Professional Development For Teachers With English Language Learners

The benefits English language learners (ELLs) receive from Guided Reading are the same as all other students. However, when a modified approach is used ELLs benefit the most. Language learning opportunities gained by ELLs are those that native speakers acquire implicitly. Language and literacy learning opportunities including detailed vocabulary instruction, variables concerning second language (L2) text structure, such as semantics, syntax, and morphology are enhanced and enriched by modification. Some researchers have determined that ELLs are not generally ready for English reading instruction until they are intermediate stage of English language acquisition, while others advocate that reading and a second language are best acquired simultaneously (Avalos, Plasencia, Chavez, & Rascon, 2007, 319). In working with ELLs at

Dual language education benefits both English dominant students and English language learners with a goal of helping students to become bilingual, bicultural and biliterate. This paper will explore the Implications of Dual Language Immersion programs in US schools. While dual-language education has existed in the United States for roughly two centuries, and it reached its height of popularity in the 1970s, the use of dual-language education in public schools has declined significantly in recent decades due to legislative actions that have sought to limit its use. When used, dual-language education is generally seen as a way to ensure that non-English-speaking students, or students who are not yet proficient in English, are given equitable opportunities to succeed in and complete their education. While schools and teachers may use a wide variety of dual-language strategies, each with its own specific instructional goals, the programs are typically designed to simultaneously develop English fluency, content knowledge, and academic language—the knowledge, skills, and cultural proficiencies needed to succeed in an academic program.

When an educator walks into her classroom for the first time, she needs to be prepared to encounter students that come from a variety of backgrounds. The children will be in different stages of language development, and the educator must accommodate for each of these students. Magruder, Hayslip, Espinosa, and Matera (2013) state, “The US Census Bureau projects that by the 2030s, children whose home language is other than English will increase from roughly 22 percent to 40 percent of the school-age population” (p. 9). This increase in second language learners will cause the educator to accommodate for those needs. Second language learners “need teachers who welcome them and recognize their unique abilities, what they know, and what they need to learn” (Magruder, Hayslip, Espinosa, and Matera, 2013, p. 10).

According to Flynt and Brozo (2009), “the teacher—more than any other factor—has the greatest influence on student achievement” (as cited in Hattie, 2003). I found that above statement reminded me the importance of effective teaching is an essential component to students’ learning and mastery for such important topics of reading, writing, and speaking. Successful literacy teachers are “knowledgeable about how students learn to read and write, understand how to teach literacy, and are able to respond to the needs of struggling students and those learning English as a new language” (Tompkins, 2017, p.4). Literacy teachers also need to have knowledge of learners, promote equity, fairness, and diversity, establish a community of learners, use a variety of instructional resources and assessments, understand the reciprocal nature of reading and writing, integrate written language with oral and/or visual language, understand the reading and writing processes, teach listening and speaking skills as components of literacy, develop relationships with families/communities, and participate in professional development opportunities (Tompkins, 2017).

This is a very important component in education to be aware of and when you are a teacher. I interviewed a first-grade teacher at my local elementary school to gain more information about the processes that our local schools go through for professional training, interventions, and in the classroom to ensure that students are developing their abilities in reading. My main focus was on what our school’s process was, how support is given, professional training offered, and what more is needed to be done to increase success for students.

In this paper, I will discuss definitions of literacy, review research related to the transfer of literacy skills, and suggest practical applications of research findings of ways Linguistics (L1) support literacy in L2 for individuals learning English as a Second Language (ESL). Further, I will explore instructional practices implemented as L1 is transferred to L2 knowledge-base. As learning practices for L1 and L2 are outlined, cognates of L2 will be demonstrated in this paper for further understanding. In addition, L1 proficiency learners stem from individuals’ first language also known as their “mother language.” L1 can be described in four acquisition stages from the following: (1) babbling (2) one-word (3) two-word (4) string of words

Dr. Franco’s mission is similar to the Latino Educational Achievement Partnership’s mission to enhance children’s literacy with the correct support (FPGCDI, 2017). She Served as Co-Pi in a study funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development focusing on Nuestros Niños Program: Promoting School Readiness for English Language Learners (FPGCDI, 2017). Dr. Franco is now working on research directed towards helping childhood teacher working with dual language learners (FPGCDI, 2017).

