Guiding Teachers in Supporting the Participation of English Language Learners in Academic Literacy Practices

• In Event: Transforming the Problem-Based Notion of Academic Language and Literacy to a Resource-Based Perspective

Abstract

English language learners (ELLs) are faced with the double challenge of developing academic English as they are learning new content in multiple disciplines. It has been established that the best way for ELLs to acquire academic language is through meaningful access to grade-level curriculum. Creating learning environments that take into account students’ language needs does, however, require specific knowledge and skills. The present paper reports on a six-week professional development program especially designed for mainstream teachers of ELLs with the purpose of guiding them in supporting ELLs’ access to challenging content as well as their academic language growth.
The professional development program and the research analysis described in the paper are guided by a sociocultural framework that emphasizes students’ participation in valued classroom practices. The purpose of the professional development is to help teachers examine the participation of ELLs in the classroom learning community and identify areas of strength and need. The unit of analysis for both teachers and the researcher is at the level of practice (Scribner & Cole, 1981). As teachers reflect on different aspects of academic literacy practices, they explore how academic language proficiency might mediate students’ participation in and mastery of those practices. A sociocultural framework encourages an analysis of students’ use of language in particular contexts and for particular purposes. This analysis then guides teachers’ choices of language supports and their reflection on instruction.
Data for the paper will be collected during the fall semester of 2013 using ethnographic methods. Data will include: transcripts of professional development sessions, documents shared during professional development sessions, transcripts of student and teacher interviews, classroom observation protocols, field notes from classroom observations, and student work. The data will be analyzed using discourse analysis as well as thematic analysis. The purpose of the analysis will be to explore connections between professional development, teacher learning, teacher practice, and student development of academic language.
Our hypotheses are based on a pilot study of the professional development program conducted in the spring of 2013. In terms of teacher learning, we expect that the professional development will: a) encourage teachers to adopt a novel point of view on instruction that emphasizes academic language as well as content, b) promote an understanding of the interconnectedness between language and content in students’ participation in and mastery of valued academic literacy practices, c) increase teachers’ awareness of the language-related needs of ELLs; and d) increase teachers’ capacity to meet those needs. In terms of teacher practice, we expect to see an increase in teachers’ explicit attention to academic language as well as their use of language scaffolding. In terms of student learning, we expect to see growth in the amount of language that students produce in writing rather than in its complexity.
The paper contributes to the growing literature on professional development that targets teachers of ELLs. In addition, the paper strives to connect teacher learning to student learning. Finally, the paper adopts a situated view of academic language that is consistent with the current literature.

Author

• Daniella Molle, University of Wisconsin