Mainstream First-Grade Teachers' Understanding of Strategies for Accommodating the Needs of English Language Learners

Autor/inn/en	Hite, Clare E.; Evans, Linda S.
Titel	Mainstream First-Grade Teachers' Understanding of Strategies for Accommodating the Needs of English Language Learners
Quelle	In: Teacher Education Quarterly, 33 (2006) 2, S.89-110 (22 Seiten) PDF als Volltext (1); PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei (2) Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0737-5328
Schlagwörter	Educational Strategies; Literacy Education; Language of Instruction; Testing; Second Language Learning; Student Needs; Language Teachers; Grade 1; Minority Groups; English (Second Language); High Stakes Tests; Qualitative Research; Teaching Methods; Elementary School Teachers; Native Speakers + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Lehrstrategie; Teaching language; Unterrichtssprache; Testdurchführung; Testen; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Language teacher; Sprachunterricht; School year 01; 1. Schuljahr; Schuljahr 01; Ethnische Minderheit; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Qualitative Forschung; Teaching method; Lehrmethode; Unterrichtsmethode; Elementary school; Teacher; Teachers; Grundschule; Volksschule; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Muttersprachler
Abstract	In this time of high stakes testing, teachers' working with English Language Learners (ELLs) becomes a high-stakes teaching act. Nationally, mandated testing is increasing in the schools even as school demographics are changing. The growing numbers of language-minority students come with varying levels of English proficiency, from little or none to fluent bilingualism. Teachers find it difficult to bring all their native-English-speaking children along to an acceptable level of performance in literacy and content-area subjects; ELLs present an even greater challenge, particularly for the elementary mainstream classroom teachers who are the primary language teachers for most young ELLs, yet typically have little training in ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) methods. This qualitative study explores how 22 teachers at one grade level perceived the use of instructional strategies for delivering basic subject areas and basic ESOL instruction. Recognizing that first grade is a critical year in children's language and literacy development, the authors chose to focus on that grade. The study has three major conclusions. First, the strategies for teaching literacy and content material to first-grade students--developmental, meaning-based, inter-disciplinary, experiential approaches--are compatible with strategies for teaching language, literacy and content to ELL students. Secondly, these teachers held very positive feelings about, and high expectations of, their ELL students. The third conclusion is that teachers clearly found benefits from student-student interaction, even though they report spending a significant amount of time in whole-class instruction. (Contains 1 table.) (ERIC).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10