Collaboration to teach English language learners: opportunities for shared teacher learning

Abstract

This study examines collaboration between English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers and content-area elementary school teachers, and makes the case for conceptualising teacher collaboration as an opportunity for shared teacher learning. Using a sociocultural theoretical lens, this study examines how three pairs of elementary teachers and ESOL specialists used and constructed tools for collaboration, which mediated and made visible teachers' learning processes. Employing interpretive enquiry and cross-case analysis, we examined data from classroom observations, teacher co-planning sessions and interviews with teachers. Findings demonstrated that collaborating teachers used tools to articulate and reconceptualise teaching goals, co-construct knowledge and ultimately transform teaching practices to meet the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse students. This study has implications for teacher education and ongoing professional development, by shedding light on the potential affordances of collaborative tools for teacher learning. Findings suggest that teacher education could harness these opportunities for learning by incorporating collaboration between ESOL specialists and content-area teachers as an integral part of preparing more qualified teachers to work with culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Preparing Content Teachers to Work with Multilingual Students

“…In fact, it appears that collaboration among educators (teachers, coaches, and learning communities) is a promising approach for our field. Several studies document positive outcomes for such collaborations, all focused on improved planning and practice for content teachers working with multilingual students (e.g., Baecher, Knoll, & Patti, 2016;Chien, 2013;Martin-Beltrán & Peercy, 2014;Peercy, Martin-Beltrán, Silverman, & Nunn, 2015;Rodríguez, Abrego, & Rubin, 2014;Russell, 2014). Additionally, Jimenez-Silva and Olson (2012) found teacher learning communities to be valuable for supporting pre-service teacher learning about working with multilingual learners.…”

Supporting Teachers of English Language Learners at a Turnaround School

“…The teachers also stated a desire to have opportunities to exchange ideas about strategies to use in their classrooms. Martin‐Beltran and Peercy () support this suggestion by stating that collaboration framed as shared teacher learning can be facilitated through the use of tools such as rubrics, assessments, curriculum guides, lesson plans, and collaborative dialogue. This time for collaborative dialogue will allow teachers to negotiate their implementation of the curriculum in the ELD block and make appropriate adaptations to meet students' needs (Pease‐Alvarez et al., ).…”

“…This schoolwide focus means that efficacy throughout the school will increase along with individual perceptions of efficacy (Téllez & Manthey, ). This is because teacher learning tends to increase through collaborative measures (Martin‐Beltran & Peercy, ). Four of the five participants indicated that ELL instructional practices should be integrated throughout the school day.…”

“…Collaboration regarding ELL needs throughout the day will place a stronger value on ELLs, and a shared responsibility for their success will result (Brooks et al., ). In fact, a shared responsibility for students has been shown to result in higher levels of success (Martin‐Beltran & Peercy, ; Smith et al., ). In a school with a history of low performance, developing and maintaining a shared responsibility for the success of ELLs should be the ideal goal.…”

Co-teaching within diversity: A disruptive productive source of professional development

“…Graziano and Navarrete 2012;Martin-Beltran and Peercy 2014;Plank 2011) but also as a factor of job satisfaction and increase in motivation(Birrell and Bullough Jr. 2005). Many teachers across different countries and disciplines reported feeling energised and reinvigorated as a result of co-teaching (Plank 2011; Graziano and Navarrete 2012).…”