Classroom Life Research Articles

Becoming literate in the city: the Baltimore early childhood project. Edited by Robert Serpell, Linda Baker and Susan Sonnenschein. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005. pp. 320. Price: £17.99, $29.99. ISBN 0521772028 (hbk); 0521776775 (pbk)

Infant and Child DevelopmentVolume 17, Issue 5 p. 549-552 Book ReviewFree Access Becoming literate in the city: the Baltimore early childhood project. Edited by Robert Serpell, Linda Baker and Susan Sonnenschein. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005. pp. 320. Price: £17.99, $29.99. ISBN 0521772028 (hbk); 0521776775 (pbk) Rachel Schiff, Rachel Schiff Bar-Ilan University, IsraelSearch for more papers by this author Rachel Schiff, Rachel Schiff Bar-Ilan University, IsraelSearch for more papers by this author First published: 26 September 2008 https://doi.org/10.1002/icd.562AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL REFERENCES Brofenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Brofenbrenner, U. (1989). Ecological systems theory. In R. Vasta (Ed.), Annals of child development: Vol. 6. Six theories of child development: Revised formulations and current issues (pp. 187– 251). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Gallimore, R., Weisner, T. S., Kaufman, S. Z., & Berheimer, L. P. (1989). The social construction of ecocultural niches: Family accommodation of developmentally delayed children. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 94, 216– 230. Goodnow, J., & Collins, A. W. (1990). Development according to parents: The nature, sources and consequences of parents' ideas. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Heath, S. B. (1983). Ways with words: Language, life and work in communities and classrooms. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Lave, J., & Wegner, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Miller, S. A. (1988). Parents' beliefs about children's cognitive development. Child Development, 59, 259– 285. Rogoff, B. (1990). Apprenticeship in thinking: Cognitive development in social context. New York: Oxford University Press. Scribner, S., & Cole, M. (1981). The psychology of literacy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Serpell, R. (1993a). The significance of schooling: Life-journeys in an African society. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Serpell, R. (1993b). Interaction of context with development: Theoretical constructs for the design of early childhood intervention programs. In L. Eldering & P. Leseman (Eds), Early intervention and culture (pp. 23– 43). Paris: UNESCO Publishing. I. E. Sigel (Ed.). (1985). Parental beliefs systems: The psychological consequences for children. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Street, B. (1984). Literacy in theory and practice. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Sulzby, E., & Teale, W. H. (1991). Emergent literacy. In R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, P. Mosenthal, & P. D. Pearson (Eds), Handbook of reading research (Vol. 2, pp. 727– 758). New York: Longman. Super, C. M., & Harkness, S. (1986). The developmental niche: A conceptualization at the interface of child and culture. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 9, 545– 569. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London, England: Springer. Volume17, Issue5September 2008Pages 549-552 ReferencesRelatedInformation

Young children's perspectives on whole class discussions

Whole class discussions are a key feature of daily life in many classrooms yet evidence suggests there is much variation in the quality of talk which takes place in terms of facilitating children's learning. This paper examines children's understanding of the role and purpose of whole class discussions in supporting learning and also considers children's perceptions of their own participation in such discussions. This is based on the premise that effective learning requires children to see themselves as full participants with the right to make active contributions to classroom activities. The paper employs the use of discourse analysis based on the work of Gee (1999) and data is drawn from group and individual interviews with ‘high ability’ and ‘low ability’ children (aged 9–10 years) across three primary schools in England. The findings indicate variations between the cultural models and identities ‘high’ and ‘low ability’ pupils take on in relation to classroom talk which engenders different perceptions of its perceived purpose and benefits.

SIGNIFICANCE AND DIALOGUE IN LEARNING AND TEACHING

Abstract In this essay Andrew Metcalfe and Ann Game argue that although the term “dialogue” is commonly used in educational theory, its full significance is diluted if it is seen as a matter of exchange or negotiation of prior positions and identities. As a meeting point, they argue, dialogue suspends the senses of time, space, and ontology on which identities are based. It is therefore not simply metaphorical to say that dialogue changes lives and opens minds. Using empirical material from interviews with Australian students and teachers, Metcalfe and Game draw out the relational qualities of genuine dialogue and the significance they have for how we understand everyday classroom life.

