Secondary Teacher Attitudes Toward Including English-Language Learners In Mainstream Classrooms

Reeves, J. (2006).  Secondary Teacher Attitudes Toward Including English-Language Learners In Mainstream Classrooms.  The Journal of Educational Research, 99(3), 131-143.  Retrieved October 30, 2014, from JSTOR Journals.

This article focuses on teacher attitudes towards including English Learners in the mainstream classroom, modifying materials for ELLs, and professional development in the area of teaching English Learners.

The research suggested that teachers experience anxiety about ELLs in the classroom because it may increase their workload, they may not have enough time to serve the students well, and that teachers may feel inadequately qualified to teach these students,  The literature review also demonstrated that many teachers either don't know how, don't have time, or aren't willing to make accommodations necessary to facilitate appropriate tasks in the classroom.  Over 70% of teachers felt they "did not have enough time to deal with the needs of ESL students" (136).  This finding is huge in that it displays how overwhelmed teachers feel.  The preliminary study implied that teachers weren't interested in gaining more knowledge (in a small study), as the felt they were already able to teach all types of students.

When asked if teachers would welcome English Learners into their classroom, 72% agreed and 24% disagreed, while only 64% of teachers felt that including ELLs into the classroom was beneficial and created a positive atmosphere and 23% disagreed.  At the same time, a significant number of teachers reported that they did not necessarily feel that including ELLs was in the best interest of all students.  
In terms of modifications, a majority of teachers did not want students to perceive "unfair" treatment (if an ELL had a modified assignment).  It was also found that teachers did not want to decrease rigor, but know that the language is a problem. This could indicate that teachers simply do not know how to modify assignments correctly.  A majority of teachers felt unprepared or unqualified to work with ELLs (80%), but about half of these teachers were not interested in receiving more training.

When it comes to teachers' understanding of language acquisition, 39% thought that students should discontinue native-language use while in school, and 71% felt that students should be able to acquire English within 2 years in the U.S.  Both of these ideas are widely known as inaccurate, with much research behind the process of language acquisition

The most important findings of this study were that a discrepancy exists between teachers general attitudes toward ELL inclusion and specific aspects of teaching ELLs, teachers were concerned about equitability between students when modifications were made, teachers seemed ambivalent towards professional development, and teachers hold misperceptions on language development.

The study also found that with the combined lack of training and no extra planning time, teachers may experience feelings of inadequacy and even resentment when needing to work with beginners.

The article also notes that it appears teachers want to be positive and inclusive, but that their reality is not this simple.  Managing a mixed-ability and mixed-language classroom is difficult, and takes careful planning within the school and classroom.

Reflection #3

While reading Teacher Professional Development to Improve Sciences and Literacy Achievement of English Language Learners I became very aware of what type of professional development the teachers in my school may need.  I will be focusing on how I can best help teachers in general education classrooms serve English Learners, thus this article was very insightful.  It emphasized content area professional development.  It does seem somewhat natural for PD within the science, math, or social sciences departments to be held separately, because language functions much differently in each area, but I hadn't thought of grouping PD in this manner.  I was thinking of doing some SIOP professional development with the entire staff, but now I am re-thinking the time, place, and setting of this opportunity.  I could possibly do some work with staff during their department meetings.  Very exciting!

Teacher Professional Development to Improve Science and Literacy Achievement of English Language Learners

Lee, O., Buxton, C. (2013).  Teacher Professional Development to Improve Science and Literacy Achievement of English Language Learners. Theory Into Practice, 52 (2), 110-117. Retrieved October 22, 2014, from Education Resources Education Center.


This article discusses the teaching of science, specifically, to English Learners.  It first covers science teachers' current knowledge of practices in teaching science, current professional development in this area, best practices for teaching science to ELs, and current policies relating to teaching science to ELLs.  
First of all, the school-aged population in the U.S. has been increasingly diverse in culture and language throughout the past 20 years.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "the number of school-age children (5-17) who spoke a language other than English at home rose from 4.7 to 11.2 million between 1989 and 2009, or from 10% to 21% of the population in this age range" (111).  English Learners are charged with the responsibility of learning a new language and content simultaneously, which can be overwhelming for students.  Teachers, consequently, are required to teach content and language in their content classes.  As Lee and Buxton note, "a majority of teachers working with ELLS believe that they are not adequately prepared to meet their students' content-specific learning needs (Janzen, 2008; Lee, 2005)" (111).  This demonstrates the need for professional development of general education teachers.  

Lee and Buxton report that teachers "need a conceptual understanding of the subject matter they are required to teach."  Teachers should activate prior knowledge, and utilize inquiry practices and encourage questions.  The article notes five domains in which effective teachers support ELs.  These include content area literacy strategies, language support, discourse with ELs, home language support, and cultural connections.  

In terms of professional development, the article discusses core features including content focus, active learning, coherence, sufficient duration, and collective participation.  The most influential PD included development that was relevant to specific content areas, and included active learning, planning, and discussion among a department, but was also part of a larger, coherent school-wide plan for ELs.  This professional development should also span a sufficient amount of time and include teachers from the same school, department, or grade level, emphasizing common goals, instructional materials, and a healthy exchange of ideas.  

Lastly, national educational policy surrounding science has often been unclear.  Students are required to take high-stakes tests in the areas of math and English, but science is often left unmeasured.  Currently, policy shifts are taking place, but the outcomes are uncertain.  The new Next Generation Science Standards will have unknown policy implications.  In order for ELs to have sufficient AYP in these new measures, they will need to have instruction that teaches content and language simultaneously, asking much more of our instructors.  With this challenge ahead, much more research is necessary to find the needed solutions, practices, and methods to teach science effectively to English Learners.