Teacher Study Groups: Persistent Questions in a Promising Approach

Abstract

Education reform and changing demographics of U.S. student population require teachers to rethink classroom practice and collaborate in ways they may never have before. There is a growing consensus that traditional forms of professional development are inadequate for addressing vision of classroom practice required for reform and for confronting challenges that ESL and other content teachers face in including English language learners in reform. Teacher study groups are an alternative to traditional professional development structures in that they provide opportunities for teachers to explore together issues of teaching and learning in linguistically and culturally diverse schools. This article reports on a year-long study of two teacher study groups. The purpose of study was to illuminate complexities of working with teachers in new ways regarding education of English language learners. T he education reform movement in U.S. calls for a revolution in schools: high standards for all students, appropriate assessments and instructional practices, and school-based decision making. These reforms mean that most teachers will have to rethink their practice. They will need to reconstruct their classroom practices and curricula so they are aligned with those high standards and inclusive of English language learners (ELLs). As reform hits schools, ESL teachers will not be merely teaching ESL, nor will content-area teachers merely be teaching content. Reform means that teachers must work effectively within complex culture of school and community, in addition to teaching and collaborating in ways they may have never before experienced. The demands of school reform coincide with changing demographics of U.S. student population. The number of ELLs in U.S. continues to rise. Olsen (1993) reports that between 1985 and 1991 K-12 ELL population increased by 51 percent. The panel on demographic and economic impacts of immigration reports that the Asian and Hispanic populations will increase under any immigration scenario. By year 2050, absolute and relative sizes of their