Reflection on and for Actions: Probing Into English Language Art Teachers' Personal and Professional Experiences With English Learners

• In Event: 21.026 - Democratizing Preparation of Teachers of English Learners: Reflective Narratives of Teachers

Abstract

Effective ELL teaching and learning is profoundly influenced by the teachers’ personal experiences and personalities (Farrell, 2016), their experience as language learners as well as language teachers (Farrell, 2007), and their beliefs about learning and teaching a second language (Farrell, 2015; Farrell & Ives, 2015). However, limited perspective on second language teacher education and preparation has been gained from the in-service teachers, particularly their personal experience and professional practices with ELLs. This paper reports a research study that aims to explore the teacher’s reflection on their various experiences with ELLs for self-discovery (Blake & Blake, 2012; Cirocki & Farrell, 2017) so that they can further reflect for their future actions with ELLs (Burns & Bulman, 2000; Farrell, 2007; Farrell & Vos, 2018). Building on the findings about the in-service teachers’ reflection on and for improvement of teaching and learning experiences and effectiveness, the researcher further discusses the implications for preparation of second language teachers.

Drawing on part of data from a state-funded research project on teacher’s narratives, this paper focuses on three veteran teachers (K-8) with over twenty years of teaching experiences in U.S. public schools (Yin, 1984, 23). A semi-structure interview (Kvale & Brinkman, 2009; Weiss, 1999) was used to facilitate the conversation with the participating teachers and the research. The teachers’ narratives provided a space for the teachers to reflect on their experiences, beliefs, and teaching practice and arrive a new level of awareness of both their belief and practices (Farrell, 2015). Focusing on the teachers’ lore/reflective narrative and their funds of knowledge (Moll et al., 1992), discourse analysis (Bloome et al., 2005; Green & Wallat, 1981; Gumperz, 1982) is employed to analyze the interviews that occurred in the nexus of relationships and interactions among the researchers and the teachers (Gumperz, 1982, p. vii). The teachers’ interview preparation notes and the researchers’ field notes will be used as supplementary source for data analysis and discussion.

There are three major findings from our discourse analysis of the interview transcripts and our field and analytic notes. First, our in-service teachers lack personal experience or interactions with linguistically and culturally diverse student population. Second, the analysis of the teachers’ narratives about their professional experience showed that the effectiveness of their teaching of ELLs is significantly influenced by four main factors: a) themselves (the teacher), b) the teachers’ knowledge of ELL students’ ethnolinguistic background and their strengths and needs, c) their involvement of ELL family/community in ELLs’ classroom learning, d) their collaboration with and support from student teacher, ESL teacher, and/or school/district interpreter. Third, our findings showed the richness as well as complexities of strengths and needs in the teachers’ personal and professional experiences with ELLs. The three teachers’ strengths and need varied largely.

This study honored and examined in-depth the often-discounted stories/reflective narratives of our teachers. The results extend our understanding of the teachers’ needs and the strengths in working with ELLs. The findings have important implications for the improvement of our and hopefully our peer institutions’ teacher preparation programs.

Authors

• Huili Hong, Towson University

• Karin J. Keith, East Tennessee State University