How Do Preservice Secondary Science Teachers Support Discourse in Cognitively Demanding Tasks for English Learners?

• In Event: Preservice Teachers Focusing on Student Thinking in Math and Science Classrooms

Abstract

The ambitious new Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the increasing numbers of linguistically diverse students underscore the importance of preparing science teachers who can support both language and content learning. Yet little is known about how teachers support language-intensive science and engineering practices in secondary science classrooms (Bunch, 2013; Lee, Quinn, & Valdés, 2013). To address this gap, we investigated how 13 preservice secondary science teachers supported the oral and written discourse demands of tasks aligned with the NGSS science and engineering practices. We found that while our participants were able to draw on a robust range of strategies, they would benefit from an even deeper understanding of how to scaffold the complex linguistic demands of written discourse.

Authors

• Valerie Meier, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Walter Aminger, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Mandy McLean, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Sarah Hough, University of California - Santa Barbara

• Julie Bianchini, University of California - Santa Barbara