COLLABORATIVE ACTION STUDY GROUP AS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER-DESIGNATED STUDENTS

Date
2020
Authors
Perez, Alfred F.
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Bartlett, Andrea
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Curriculum Studies
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The purpose of this qualitative research study was to investigate changes in English Language Learner-Designated (ELL-D) teachers’ instructional practices, views toward students’ languages and cultures, and agency as a result of participating in a teacher study group that I designed called Collaborative Action Study Group (CASG). A Collaborative Action Study Group was a teacher-led, teacher-initiated professional development that engaged teachers to work collaboratively to solve meaningful problems. Acting as a more knowledgeable peer, I was a teacher-researcher who led six elementary school teachers through units on supporting home language and academic language through translanguaging, drama, and technology. I collected data for 11 weeks, using pre- and post-surveys, discussion forums, participant observations, discussion boards, journal reflections, and work sample exchanges. At the end of the study, all six teachers reported they had increased their use of home language and integration of culture, drama, and technology in their classroom instruction. Teachers also reported ELL-D students seemed more engaged in classroom activities than they were before these instructional changes. However, the six teachers reported that school district curriculum guidelines made it difficult to integrate culturally sustaining lessons. Data analysis also showed an increased recognition, among the participants, of the importance of student home language and culture in the classroom, a change they attributed to the Collaborative Action Study Group. Additionally, the participants’ levels of confidence in conducting their own professional development increased. Overall, the study showed that Collaborative Action Study Groups have potential for changing the attitudes and instructional practices of teachers of English Language Learner-Designated (ELL-D) students. However, there are challenges in conducting a fully democratic and equal Collaborative Action Study Group, including teachers’ heavy workloads, personal time commitments, and varying degrees of agency for professional development.
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English as a second language, Language, collaborative action study group, EL, emergent bilingual, multilingual, translanguaging
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153 pages
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