Collaborative Interdisciplinary Design for Pedagogical Language Knowledge

• In Event: Improving the Education of Multilingual Learners and Their Teachers Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Online Professional Development

Abstract

Objectives:
Changing demographics and the advent of the Common Core require that all teachers be responsible for developing complex, content-based language and literacy for all their students, including multilingual learners. Traditional models of English as a Second Language will not suffice. High levels of language proficiency have remained elusive for most learners of English as an additional language, and also many native speakers. Educating teachers to integrate language and content instruction is particularly challenging for teacher educators who share with those teachers discipline specific preparation. Interdisciplinary collaboration among teacher educators is a potential solution. This paper frames analysis of such collaboration in literature on interdisciplinary collaboration of teacher educators and suggests scaffolds to support such collaboration.

Theoretical framework:
Bunch (2013), in an extensive review of research, connects second language acquisition theory and research in teacher preparation to support the claim that for teachers to integrate language and content instruction, teacher educators must do so. This invites a new practice and formation of interdisciplinary communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998). The formation of a new interdisciplinary community of practice requires that mutual engagement, joint enterprise, and a shared repertoire be created at the intersections of the disciplines of second language acquisition and content areas. Intentional brokering of newly shared meaning across disciplinary understandings can provide a developmental scaffold for new interdisciplinary communities.

Methods and data sources:
The literature review and secondary analysis reported in this paper emerged from two sources-formal evaluation of the eCALLMS design work and beta-tests by in-service teachers of on-line professional development modules. The evaluation used interviews with members of the faculty design team and teacher beta-testers, on-line reflections, and surveys of the beta testers. The secondary analysis specifically explored participant interpretations of their work and the modules through the lens of language and content integration. Additional content analysis (Krippendorff & Bock, 2008) of modules designed prior to and after interdisciplinary design teams were implemented was conducted.

Results:
Secondary analysis of the evaluation data suggests that in spite of collegial collaboration, some teacher educators who were brought together to share their interdisciplinary expertise were unable to see beyond the historical lenses of their disciplines, in spite of willingness to engage. However, what did contribute to new interdisciplinary lenses was the opportunity to engage actively in joint design using a shared framework based on reciprocal learning of second language acquisition by content faculty and content by language faculty. Through that exchange they developed and were able to incorporate in the on-line professional development modules pedagogical language knowledge (Bunch, 2013) to be shared with in-service teachers.

Scholarly significance:
This research is both scholarly and practical. Teachers cannot learn to integrate language and content from teacher educators in disciplinary silos. Scaffolded co-design of professional development materials by teacher educators who engage jointly in production develops shared meanings and a shared repertoire of knowledge and skills associated with pedagogical language knowledge related to specific content. The co-design process produces both community and a new interdisciplinary practice of teacher education.

Authors

• Kara Mitchell Viesca, University of Colorado - Denver

• Honorine D. Nocon, University of Colorado - Denver