Twenty students gathered together, with career interests ranging from education to law enforcement to psychology---and the result was a learning team who facilitated their own experience as we explored and probed the stakeholders in Oregon Education.  Though the stakeholders ranged from bilingual educators and community advocates to administrators and newspaper journalists, one consistent theme which pervaded all of our interviews was this idea of the need for open communication between parents, students, and educators.  As aptly titled as the course is, where our "learning through listening" came from our positions as interviewers, the concept of "learning through listening" emerged as the fundamental theme involved with student, teacher, and parent interactions.

Over and over, the same message was heard.  Whether from teachers or students, administrators or community advocates, the message was loud and clear:  in order to make a difference in the lives of minority students, the key is to make caring, positive contact with students regardless of race or ethnicity.  No matter whether the student in question was an African-American youth in the Portland area or a mono-lingual Spanish speaking child in the central Willamette Valley, and regardless of language barriers or culture barriers, caring overrides all other factors in providing a child with a good place to learn and grow.

Despite the wide range of topics which we discussed in the course, spanning from discussion of Oregon CIM/CAM testing, to urban youth programs, to youth in the media, the one theme which was most significant and compelling to me was the issue of English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) students in Oregon schools.  Within this issue is embodied virtually all of the concerns relating to cross-cultural issues in education.  These concerns include questions of resources, socioeconomic conditions, programs, and attitudes.  By examining the condition of ESL programs in Oregon Schools, we can get a glimpse of all of these factors.

       Of major concern to my classmates and I:

• What are the programs already in place in schools?
• What is the student perspective on these ESL immersion, integration, or transition programs?
• What is the teacher perspective on these as well?
• What is most important when serving the needs of ESL students?

An alternative program is a "pull-out" program, where ESL students are left in the classroom just as native speakers are, but are occasionally removed from the class for a peroid of time each day for instruction in Spanish.  However, in one sense these programs have the potential to develop gaps in the child's learning.  Though the child might be learning English during the course of his or her time while "mainstreamed," the sixty to ninety minutes of Spanish language teaching each day is not enough to teach both English and the topics being taught to the rest of the English speaking students.

In the Corvallis area, where the proportion of non- or limited English proficient students is less, the pull-out method is employed.  In addition, if only a handful of ESL children attend one school, they may be bused to another school in order to gather enough students to create a functional ESL program.  (Otherwise, there would not be enough funding to provide staff or resources to such a small number of students).

what is the student perspective on these programs?
Student reaction varies.  Where some promise has been shown by students enrolled in these programs, not all gaps are filled and not all needs are met.  According to Pilar and Erica, the two high school students we interviewed, oftentimes it seems that elementary students are put into ESL or dual language classrooms without any consideration of their actual proficiency in either language.  Instead, they are placed based upon their appearance---if a student appears to be latino, then they are automatically lumped into the non- or limited English proficient groups.  However, it is not the case that all latino students are lacking in English skill, or that they are proficient in Spanish.  The result, as the students put it, is that some children are caught in the middle, unprepared to learn in English or Spanish.

At the high school level, repsonse to ESL programs become even more distinct.  Whether it is due to lack of resources or inappropriate assessment of whether a student should be placed in an ESL class is unclear, but the response given by our student interviewees was clear:  ESL classes are a waste of time.  To them, it seemed that these classes were where students of color were kind of "pushed aside," and that little or no instruction was taking place.  Further, the parents which we interviewed echoed these concerns.

what is the teacher perspective?
Though all the teachers we interviewed were at the Elementary Level, they sung the praises of ESL, transition, and immersion strategies.  They did acknowledge the need for further development, especially in resources and parental involvement, but the perspective was overall very optimistic.  Unfortunately, we intereviewed Pilar and Erica after we interviewed the teachers, and were unable to address the idea that some students were pushed into dual-language classes without consideration for their proficiency in either language.

Teachers agreed that a lack of resources, both with respect to money and worthwhile textbooks, was a major concern.  Jan Byers of the Corvallis School District pointed out that students classified as limited or lacking in proficiency in English were allocated 1.5 of the per-student allocation provided from the state of Oregon.  However, the additional .5 which was received by the enrollment of each ESL student was not necessarily earmarked for ESL programs, and it has been left to the discretion of the district how those extra funds are to be used.  This was startling to me, considering the importance of providing these programs to our Spanish speaking students.

