“Where Do I Start?” Inquiry into K-12 Mainstream Teachers’ Knowledge about Differentiating Instruction for ELLs in One U.S. School District

The purpose of this paper is to report themes identified in questions K-12 mainstream teachers in one U.S. school district posed about differentiating instruction for English language learners (ELLs) in order to hear directly from teachers about topics they would like to learn more about. Teachers i...

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Main Author: Andrea Stairs-Davenport
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2021-08-01
Series:Education Inquiry
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2021.1969078
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author Andrea Stairs-Davenport
author_facet Andrea Stairs-Davenport
author_sort Andrea Stairs-Davenport
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description The purpose of this paper is to report themes identified in questions K-12 mainstream teachers in one U.S. school district posed about differentiating instruction for English language learners (ELLs) in order to hear directly from teachers about topics they would like to learn more about. Teachers in the district completed a selected-response and open-ended survey to inform future professional development opportunities. Findings suggest that most teachers work with ELLs but are underprepared to teach them. Teachers posed questions about curriculum and assessment; instruction; building community; language difference versus disability; and where to start in teaching ELLs. Conclusions are drawn about how well ELLs are being educated in the district. Implications for teacher professional development and policy are also discussed.
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spelling doaj.art-dbf5481bc15741d28240ba122e81f76f2022-12-21T22:33:12ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEducation Inquiry2000-45082021-08-010011510.1080/20004508.2021.19690781969078“Where Do I Start?” Inquiry into K-12 Mainstream Teachers’ Knowledge about Differentiating Instruction for ELLs in One U.S. School DistrictAndrea Stairs-Davenport0University of Southern MaineThe purpose of this paper is to report themes identified in questions K-12 mainstream teachers in one U.S. school district posed about differentiating instruction for English language learners (ELLs) in order to hear directly from teachers about topics they would like to learn more about. Teachers in the district completed a selected-response and open-ended survey to inform future professional development opportunities. Findings suggest that most teachers work with ELLs but are underprepared to teach them. Teachers posed questions about curriculum and assessment; instruction; building community; language difference versus disability; and where to start in teaching ELLs. Conclusions are drawn about how well ELLs are being educated in the district. Implications for teacher professional development and policy are also discussed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2021.1969078english language learnersenglish learnersteacher educationteacher professional developmentdifferentiated instruction
spellingShingle Andrea Stairs-Davenport
“Where Do I Start?” Inquiry into K-12 Mainstream Teachers’ Knowledge about Differentiating Instruction for ELLs in One U.S. School District
Education Inquiry
english language learners
english learners
teacher education
teacher professional development
differentiated instruction
title “Where Do I Start?” Inquiry into K-12 Mainstream Teachers’ Knowledge about Differentiating Instruction for ELLs in One U.S. School District
title_full “Where Do I Start?” Inquiry into K-12 Mainstream Teachers’ Knowledge about Differentiating Instruction for ELLs in One U.S. School District
title_fullStr “Where Do I Start?” Inquiry into K-12 Mainstream Teachers’ Knowledge about Differentiating Instruction for ELLs in One U.S. School District
title_full_unstemmed “Where Do I Start?” Inquiry into K-12 Mainstream Teachers’ Knowledge about Differentiating Instruction for ELLs in One U.S. School District
title_short “Where Do I Start?” Inquiry into K-12 Mainstream Teachers’ Knowledge about Differentiating Instruction for ELLs in One U.S. School District
title_sort where do i start inquiry into k 12 mainstream teachers knowledge about differentiating instruction for ells in one u s school district
topic english language learners
english learners
teacher education
teacher professional development
differentiated instruction
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2021.1969078
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