| Abstract: | The Spanish-speaking population in the United States is younger and growing faster than any other minority group. Educators in the Southwest are no longer alone in their concern over the education of Spanish-speaking children. New York, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, and Michigan are among the 10 States with the largest populations of persons of Hispanic origin. In the future, increasing numbers of monolingual teachers will be confronted with the task of teaching Spanish-speaking children. Ways for teachers to improve their teaching effectiveness in these situations include: (1) respecting the Spanish-speaking student's language and culture, (2) learning how to speak Spanish, (3) team teaching with a bilingual colleague or teacher aide, (4) using parents of Hispanic students as a teaching resource, (5) allowing students to teach one another, and (6) using curricular materials that reflect the children's cultural background. Four references are cited. (LB). |