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Barrera, R. B., & Jiménez, R.T. (2000). Literacy instruction for bilingual Latino
students: Teachers’ experiences and knowledge. Washington, D. C.: Office for
Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs.
To date, the on-going debate concerning beginning reading instruction primarily
has involved federal government officials and selected reading researchers
without including teachers’ voices. In this report, we present the results of a series
of focus group interviews with teachers of Latino children in three urban centers
with significant Latino representation: Chicago, El Paso, Washington DC. We
approached this task from a critical educational and a literacy sociocultural stance.
Thirty K-5 teachers from three school districts with an extensive record of
innovation in bilingual education participated in this research. We employed a
semi-structured interview protocol that probed teachers’ perspectives on five
pre-determined domains: curriculum, instruction, assessment, home-school
connections, and research. For each data set, the two researchers jointly read the
transcript to identify key topics that fell within and outside of the five domains.
As a result of our analysis, we concluded that our participating teachers rejected
the widespread belief that the literacy education of Latino students is an
intractable problem requiring services of a remedial nature. Far from obsessing
about instructional methods, they explicitly stated that they were ready and
willing to “do whatever it takes” to make sure their students succeed. As a result
they crafted learning experiences that were coherent, developmentally appropriate,
and culturally responsive. In other words, their approach was oriented towards
future learning, not reteaching irrelevant and useless skills. In their words, the
ultimate goal was to create “better people” not just students who could pass tests
Barwell, R. (2005). Integrating language and content: Issues from the mathematics
classroom. Linguistics and Education, 16(2), 205-218.
Research into the teaching and learning of language and content in mainstream
classrooms research tends to treat content as a fixed body of knowledge to be
reconstructed by learners. There is little research which seeks to understand how
language and the curriculum are constructed and related in interaction by learners.
In this paper, I report anaylysis of data from a recent study into the participation
of students learning English as an additional language (EAL) in mainstream
mathematics classrooms in the UK. As part of the study, pairs of students were
asked to write and solve mathematical word problems together, an activity taken
from their mathematics lessons. Analysis of students' interaction based on ideas
from discursive psychology reveals how students' learning encompasses both
mathematics and language learning, in the context, however, of significant
identity and relationship work. Further analysis explores how these discursive
practices relate to the kind of mathematics and language the students learn. Based
on this analysis, I argue that there is a need for a more explicitly reflective model
of the relationship between content, language and learning.
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Bollin, G. G. (2007). Preparing teachers for Hispanic immigrant children: A service
learning approach. Journal of Latinos and Education, 6(2), 177-189.
One response to the need to prepare future teachers as multicultural educators is
to use service learning with an immigrant population as part of a teacher
education program. This article documents the impact of a project that engaged
preservice teachers in tutoring struggling young English language learners.
Content analysis was used at the thematic level on student journals written to
accompany the semester-long experience of tutoring. Overall, the preservice
teachers gained an understanding of the challenges facing the immigrant families,
developed respect for the families' home cultures, and gained confidence in their
ability to teach children from diverse backgrounds.
Byrnes, D. A., Kiger, G., & Lee Manning, M. (1997). Teachers' attitudes about
language diversity. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13(6), 637-644.
This paper addresses regular-classroom teachers' attitudes toward language
diversity and linguistically diverse students. We examined salient contextual
variables hypothesized in the research literature to be associated with language
attitudes-experience with linguistically diverse students, region of the country,
formal training in second-language learning, graduate education, and grade level
taught. The respondents (N = 191) were teachers selected from three states:
Arizona, Utah, and Virginia. Our findings show that region of the country,
experience working with language-minority children, a completed graduate
degree, and formal training were related to positive language attitudes. These
findings are discussed in relation to strategies for attitude change in teachers.
Focus: Elementary and Secondary Teachers
Coady, M., Hamann, E. T., Harrington, M., Pho, S., & Yedlin, J. (2007). Successful
schooling for ELLs: Principles for building responsive learning environments.
In Verplaetse, L. S., & Migliacci, N. (Eds.), Inclusive Pedagogy for English
Language Learners: A Handbook of Research-Informed Practices (pp.
245-255). New York: Lawrence Erlbaum.
