Using and Researching Dual Language Books for Children

ACTION RESEARCH: the story so far

The Dual Language Action Research Project (2002-2004)

A group of primary school teachers (that included students on the MA in Primary Practice) met initially on Wednesday evenings in the Summer term of 2002 to explore ways in which they could use and develop dual text books in their classrooms. They continued to meet and develop their work until June 2004.

They came from schools in Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Newham, Waltham Forest, Lambeth, Hackney and Haringey. They were joined by Mishti Chatterji and her staff from the Mantra Lingua publishing company and supported by Fahro Malik, a consultant in multilingual affairs, Joanne Kenworthy and Raymonde Sneddon from the Cass School of Education and Communities .

The teachers aimed to:

• share ideas and experience of working with dual text books
• share information about resources and sources of information
• share problems and difficulties and help each other with solutions
• try out new ideas in their classrooms and assess their impact

The publishers aimed to:

• find out how teachers used their books and resources
• find out what additional resources teachers would like to have available
• publish materials made by teachers.  

ACTION RESEARCH NETWORK 2011: a new proposal

This website receives a number of requests from undergraduate and post-graduate students, from teachers, teaching assistants, authors, publishers and illustrators for advice and feedback on research or book production. Much as we would have liked to, for reasons of time and distance, it has not proved practicable to revive a face-to-face research network. The following section is designed to enable colleagues to share ideas, resources, work-in-progress and findings.

The aim is to enable colleagues to :

• network
• seek advice
• build on each other's experience
• make their findings known
• promote their work
• encourage further practitioner and student research.

Colleagues are initially invited to provide information about their setting and the context of their work, their aims, their progress, any concerns, whatever it is relevant to share, as well as a contact email. If there is sufficient interest, a more interactive network will be developed.

If you would like to be part of the network, please get in touch with Raymonde Sneddon at r.m.sneddon@uel.ac.uk.

Practitioner/Student Researchers:

Iwona Macalka : Non-fiction dual language books – do we need them in the Early Years?

A student at Kingston University and an Early Years educator, Iwona Macalka is researching the use of non-fiction dual language books in Early Years settings. She is the author of Wycieczka do Indii Misiaczki Rozalia / Rouzanna Bear's Trip to India and of Misiaczka Rozalia na afrykanskim safari / Rouzanna Bear goes on an African Safari, in Polish and English, reviewed on this site.

Jana Synek: The use of dual language books in the primary classroom

Jana Synek is a publisher who is researching the use of dual language books to teach French in primary schools. She has published several Little Wolf stories in French and English, reviewed on this site.

 

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