Toward a STEM Professional Development Model for Bilingual/ESL Teachers: Variations in Content Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Pedagogical Strategies

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 41
  In Roundtable Session: Quantitative Approaches to Address Long-Standing Issues in Bilingual Education

Abstract

Teacher instructional quality is guided by teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge. Research is limited on assessing teachers’ PCK to teach math and science in elementary and middle grades to ELs. This study offers professional development to teachers of English learners to increase their PCK to teach math and science. The study explores teachers’ self-efficacy to teach math and science to English learners and teachers’ subject content knowledge in math and science. The effect of self-efficacy and knowledge systems on instructional quality is measured through the ELISR observation protocol. Findings reveal that as teachers’ self-efficacy and subject matter knowledge increase so does instructional quality. Implications suggest PD include SCK, PK and linguistics knowledge to offer a model for conceptualizing bilingual/ESL teaching

Authors

• Zenaida Aguirre-Munoz, University of Houston

• Magdalena Pando, Southern Methodist University