English Learners (ELs) and Online Instruction: High-Leverage Instructional Practices to Support EL Preservice Teachers

• In Event: Cultivating Multilingual Beliefs in Teacher Education: Exploring Frameworks, Pedagogies, and Instructional Approaches

Abstract

The pandemic shifted expectations for learning from in-person to online environments in higher education institutions. Scholarship on supporting preservice teachers in online instruction is scant, particularly among English Learner (EL) teacher candidates navigating content and language demands digitally. Drawing from the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, this qualitative case study examined the affordances and challenges faced by EL preservice teachers in an early childhood teacher preparation program. Semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with ten participants through video-conferencing. Four pedagogical approaches emerged: strategic use of video conferencing tools, breakout groups, community-building activities, and Google documents to support engagement, scaffold language development, and teach pedagogical strategies. Implications for using these tools to enhance TPACK in teacher education are discussed.

Authors

• Susanne Metscher, Monroe College

• Johanna David-Tramantano, Teachers College, Columbia University

• Kevin M. Wong, Pepperdine University