A controversial topic in my field



  I may have shared this on Canvas, but here it is on my blog!  It's just an introduction and summary of an article on a controversial topic in my field.

  For my field (language education), a very controversial topic deals with what the best way to educate young immigrant students.  Some purport that English-only is the best strategy, so that students are immersed in their new language and learn it almost as native speakers.  Others cite evidence that many of these students feel stigmatized, frustrated, and end out less academically successful than ones who learned academic skills in their native language.  However, bilingual education also comes in many forms.  Transitional bilingual education, maintenance bilingual education, dual language immersion... and I believe there are others as well.  
An article on this controversial topic is by Stephen Krashen, entitled "What Works: Reviewing the latest evidence on bilingual education" deals with this topic. If you can't click on that link, check out this URL: http://users.rcn.com/crawj/langpol/Krashen-McField.pdf
 

          Krashen cites multiple meta-analyses of the research on different bilingual models, and shares the conclusion that bilingual education students succeed at greater rates than students in English-only programs.  Krashen notes that the different investigations found limited evidence for one superior program among the different varieties of bilingual programs, but mentioned that one analysis suggested that late-exit bilingual programs proved more effective than other programs that send students out earlier.
 
This article and the author are interesting to me, but I think for a speech I may choose a different article that provides a little more evidence and nuance in the analysis.





                  



Back to blogging

I have written several things that I haven't posted yet.  I guess I wanted them to be cleaner and more coherent, but according to me, that's not what this space is for.  This is for these random, quick, unpolished brainstorms.  These quick-writes.  I will post my grocery experience as soon as I find it.  I think I saved it on my other computer.  I do think that just sitting down and letting ideas flow out through your fingers is very valuable, and can be a pleasure rather than a chore.

I went to a conference today, and I talked with a children's book author.  I want to publish children's books that will be relevant to the East Austin Mexican-American population that I worked with during the past five years.  I have written two short stories that I think could be illustrated as children's books.  The author recommended that I submit them to publishers as manuscripts, that I not worry about finding an illustrator... but I feel that I could create something cheaper and more accessible if I don't go through the traditional publishers.  I saw presentations on books that students and teachers publish electronically on the Kindle and on paper through a software that Walmart provides (although that option was very expensive! Beautiful, though). 

I would love for y'all's (Writing 7's) Austin Food guides to be published for real.  I really do think that a lot of people are going to enjoy them!

You all are working on persuasive pieces, and I want to write one too.  I would like to publish something in the Austin American Statesman, or at least in the Daily Texan.  Hopefully some of your work will be published in a newspaper!  You all are really amazing writers, and I have confidence that if you submit some of your writing, you can get it published!

OK, I'm going to wrap up for now and write a recommendation letter for a former student. Still writing, but it has to be confidential; it can't be on the blog.  I celebrate you all's dedication to this project of strengthening your writing!  I am inspired by you and joining with you!

Habesha Restaurant - Ethiopian Cuisine -- Warm, inviting, and offering delicious meals to share with friends and family!

Hola!  OK, I’m committed to writing 20 minutes every day this Spring Break.  I would also like to play my cello for 30 minutes every day.  Good goals, right? 

I was thinking I’d like to do a restaurant review as our writing 7 class did last week.  I learned about so many different restaurants that I had previously not heard of, and I’d like to share one that I discovered yesterday.

The restaurant was called Habesha.  To get there, drive north from UT on I-35, exit Airport and stay on the access road until you pass Texas Cattle Company.  Right past its bright red sign, you’ll see Habesha tucked behind it. 

The day my friends and I went there was gray and dreary, but as soon as we entered, we were struck by the delicious smells of spices and incense; warmth exuded from the people, the food, and the ambiance.  Deep red and orange-yellow table clothes and paintings complemented this feeling.

We sat at a large table; we saw others were sharing large (2 ft X 2 ft) platters of spongy ingera bread, on which they dipped spicy lentils, chick peas, salad, and other amazing sauces.   We ordered a six-dish vegetarian combination and an injera, cottage-cheese appetizer.  If you’ve never had Ethiopian food, you’ve got to try it!  The spices are completely unique; tangy, spicy but not too spicy, rich.  I love the tangy, fermented injera bread.  Yum!

The circle seating around one plate, and eating with our hands also gave a feeling of togetherness that really promoted good conversation.  We ended our meal after an hour and a half, and we were completely filled.  Be careful not to fill up too much, because the injera bread seems to expand inside of you!  Our meal was completed with dark, rich Ethiopian coffee in tiny cups.  We had ours black without sugar; it has a different flavor than any other that I’ve tasted.

I highly recommend visiting Habesha, or if you want to stay closer to campus.  Check out Asther’s, which is also wonderful, and is just at Dean Keaton and I-35.