Co-Teaching And Collaboration Case Study

Differentiated teaching methods has become integral to the practice of teaching. Students are multifaceted and have different needs in the classroom. This is especially the case for ELL students. The language and literacy demands in the curriculum for students are already high, so the implementation of several strategies in the classroom could greatly aid ELL students. ELL students can benefit from collaboration between mainstream teachers and ELL teachers, curricular modifications, and classroom management techniques. Co-teaching and collaboration between a classroom teacher and an ESL teacher allows ELL students to be “exposed to, and gain higher understanding of higher vocabulary, two- and three-part verbs, idioms, expressions,

ESL teachers “are best equipped with strategies to address the varied linguistic needs of their students, but they cannot do it alone” (Honigsfeld & Dove, 2008). On the other hand, mainstream teachers are “most well-versed in content-specific, grade-appropriate learning standards and have limited training in second language acquisition or pedagogy” (Honigsfeld & Dove, 2008). Collaboration between both teachers ensure that ELL students meet the national and state level ESL standards. Co-teaching “encourages ESL students to practice speaking English more often than if they were in a regular ESL classroom” (Pillars 2017). This isn't to say that ELL students’ native language should not be incorporated into their learning. Mainstream teachers should promote a greater understanding and appreciation of cultures in the classroom, which would foster strong collaborative relationships between students (Abdullah 2009). “As a teacher, your body

By setting appropriate learning goals with proper instructional methods, ELL students can thrive and connect in the classroom. Visuals and hands-on activities are a major asset to instruction since students would be able to have other opportunities to have their learning assessed. Presenting information in different ways is known to be effective for students in general and in turn extremely beneficial to ELL students. Students have different learning styles (kinesthetic, visual, logical, etc.) and this is not any different for ELL students. By using visual, aural, oral and written communications within the curriculum and trying each way to relate to an ELL student lets them connect to the assignment. Allowing some use of native language in order to relate to common slang or unfamiliar words creates authentic connections in the lesson for ELL students. At the same time, the curriculum should “enhance student learning of English while learning classroom content, as well as offer English-proficient peers to serve as language models” (Honigsfeld & Dove, 2008). Implementing prior knowledge and experience to link to new material builds that conceptual framework of the lesson (Hammond & Gibbons,