Final MA Portfolio

This portfolio contains papers on Urban Education and teaching speakers of African American Language/ African American Vernacular English. As the capstone to my Masters in English with a Specialization in Teaching, I have chosen four papers to revise and resubmit: “Intertwining Narratives: Stories of the I-280 Bridge Collapse,” “Reshaping Attitudes: Tailoring Urban Education to fit the African American Student,” “The Study of Language in a Multi-Dialectical Classroom,” and “Youth Acquisition and Ownership Is Crucial Language Vitality.” Intertwining Narratives is a report on the I-280 bridge collapse in Toledo. Reshaping Attitudes is an explanation of some best practice in urban education. The Study of Language in a Multi-Dialectical Classroom focuses on educating students who primarily speak the African American Language variety of English. Finally, Youth Acquisition discuses the topic of language death

Presentation of the Journal p-e-r-f-o-r-m-a-n-c-e

I am very happy and proud to present the first issue of the journal p-e-r-f-o-r-m-a-n-c-e. This journal, I dreamed it a few years ago. I wanted to create a journal in France that deals with the field of performance studies and the performing arts, that is international and multilingual, with at least French and English as languages, and the desire to extend it progressively to other languages. I also wanted a journal that makes the bridge between artists and researchers, in which artists and researchers could participate, each with their own way of expressing themselves and speaking about their work. I wanted a journal that also makes the bridge between practice and research. Finally, I wanted a journal that makes the bridge between various disciplines (aesthetics, philosophy of art, art history, sociology, anthropology, psychology, psychoanalysis, etc.) and also between various arts (performance, theater, dance, music, cinema, visual arts, etc.). And I finally wanted this journal to be online to make it possible to include in the contributions some photos, and some audio and video files, and to make it entirely free to access

Hong Kong children's rights to a culturally compatible English education

In this paper I discuss why the right of access to the socioeconomically dominant symbolic resource, English, is a fundamental language right of Hong Kong children. I also discuss why current English curricular design and practices do not provide such access and how they can be changed in order to provide Hong Kong children with access to an English education that is compatible with their native culture (Jordan, 1985). In a culturally compatible curriculum, emphasis is placed on affirming and capitalizing on what children bring to the classroom: their indigenous linguistic, discourse, and cultural resources. It aims at building on and expanding the child's existing resources to bridge the gap between her/his native resources and the socioeconomically important language of the society. I also propose some directions for future research and curricular development that researchers, teachers, and teacher-educators can take in the context of Hong Kong in order to develop a culturally compatible English curriculum that will deny neither the Cantonese child's rightful linguistic and cultural identities and resources nor her/his right to have access to English.postprin

A Most Secret Service: William Herle and the Circulation of Intelligence

This essay examines the letters of the Elizabethan intelligencer William Herle during a period of intelligence-gathering in the Low Countries in 1582. Writing to his patrons Lord Burghley and Sir Francis Walsingham, Herle’s letters offer a rich landscape of detail and information. Yet these are not simply ‘administrative’ letters devoid of emotive expression, but display epistolary structures designed to maintain patronage, and attempting to recreate the distance between correspondent and recipient. While Herle was in Antwerp, there was an assassination attempt against William of Orange. Herle was keen to convey ‘breaking news’ as quickly as possible, and bridge the geographical distance between the English court and Delft, where the attempt occurred. In anticipation of pitfalls in postage, and to ensure that each of his recipients received the same intelligence at the same time, Herle increasingly opted to send ‘verbatim’ letters: duplicate copies of important correspondence. Letter-writers could also employ diverse methods to avoid interception and perusal, such as ciphers and the accompaniment of bearers. In this way, the letter might travel unnoticed, or under protection. These ideas of envoys and letters disseminating through porous membranes, ideally, but not necessarily, authorised and endorsed by the authorities are tantalising. I explore this transmission and translation, and attempt to determine through his letters the relationship between Herle and his correspondents; writing from a location without, reinforcing his liminal status as both spy and informant, decentralized yet essential to the English political landscape

