Schedule of Events

Based on the premise that understanding the culture and country of a target language can facilitate a language learner’s learning of the language, we will be focusing on the role of target language culture in the second language learning process in this project. Our research is to examine the value of understanding the target language culture relating to one’s ability to effectively learn that language. Through this academic service learning project, we partnered with Japanese English language learners (ELLs) from the ELS Language Center and gathered information about their cultural experience, knowledge, and awareness during their studying in the U.S. After a series of meetings and interactions with different groups of Japanese ELLs in different contexts, we were able to obtain a level of understanding on their background and culture and how the impact of culture plays a vital role in their language learning. In addition to these Japanese students, there were also a few Chinese and Taiwanese students. By having students from three different countries, we were able to accumulate a diverse set of thoughts and backgrounds. Drawing upon related research (e.g., Hinkel, 2014), we applied theories into practice for teaching the ELLs pragmatic knowledge they need for successful English learning.

Due to the efforts of Dr. Schannae Lucas, the California Lutheran Outside Students have had the opportunity to participate in the nationally recognized Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program located at the Ventura County Todd Road Jail. This unique course is an experiential learning immersion experience that allows college students to learn alongside California correctional system inmates within the Santa Paula Todd Road Jail. During each class meeting, students are exposed to a diverse variety of individuals and rich discussions regarding issues of social crime and justice. From the processes of entering and exiting the jail, the rules and regulations between insiders and outsiders, and the daily discussions and weekly readings, Cal Lutheran outside students are exposed to the realities of inmate culture from those who are experiencing it daily. In return, the Todd Road inside students are receiving pro-social and critical thinking skills from their outsider peers that will aid in navigating different life choices by means of pursuing a higher education. Through this reciprocal learning process, this course seeks to bring about social change in our community through transformative education.

Our Service Learning Project encompasses various aspects of teaching such as: active learning, building community, child development theories, and teaching strategies, all of which we incorporated into our final unit lesson on globally environmental issues. Over the course of four lessons, we taught our students about different problems affecting our world such as global warming, deforestation, and plastic waste pollution. To expand student learning outside of the classroom, we implemented a service learning project. Our Second Grade students helped teach the fellow second grade classes about the problems facing our environment and, in addition, helped to implement the Crayola Colorcycle Initiative school-wide. Colorcycle involves recycling markers which will later be turned into fuel. As a result of our service learning project, students developed and demonstrated knowledge and problem solving skills in the subjects of art, environmental science, and language arts while also building community and social skills in active, non-traditional ways. The reason we implemented active learning in our lessons was to engage our students in learning, to build meaningful relationships and strong classroom community, to promote learning amongst all students, and, to allow for more content connectivity both inside the classroom, and in the social world. The theory we incorporated into our project is Lev Vygotsky’s child developmental theory because it plays an active role in our classroom. In conjunction with Vygotsky, we emphasize interpersonal interactions, expanding and elaborating knowledge and, finally, we chose to scaffold and teach the students how to think rather than what to think.

Being culturally conscious and understanding the problems that come with learning a new language is immensely important for teachers to understand student performance and give relevant feedback (Waits et al, 2006), especially during the most crucial years of young learners’ English development. In this project, the researcher partnered with Rio Vista Elementary School and observed two young students, Rubi and Natalia, who were second and third graders; the researcher visited their classroom five times a week and even had them under her care during an after school program. Data include the deliverance of feedback from the teacher to these students during lessons, in which the students spoke, wrote and read; the researcher was also given the opportunity to give feedback through similar activities and lessons when the students were under her own care. The findings suggest that the young students could absorb teachers’ feedback and develop cognitive awareness of their own language usage when the teachers provide relevant comments and allowed students to self-correct their own language production. This presentation will further illustrate the types of feedback that is significant to young Latinx English learners.

When an English language learner (ELL) migrates to a place where the majority of spoken language is English, the unfamiliarity and discomfort with the new place could pose the potential to overwhelm or discourage the learner from communication. While the language barrier is the most obvious, it is important to take into consideration that other aspects, besides linguistic factors, can make it easier or harder for ELLs to pick up on the language because the cultural differences are both positive and negative in a learning environment. To explore the cultural factors, we worked alongside and interviewed ten ELLs through the ELS Language Center to investigate our topic to the furthest extent and to develop a technique to better help ELLs acquire the English language. Our community partners included high school and college students from Japan, China, and Taiwan. Data were collected through interaction and activities on CLU campus. The goal of the presentation is to introduce a teaching method that better supports and alleviates some of the discomfort that ELLs experience while enduring culture shock in the U.S.