Bilingualism in regards to the curriculum, as many conceive, is not implemented solely for students that are lacking proficiency in English, and need to take English as a Second Language (ESL) course, these students are referred to as limited English proficiency (LEP) students. In other nations around the world multilingualism is normal and many students are exposed to three languages that are incorporated into their curriculum (Datta 2003,p.1). Many classrooms incorporate a second language along with English to enhance the lessons being taught with in the activity. There is such a great need for bilingual education as well as ESL classes. There are over 2.1 million public school students in the United States that are LEP students. Thirteen percent of schools that have LEP students enrolled do not offer any programs to help the students with their deficiencies. How can a student be expected to learn if they cannot understand what the teacher is saying? Fortunately the majority of schools that have LEP students do receive either ESL classes or Bilingual education. Among these schools that have programs, seventy-six percent provide ESL programs, and thirty-six percent have Bilingual education. There are only about one-third of public schools that offer both bilingual education and ESL programs (National Center for Educational

In my teaching career it seems that I have intermingled through Snow, Griffin, and Burns’s (2005) model of professional growth that is based on five areas of knowledge- declarative, situated, stable, expert, and reflective (p. 9). I have diverse professional experiences in reading skills and literacy in my nineteen years of teaching. I have taught reading and literacy from kindergarten through adults. As a lifelong learner, I am constantly seeking to increase my knowledge and improve my skills as a teacher of reading and literacy.

Professional development has been described as “ongoing learning opportunities available to teachers and other education personnel through their schools and districts.” (Editorial Projects in Education Research Center, 2011) It is a concept that is very common in the field of education. Some educators participate in it for continuing education requirements, some because it is mandated my administration, and others on a voluntarily basis to enhance their instruction and keep abreast of new best practices. Whatever reason educators have for engaging in professional development opportunities, it is a necessary part of any efforts to improve or reform a school. The CT State Education Resource Center (SERC)

How are the roles of literacy coaches, teachers, and principals changing today in support of professional development and the school learning community? Many literacy coaches are seen as mentors to teachers, model and observe in classrooms, work with study groups and teacher teams, lead

ESL students are at higher risk of academic failure (Correll, 2016; Hernandez, Denton, & Macartney, 2008) and are further expected to be arrested or put in prison than native English speaking students (Correll, 2016; Garcia & Cuellar, 2006). Consequently, the need for teachers to be adequately prepared for recognizing and affirming ESL students’ cultural and linguistic backgrounds and abilities is critical as teachers provide appropriate instructional accommodations (Correll, 2016). To prepare teachers to educate ESL students, educational leaders continue to grapple with implementing effective teaching practices. Significant academic achievement gaps persist between ESL students and native English speaking students (Correll, 2016; Goldenberg, 2010; Short, Fidelman, & Lougit, 2012; Coady, Harper & De Jong, 2016). The adoption of national curriculum standards by most states, the passage of No Child Left Behind (2001) legislation, and increased measures of school accountability at the state level have resulted in a greater focus on the literacy and language development of ESL students. Preparing ESL teachers who can meet the language and literacy needs of ESL students is critical as it is likely that children who do not speak English fluently will be enrolled in these teachers classrooms (Correll, 2016). Yusof, Lazim, and

Over the past decade, many literary studies has emerged on in-service professional development, teacher learning, and teacher change. The research literature includes mixture of studies including intensive case studies of classroom teaching (e.g, Cohen,1990), evaluations of programs designed to improve teaching and learning (e.g., U.S. Department of education 1999), and surveys of teachers about their pre-service preparation and in-service professional development experiences (e.g., Carey &Frechtling , 1997). In addition, there is a considerable amount of literature describing "best practices" in professional development, drawing on expert experiences (e.g.,

Education programs need more prominence to prepare teachers with the experience to work with linguistically diverse students. However, there is a lack of education among teachers on second language learning and identity. In this since, there are more white and female preservice teachers who likely grew up in a monolingual environment and thus have limited personal or academic experiences that relate to bilingual students.

In this article Kennedy and Shiel (2010) examines the use of professional development in disadvantaged urban schools so that literacy levels can be raised. Working in a Title 1 school that is in an urban community, I find the literacy levels in our student to be low. However, since the embedding of proper professional developments, our schools literacy level has elevated beyond measures. Kennedy and Shiel (2010) explores “a multifaceted, collaborative professional development intervention that uses a range of strategies, tools, and methodologies and raises literacy standards can offer teachers greater instructional self-efficacy and deeper knowledge about how to implement a research-based, balanced literacy framework while also responding