On the Reasons We Want Teachers of Good Disposition and Moral Character

The point of this article is to make a case for teachers of moral disposition without regard for the moral development of students. The article concludes that there are multiple reasons for wanting teachers of good disposition and moral character; that teachers' dispositions are best conceived as modifiers to the methods that they employ; and that the crux of the dispositions debate is ultimately grounded in avoiding poor moral character. Implications of the article point teacher educators toward a conception of teacher education that focuses on preparing teachers of good disposition and moral character simply for the sake of teaching that accords with what is good, right, and virtuous. The analysis suggests that the scope of a teacher's dispositions should be broadened to include all matters of classroom life and teacher effectiveness.

A formacao inicial do professor de matematica : aprendizagem da geometria e atuacao docente

The purpose of this study was to discuss the development of Mathematics teachers in order to enable them to teach Geometry. The investigation was based on both the professional experience acquired through Math teaching and the Geometry bibliography and teaching, and aimed at investigating the Geometry teaching in Middle School (5th – 8th grade) and the teachers’ background based on the accounts of experienced and less experienced Math teachers and the study cases performed with them. Experienced teachers not only learned Geometry better but also learned different ways to teach it when compared to the less experienced ones. They all accredited their development to their undergraduate program in college and teacher practice, showing that professional growth occurs with time, classroom life, courses, information-exchanging with other teachers and teacher training.

CHAPTER 16: Encountering Relational Complexity

ABSTRACT The notion of practice has been, and continues to be, problematic for the work of teaching and learning. The problems at the crux of practice are revealed in the narrative accounts of three representative prospective teachers' experiences. These narratives grapple with the nature of practice and consider what it means to learn to teach. In particular, the practical effects of these teaching/learning experiences position the reader to confront the role of relational complexities within teaching. Relational complexities are explored as the given particularities of students, teachers, context, and subject matter. Drawing on Schwab's (1970) “arts of the practical” deliberately fostering teachcr experimentation with ways to access and attend to the relational complexities of classrooms, the internal goods furthering the work of learning are encountered. Teacher investment in practice demands attention to the relational complexities of classroom life. But, such experimentation and attention is desperately missing in the narrative accounts shared in this paper. The arts of the practical offer a ground for teacher education that acknowledges relational complexities encountered and generated are integral to the practice of teaching. Prospective teachers need to live the language of practice through encountering, negotiating, and articulating the relational complexities of classrooms. The narratives evidence the potential relational complexities hold for understanding the arts of practice and the powerful significances of entrusting/distrusting these arts of practice to teachers and their students.

Working the Image: Unearthing Aspects of Teachers’ Lives Through Arts-Engagement

This paper presents a research method and some of the results thereof that asked teachers to engage in a reflective arts inquiry. This inquiry led teachers to plumb the depths of their own unconscious and bring what lies beneath into conscious awareness, leading to deeper reflection and ontological knowing. The researchers suggest that such awareness leads to improvement of classroom life for teachers and their students.

Learning to Lead: A New Teacher’s Perspectives on Teacher Leadership

The question of teacher leadership is inextricably tied to teacher effectiveness. Leadership forms the foundation of classroom management and permeates all aspects of the curriculum. While many new teachers have visions of the kinds of leaders they wish to become, this vision is often complicated by the everyday realities of classroom life. Faced with increasingly difficult circumstances, it becomes infinitely more important for teachers to foster the trust and confidence required to make meaningful connections with their students. This article discusses the qualities of effective leaders and the impact of effective leadership on students. It also considers some of the challenges that arise when pursuing one’s vision of leadership.