This article suggests principles for building and ELL-Responsive learning
environment in schooling by considering mutual cooperation among all people
and resources included in schooling. The principles are 1) School leaders,
administrators, and educators recognize that educating ELLs is the responsibility
of the entire school staff. 2) Educators recognize the heterogeneity of the student
population that is collectively labeled as "ELL" and are able to vary their
responses to the needs of different learners. 3) The school climate and general
practice reinforce the principle that students' languages and cultures are resources
for further learning. 4) There are strong and seamless links connecting home,
school, and community. 5) ELLS have equitable access to all school resources and
programs. 6) Teachers have high expectations for ELLs. 7) Teachers are properly
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prepared and willing to teach ELLs. 8) Language and literacy are infused
throughout the educational process, including curriculum and instruction. 9)
Assessment is authentic, credible to learners and instructors, and takes into
account first- and second-language literacy development. Focus: K-12
De Jong, E. J., & Harper, C. A. (2007). ESL is good teaching ‘plus’: Preparing
standard curriculum teachers for all learners. In Brisk, M. E. (Ed.), Language,
Culture, and Community in Teacher Education (pp.127-148). Mahwah, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.
The authors discuss how the perspective of "Just good teaching" implies the
hidden biases and invisibility to teach English language learners who have
culturally and linguistically different backgrounds under the standard curriculum
by showing language and cultural practices in classroom. They point out the
importance of teacher education for both ESL and standard curriculum teachers to
provide prepared and effective teaching for all students.
Griffin, N. E. (2008). Elementary teachers' perceptions and attitudes toward the
inclusion of English language learners in mainstream classrooms (Doctoral
dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest. (Accession No. 3307299)
The primary purpose of this study was to examine elementary teachers'
perceptions and attitudes toward the "inclusion" of ELLs in mainstreamed
classrooms. Other purposes of the study examined (1) the teachers' perceptions
and attitudes toward ELL language acquisition, (2) class modifications, (3) the
ELL time constraints, (4) professional training and support, and (5) the overall
educational environment resulting from ELL inclusion. This study utilized an
"Integrative Research Design." Both quantitative and qualitative inquiries were
employed. The quantitative aspect was descriptive. The survey instrument in this
study was developed by Dr. Jenelle Reeves from the University of Nebraska.
Open-ended questions were used to serve two purposes in this research: (1) to
allow participants to expand or clarify their responses in the survey and (2) to
identify any attitudes and perceptions the survey did not address (Reeves, 2002).
The population for this research consisted of 14 elementary schools within the
Rutherford County School district in Middle Tennessee. There were 437
participants (elementary classroom teachers) in the research study. The researcher
used the SAS Statistical software (SAS(TM), SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA)
for all data analysis. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the survey
responses for the normality of distributions. If the data was normally distributed,
parametric statistics were used to test the null hypotheses. For null hypotheses 1-6,
t tests were used to reveal whether or not mainstreamed teachers had positive
attitudes toward ELL students. Additionally, the General Linear Model procedure
was used to perform the MANOVA test. The MANOVA test is the Multivariate
Analysis of Variance, and it allowed comparison of multiple dependent variables
(Mallery, 2006). Elementary mainstreamed teachers had positive attitudes toward
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class modifications, time constraints, educational environment, general attitudes,
and training and support but had negative attitudes about having adequate ELL
training. Also, elementary mainstreamed teachers had negative attitudes toward
second language acquisition. Finally, the research showed that new teachers were
more positive about all of the variables than experienced teachers, and females
were more positive than males.
Hart, J. E., & Lee, O. (2003). Teacher professional development to improve the
science and literacy achievement of English language learners. Bilingual
Research Journal, 27(3), 475-501.
This paper describes the results of a teacher professional development
intervention aimed at enabling teachers to promote science and literacy
achievement for culturally and linguistically diverse elementary students. This
paper has two objectives: (a) to examine teachers' initial beliefs and practices
about teaching English language and literacy in science and (b) to examine the
impact of the intervention on teachers' beliefs and practices. The research
involved 53 third- and fourth-grade teachers at six elementary schools in a large
school district with a highly diverse student population. The results of these
first-year professional development efforts, which form part of a 3-year
longitudinal design, indicate that at the end of the year, teachers expressed more
elaborate and coherent conceptions of literacy in science instruction. In addition,
they provided more effective linguistic scaffolding in an effort to enhance
students' understanding of science concepts. The results also suggest that teachers
require continuing support in the form of professional development activities in
order to implement and maintain reform-oriented practices that promote the
science and literacy achievement of culturally and linguistically diverse students.
Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
Hudspath-Niemi, H. S. (2008). Historical case analysis of ESL staff development for
mainstream content area teachers in a Pennsylvania school district (Doctoral
dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest. (Accession No. 3315393)
This study is an analytical critique of English as a second language (ESL) staff
development based on an informed understanding of the field of teacher training
that considers the diversity within perceptions and perspectives of the
stakeholders. The importance of context will be explored in the district's ESL staff
development programs from 2000-2005; in order to evaluate the future needs in
mainstream teacher training. The research sites include an elementary, middle and
a high school located in western Pennsylvania. The district experienced an
increase in English language learners (ELLs) over the past ten years (3,061%).
Data analyses consisted of document analysis, a teacher focus group, and
administrator interviews that concluded the success or failure of any ESL staff
development initiative is contingent upon the collaboration between
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administrators and teacher, who conduct the district in a bureaucratic linear model.
The documents identified seven critical ESL themes: strategies of instruction,
second language acquisition, role of culture, affective concerns, Bloom's
taxonomy, ESL program and policy, and ESL standards. Administrator interviews
revealed an expectation for teachers to be responsible and self-sufficient
professionals who can implement initiatives in order to individualize instruction
for ELLs. The teacher focus group revealed a level of frustration with the
bureaucratic constraints of the institution that lacks collaboration, time, and
communication between stakeholders. Overall, the triangulation of the data
reveals that there are inconsistencies between explicit statements in the data and
the actualities that occur in the district. First and foremost is the "illusion of
teacher training." Secondly, the triangulation of the data reveals inequities within
the power relations and lack of consistent collaboration between the
administrators and the teachers. Focus: K-12
Karabenick, S. A., & Noda, P. A. C. (2004). Professional development implications
of teachers' beliefs and attitudes toward English language learners. Bilingual
Research Journal, 28(1), 55-75.
Research-based professional development is essential for districts and teachers
across the nation that face the challenge of providing a quality education for
increasingly diverse student populations. In this study, the researchers surveyed
729 teachers in one midwestern suburban district recently impacted by high
numbers of immigrant and refugee English language learners (ELLs) about the
teachers' beliefs, attitudes, practices, and needs related to ELLs. Results focused
on: (a) overall trends and typical responses and (b) differences between teachers
with more positive attitudes versus those with less positive attitudes toward
having ELLs in their classes. In general, teachers held positive attitudes toward
ELLs, bilingual education, and bilingualism; however, there was considerable
variability, with sizeable proportions of teachers holding less supportive beliefs,
attitudes, and practices. Teachers more accepting of ELLs in their classes were
more likely to believe that an ELL's first language proficiency promotes school
performance and does not impede learning a second language; bilingualism and
bilingual education are beneficial; ELLs should be tested in their first language;
lack of fluency in the second language does not imply lack of comprehension; and
ELLs do not consume additional teacher time or district resources. Results also
showed that teachers with more favorable attitudes toward ELLs tended to take a
mastery versus a performance (or competitive) approach to instruction, and had a
higher self-efficacy for teaching ELLs. Based on the results of this study, the
authors discuss implications for professional development. Focus: K-12
Lee, O., & Luykx, A. (2005). Dilemmas in scaling up innovations in elementary
science instruction with nonmainstream students. American Educational
Research Journal, 42(3), 411-438.
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In the climate of standards-based instruction and accountability, scaling up
educational innovations is necessary to bring about system-wide improvements.
As a result of fundamental tensions involving effective educational policies and
practices for diverse student groups, scaling up is especially challenging in
multilingual, multicultural, and inner-city settings. In this article, grounded in the
instructional congruence framework, the authors highlight the challenges facing
schools and teachers in articulating science disciplines with nonmainstream
students' linguistic and cultural experiences while also promoting English
language and literacy. Rigorous attention to such challenges is needed to make
scaling up of educational interventions more effective and to answer the question
of what constitutes "best policies and practices" for diverse student groups.