English Language Learners: English Language Proficiency Level Effect on Testing

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 served as a refueling agent for education reform. It added the mandate of Title I, which focuses on aid for disadvantaged students. NCLB mandates that states set high academic standards with quantifiable goals. This challenge has been highlighted for states because subpopulations, such as English Language Learners and students with special needs, have become focus groups in trying to bridge the achievement gap. The purpose of this correlation research study was to determine the correlation between the students’ English Language Proficiency level and their performance on the STAAR reading assessment. There was a strong positive correlation between the student’s English Language Proficiency level in reading and the student’s reading STAAR scores. ELL students with a higher English language proficiency level tend to score higher on the reading STAAR assessment

Concert recording 2017-04-09c

[Track 1]. Six English folk songs. I. Lovely on the water [Track 2]. II. Spun Point [Track 3]. III. Van Dieman\u27s land [Track 4]. IV. She borrowed some of her mothers gold [Track 5]. V. The lady and the dragon [Track 6]. VI. As I walked over London Bridge / Ralph Vaughan Williams -- [Track 7]. Nocturno / Franz Strauss -- [Track 8]. Tuba concerto / Edward Gregson -- [Track 9]. Little suite for winter / Peter Schickele -- [Track 10]. My mountain top / Andy Scott -- [Track 11]. Elsa\u27s procession to the cathedral / Richard Wagner

Summer Bridge Program at the University of San Francisco for Conditionally Admitted Chinese Students

While serving as a graduate intern at the University of San Francisco, I concluded that the conditional admit Chinese students were missing an essential element for academic success. To insure a higher success rate for these students, I am proposing the creation of a Summer Bridge Program to bridge the gap between pedagogical learning and experiential learning. The program will focus on the acquisition of English as well as successful acculturation into the university. This “Bridge Program for International Students” will help students understand United States’ academic culture and the expectations of the university, introduce students to USF resources and the support services for international students, and help students develop a connection to the USF community and to the city of San Francisco so that they are mentally, socially and academically prepared for their first semester of study at USF. The program will involve five key elements: Orientation, Academic courses, Cultural workshops, Evening Activities, and Host-families and will be administered through the IEP department at USF. The instructors for this program will be those instructors that USF has already employed through the ESL Department. During the pilot year, USF/IEP will conduct continuing assessments at four points throughout the program: pre-program, post-program, and two times during the program. A follow-up assessment will be conducted four months later. The evaluations, conducted twice during the program by ESL instructors, will measure the degree of increased English language proficiency as well as the successful integration into the host family, into the community and into the school. Additionally, the satisfaction of both the student and the host family will be assessed and reviewed by the Program Assistant so that adjustments/changes can be made if needed. Numerous studies that examine retention and grade point average indicate that students in support programs tend to perform better than students who did not receive the same type of support. Therefore, the support provided by a Summer Bridge program is crucial to student success

Assessing maritime EFL training. Reflections on how students learn Standard Maritime Communication Phrases, VHF competence, leadership and interpersonal skills in simulators.

The Royal Norwegian Naval Academy has for a number of years successfully trained cadets in optic navigation, paperless navigation and radar use by means of simulators. This has prepared cadets for operational duty. Officers have been prepared for certificates according to IMO regulations. The academy employs a visual trainer, a 360° bridge simulator from KONGSBERG including five smaller bridge simulators or cubicles with 120° visual screens. A new approach to teaching maritime English has been developed: maritime instructors and English teachers have collaborated on curriculum and instructions, including the use of simulators for maritime EFL learning. The new platform has had an inspiring effect on learning and practising standard IMO Standard Marine Communication Phrases. Through a continually developed role-play situated in the English Channel, a whole class has been simultaneously activated on different bridges. It has been possible to enlarge the degree of difficulty with various means. Professional navigators, a merchant navy captain and a navy commander, have functioned as harbour masters and pilots in the control room. Various approaches to methodology have been tested out. I have investigated if and how these approaches and methods create meaningful learning. It has been tested out whether simulator training actually contributes to enhancing autonomy amongst students. From a leadership point of view it has also been tested out how the leader’s “intent” influences work in the simulators and how the ideas of intent and autonomy as pedagogical devices are interconnected

