Engaging in argument and communicating information: A case study of english language learners and their science teacher in an urban high school

Abstract

This study documents how an urban high school science teacher engaged her English Language Learners (ELLs) in the discourse‐intensive science and engineering practices of (1) arguing from evidence and (2) obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information. The teacher taught an introductory integrated science course to classes with a large percentage (44%) of students who spoke Spanish as their first language. We investigated the instructional strategies this teacher used to support her ELLs in the practices of argumentation and communication, and the ways ELLs constructed and communicated claims, evidence, and reasons in whole class and small group settings as a result. From qualitative analyses of teacher interviews, classroom interactions, and student products, we found that the teacher routinely implemented three types of instructional supports to help ELL students argue from evidence and communicate information: primary language support (although she herself was not fluent in Spanish), deliberate scaffolds, and small group instruction. Further, given these multiple opportunities for engagement, we found that ELLs experienced both successes and challenges participating in class, crafting arguments from evidence, and reading and producing written texts: While ELL students constructed aspects of arguments in small groups, the substance of their discussions was not necessarily reflected in their whole class participation or written products. Taken together, our findings emphasize the need to more closely attend to the teaching and learning of discourse in science. We end with ways to strengthen both research on and teaching of science for ELLs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 51: 31–64, 2014

Interaction rituals and inquiry‐based science instruction: Analysis of student participation in small‐group investigations in a multilingual classroom

“…Many classrooms throughout the world are experiencing shifts in the number of students who speak languages in addition to, or other than, the language of instruction (e.g., Camarota, ). In these classrooms, plurilingual students are positioned to learn science through language competencies that they are still developing (Swanson, Bianchini, & Lee, ). This presents educators with the challenge of constructing learning opportunities that support participation for a range of learners and presents students who are language learners with the challenge of building science understandings while simultaneously building language skills (Lemke, ).…”

Gesticulating science: Emergent bilingual students’ use of gestures

“…Taken together, studies have shown how bilingual students' proficiency in the language of instruction result in limited possibilities to learn science (Dutro & Moran, 2003;Honeycutt et al, 2014;Lyon, Bunch, & Shaw, 2012;€ Unsal et al, 2016€ Unsal et al, , 2017. A relevant question to ask then is how to use other resources besides the language of instruction to support bilingual students (Hammond & Gibbons, 2005;Kamberelis & Wehunt, 2012).…”

Mitigating the effect of language in the assessment of science: A study of English‐language learners in primary classrooms in the United Kingdom

“…The author argues that without this, learners’ understanding of key subject‐specific vocabulary, and hence their ability to talk about the subject, may remain underdeveloped. Swanson et al (), however, report that fluent ENSs are nearly three times more likely to participate in whole class conversations than ELLs. Robinson () also suggests that such low participation may be due to limited English vocabulary preventing ELLs from producing active oral contributions.…”

“…This is despite extensive evidence showing that restricting use of ELLs' native language can hamper learners' understanding of important concepts (Bunyi, 1999;Cleghorn, Merritt, & Abagi, 1989), while its use can help develop learners' subject-specific knowledge (Garcia & Stein, 1997;Ryu, 2015). Awareness among teachers of the potential benefits of using ELLs' native language, however, remains low (Swanson et al, 2014).…”

“…Unfortunately, the assessment data to date, both national and international, shows that learners who are educated through the medium of a nonnative language still tend to perform less well than their ENS peers (Swanson, Bianchini, & Lee, ; Lyon, Bunch, & Shaw, ; Strand, Malmberg, & Hall, ). The reasons behind this underperformance of ELLs across the curriculum are complex and likely to include linguistic, cultural, and social effects, see Lee () for a thorough review.…”