18th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC) "Language Learning Situation in Southern California" on June 24, 2015

Lecture by Prof. Dr. Carolina Serna, California State University in Monterey Bay, California, USA
"Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners in the English as a Second Language Classroom" as part of the Kassel English Colloquium (KEC), organized by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, Foreign Language Teaching and Learning Research and Intercultural Communication.
Numerous interested people came to the 18th Kassel English Colloquium on 24 June 2015 to listen to the fascinating presentation by Prof. Dr. Carolina Serna, California State University, Monterey Bay, on the language learning situation in Southern California. Prof. Serna, who is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education, gave an impressive account of the key facts of the current education system in the USA and addressed the ethnic diversity of students in California.
Prof. Serna presented her study on "Triqui-Speaking Elementary School Students on California's Central Coast", which examines the experiences of a first-year teacher working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. The study was conducted in an elementary school in Greenfield, Monterey, California with Triqui-speaking students. Triqui is a language or language variety that is spoken in Oaxaca, Mexico and was brought to California by immigrants. Prof. Serna came to the conclusion in his presentation that children with an immigrant background in California sometimes have communication difficulties with their parents, as the language skills in English, Spanish and Triqui are different for children and parents. At the same time, a regression in the native language Triqui was observed in pupils whose English skills improved over time.
Prof. Serna sees a need for trilingual translations (English/Spanish/Triqui) in order to take into account and respect the culture of the learners. She believes that one approach for teachers is to get to know the students' culture and language and to gain a deeper understanding of the learners through reflection and feedback. Furthermore, Prof. Serna is keen to emphasize the importance of the mother tongue in order to avoid cultural and linguistic loss.
The analogy to the language learning situation of children from families with a migration background in Germany and the analogous regression phenomenon (for example in Turkish) was discussed.
The 18th Kassel English Colloquium (KEC), organized by Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner, was a success for all 50 participants as well as for the lecturer

Text: Jenny Selbach and Prof. Dr. Claudia Finkbeiner