Abstract
In this chapter, we describe a professional development project, Academic Language and Literacy in Every Subject (ALLIES+), with the overarching goal of developing, implementing and testing a professional development model focused on how science content and learning activities can be modified to improve academic conversations in classroom and expanded learning settings. Our professional development model had four unique elements to foster participants’ ability to create and implement innovative lessons and instructional strategies to meet the needs of English learners (ELs) in science classes: (1) sessions were designed in collaboration with the district and aligned with the district’s strategic goals; (2) teachers and district instructional leaders worked side-by-side learning how to implement ALLIES+ practices in support of ELs’ academic-language development; (3) teachers and expanded learning educators were provided with time to rehearse new instructional practices in a low-risk environment; and, (4) ongoing inquiry was sustained over time focusing teachers’ attention on experimenting with new practices, engaging in cycles of inquiry, discussing and adapting lessons plans, and analyzing student work. Findings from this study suggest that models of professional development designed around the key, research-based practices of effective professional development, can positively impact teacher knowledge and practice. This professional development model provided time for teachers and expanded learning staff to learn how to use the practices in support of academic language and science learning through explicit modeling, individual and collaborative experimentation, and expert and peer mentoring.
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Notes
- 1.
Expanded learning settings in this instance included after school and summer learning program staff.
- 2.
Design teams comprised science teachers, expanded learning coordinators and line staff, and site administrators.
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O’Hara, S., Pritchard, R., Pitta, D., Newton, R.N., Do, U.H., Sullivan, L. (2017). Academic Language and Literacy in Every Setting (ALLIES+): Strengthening the STEM Learning Ecosystem. In: Oliveira, A., Weinburgh, M. (eds) Science Teacher Preparation in Content-Based Second Language Acquisition. ASTE Series in Science Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43516-9_11
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