CORE PAPER PRESENTATIONS FOR LENSKI-MUKHOPADHYAY COHORT
Thursday, August 22, 11 AM
Diana Rodríguez
Academic resilience: The (new) indicator of student success
In the past few decades researchers have been examining the reasons why some students
experience academic success while others do not while they originate from the same
communities and come from similar social and economic backgrounds. Students at risk
of academic failure often face an intricate set of social problems such as, poverty and
health-issues that tend to negatively impact their success in school. One area of research
that has implications for educational improvement of students at risk of academic failure
is focused on “resilience”– students that succeed despite the presence of adverse
conditions. The study of academic resilient students and the factors that contribute to this
type of resiliency is promising. This paper looks at some of the underlying research from
three interrelated perspectives of learning theories, organizational structures, and politics
of policy implementations.
Committee composition: Swapna Mukhopadhyay, Chair; Susan Lenski, Co-chair; Julie E.
Brown
Friday, August 23, 9:00 AM
Yeng-Ling Wang
Heritage Language Maintenance: Spanish and Two-Way Immersion Programs in K-12
Schools
Many of our school-aged children speak one or more languages at home, yet our
educational institutions do not formally acknowledge or further develop these students’
linguistic capital. Two-Way Immersion programs in K-12th schools embody a unique
opportunity for language minority students to maintain their heritage language while
attaining English language proficiency. Research has shown that academic success for
English language learners is strongly correlated to native language literacy. EnglishSpanish Two-Way Immersion Programs can foment the maintenance of Spanish as a
heritage language in Oregon’s K-12th schools, where Latinos represent the largest
minority population in the state and have low high school graduation rates. By
encouraging and further developing students’ heritage languages, an aspect of culturally
sustaining pedagogy, the educational system can move closer to providing students with
culturally sustaining curriculum that will promote academic success.
Committee composition: Swapna Mukhopadhyay, Chair; Susan Lenski, Co-chair;
Esperanza de la Vega
Justin Wilson Gabor
Friday, August 23, 11:00 AM
Re-framing Hegemony in Language Arts and Literacy in the Secondary Classroom
Within the American education system, literacy is a dominant value that holds authority
in our classroom pedagogies. But current language arts practice can be seen as
antiquated pedagogy based on traditions that facilitate a hegemonic structure through
language instruction that oppresses culturally marginalized and lower socio-economic
students. The post-modern American educator exists in a classroom of substantial
diversity and an abundance of information stemming from multiple learning theories
about how those students learn. And thus, must be well versed in the application of the
research. It is my belief that educators, and the entire curriculum of language arts, needs
to begin re-framing its praxis towards a more linguistic based framework. This paper
looks at some of the research to illustrate how current practice can be hegemonic, as well
as how it can reshape how students apply language and literacy in the complex sociocultural system in which they inhabit.
Committee composition: Susan Lenski, Chair; Swapna Mukhopadhyay, Co-chair; Dot
McElhone
Friday, August 23, 1:00 PM
Rurik-Rory Nackerud
Academic Contextualization of Games in Schools
In recent years education has seen increasing attention and interest in games for learning.
Educational institutions have long incorporated games, both analog and digital, but the
increased attention paid to the engagement aspects of games, especially digital games,
has been slow to penetrate daily practices. This paper examines the contextual factors of
institutions of education impacting the implementation of games for learning. I
contextualize games for education in terms of learning perspectives, institutional
organization and leadership, and political processes and policies. Using these contexts I
argue for future curricula involving game enhanced learning. This paper also outlines
potential avenues to develop further research and instruments in order to improve
effective and practical implementations of games for learning in education.
Committee composition: Susan Lenski, Chair; Swapna Mukhopadhyay, Co-chair; Anita
Bright