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Continue reading →: From Speaking to Writing in a Science Classroom
By Katy J. Kobany Cumulative Project for EDUC 731: Responsive Pedagogy for ELLs, Bethel University, Teacher: Dr. Ruslana Westerlund Academic standards 8323: Water, which covers the majority of the Earth’s surface, circulates through the crust, oceans and atmosphere in what is known as the water cycle. Essential question(s) Where is water…
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Continue reading →: What Does Language Do in History?
By Ruslana Westerlund History is often studied as facts, events or lives of historical figures. We study history to understand the past or even predict the future. If we want to build democratic classrooms, history needs to be problematized. This is not a new idea. We ask students to answer questions such…
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Continue reading →: SFL: A Living Theory of the Living Language
By Ruslana Westerlund, a self-taught SFL Learner. For the past 3 years, I’ve been learning about Systemic Functional Linguistics. I was drawn to this theory because it offered a refreshing description of language as a dynamic resource for making meaning as opposed to a set of rules prescribed by a…
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Continue reading →: Language is for the living of life, not for the production of structures (Hasan, 2008/2011)
Source: Hasan, R. (2008/2011). Modes of learning, modes of teaching: semiotic mediation and knowledge. Language and education: Learning and teaching in society. Volume 3. ed. J Webster. London: Equinox. Chapter 2.
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Continue reading →: Much more than a reclassification issue: ELLs in K-12
by Ruslana Westerlund, Ed. D., WIDA at Wisconsin Center for Education Research and Luciana C. de Oliveira, Ph.D., University of Miami Much more than a reclassification issue: ELLs in K-12: A Response to Keeping long-term English learners from getting stuck This blog post is in response to the original blog Keeping…
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Continue reading →: “Aren’t some students too young to talk about critical issues?”by Jenna Cushing-Leubner & Alexa LaPatka “Aren’t some students too young to talk about critical issues?” This is a question that is often asked – by colleagues, by teacher-students in my graduate classes, by my family and friends back home who are not educational researchers, but are very interested in the…
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Continue reading →: Paradoxes of Rigor
by Ruslana Westerlund I have recently been reflecting on how rigor by itself can really do more harm than good. Let me make myself clear: I am all about high expectations for ALL students, especially marginalized students such as culturally and linguistically diverse learners. However, I am passionate about High…
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Continue reading →: My Visit to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights
By Ruslana Westerlund, Author of From Borsch to Burgers: A Cross-Cultural Memoir On October 22, 2015, my good friend Diana Merritt Turner took me — on behalf of the Teachers of English as an Additional Languages (TEAL) Manitoba Conference Committee — to the Canadian Museum of Human Rights (CMHR) located…
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Continue reading →: What Does Language Have to Do with Social Justice?by Ruslana Westerlund This post was inspired by the Social Justice Panel at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I participated as an invited speaker. It was organized by Carl Grant, Professor of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This post does not reflect the content of the panel. The panel…
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Continue reading →: Sociocultural Context of Starbucksby Ruslana Westerlund There are many different types of genre in literature that we are familiar with. My favorite is folktales. I think it is because of my rich oral tradition I grew up with. My grandfather told me many stories from different cultures. One of my favorite stories…
Hello,
I’m Ruslana
Proud immigrant woman business owner of Making Language Visible @Westerlund Consulting. I consult internationally on all things related to equipping all teachers with a pedagogically useful model of language. Book me at westerlundconsulting.com
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