Efforts are being made as well to get ahold of quality textbooks.  Though many textbook publishers are publishing translated textbooks, as Laura Zinch pointed out, there is more to a textbook than just the words---though the words may be translated, the culture behind the language is not apparent, (further, some textbooks are poorly edited, and the translations are not correct).  In response to this, there is a partnership being built by the U.S.-Mexican consulate to acquire textbooks from Mexico in order to better serve the students who arrive in American schools without significant experience in English.
 
 

what is most important when serving the needs of ESL or non-English speaking students?
When posed the question where they would rather have a teacher who was bilingual or a teacher who cared, the students we interviewed made it clear:  caring could overcome the language barrier.  Further, when the latino mothers were asked as well, the answer was the same.  Even the bilingual educators indicated the necessity of a caring environment, noting that "students can tell when a teacher does not like them."  The key, clearly, is that professionals who are given the responsibility of educating our youth (regardless of language) should first and foremost care about their students.  This concept transcends skills.

Skills are not unnecessary, however.  As Jan Byers pointed out, the "ideal" situation would be that all children could go to the same classroom, regardless of language proficiency, but that each teacher would be prepared with strategies and resources to effectively teach both ESL and native speakers.  Teachers need to continue to be trained, and this is an issue that many of our stakeholders addressed.  By more adequately training our teachers, they can better serve the "educational" needs of our students.

However, it is important to consider the following thought about "education:"

                . . .the word "educación" in Spanish does not only mean "education," but also "upbringing."

Clearly, the two are closely related.  And it is the "parenting," the caring side of education which is crucial to developing successful students.  This is true regardless of what language a child may speak, or what culture they may come from.

ABOUT THE CLASS:

This class is unlike any experience I have ever had at OSU.  Though I was, at times, extremely frustrated with the process, I feel that in the end I gained far more than I expected. Since I did give up my Spring Break to take this class, I was determined to make it a good experience.  In part due to my classmates, who were lots of fun (especially in the "cool van"), I found the experience to be very educational overall.

Beginning with a retreat at the 4-H Center outside of Salem, Oregon, the week-long course had some distinct ups and downs.  We started off well, with introductions and pleasantries--plus lots of snacks.  Our first day, we learned about the whole "interviewing" and "learning through listening" process from InterACTION communications expert Janice McMurray--accompanied by the added bonus of more snacks.  The very next day, we embarked on our interview process, beginning at Chemeketa Community College with Senator Cliff Trow.  Each day we would interview anywhere from three to eight "stakeholders" (i.e., people with a vested interest in Oregon Education).  Every afternoon, we would gather together with more snacks and talk about the interviews, select facilitators for the following day's interviews, brainstorm questions or themes to ask each stakeholder, and eat said snacks (my particular favorite were the animal crackers...and by day two I was beginning to develop an addiction).

As important as the information we gathered from our stakeholders was the process by which we created a means for gathering this information.  We learned the art of facilitation, and though the processes were different than ones I had used and been taught, it was that much more a growing experience for me to observe and understand an alternative type of facilitation.  Despite the constant presence of snacks, I did get very frustrated at times---so did my classmates---and so did the instructors (I assume, they hid it well)---but in learning how to develop consensus and work as a team, the twenty members of our class most likely gained skills that are not taught anywhere else at Oregon State.  Certainly, there is no other class on this campus which so adequately fulfills the snacking needs of its students.  (I do joke around about the whole snack issue, but we really did appreciate the fact that our facilitors did provide us with some munchies.)

To round out our class, we were asked to create our own web pages (which I had never done before this very page you're looking at), keep a journal of our readings and interviews, as well as write a short paper about the short book entitled The Circuit, by Francisco Jiménez.  In addition, we concluded the class with a luncheon presentation for our stakeholders and various faculty who were interested in the course.

Be sure to check out the photo album off of the class homepage, and you can get a sense of the people involved in this process. Though it meant giving up some of my own free time over Spring Break, the benefits of this course far outweight the costs.  I now have a much greater perspective on cross cultural issues in Oregon Education, especially in bilingual and dual-language education.  Beyond this, I emerged with a group of new friends, as well as enlightened perspectives on numerous issues which face our children in Oregon Public Schools.

