Social Practices in Higher Education - A Knowledge Framework Approach to Linguistic Research and Teaching - Tammy Slater
Opportunities and Challenges of the Knowledge Framework for In-service Teacher Development: A Case Study
Social Practices in Higher Education - A Knowledge Framework Approach to Linguistic Research and Teaching - Tammy Slater
Jingzi Huang [+]
University of Northern Colorado
Margaret Berg [+]
University of Northern Colorado
Description
The growth of interest among teachers and schools seeking professional development that focuses on English Language Learners is a pressing challenge for the field of teacher education. Existing studies suggest that 1) there is a need to develop culturally responsive and linguistically sensitive teachers in order to facilitate emerging bilingual students’ academic success; 2) existing research is limited on how teachers developed knowledge and skills in order to integrate language and content instruction for ESL students; 3) studies that recognize the importance of linguistic sensitivity in teacher professional development are extremely limited in their scope and do not cover school subject content areas; and, 4) few studies connect teacher professional development effort to its impact on student performance. This chapter addresses the gap in both research and practice in teacher education by examining an in-service teacher development project in a variety of school contexts, including math, science, and social studies instruction where teachers typically do not see students’ language development as their responsibility. The study, employing a mixed-methods approach to analyze the process of teacher development and document changes over time, examines the impact of the KF as a linguistically sensitive approach to teacher development on teachers’ instructional practice and student performance in schools. The qualitative and quantitative evidence provided by the project strengthens the argument for the importance of incorporating culturally responsive and linguistically sensitive pedagogy into all teacher development programs. The findings shed light on opportunities and challenges with the use of the KF for in-service regular classroom teacher development.