Enabling Voice: Perceptions of Schooling from Rural Aboriginal Youth at Risk of Entering the Juvenile Justice System

Abstract In this article the perceptions of school experiences by male Aboriginal youth at risk of becoming in contact with the juvenile justice system are presented. These adolescent boys, from inland rural New South Wales, attend Tirkandi Inaburra Cultural and Development Centre (Tirkandi). Tirkandi is a short term residential centre designed to provide at risk boys with an opportunity to participate in strengths-based culturally appropriate educational, cultural, social and personal programs. In this study, participants give detailed accounts of schooling describing their lives as students. Their voices offer a powerful insight into the situated construction of agency and identity in classroom life, culture and learning among Aboriginal students. They serve as a window in to how perceptions and voice are socially-culturally-politically configured – both in their production and deployment. Further, they show the complexity and deeply problematic nature of how individuals' lived experiences collide across contexts when these contexts operate in isolation. The insider's voices, presented in this paper, are significant because they offer valuable insights that will encourage educators to be challenged by the relational architecturesdominating teaching practices. These voices form not just the backdrop but the centerpiece for discussion in this paper.

Kids, Cameras, and the Curriculum

Children, Youth and Environments Vol. 18 No. 2 (2008) ISSN: 1546-2250 Kids, Cameras, and the Curriculum Barrett Dragan, Pat (2008). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann; 107 pages. $15. ISBN 9780325009544. In her book Kids, Cameras, and the Curriculum, Pat Barrett Dragan presents an engaging, creative, and practical guide to using cameras in the classroom. Dragan's ideas and suggestions for integrating cameras across the curriculum have been developed and refined throughout her 30-year career as a first-grade teacher in South San Francisco. Although most of the ideas presented in the book are aimed for use in the primary grades, they can be easily adapted for use in the intermediate grades as well. This book serves as an important resource for teachers who wish to expand their teaching in new and interesting ways by connecting the required curriculum with technology, children's interests, and the school community. The book is organized into nine chapters, each of which contains a myriad of useful ideas, suggestions, and resources for incorporating cameras in the classroom. Aside from using cameras with students, Dragan describes how cameras helped her problem-solve social conflicts that arose in her classroom. As she photographed her firstgraders working in cooperative groups, she captured students' facial expressions and interactions among one another and was able to modify her instruction and classroom community-building accordingly. She states, "a small vignette of classroom life can be illuminating ... these photographs are also a permanent timestopping device: evidence to use as we think about things later" (p. 3). In addition to using photographs to inform her teaching, Dragan describes numerous activities she uses to engage students in their learning. For example, she asked students to take cameras home and take pictures of things that are important to them, things they have seen, as well as memorable experiences. She incorporates 283 their photo stories with writing they are doing in the classroom. Dragan states, "the writing is inspired because children are telling intense stories that matter to them" (p. 17). Dragan also writes about ways in which photographs can be an effective tool for teaching English language learners. She relates the story of her friend, Dr. Ryan James, who builds all of his course work around photographs in order to ask and answer questions, learn vocabulary, and practice descriptive language and sentence structure. Questions he uses in his instruction include:  Where do you think the photo was taken?  What do you observe in the picture?  What would the photograph say if anything in the picture could talk to you?  What was this person doing right before (or after) this picture was taken? Dragan emphasizes that English language learners are able to express themselves through photographs and use them as a tool to show who they are as well as what they know. The use of photographs and visuals allow them to build confidence and language skills at all ability levels. Perhaps the most impressive project Dragan took on with her students was creating a weekly school newspaper with her firstgrade class. Her students were highly engaged in this task, as they were writing for a purpose, took turns being photographers and reporters, and collectively published and distributed the paper every week.This project not only made a positive impact on her students' confidence, but also resulted in their progress in reading, writing, listening, and speaking for a variety of purposes. An impressive result from this project was the sense of community it built among the staff and students of the school, as all grade levels, teachers, and school personnel looked forward to reading the weekly paper. Many of the students and staff in the school were featured in the newspaper, and this project kept everyone informed of what was happening at the school and helped to create a sense of unity for the entire school community. 284 The last few pages of the book list a variety of resources that Dragan uses to inform her instruction as well as books to use with children while exploring different ways to incorporate the use of cameras in the classroom. She also references numerous resources throughout each chapter.Kids, Cameras, and the Curriculum is an invaluable resource for...

