Preparing teachers to create a mainstream science classroom conducive to the needs of English‐language learners: A feminist action research project

Abstract

A feminist action research team, which consisted of a science educator, an English‐language learner (ELL) educator, a first‐year science teacher, and a graduate assistant, set a goal to work together to explore the process a beginning teacher goes through to establish a classroom conducive to the needs of middle‐level ELL learners. The guiding questions of the study were answered by gathering a wealth of data over the course of 5 months and taken from the classroom, planning sessions, and researchers and students. These data were collected by observations, semistructured interviews, and written document reviews. The progressive analysis ultimately revealed that: (a) successful strategies a beginning teacher must utilize for teaching middle‐level ELL children in a mainstream classroom involve complex structural considerations that are not part of the teacher's preparation; (b) learning increases for all children, but there are differences in learning achievement between ELL and non‐ELL children; and (c) student and peer feedback proved to be an effective means of enhancing the growth of a beginning teacher seeking to increase her skills in teaching ELL learners. The experiences and findings from this project have implications for teacher preparation programs committed to preparing educators to teach science to all children. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 42: 1013–1031, 2005

Teacher Preparedness for a Changing Demographic of Language Learners

“…Reflective practice leads to the reinterpretation of teaching, thinking, and interactions with ELLs (Barnes, 2006;Buck et al, 2005;Cruz & Patterson, 2005;Farrell, 2006). This component is oversimplified in many programs as a passive and superficial exercise, but in fact through reflective practice, PTs can explore their effect and role in the education system (Barnes; Dorrington & Ramirez-Smith, 1999;Farrell).…”

“…This process contributes significantly to their learning, but is often overlooked in the curriculum. Discussing with colleagues is a required skill; classroom teachers will need to collaborate with other professionals in order to create classrooms conducive to the needs of children, including ELLs (Buck et al, 2005; Emporia State University). VOL.…”

“…As immigration increases, the English-language learners (ELLs) will become increasingly common in regular classrooms. ELLs are the fastest growing segment of elementary students (Antunez, 2002;Buck, Mast, Ehlers, & Franklin, 2005;Harper & de Jong, 2004). The need to prepare teachers better for working with ELLs is widely recognized (Taylor & Sobel, 2003).…”

“…The need to prepare teachers better for working with ELLs is widely recognized (Taylor & Sobel, 2003). Studies have concluded that teachers graduating from edu-cation programs do not have the strategies necessary for simultaneous support of both academic content development and English-language growth (Buck et al;Evans, Arnot-Hopffer, & Jurich, 2005;Waxman & Téllez, 2002). These teachers enter the field with limited cross-cultural knowledge and understanding of classroom challenges (Barnes, 2006;Buck et al;Dorrington & Ramirez-Smith, 1999;Harper & de Jong;Taylor & Sobel), and teachers are taught to understand diversity merely in terms of celebrations and the appreciation of differences.…”

“…These teachers enter the field with limited cross-cultural knowledge and understanding of classroom challenges (Barnes, 2006;Buck et al;Dorrington & Ramirez-Smith, 1999;Harper & de Jong;Taylor & Sobel), and teachers are taught to understand diversity merely in terms of celebrations and the appreciation of differences. With limited knowledge, teachers are susceptible to misinterpreting the capabilities of ELLs (Buck et al;McLaughlin, 1992), and ineffectual core courses yield low inclusion competence and low levels of ELL sensitivity, leading to premature assumptions and blinders with respect to the assets that ELLs bring to the learning of all children (Pappamihiel, 2004).Many Ontario faculties of education are responding to the need to prepare future teachers for a rapidly growing population of ELLs in the regular classroom, but the effectiveness of these programs is unclear. One way to assess the effect of such programs is to explore the perceptions of recent graduates regarding their self-efficacy and training.…”