Poster #47 - Teaching English Language Learners: How Better Understanding Content-Area Teaching Might Improve Teacher Education

• In Event: 79.052 - MTCC Poster Session 19
  In Poster Session: 79.052-4 - Teaching Across Multiple Spaces

Abstract

Today, ELLs have increasing access to learning in schools, but disproportionately struggle after graduation. Data from this empirical study suggest that successful content-area teaching attends to disciplinary expectations in ways that more equitably prepare ELLs to enter college or career. This teaching responded linguistically to discipline-specific aspects of content not well captured in extant teacher education or language learning literature. Applying these findings could help teacher educators to better prepare linguistically responsive content-area teachers who can not only recognize and leverage students’ home languages, but also prepare them to meet the gatekeeping language expectations that contribute to the discrepancy between successful completion of high school and successful entry into college or career.

Author

• Meghan Odsliv Bratkovich, University of South Florida - Tampa