Exploring Relationships Between Teaching and Learning for Multilingual Learners: Studies in Urban Elementary School Classrooms

• In Event: Enacting Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Pedagogy for Multilingual Learners: Investigating Novice Teachers’ Practices

Abstract

Purpose
A pressing need for novice teachers working in both urban and rural settings in the U.S. is to develop a set of teaching practices that meet the needs of multilingual learners (MLs). Research in bilingual education and second language teaching have highlighted that teachers must develop a specific skill set of ‘core practices’ (McDonald et al., 2013) to be effective teachers of MLs (deJong & Harper, 2005; Palmer & Martinez, 2013). Drawing upon a case study analysis of two novice teachers, this paper deepens this body of research to investigate the connection between teaching and learning for MLs. Data reveals how teachers enacted certain core practices in the classroom and how MLs applied these practices in their learning.

Theoretical Framework
Two theories frame our study. The first is a theory of teaching practice referred to as a teacher’s “theory of practice”, which explains the relationship between the beliefs a teacher holds about teaching and learning in coordination with the teacher’s enacted practice (Author, 2002). The second is a sociocultural theory of learning in which learning is defined as participation in a cultural practice (Lave & Wenger; 1991; Vygotsky, 1978), which is sustained through routines and the use of artifacts (Cole, 1996). The practice under investigation was the teacher’s use of different techniques to meet the needs of the MLs and her students’ opportunities to participate with these practices in their learning.

Methods & Data Sources
A case study design (Yin, 2003) was used to collect data in a fourth grade and a fifth grade urban, English medium classroom across an academic year. Both teachers – Laura and Cynthia – were prepared in a bilingual preservice program, but hired to teach in these classrooms with a significant portion of learners who were referred to as English as a New language (ENL) students or ‘former’ ENL students. We use the term MLs in lieu of ENL students to acknowledge the dynamic set of dialects students bring to their learning. Participants of the study included the two teachers and 14 MLs. To study the relationship between teaching and learning in these classroom, we collected three forms of data: (1) three structured lesson observations where student work was collected, each followed by an interview with the teacher, (2) classroom observation highlighting instructional strategies and participation patterns of the MLs, and (3) two sets of student interviews with all MLs. Aligned to a grounded theory approach of qualitative research (Strauss & Corbin, 1998), all data were coded using descriptive and thematic codes (Saldaña, 2013).

Results/Significance

Findings indicate spaces of alignment and disconnect between: a) the teacher’s beliefs in how and why she implemented particular instructional practices to support her MLs and the students’ perceptions and use of these practices; and b) practices interpreted through the teacher’s theory of practice and the same practices as defined in research in second language and bilingual teaching. These findings have important implications on how to support novice teachers to effectively address the linguistic and academic needs of multilingual learners.

Authors

• Jennifer Marie Collett, Lehman College - CUNY

• Nancy E. Dubetz, Lehman College - CUNY