Knowledge Representation Essay

My Understanding of the Field

In the United States, research regarding Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal
Education (SLIFE) paints a picture of a group of students who frequently disappear under the
English Language Learner (ELL) label (Caldern, Slavin, & Snchez, 2011) and who are
taught by teachers who are alternately overwhelmed and unsure of how to approach their needs
(DeCapua & Marshall, 2010). Furthermore, SLIFE are a diverse group, and as they may be new
immigrants or they may be refugees, they have a wide range of strengths and needs (Cushner,
2011). Because of the nationwide lack of record-keeping on SLIFE, most of the data on their
numbers and enrollment are out of date in the literature. Additionally, SLIFE are
underrepresented in literacy research and are missing from quantitative and longitudinal studies.
Internationally, SLIFE do not fare much better-- the terms migrant and refugee are
treated as interchangeable, which is problematic in education as the students within each group
are likely to have different needs. Additionally, even when the two are differentiated, they are
still treated as a homogenous group (Taylor and Sidhu, 2011).
In terms of reading and writing instruction, it is vital that mainstream teachers are
prepared to teach both SLIFE and ELLs as well as knowledgeable of language acquisition,
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), and bilingual pedagogy so that they can put
assessment results to use and recognize issues of cross-lingual transfer (De Jong & Harper,
2005). Despite years of research to the contrary, bilingual education programs are seen as
detrimental to target language acquisition (Crawford, 2000; Crystal, 2000) and this impedes the
progress of bilingual students (Collier, 1992; Ramirez, Yuen, & Ramey, 1991) and particularly
SLIFE (WIDA Consortium, 2015).

My Work
I examined the coursework of reading teacher education programs of six state universities
and found them to be lacking in terms of the level of preparation for preservice teachers to teach
ELLs, and particularly SLIFE. The coursework requirements for state universities are reflective
of state policies and requirements, but nonetheless, I believe teacher educators must lead in
building awareness of SLIFE so that preservice teachers can advocate for this group within the
public school systems.
I am interested in critically compassionate intellectualism as a social justice education
approach, as it empowers students through Freirian modes of consciousness-raising, cooperation,
and critique, as well as compassion (Cammarota & Romero, 2009). I believe this type of
approach could make a difference in the lives of students who struggle to enter or reenter formal
education systems that promote monoglossic language ideologies and policies. Too, preservice
teachers who are schooled in this approach and practice it with the help of university supervisors
could go on to use it in their own teaching. I have had the opportunity to observe and participate
in Dr. Zenkovs Through Students Eyes project on a few occasions, and this Youth Participatory
Action Research project is very similar to critically compassionate intellectualism in that its
participants engage in consciousness-raising and cooperation. This project allows students to
share their knowledge and insights about school and provides teachers with insights into
students beliefs about what teachers should provide (Zenkov & Harmon, 2016). Watching
students and preservice teachers use photovoice to explore perceptions of school, writing, and
concepts of power has been truly enlightening for me as a former ESOL teacher and future
researcher. I hope to engage in a similar project in future as I believe it could give SLIFE a voice

in a system that fails to recognize them, and allow teachers to understand more about who they
are as individuals and as students.

References
Caldern, M., Slavin, R., & Snchez, M. (2011). Effective instruction for English learners. The
Future of Children, 21(1), 103-127.
Cammarota, J., & Romero, A.F. (2009). A critically compassionate intellectualism for Chicana/o
students. In W. Ayers, T. Quinn, & D. Stovall (Eds.), Handbook of Social Justice in
Education. New York, NY: Routledge.
Collier, V. P. (1992). A synthesis of studies examining long-term language minority student data
on academic achievement. Bilingual Research Journal, 16(1-2), 187-212.
Crawford, J. (2000). At war with diversity: US language policy in an age of anxiety. Tonawanda,
NY: Multilingual Matters.
Crystal, D. (2000). Language death. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Cushner, K. (2011). Intercultural research in teacher education: An essential intersection in the
preparation of globally competent teachers. Action in Teacher Education, 33(5-6), 601614.
Decapua, A., & Marshall, H. W. (2010). Serving ELLs with limited or interrupted education:
Intervention that works. TESOL Journal, 1(1), 49-70.
De Jong, E. J., & Harper, C. A. (2005). Preparing mainstream teachers for English-language
learners: Is being a good teacher good enough?. Teacher Education Quarterly, 32(2),
101-124.
Miller, J. (2009). Teaching refugee learners with interrupted education in science: Vocabulary,
literacy and pedagogy. International Journal of Science Education, 31(4), 571-592.
Ramirez, J. D., Yuen, S.D., and Ramey, D.R. (1991). Final Report: Longitudinal Study of
Structured English Immersion Strategy, Early-Exit and Late-Exit Transitional Bilingual

Education Programs for Language-Minority Children. San Mateo, CA: Aguirre

International.
Taylor, S., & Sidhu, R. K. (2012). Supporting refugee students in schools: what constitutes
inclusive education?. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 16(1), 39-56.
WIDA Consortium. (2015). SLIFE: Students with limited or interrupted formal education.
Retrieved from https://www.wida.us/get.aspx?id=848
Zenkov, K., & Harmon, J. (2016). Through Students Eyes: Writing and photography for
success in school. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.