A Paradigm Change in Education

Different Students - A Different Approach

English Language Learners and speakers of non-standard English dialects are struggling in our schools. I am proposing a change in the educational paradigm:

From a literature-based early childhood education/developmental model to an information-based, Second Language Acquisition Model Utilizing the Concepts of Top-Down, Bottom-up Processing and offering a New Perspective on Mainstreaming and Homogeneity

This approach is indifferent to many issues that are currently thought important in classroom dynamics, such as diversity; be it ethnic, cultural, linguistic, racial, or religious. There may be special concerns and concessions with regard to religious differences such as Muslims leaving early or not attending classes on Friday, but no dogma. However, I do think it will support the growth and development of student awareness to a degree that brings about cohesion, allows them to enter the wider society, and learn language and content at the same time. I am also proposing that this approach will work with any age group or group with disparate characteristics which is why I consider non-native speakers, English speakers of a nonstandard dialect, and those who are speech impaired to be homogeneous. I would love to claim that it will work with the hearing impaired, and I do, but I do not have any experience in this area.

It is not a new idea to use school as a way to assimilate, but I do not presume that everyone wants to be me, so assimilation to academic culture is all that matters. The content of instruction is necessarily information because it is not culturally saturated like a literature-based, top-down curriculum that almost guarantees a minimum of language and, therefore, content learning. Academic culture is a culture whose patterns of interaction and the meaning that is attached to them become the basis for an independently functioning environment.

America is a nation of Immigrants once again and we need to ensure a well educated generation capable of assuming the responsibilities of citizenship in our great nation. I consider this nothing less than a patriotic endeavor. I am not suggesting that we do away with any of the disciplines, but that we train teachers to teach the language a student needs to survive in an American academic culture without reference to culturally saturated disciplines such as literature study.

The approach is transformative and communicative with elements of counseling-learning, suggestopedia, and audiolingualism. The bottom up focus is on what I call imposing structure on discourse and text while developing oral language which includes training in auditory discrimination and articulation as well as longer discourse structures.

The method is based on a perspective cognitive, linguistic, and developmental-the mind learns to focus, the brain is trained, and then it is ready to guide social interaction and learning. Physiological issues such as eye movement and short term memory development are important as part of a bottom up approach. The academic content for any discipline is used as the database for studying language, and the initial instruction of each concept will be dealt with as language while that content is being accommodated and assimilated. At a later stage in the studying process, the content will be dealt with as content (reading/writing/speaking).

The design is bottom up and highly differentiated for the language instruction and top down and individual for the direct content instruction. Kinesthetics are important in training articulation; the rationale for which is that speakers learning English need to make severe adjustments in their speech mechanisms in order to accurately pronounce English sounds. The monitor (Krashen) will be highly trained and students will be taught how to focus on and monitor the monitor at specific times in the learning process and in expressive activities. Affect (Cummins) is strictly controlled by the culture of academics that permeates the physical location and all social interaction and nurtures through tender-loving-care built on a foundation of tough love.

Students will learn about every aspect of American life and culture that applies to their academic experience. Students personal educational goals are considered part of the curriculum, as is going to the financial aid office or the student union or having Mom help with the homework. The climate is equitable academic and is treated as an entity with its own time, space, and density.