For decades, language and literacy scholars working within a sociocultural framework have laboured to bring attention to the strengths of marginalized students in an effort to create more inclusive and equitable learning environments (e.g., Cummins, 2000; Dyson, 1997; González et al., 2005; Heath, 1983). While this work has moved the field forward…

This collaborative action research project in Alberta, Canada, explored how dual-language books (DLBs) can foster literacy instruction and learner engagement through language awareness. Canada's changing demographics have resulted in mother tongue diversity and many urban schools identifying at least 25% of students as being English language…

Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, this article examines the language and literacy needs of immigrants to Canada. A Toronto-based case study portrays a group of Latin American adults and their daily uses of English and Spanish. Literacy needs in both languages are noted, as is the contradiction of government commitment to…

An approach based on sociolinguistic theory is reported that was devised to describe the way written language operates in the different domains that make up the everyday lives of a given group of people. The approach involves the practices that the people use to deal with written language, and the perceptions (uses, beliefs, attitudes) they have…

This book can be used as a comprehensive introduction for instructors, researchers, and students, and as an interactive text for students. In designing the text the authors have been particularly attentive to the needs in teacher education, especially in the preparation of bilingual teachers. Thus, each of the readings is followed by questions and…

The collection of essays on literacy and culture includes: "Literacy Across Languages and Cultures" (Bernardo M. Ferdman, Rose-Marie Weber); "Practice-Engagement Theory: A Sociocultural Approach to Literacy Across Languages and Cultures" (Stephen Reder); "Literacy Acquisition Among Second-Language Learners" (Arnulfo…

This manual is designed for use by both teachers and students in an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) job-search skills program, and is intended for use by students at the upper beginner or lower intermediate language proficiency level. The content can be used as a complete job search skills program, a resource for program development, a…

The report details results of a survey of students who had completed Level 3 of the Ontario (Canada) Language Instruction fore Newcomers to Canada (LINC) program. The initial followup study included 103 native speakers of Arabic, 208 speakers of Cantonese, 198 of Polish, 40 of Somali, 155 of Spanish, and 196 of Tamil. Ten from each group except…