“You’re Not an Island”: A Middle Grades Language Arts Teacher’s Changed Perceptions in ESL and Content Teachers’ Collaboration

Amanda Giles,Bedrettin Yazan

doi:10.1080/19404476.2020.1724045

Abstract

Building on previous studies of ESL and content teachers’ collaboration, this qualitative case study relied on Davies and Harré’s positioning theory as a theoretical lens to examine the influences that collaboration between an ESL teacher and a language arts teacher had on the language arts teacher’s approach to planning for and teaching ESL students. Data collection included three audio recorded semi-structured interviews, two video recorded collaborative planning sessions, two reflective journals written by the language arts teacher, document analysis of the created lesson plan documents, and field notes. The findings showed that the language arts teacher changed her perceptions about the content teacher’s role, lesson plan design, and her views about ESL students while working in collaboration with an ESL teacher. These findings implicate the potential for ESL and content teachers’ collaboration to be a space to challenge the content teachers’ accepted notions about language instruction for ESL students and highlight the ESL teacher’s strengthened role in the collaborative partnership. Further, this study warrants further exploration into ESL and content teachers’ collaboration in middle school content classrooms.

Highlights

IntroductionThere is a need for researchers to examine English as a second language (ESL) and content teachers’ multiple and complex roles because these roles influence how teachers engage in collaboration (DelliCarpini, 2018; Dove & Honigsfeld, 2018)
Middle level scholars have recently called for increased attention to the needs of diverse learners (Graham, Wenzel, Linder, & Rice, 2018; Hurd, Harrison, Brinegar, & Kennedy, 2018), and prior research has highlighted the isolation of English as a second language (ESL) teachers in middle grades (Virtue, 2005, 2010)
We discuss the ways Emily changed her perceptions about lesson design, her role as the content teacher, and her views of ESL students as a consequence of negotiations in collaboration

Summary

Introduction

There is a need for researchers to examine ESL and content teachers’ multiple and complex roles because these roles influence how teachers engage in collaboration (DelliCarpini, 2018; Dove & Honigsfeld, 2018). Such analysis is needed in the middle grades because collaborative practices are fundamental to effective middle level schools (Association for Middle Level Education, 2010). As the content and ESL teachers engage in collaborative planning and teaching, they work together to provide equitable learning outcomes for ESL students in the content classroom (Giles & Yazan, 2019; Peercy, Martin-Beltrán, Yazan, & DeStefano, 2017)

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion