Literature Review of Specially Designed Academic
Literature Review of Specially Designed Academic
Literature Review of Specially Designed Academic
LITERATURE REVIEW
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Abstract
In this paper, you will read a brief summary discussing the key elements of
the article titled, Specifically Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) for
Language Minority Students. Michael Genzuk, the Director of the Center for
Multilingual, Multicultural Research, describes the shortcomings of an educational
system built on outdated cultural models, the advantages of SDAIE, and several
teaching strategies that are elemental to SDAIE.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The author of the article, Michael Gensuk, Ph.D., relates that instructional
have in providing the necessary cognitive foundations for academic success. One
particular strategy that Genzuk elaborates upon is the concept that all students
acquire language by understanding messages. The idea that we acquire language
LITERATURE REVIEW
For effective SDAIE lesson implementation, subject matter and the deliver of
the lessons should use as many extra-linguistic clues and modifications as possible.
Genzuk relates that the primary objective for SDAIE classrooms is to make sure
that what people say to the student or what they read is understood (pg. 7). Using
the students primary language is an effective means to provide the student with
background knowledge, but when using English as the medium of instruction,
teachers should change their speech register by slowing down, limiting their
vocabulary and sentence length, by repeating, emphasizing, and explaining key
concepts, and by using examples, props, visual clues and body language to convey
and reinforce meaning.
Genzuk concludes the article by stating that students with language needs
and academic gaps should only be placed into rigorous courses with high-level
content when there is comprehensible instruction that is designed and adapted to
their needs. Teaching subject matter to English Learners requires direct, explicit
instruction on strategies needed to build vocabulary and comprehend grade-level
texts and participate in discussion about the content (pg. 21). SDAIE classrooms
LITERATURE REVIEW
yield the most effective results when students have obtained the necessary linguistic
skills, specifically English fluency, so that they can successfully negotiate
thoughtful, relevant content that is not weakened or watered down because it is
presented in way that is sensitive to the needs of the student.
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References
http://www.usc.edu/dept/education/CMMR/DigitalPapers/SDAIE_Genzuk.p
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