Weaving together a richly diverse range of student voices, perspectives, and insights, this collection of studies from around the world offers the educational community a better understanding of K-12 and adult Chinese-heritage students' languages, cultures, identities, motivations, achievements, and challenges in various cross-cultural settings outside North America. Specifically, it addresses these overarching questions: What are Chinese-heritage students' experiences in language and education in and outside schools? How do they make sense of their multiple ethnic and sociocultural identities? What unique educational challenges and difficulties do they encounter as they acculturate, socialize, and integrate in their host country? What are their common struggles and coping strategies? What are the instructional practices that work for these learners in their specific contexts? What educational implications can be drawn to inform their teachers, fellow students, parents, and their educational communities in a global context? Individual chapters employ different theoretical frameworks and methodological instruments to wrestle with these questions and critical issues faced by Chinese-heritage learners.

This comprehensive look at Chinese-heritage students' academic, sociocultural, and emotional development in the public schools examines pertinent educational theories; complex (even inconvenient) realities; learning practices in and outside of schools; and social, cultural, and linguistic complications in their academic lives across diverse settings, homes, and communities. Chinese-heritage students are by far the largest ethnic group among Asian American and Asian Canadian communities, but it is difficult to sort out their academic performance because NAEP and most state/province databases lump all Asian students' results together. To better understand why Chinese-heritage learners range from academic role models to problematic students in need of help, it is important to understand their hearts and minds beyond test scores. This book is distinctive in building this understanding by addressing the range of issues related to Chinese-heritage K-12 students' languages, cultures, identities, academic achievements, and challenges across North American schools.

Weaving together a richly diverse range of student voices, perspectives, and insights, this collection of studies from around the world offers the educational community a better understanding of K-12 and adult Chinese-heritage students' languages, cultures, identities, motivations, achievements, and challenges in various cross-cultural settings outside North America. Specifically, it addresses these overarching questions: What are Chinese-heritage students' experiences in language and education in and outside schools? How do they make sense of their multiple ethnic and sociocultural identities? What unique educational challenges and difficulties do they encounter as they acculturate, socialize, and integrate in their host country? What are their common struggles and coping strategies? What are the instructional practices that work for these learners in their specific contexts? What educational implications can be drawn to inform their teachers, fellow students, parents, and their educational communities in a global context? Individual chapters employ different theoretical frameworks and methodological instruments to wrestle with these questions and critical issues faced by Chinese-heritage learners.

This comprehensive look at Chinese-heritage students' academic, sociocultural, and emotional development in the public schools examines pertinent educational theories; complex (even inconvenient) realities; learning practices in and outside of schools; and social, cultural, and linguistic complications in their academic lives across diverse settings, homes, and communities. Chinese-heritage students are by far the largest ethnic group among Asian American and Asian Canadian communities, but it is difficult to sort out their academic performance because NAEP and most state/province databases lump all Asian students' results together. To better understand why Chinese-heritage learners range from academic role models to problematic students in need of help, it is important to understand their hearts and minds beyond test scores. This book is distinctive in building this understanding by addressing the range of issues related to Chinese-heritage K-12 students' languages, cultures, identities, academic achievements, and challenges across North American schools.

This book is written by a diverse cohort of American educators, including professors, teachers, and school administrators from pre-K to college levels. They come from disciplinary areas of child development, special education, English as a second language, counseling, technology, school administration, educational psychology, educational measurement and testing, as well as mathematics education. The chapters explore various topics, ranging from standardized testing, roles of central office, teacher evaluation, teacher professional development, gender differences, diversity, student engagement and parental involvement, student services provided at school, use of technology with teacher and students' perspectives of technology use, self-efficacy beliefs, to teacher's perspectives of play in early childhood settings. While the chapters reflect diverse conceptual and theoretical orientation, disciplinary focus, methodological emphasis, writing styles, and educational implications, they add together to present a more holistic picture of Chinese education across disciplinary areas. Taken together, these chapters reveal salient similarities and differences in theoretical underpinnings, pedagogical principles and classroom practices in China and in the United States. They also shed light on some of the larger conceptual/theoretical orientations between learning and learners in the two countries. They debunk some common misconceptions of education in the two countries as well. Since many chapters are written by American authors that reflect directly on their study abroad experiences in China, this allows fresh insight that helps to transform the view that these countries learning from one another would be a challenge into the realization that learning from one another is not only invaluable but also essential.

This book is written by a diverse cohort of American educators, including professors, teachers, and school administrators from pre-K to college levels. They come from disciplinary areas of child development, special education, English as a second language, counseling, technology, school administration, educational psychology, educational measurement and testing, as well as mathematics education. The chapters explore various topics, ranging from standardized testing, roles of central office, teacher evaluation, teacher professional development, gender differences, diversity, student engagement and parental involvement, student services provided at school, use of technology with teacher and students' perspectives of technology use, self-efficacy beliefs, to teacher's perspectives of play in early childhood settings. While the chapters reflect diverse conceptual and theoretical orientation, disciplinary focus, methodological emphasis, writing styles, and educational implications, they add together to present a more holistic picture of Chinese education across disciplinary areas. Taken together, these chapters reveal salient similarities and differences in theoretical underpinnings, pedagogical principles and classroom practices in China and in the United States. They also shed light on some of the larger conceptual/theoretical orientations between learning and learners in the two countries. They debunk some common misconceptions of education in the two countries as well. Since many chapters are written by American authors that reflect directly on their study abroad experiences in China, this allows fresh insight that helps to transform the view that these countries learning from one another would be a challenge into the realization that learning from one another is not only invaluable but also essential.

