Language and Culture in Teaching and Learning: A Faculty Guide for Bicultural and Bilingual Students

Professor Solange de Azambuja Lira

This guide discusses how to accommodate instruction and student evaluation to facilitate learning for the increasing number of bicultural and bilingual students at Lesley. It deals with the experience of bilingual international students and immigrant students. Lesley faculty were also consulted to determine their awareness of bilingual/bicultural students in their classes and their expectations towards their performance.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Notions of Culture
   1. Ethnic Culture
      1. Culture Definition
      2. The Impact of Culture in Teaching and Learning
      3. Cultural Shock
   2. Academic Culture
   3. Disciplinary Culture
   4. Local Culture
3. Additional General Strategies to Accommodate Our Bilingual Students to Foster Learning Suggested by Faculty and Students
   1. Explicit and Clear Syllabi
   2. Explicit Guidelines for All Assignments and Papers
   3. Strategy to Communicate
   4. Evaluating Bilingual Students
   5. Oral Participation in Class
4. More Students' Voices
5. Appendix I: Bibliography
6. Appendix II: A Selective and Annotated Bibliography of Works on Language and Culture
7. Appendix III: Sample Questionnaires

The complete Guide is available to Lesley University faculty upon request from the Center for Academic Achievement. Please call 349-8459 or E-mail the Center if you are interested.

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