A Multicultural Approach in Arabic Language Teaching: Creating Equality at Indonesian Pesantren Classroom Life

ABSTRAK : Pendidikan multikultural merupakan istilah yang popular untuk menjelaskan pendidikan keberagaman. Penelitian ini berusaha menjelaskan berbagai praktek dan proses pembelajaran di pesantren yang diciptakan untuk mengurangi praduga dan diskriminasi. Selain itu program tersebut juga dijalankan untuk melakukan kesempatan yang sama dan keadilan sosial bagi semua siswa. Akhirnya, penelitian ini berusaha menjelaskan tentang kurikulum yang disusun diseputar konsep-konsep dasar bagi setiap suku dari beberapa kelompok yang berbeda. Pesantren yang berlokasi di Sulawesi Selatan dijadikan fokus penelitian, denga design penelitian yang bersifat kualitatif. Data dikumpulkan dari hasil wawancara dan observasi di lapangan. Penelitian ini menunjukan bahwa pemegang wewenang di pesantren bekerja keras untuk menyatukan visi dan berbagai praktek yang berhubungan dengan konsep multikulturalisme dimana para guru menggunakan contoh-contoh dan isi dari beragam budaya untuk menggambarkan prinsip-prinsip dan teori-teori utama dalam pelajaran dan ilmu mereka. Maka para guru dapat memahami pendidikan multikultural sebagai pendekatan isi dalam kasus pengajaran bahasa Arab. Adalah pesantren dengan budaya dan organisasinya yang mengembangkan persamaan kelas sosial, ras dan gender, sejalan dengan konsep pendidikan multikulturalisme. Kata-kata kunci : pendidikan multikultur, keadilan dan persamaan, serta peranan pesantren. About the Authors: Ismail Suardi Wekke is a Student of International Program Fellowship of Ford Foundation in the Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia (UKM). He earned his B.A.Hons. from IAIN ( Institut Agama Islam Negeri ) Aluddin in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, in 1999; and the “Sarjana” degree from STAIN ( Sekolah Tinggi Agama Islam Negeri ) Malang, East Java, in 2002. He has conducted research on Arabic language education, gender problems and educational technology. For accademic matters, he can be reached at: iswekke@antarbangsa.net Dr. Maimun Aqsha Lubis is a lecturer at the Department of Educational Methodology and Practices, Faculty of Education, National University of Malaysia (UKM). He earned his B.A.Hons. on Islamic education from Islamic University of Saudi Arabia (UISU), Riyadh, in 1985; Master of Education degree on Arab language education from UKM Bangi in 1991; dan Ph.D. on History and Philosophy of Islamic education from UK (United Kingdom), Wales, in 2006. He has written some books, one of them was Turuq Tadris al-Lughat al-’Arabiyyah wa-I’dadu Durusiha fi-Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2007). He can be contacted at: mal@ukm.my How to cite this article? Wekke, Ismail Suardi & Maimun Aqsha Lubis. (2008). “A Multicultural Approach in Arabic Language Teaching: Creating Equality at Indonesian Pesantren Classroom Life” in SOSIOHUMANIKA: Jurnal Pendidikan Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan , Vol.1, No.2 [November], pp.295-310. Bandung, Indonesia: Minda Masagi Press, UPI Bandung, and UMS Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, ISSN 1979-0112. Chronicle of the article: Accepted (July 23, 2008); Revised (September 29, 2008); and Published (November 20, 2008).

Critical Pedagogy in the Sociology Classroom

Although critical pedagogy has been discussed in the Teaching Sociology literature for nearly twenty years, dialogues about the difficulties in practicing and implementing critical pedagogical strategies in everyday classroom life are less common. In this note, we discuss a predominant theme of our workshop: challenges and concerns that may arise when one attempts to do critical pedagogy. We focus on both challenges and potential solutions for learners, instructors, and institutions of higher education. Understanding what some of these obstacles are and how they manifest in institutions of higher learning goes a long way in devising strategies to assuage their deleterious effects.

LANGUAGE, SPACE AND POWER: A CRITICAL LOOK AT BILINGUAL EDUCATION, Samina Hadi-Tabassum

LANGUAGE, SPACE AND POWER: A CRITICAL LOOK AT BILINGUAL EDUCATION.Samina Hadi-Tabassum. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters, 2006. Pp. v + 295. $50.55 paper.As a former bilingual teacher in a dual-language school in Chicago, I approached Hadi-Tabassum's work not only with interest but with an insider's perspective on dual-language instruction. As promised, the volume provides rich descriptions of a fifth-grade dual-language classroom and documents key events that occurred throughout the school year. Situated within a discussion of language, space, and power, the author's quest for evidence of metalinguistic awareness in the context of classroom events is an ambitious project, but, at times, the framework overshadows a more practical interpretation of classroom life.

