Out of the Book and Into the Classroom: Applying Motivational Theory to Increase Teacher Motivation to Serve Adolescent English Language Learners

• In Event: Researching Race and Ethnicity in the Study of Motivation in Educational Contexts

Abstract

The overall purpose of this case-study presentation is to describe a model of professional development, namely All Learners Learning Every Day (ALL-ED), and its impact on one NYC public high school serving immigrant students who have low literacy in their native languages. Theoretically, ALL-ED is based in the literatures of student engagement, achievement motivation, and self-regulated learning (SRL). Collectively, the ALL-ED routines help teachers establish a mastery-oriented classroom climate through the following: a) strategic use of group work to promote active participation and productive collaborations; b) use of frequent formative assessments to build self-regulated learning skills; and c) use of curricular planning tools to design standards-based tasks that are authentic, rigorous, and at the appropriate level of challenge.

Currently, English Language Learners (ELLs) make up approximately 10% of the total U.S. student population and, as a group are considered to be at-risk for underachievement (Heritage, Walqui, & Linquati, 2015). Further challenging ELLs is the increasing prominence of college and career readiness expectations including the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which emphasize extensive and complex language use. The limited available research on ELLs suggests that given these academic challenges, ELLs as a group may have lower perceptions of academic competence, and that they generally thrive in mastery-oriented environments like ALL-ED that employ small group learning and foster a sense of belonging. To that end, this presentation sought to explore the impact on the ALL-ED routines on teachers’ instructional practices.

Participants for this study were two math teachers (one male novice teacher, one female experienced teacher) of ELLs in one international high school located in the South Bronx. Both of these teachers received ALL-ED professional development training during the 2012-2014 academic years as well as frequent coaching by the first author in ALL-ED techniques during bi-monthly staff meetings. Data for this presentation was derived from seven classroom observations, curriculum materials, transcripts of conversations with the teachers and their students, and researcher reflective memos. A grounded theory approach was utilized for the coding of the data. Analysis of the data showed increased student engagement and teacher response to academic diversity when ALL-ED routines were implemented. Specifically, ELLs benefitted from the need to use academic language purposefully to communicate in their small groups and use peers as a resource for learning. Group learning routines were related to students’ active participation, feelings of belonging, use of academic language, and confidence in learning. The self-regulation routines were associated with specific learning needs of ELLs including use of feedback to learn from mistakes and monitoring progress with concrete visible action steps. Teachers used group learning and self-regulation routines to build a safe process for ELLs to participate while challenging student thinking. In addition, teachers relied on evidence from student work to set achievable goals. Taken together, the case study analysis illustrates how, when, and why teachers use instructional routines to build a classroom culture that supports and challenges as well as efficiently advances learning for ELLs.

Authors

• Rhonda Suzanne Bondie, Fordham University

• Akane Zusho, Fordham University