Mahn, H., McMann, D., & Musant, S. (2005). Teaching/Learning Centers:
Professional development for teachers of linguistically and culturally diverse
students. Language Arts, 82(5), 378-87.
Part of a special issue on professional development. A Teaching/Learning Centers
professional development model was piloted in five elementary schools. Through
the pilot project, classrooms were set up as teaching/learning centers. Within the
resulting collegial school communities, teachers taught teachers as they developed
instruction for first and second language learners. Lessons learned and challenges
addressed are outlined.
Menken, K., & Antunez, B. (2001). An overview of the preparation and certification
of teachers working with limited English proficient (LEP) students.
Washington, D.C.: National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education.
This study combined survey data with qualitative analysis to explore the
pre-service preparation of teachers of English language learners (ELLs). The
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education disseminated surveys to
member institutions and Web site users, examining the breadth and depth of
preparation programs for such teachers. The National Clearinghouse for Bilingual
Education compared survey findings to its analysis of both state level bilingual
education teacher licensure requirements and the content of courses required by
institutions for degrees/licensure in bilingual education. Licensure and course
requirements were categorized by areas of knowledge, revealing that while
typically emphasizing the areas of pedagogy and cultural/linguistic diversity,
linguistics received less emphasis at both state and institutional levels. There was
great variance in how states mandated requirements for bilingual education
teacher licensure, though state requirements did impact institutions' programming.
Programs varied in the depth of their coverage of areas of knowledge, with
bachelor's programs more likely to cover studies within an area of knowledge
through a broad overview or survey course combining various topics within one
course. Very few higher education institutions offered programs that specifically
prepared bilingual education teachers. Even fewer required preparation for
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mainstream teacher regarding ELL education.
Palmer, B. C., Chen, C-I., Chang, S., & Leclere, J. T. (2006). The impact of
biculturalism on language and literacy development: Teaching Chinese
English language learners. Reading Horizons, 46(4), 239-265.
According to the 2000 United States Census, Americans age five and older who
speak a language other than English at home grew 47 percent over the preceding
decade. This group accounts for slightly less than one in five Americans (17.9%).
Among the minority languages spoken in the United States, Asian-language
speakers, including Chinese and other Asian and Pacific Islander languages, have
increased by more than 75 percent. Further, the proportion of Asian language
speakers having difficulty speaking English has almost doubled (Klein, Bugarin,
Beitranena, & McArthur, 2004). Today, Chinese students are one of the largest
groups of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the U.S. Children of Chinese
immigrants to the U. S. face linguistic, cultural, and academic challenges. For
teachers to be adequately prepared to design and implement instruction for
Chinese ELLs, they must have an understanding of this population, the language
differences between Chinese and English, and the most effective strategies for
scaffolding language and literacy success. This article highlights two Chinese
second-graders and their unique educational needs in order to provide insight and
implications for instructing Chinese ELLs.
Ramos, F. (2005). Spanish teachers' opinions about the use of Spanish in
mainstream English classrooms before and after their first year in California.
Bilingual Research Journal, 29(2), 411-434.
Five Spanish teachers working in California elementary schools participated in
this project. Although they were assigned to teach in mainstream English
programs, they noticed that some of the Latino students in their classrooms were
officially classified as English language learners (ELLs) and, as such, had
difficulties understanding their explanations. This realization led the teachers to
provide these students with additional explanations in Spanish to bridge the
existing language gap. The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine the
teachers' opinions about the role of Spanish in the English acquisition process of
their ELLs and to analyze and compare theft support for several theoretical and
practical principles of native-language instruction before and after theft first year
teaching in California schools. In their responses, the teachers showed support for
the tenets of bilingual education and concurred that theft use of Spanish helped
improve the academic progress, English acquisition, and behavior of their ELLs.
Terrill, M., & Mark, D. L. H. (2000). Pre-service Teachers' Expectations for Schools
with Children of Color and Second-language Learners. Journal of Teacher
Education, 51(2), 149-55.
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Investigated pre-service teachers' expectations for racially and linguistically
diverse students in different school settings. Most respondents were white, with
low comfort and safety levels for schools and communities with children of color.
Most wanted to teach in white, suburban schools; had little experience teaching
minority children; and held significantly different expectations for diverse
students in different school settings.
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