Papers by Kimberly Helmer
The current critical ethnography examines some causes of “strike-like” behavior observed in a Spa... more The current critical ethnography examines some causes of “strike-like” behavior observed in a Spanish heritage language class in a Southwest charter high school. Fundamental to student resistance was the lack of meaningful activity and authentic materials that connected curriculum to students’ linguistic strengths, target-culture knowledge, and the communities from which they came. The native Spanish-speaking teacher taught the course as if the Mexican-origin students were foreign language learners without certain native-like language proficiencies and insider cultural knowledge gained from actual experience. In turn, the instructor did not fully access his own linguistic and cultural repertoire, but instead relied on published foreign language materials that failed to engage students and constructed them as linguistic and cultural outsiders. A pueblo-based pedagogical framework is proposed to make curriculum more culturally relevant, authentic, and engaging.
Drawn from a two-year critical ethnography, the author explores how Mexican-origin students in a ... more Drawn from a two-year critical ethnography, the author explores how Mexican-origin students in a U.S. southwest charter high school resisted Spanish heritage language instruction. Resistance was rooted in students' perception that their teacher unfairly characterized their linguistic and social identities. Students also constructed their non-native Spanish teacher to be a Spanishlanguage learner, disqualifying her to teach their heritage language, despite her proficiency. Misunderstandings arose from teacher's and students' limited imaginings of Spanish-language discourse communities. [Spanish heritage language, Mexican origin, charter high school, resistance, discourse analysis]
Using a critical EAP framework, the current needs analysis or rights analysis study (Benesch, 200... more Using a critical EAP framework, the current needs analysis or rights analysis study (Benesch, 2001a), examines an EAP Writing Program at an urban Hispanic-serving college in the northeast U.S. Analysis of student-writing portfolios, student, professor, and EAP
Writing-Center survey and interview data showed that restructuring institutional hierarchies better addressed program and student needs instead of a narrow focus on student
“lacks”, “gaps”, or “deficiencies”, a common approach in traditional needs analyses. Using strategic institutional partnerships, the once marginalized EAP Program, primarily serving Generation 1.5 immigrant students, began its first steps in reimagining how to improve program course coherence, communication, content, and student learning objectives, as well as reimagining EAP teacher and student authority, building on and benefitting from stakeholder strengths.
We investigated whether students in psychology-based learning communities (LCs; i.e., cohorts who... more We investigated whether students in psychology-based learning communities (LCs; i.e., cohorts who took introductory psychology
and English together) performed better on psychology tests than those in standard classes. There were two types of LC; in
one (connected LC), we created links between English and psychology by using English class readings that related to the social
psychology unit, and by requiring students to produce interdisciplinary group podcasts. In the other (unconnected LC), there
were no interdisciplinary connections. Students in the connected LC had higher mean test scores in psychology than both students
in unconnected LCs and those in standard classes. Our results suggest that students perform better on psychology tests
when efforts are made to consolidate information through interdisciplinary links in an LC.
... Elisa Harding Wilson College, Chambersburg Kimberly Helmer University of Arizona, Tucson ... ... more ... Elisa Harding Wilson College, Chambersburg Kimberly Helmer University of Arizona, Tucson ... Everything else, including the four follow-up questions, remained constant. In the actual study, subjects were instructed to read the text aloud at a natural pace. ...
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Papers by Kimberly Helmer
Writing-Center survey and interview data showed that restructuring institutional hierarchies better addressed program and student needs instead of a narrow focus on student
“lacks”, “gaps”, or “deficiencies”, a common approach in traditional needs analyses. Using strategic institutional partnerships, the once marginalized EAP Program, primarily serving Generation 1.5 immigrant students, began its first steps in reimagining how to improve program course coherence, communication, content, and student learning objectives, as well as reimagining EAP teacher and student authority, building on and benefitting from stakeholder strengths.
and English together) performed better on psychology tests than those in standard classes. There were two types of LC; in
one (connected LC), we created links between English and psychology by using English class readings that related to the social
psychology unit, and by requiring students to produce interdisciplinary group podcasts. In the other (unconnected LC), there
were no interdisciplinary connections. Students in the connected LC had higher mean test scores in psychology than both students
in unconnected LCs and those in standard classes. Our results suggest that students perform better on psychology tests
when efforts are made to consolidate information through interdisciplinary links in an LC.
Writing-Center survey and interview data showed that restructuring institutional hierarchies better addressed program and student needs instead of a narrow focus on student
“lacks”, “gaps”, or “deficiencies”, a common approach in traditional needs analyses. Using strategic institutional partnerships, the once marginalized EAP Program, primarily serving Generation 1.5 immigrant students, began its first steps in reimagining how to improve program course coherence, communication, content, and student learning objectives, as well as reimagining EAP teacher and student authority, building on and benefitting from stakeholder strengths.
and English together) performed better on psychology tests than those in standard classes. There were two types of LC; in
one (connected LC), we created links between English and psychology by using English class readings that related to the social
psychology unit, and by requiring students to produce interdisciplinary group podcasts. In the other (unconnected LC), there
were no interdisciplinary connections. Students in the connected LC had higher mean test scores in psychology than both students
in unconnected LCs and those in standard classes. Our results suggest that students perform better on psychology tests
when efforts are made to consolidate information through interdisciplinary links in an LC.