Reconceptualizing the possible narratives of adolescence

This paper explores various epistemological paradigms available to understand, interpret, and semiotically depict young people. These paradigms all draw upon a metadiscourse of developmental age and stage (e.g. Hall 1914) and then work from particular epistemological views of the world to cast young people in different lights. Using strategic essentialism (Spivak 1996), this paper offers four descriptions of existing paradigms, including biomedical (Erikson 1980), psychological (e.g. Piaget 1973), critical (e.g. Giroux & MacLaren 1982), and postmodern (e.g. Kenway & Bullen 2001). While some of these paradigms have been more distinct in particular cultural, historical, and political contexts, they have overlapped, informing each other as they continue to inform our understandings of young people. Each paradigm carries unique consequences for the role of the learner, the teacher, and the curriculum. This paper explores contemporary manifestations of these paradigms. From this investigation, a potential new space for conceptualising young people is offered. This new space, underpinned by understandings of subjectivity (Grosz 1994), assumes sense of self to be both pivotal in generative learning and closely linked to the context and its dynamics. We aver that such a view of young people and educational settings is necessary at this time of focused attention to the middle years of schooling. In so doing, we explore the potential of classroom life and pre-service teacher education constructed within this new discourse of young people.

Understanding the Construction of a Science Storyline in a Chemistry Classroom

The purpose of this study is to consider the ways that video analysis could be used to examine the construction of a science storyline in a chemistry classroom. The participating teacher is part of a professional development group, the Invisible College for Inquiry Science Study. This group is dedicated to learning about science teaching through professional reflection, educational research, and dialogue among members. Video data are a primary tool used to achieve all of these goals. In the science unit selected, the teacher developed a storyline leading to the construction of the chemistry concept of a mole. The video analysis used different conversational units of analysis to examine how science concepts are introduced into the classroom community and evolved through dialogue among teachers and students. This analysis considered the pedagogical moves made through discourse, including dialogue around teacher demonstrations, inscriptional practices, and analogical reasoning. The theoretical approach documents how video analysis provides ways to develop teacher professional vision regarding learning opportunities in everyday classroom life.

Women’s proper place and student-centered pedagogy

Student-centered pedagogy has been embraced by many feminist practitioners and educational theorists as an antidote to more “traditional” or “masculinist” forms of classroom relations, epistemological constructs, and theories of self. I will show that the margin-center schema, student-centered pedagogy’s foundational metaphor, undermines feminist projects when applied to teacher-student relations. Although the margin-center schema has been a useful diagnostic tool in feminist theory, it operates prescriptively in student-centered pedagogy. Student-centered pedagogy designates teachers’ “proper place” at the margins of classroom life, a place that echoes bygone visions of domestic femininity. This paper is simultaneously a critique of student-centered pedagogy and a recuperative project to dislodge the work of John Dewey from the teacher-centered/student-centered binary.

The Influence of Classic Chinese Philosophy of Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism on Classroom Discipline in Hong Kong Junior Secondary Schools

Discipline is a crucial aspect of teachers' and students' classroom lives. Hong Kong secondary teachers, as elsewhere, are concerned with students' misbehaviour. This article examines teachers' constructs of classroom discipline and strategies adopted for behaviour management. Qualitative data were collected by interviews and classroom observation. Sixty teachers were involved. Eighteen classrooms were observed. The influence of the three schools of classic Chinese philosophy, Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism, emerged as a main theme from the data. It was prominent as their key principles were incorporated into the teachers' personal system of classroom discipline. The findings illuminate the influence of Chinese culture in Hong Kong classrooms. Implications for the promotion of culturally responsive classrooms and the development of educational policies on pastoral care are drawn.

