asunews.asu.edu/20100310_englishlanguage
-- 
**************************************
N.b.: Listing on the lgpolicy-list is merely intended as a service to
its members
and implies neither approval, confirmation nor agreement by the owner
or sponsor of the list as to the veracity of a message's contents.
Members who disagree with a message are encouraged to post a rebuttal.
(H. Schiffman, Moderator)

For more information about the lgpolicy-list, go to
https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/
listinfo/lgpolicy-list
*******************************************

_______________________________________________
This message came to you by way of the lgpolicy-list mailing list
lgpolicy-list at groups.sas.upenn.edu
To manage your subscription unsubscribe, or arrange digest format: https://groups.sas.upenn.edu/mailman/listinfo/lgpolicy-list