Preparing English Language Learners for the Mainstream: Academic Language and Literacy Practices in Two Junior High School ESL Classrooms

Abstract

The growing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. K-12 public schools have raised many questions about how to best educate these students. Much of the research on teaching ELLs has discussed the kinds of practices that should be used to increase ELLs' school achievement, but few studies have documented the actual practices that English as a second language (ESL) teachers use to scaffold their students into achieving in mainstream classrooms. This study adds to the literature on the practices of ESL teachers by examining the teaching practices of 2 junior high school ESL teachers as they prepared their intermediate and advanced ELLs to spend their entire school day in mainstream classes. Findings indicate that both teachers engaged in a complex array of practices that helped develop academic language and literacy skills that students needed for participation in mainstream classrooms by (a) attending to mainstream content in their classrooms, (b) teaching students academic language, (c) providing support in students' first language, (d) teaching students explicit reading strategies, and (e) using culturally responsive teaching methods. Implications for practice, future research, and policy include using measures that help teachers approach their instruction with a holistic understanding of students' mainstream academic language and literacy needs.

Teaching for “Real”: Reconciling Explicit Literacy Instruction With Inclusive Pedagogy in a Fourth-Grade Urban Classroom

“…Distinguishing between metaphorical and mechanical knowledge that are both essential for student learning, Knight (2002) suggests that constructivist approaches may be more suited to the former while explicit instruction may be necessary for the latter. Research on supporting ELLs in the mainstream classroom confirms the use of explicit teaching alongside culturally responsive pedagogy (Beck, McKeown, & Kuca, 2013; Lucas, Villegas, & Freedson-Gonzalez, 2008; Peercy, 2011). This literature emphasizes the importance of recognizing the distinction between academic literacy and everyday literacy and supporting ELL’s skills in the latter.…”

Literacy education, reading engagement, and library use in multilingual classes

“…Why study reading engagement? Within educational research, there is a major focus on the teaching and learning of literacy skills, relations between reading and writing, between reading and cognitive development and the impact of socioeconomic and sociocultural background on student reading and achievement (Kempe, Eriksson-Gustavsson, & Samuelsson, 2011;Kırmızı, 2011;Nikolajeva, 2010;Peercy, 2011;Sood & Mistry, 2011) . A recurring theme is the systematic differences in reading achievements between students, depending on their socioeconomic and sociocultural background.…”

University Students’ Beliefs on Communicating Meanings: Justifying the Language Policy

“…English Language Teaching (ELT) as a code to native users has attracted research attention (Helfrich & Bosh, 2011;Pettit, 2011;Baurain, 2011;Nag & Snowling, 2012;Peercy, 2011;Taboada & Rutherford, 2011;Seedhouse, 2010;Howard, 2010). Moreover, research on how English as Foreign Language (EFL) is taught to foreigners living in USA and UK is overwhelming (Ortiz et al, 2011;Safford & Drury, 2013;Li & Walsh, 2012;Fysh, 1990;Palmer, 2011;Parkes & Ruth, 2011;Hashimoto & Lee, 2011;Mumin, 2011;Simon & Taverniers, 2011;Johnson, 2012;Dubetz & de Jong, 2011).…”