Teaching for English Language Proficiency

• In Event: Poster Session 16
  In Poster Session: Home and Cultural Environments

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how three effective teachers of English Language Development (ELD) conceptualize what it means to be proficient in English and the aspects of language proficiency they address during their teaching of ELD. To varying degrees, they all viewed English language proficiency (ELP) as the ability to produce and recognize grammatically correct utterances and use language appropriately in different contexts and for different purposes. Their ELD instruction, however, overwhelmingly focused on the grammatical aspects of language and little, if any, time was devoted to language use. The study sheds light on the complex nature of English language proficiency and what elementary school teachers are currently addressing in efforts to increase their students’ ELP.

Author

• Claudia Rodriguez-Mojica, Stanford University