Becoming a Bridge

Ghana is a developing country in West Africa with a population of approximately 25 million people. Although this beautiful and fruitful nation has made strides to better the economy by ways of improving the politics, the infrastructure of the nation, the education system and the healthcare system, Ghana is still suffering. Similar to many other developing countries, illness and mortality are still commonly faced struggles in the nation of Ghana. The healthcare system is falling short of its potential; it needs people who are willing to catalyze change. Healthcare providers must identify how they can satisfy the medical needs of the population. Within the past few decades, there has been a shortage of people who are capable of fulfilling these needs. The first goal of my project is to be a bridge. As an aspiring physician, I want to be the bridge between the healthcare disparities in our developed country and the developing and underprivileged countries that need better medical attention. As a bridge, I want to raise awareness about the conditions that threaten the quality of life of the Ghanaian people, as well as bring attention to the motivated people and organizations working to make a difference. I will bring attention to this subject matter, via a public service announcement. With an emphasis on communication, I am hoping to reach a wide audience with my campaign and encourage other healthcare providers to bridge the gap between our two nations. Foreign language acquisition is the second goal of this project. Foreign languages are integral parts of international relations, trade, and communication. Specifically, I am learning the Akan language, Twi, predominantly spoken in Ghana to exemplify how learning a foreign language can be a large component of bridging the gap between developing countries such as Ghana and the United States. The public service announcement will be spoken in Twi and will include English subtitles. By bringing together the two languages, I am hoping to unify the people of these two nations. With aspirations to become a physician and travel to Ghana to practice medicine, I am hoping I can spearhead other healthcare providers to also travel to Ghana, and other nations like it to work to better the lives of so many people

Much Ado About Acting

To be an actor, one must have an understanding not only of theatrical craft, but also of the world that surrounds and informs theatre. During my undergraduate training, I have pursued a variety of diverse academic skills and extracurricular talents, all of which I have been able to relate back to my primary field--the performing arts. I am particularly interested in the intersection between studies in Theatre Arts and studies in English, as those are my two majors. Literary analysis, research, and reflective writing can unlock an actor\u27s interpretation of a role. The actor who combines these two fields is the actor who is able to touch the most lives through performance, which is ultimately theatre\u27s noblest goal. The plays of William Shakespeare serve as a bridge between Theatre and English departments. Not only are they immensely popular with audiences of all ages, they also offer unique challenges to actors and are goldmines for literary research and analysis. One of Shakespeare\u27s most popular comedies is Much Ado About Nothing, an early example of the romantic comedy or rom-com genre. That is not to say that the play does not present any challenges; in particular, the actor portraying Beatrice must be both sharp-tongued and vulnerable, quick-witted and unsuspecting, independent and insecure. In order to inhabit all her contradictions, the actor must use every available tool to unpack the character and give a successful performance. The scholar must also bridge a four hundred year gap to correctly interpret the play; the English language has evolved, social and political climates have shifted, and the world itself has shrunk. The goal of this project was to explore the ways I could bridge my education and demonstrate that this can result in a rich and well-informed theatrical representation of one of Shakespeare\u27s most beloved heroines. I aim to give the reader a comprehensive understanding of an actor\u27s process from the moment they are cast to the final fall of the curtain on closing night. On a more personal level, I sought to understand how I can use all the tools at my disposal-both literary and theatrical-to deepen my understanding and execution of a role. From research to preparatory work to rehearsal to performance, how can one combine every tool and resource into a cohesive, authentic experience on stage? I found that every single step in the actor\u27s process is crucial, even though it can feel, at times, like the amount of work that goes into each role is excessive. Even though every single fact or tool may not be used specifically, having that arsenal to draw upon during performance is invaluable. Though it may seem counterintuitive, it allows the actor to relax into the role and be truly alive and present in the moment as their character in the world of the play on stage