LINKS:

• Return to top
• Oregon Department of Education homepage.
• Check out the "News" link on the OBEMLA (Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs at the US Department of Education).
• For some more information on Title VII---known as the Bilingual Education Act---from the US Department of Education (check out links at "Part C" of this document).
• From the National Council of Bilingual Education, an article about how Title I and Title VII can "work together."
• For links to strategies in California and Texas.
• Sure enough, there are opponents out there, including sites such as www.englishfirst.org which discusses everything from African-American English to Bilingual Ed.
• For a great list of other bilingual education links, try the NCBE page.
• For some interesting photographic images about migrant farm labor, check out the OSU Archives.
• One last chance to go to the ES 499 Homepage.
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation Homepage, a site about the foundation resourse for the funding which in part provided for this course.

My name is Mark Gardner and I am currently enrolled at Oregon State as a Junior.  My major is English, and I plan to teach high school language arts (literature and composition) and perhaps pursue a minor in Spanish (and maybe ESL accreditation) so that I can better serve the school district in which I may be employed in the future. I believe that the key to educating any child is to form a positive environment as well as a personal connection in order to understand the needs of each child.  Some say that I'm idealistic as a future educator, wanting to motivate and build relationships with each student who crosses my path--but I'd rather be optimistic and idealistic than any other -istic in the English language.

- Return to top of this page -

 
 
 
 
 
 

---

Corvallis Gazette-Times Article, Monday March 27, 2000 (Front Page)

Learning Through Listening:  Class focuses on minorities in education

Photo by Ryan Gardner/G-T:  Caption--  Mark Gardner, left, and Delia Costley Jones --- along with 18 other Oregon State University students -- spent their spring break interviewing stakeholders who have ties to education in Oregon and summed up their findings in a presentation Friday afternoon.  Gardner is getting some pointers from Jones Friday morning about the group's presentation.

By BECKY WALDROP
Gazette-Times reporter

    Minority students in Oregon public schools face many obstacles and challenges above and beyond those of their peers.
    Language barriers, societal pressures and inadequate funding for programs for these students make school more difficult. Communication between teachers and families, and parent involvement are important not only for the well being of minority students but also to bring about change.
    These findings aren't from a government study or special interest group, and they aren't based on standardized test scores. They are highlights from a weeklong course by Oregon State Uni- versity students on cross-cultural issues in education.
    For the group of 20 students that took part, the best way to learn about minority education wasn't from a book or listening to a professor's lecture.
    To understand what it's like to be a minority student in a public school setting, the college students spent a week interviewing principals, teachers, parents, students, advocates, legislators and school officials.
    Learning Through Listening, an innovative approach to teaching a college level class, gives stakeholders and others who have ties to an issue--in this case education--a chance to share their stories.
    The four-credit course was packed into six days over spring break. Students spent 12-hour days immersed in on-site visits for interviews, brainstorming sessions and working dinners.
    At the end of the week the course directors told them they were possibly more knowledgeable on cross-cultural issues than some of the education experts they had spoken to.
    The interviews that shaped the out-comes most for Heidi Hansen were with three mothers of minority students from Independence in Polk County.
    Hansen is a senior studying liberal studies at Oregon State. She hopes to become an elementary teacher after she finishes her master's degree. She had never talked to any migrant families before and had never heard their voice on what they expect from schools.
    "They were so passionate about their children," Hansen said. "They just wanted their teachers to care about their children."
    For Hansen and others, each interview became another piece of a bigger picture, something they can carry with them as future teachers.
    "Things such as this give me the perspective of what's out there," Hansen said. "The more I am able to understand, the more I'll be able to provide."
    The way the class was set up was very different from the courses they're accustomed to taking. From the first day, the students had to take ownership of what they would learn and work with a large group.
    That wasn't always so easy, Cathy Boehlke said, but what they learned and how they learned it seemed to complement each other.
    "I feel really good about what I learned," Boehlke said. "The content would not have been so powerful if not for the method."
    Boehlke will graduate this spring with a master's degree in college student services administration. She plans to work in college administration.
    At the end of the class, Boehlke told a room full of stakeholders, teachers and students what she had learned during the week.
    "Each of us have the responsibility to care collectively about our children's education," Boehlke said.
    Funding for the course came from a grant by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. As course directors, professors Robert Thompson from the ethnic studies department and Dwaine Plaza from the sociology department arranged the interviews and schedule for the class. Sriyanthi Gunewardena, who took a previous Learning Through Listening class, facilitated the course.
    This winter Plaza, ethnic studies department chair Erlinda Gonzales Berry and former OSU professor Geoffrey Habron were recognized at the Innovators in Education Conference for their work on a similar class using Learning Through listening.