Preparing Secondary Science Teachers to Teach Linguistically Diverse Students

Abstract

Preparing all students to develop their science capabilities and succeed in twenty-first-century information-based technological contexts is of paramount importance. The performance of US students on international and national science assessments continues to receive much public attention. Results from national US science assessments continue to show persistent achievement gaps between English-speaking and non-English-speaking students such as English learners (ELs). In addition, the integration of discipline-specific literacy in science teaching and learning that is reflected in current educational reforms presents unique challenges to ELs and their teachers. Science teachers require learning how to meet the academic and specialized literacy demands of upper-grade level science for all students. This is especially important as engaging and learning science in a second language creates unique issues that are different from engaging and learning in a familiar language. Initiatives to support preservice and inservice secondary science teachers’ learning to teach all students, including ELs, in the United States were reviewed in this chapter. These initiatives were identified in empirical studies published after 2005 and included (a) three secondary teacher education programs for preservice teachers and (b) three professional development programs designed for inservice teachers. Three challenges related to preparing science teachers to teach all students, including ELs, in secondary grades were identified. Implications from the review for secondary science teacher education were discussed.