A volume in Literacy, Language, and Learning Series Editors Claudia Finkbeiner, University of Kassel; Althier M. Lazar, Saint Joseph's University and Wen Ma, Le Moyne College This book is about the learner sideof the teaching and learning equilibrium, centering on the educational experiences and perspectives ofChinese students in the United States. These students ranged from kindergarteners, adolescents, undergraduate, graduate, toadult learners, across the educational spectrum. Because Chinese students are the largest cohort among all international students in the U.S., and their prior educational experiences and perspectives in China are so different fromthose in the U.S., exploring who they are, what their learning experiences have been, and how their learning needs can be met, may notonly help us better understandthese culturally different students, but also allow U.S. educators to teach them more effectively. The chapters in the book examine the constructs of learner privilege and responsibilityin the teaching and learning equation, cultural and linguistic challenges and transitional adjustments, self-concept, learning strategies, comparison and contrast of differences and similarities between Chinese and American students, and/orcritical reflections on significant issues confronting Chinese learners. While each chapter is situated in its own research literature and connects with its own teaching and learning practices, all of them are united around the overarching themes of the book: the experiences and perspectives of diverse learners from Chinese backgrounds in the United States. The chapters also flesh out some of the larger theoretical/ pedagogical issues between education in China and in the United States, provide useful lenses for rethinking about and better understanding their differences and similarities, as well as offer pertinent suggestions about how the educational communities in both countries may benefit from learning about and from each other.

A volume in Literacy, Language, and Learning Series Editors Claudia Finkbeiner, University of Kassel; Althier M. Lazar, Saint Joseph's University and Wen Ma, Le Moyne College This book is about the learner sideof the teaching and learning equilibrium, centering on the educational experiences and perspectives ofChinese students in the United States. These students ranged from kindergarteners, adolescents, undergraduate, graduate, toadult learners, across the educational spectrum. Because Chinese students are the largest cohort among all international students in the U.S., and their prior educational experiences and perspectives in China are so different fromthose in the U.S., exploring who they are, what their learning experiences have been, and how their learning needs can be met, may notonly help us better understandthese culturally different students, but also allow U.S. educators to teach them more effectively. The chapters in the book examine the constructs of learner privilege and responsibilityin the teaching and learning equation, cultural and linguistic challenges and transitional adjustments, self-concept, learning strategies, comparison and contrast of differences and similarities between Chinese and American students, and/orcritical reflections on significant issues confronting Chinese learners. While each chapter is situated in its own research literature and connects with its own teaching and learningpractices, all of them are united around the overarching themes of the book: the experiences and perspectives of diverse learners from Chinese backgrounds in the United States. The chapters also flesh out some of the larger theoretical/ pedagogical issues between education in China and in the United States, provide useful lenses for rethinking about and better understanding their differences and similarities, as well as offer pertinent suggestions about how the educational communities in both countries may benefit from learning about and from each other.

'The authors provide practical approaches to literacy instruction that are desperately warranted. They offer a prescription for using strategies, selecting text, making home-school connections, and building learning communities aimed at benefiting all students. In short, this is a text that is long overdue' - Alfred W. Tatum, Assistant Professor, Northern Illinois University Make literacy meaningful in your classroom for students of all cultures. This book will allow teachers to use innovative strategies to promote engaged, inclusive literacy, and raise their students' appreciation for the cultural diversity in their own classroom communities. This resource celebrates awareness of individual, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity, and addresses all aspects of studies within the context of culturally responsive teaching. Tried-and-tested by teachers, each strategy is differentiated to help teachers to individualize and accommodate special needs students. 50 Literacy Strategies for Culturally Responsive Teaching addresses all aspects of language arts, reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and integrates math, science, and social studies, all within the context of culturally responsive teaching. Ways to include families and community members further strengthen the strategic effectiveness. The six major themes of this text cluster a wealth of easily adapted and implemented strategies around: - Classroom community - Home, community, and nation - Multicultural literature events - Critical media literacy - Global perspectives and literacy development - Inquiry learning and literacy learning This invaluable resource will allow every teacher to transform the classroom culture to one in which all cultures are valued and literacy becomes meaningful to all.

'The authors provide practical approaches to literacy instruction that are desperately warranted. They offer a prescription for using strategies, selecting text, making home-school connections, and building learning communities aimed at benefiting all students. In short, this is a text that is long overdue' - Alfred W. Tatum, Assistant Professor, Northern Illinois University Make literacy meaningful in your classroom for students of all cultures. This book will allow teachers to use innovative strategies to promote engaged, inclusive literacy, and raise their students' appreciation for the cultural diversity in their own classroom communities. This resource celebrates awareness of individual, ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and economic diversity, and addresses all aspects of studies within the context of culturally responsive teaching. Tried-and-tested by teachers, each strategy is differentiated to help teachers to individualize and accommodate special needs students. 50 Literacy Strategies for Culturally Responsive Teaching addresses all aspects of language arts, reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and integrates math, science, and social studies, all within the context of culturally responsive teaching. Ways to include families and community members further strengthen the strategic effectiveness. The six major themes of this text cluster a wealth of easily adapted and implemented strategies around: - Classroom community - Home, community, and nation - Multicultural literature events - Critical media literacy - Global perspectives and literacy development - Inquiry learning and literacy learning This invaluable resource will allow every teacher to transform the classroom culture to one in which all cultures are valued and literacy becomes meaningful to all.