Educator Perceptions of English Language Learners

Abstract

This article explores educator perceptions of gifted and talented (GT) English language learning (ELL) students. Nine educators from two schools within a school district with high population of ELL students were interviewed in this qualitative study. Discussion focused on understanding teachers’ ideas regarding ELL gifted students. Three main themes emerged from interviews: educator perceptions, identification, and professional development. Implications from the study include the need for specific professional development to restructure thinking regarding ELL students and to inform educators on the myriad of ways giftedness may manifest itself.

(Re)Imagining Multilingual Learners: Using Photo Stories to Honor Students’ Strengths, Interests, and Experiences

“…Thus, schools can become sites of struggle for multilingual learners instead of sites of boundless opportunities (Lee & Anderson, 2009). Teacher perceptions are critical to developing students' potential (Szymanski & Lynch, 2020). Photo stories are one strategy Paynter and Arnett (2018) briefly mentioned in an article previously published in GATESOL in Action Journal that teachers can use to counteract deficit thinking.…”

Leveraging Co-Teaching as a Social Justice Pedagogy: What School Leaders Need to Know

“…Students of color and emerging multilingual students, both neurotypical and those with exceptionalities, often experience low expectations from teachers and are often segregated and disproportionately assigned to low-level instructional tracks regardless of interest or demonstrated ability; both groups are more likely to be identified as disabled without substantiation or overlooked for Gifted and Talented programs. Students of color, particularly in high poverty schools, are more frequently taught by teachers who are unqualified in key content areas (Ahram & Fergus, 2011; Garver, 2020; Gershenson et al, 2016; Copur-Gencturk et al, 2020; Fernandez & Inserra, 2013; Matheny et al, 2023; McCardle, 2020; National Council on Disability, 2018; Szymanski & Lynch, 2020). Emerging multilingual learners frequently spend significant portions of their days segregated from their English-speaking peers, often taught by teachers who lack training in language acquisition and who sometimes provide instruction more suited to students with language disabilities (Fernandez & Inserra, 2013; Frattura & Capper, 2006; Hammond, 2015; Quintera et al, 2017).…”