Understanding Authority in Classrooms: A Review of Theory, Ideology, and Research

Authority is a fundamental, problematic, and poorly understood component of classroom life. A better understanding of classroom authority can be achieved by reviewing writings on social theory, educational ideology, and qualitative research in schools. Social theories provide important analytical tools for examining the constitutive elements of authority but fall short of explaining its variability and contextual influences. Discussion of educational ideologies offers insights into the debates, historical contexts, and policy and reform agendas that shape the politics of authority while neglecting empirical realities. Qualitative studies present empirical data and analyses on the challenges intrinsic to classroom relations, but, exceptions aside, they often lack explicit attention to authority. More research focused on classroom authority as a social construction is needed to address critical educational concerns for contemporary practitioners, policy makers, and researchers.

Connecting drama and writing: seizing the moment to write

This paper outlines research which examined the relationship between drama and writing, detailing the method of enquiry, theoretical foundations and emergent findings. The study sought to understand the nature of the support that drama offers children as writers and to identify features of writing which regularly surfaced in drama-related writing. The pilot study trialled two approaches to connect drama and writing: ‘genre specific’ which involved working towards a particular text type during drama, and ‘seize the moment’ which offered spontaneity and choice. The main study employed the latter approach and identified some elements of drama that impacted upon and supported children's writing. The research demonstrates that drama has much to contribute to the composing life of the primary classroom.

Indian Education for All: A Tribal College Perspective

WHEN delegates to Montana's 1972 constitutional convention inserted new language into the constitution regarding the cultural and educational integrity of the state's American Indians, little did they know the impact it would have on education some 34 years later. Bringing that constitutional language to life in Montana's classrooms would be a precarious journey, finally resulting in its codification in the Indian Education for All (IEFA) Act, passed in 1999, and the law's historic funding by the state legislature in 2005. Adding to all of these events was the election of Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who proposed an increase in funding for IEFA. Gov. Schweitzer's proposal included a unique provision: funding to support Montana's seven tribal colleges in their efforts to write their own tribal histories, called the Tribal Histories Project. Montana's tribal colleges have always operated in accordance with the tenets of IEFA, and many include in their mission statements the advancement of their tribes' culture and traditions. current challenge facing tribal colleges is to meet the demands of Montana's education community for accurate and appropriate information about tribes while still carrying out their own unique and specific functions. THE MISSION OF TRIBAL COLLEGES Tribal colleges were created as a response to demands for higher education opportunities in Native communities. Starting in 1968 with the establishment of Navajo Community College, tribes began bringing college courses to their members. During the early 1970s, many tribal colleges in Montana began developing partnerships with existing community colleges and four-year institutions to create satellite campuses on reservations. Tribal education leaders worked with a newly formed organization, the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, to lay the groundwork for the establishment of Montana's first tribal colleges. In 1984, Salish Kootenai College in Pablo became the state's first accredited tribally controlled college. Today, all seven of Montana's tribal colleges are fully accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Tribal colleges have become success stories unto themselves. Their graduates have gone to work for the tribes or have gone on to obtain bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. While increasing tribal members' access to higher education, the colleges have also helped to maintain and preserve tribal cultures and languages. Tribal history and language courses are part of the core graduation requirements at tribal colleges, and many have established tribal archives to store and protect important photos and documents. For some students, attending one of these colleges may be their first opportunity to learn about their history and culture from a tribal perspective. Little Big Horn College, located in Crow Agency, Montana, is a good example of the tribal colleges' role in transmitting and preserving culture. college's mission statement reads, in part, The College is committed to the preservation, perpetuation, and protection of Crow culture and language and respects the distinct bilingual and bicultural aspects of the Crow Indian community. (1) Students can take Crow Language I, Crow Language II, and Conversational Crow. Other course offerings, such as Crow Social and Familial Kinship and History of the Crow Chiefs, address Crow culture and history. Students may even earn a two-year degree in Crow Studies. Staff members and students converse in Crow in class and at work. College Board of Trustees conducts its business meetings in the Crow language. David Yarlott, Jr., president of Little Big Horn College, stresses the importance of the Crow language and culture to the college: The part in our mission statement that states 'committed to the preservation, perpetuation, and protection of Crow culture and language' says it all for me. It is not only a statement, but I feel it. …