by Sandra Mercuri
Ongoing Professional Development for English Language Teachers:
A Six-Step Framework
In 21st century schools, classroom teachers are faced with the challenge of providing all students, including students with different language backgrounds, with an education to compete in a globalized world. Research shows that in order to be well prepared to teach students with different language backgrounds, teachers working with English language learners need ongoing professional development to be aligned with classroom conditions and specific needs of students (Maxwell-Jolly, Gándara, & Driscoll, 2005).
Many professional development programs provide learning that rarely transfers into classroom practice (Dahlberg & Philippot, 2007) or do not integrate theory with practice (Husby, 2005, p. ix). Research suggests that effective professional development should focus on teachers’ learning as a community of practice (Gonzalez & Darling-Hammond, 1997).
Professional development for in-service teachers should go beyond the one-size-fits-all approach. The framework presented here is for a conceptual and practical six-step professional development program that I have developed based on Husby’s work and through professional development sessions I have conducted in several school districts. The framework integrates personalized instruction for teachers, attends to the pedagogical needs of teachers of English language learners, focuses on planning and implementation of curriculum, and provides teachers opportunities to be a part of a supportive and reflective learning community.
Components of the Six-step framework
The six-step framework is based on the concept of planning and implementation through spiral teaching that offers in-service teachers opportunities for sharpening their teaching skills and procedural knowledge. Spiral teaching refers to teaching the same topic through different activities and levels of support so that students arrive at a higher level of understanding. The effectiveness of the framework requires specific conditions customized to each school’s or district’s needs. At the same time, the school or district must support professional development as a sustained and ongoing process focused on teaching skills and procedural knowledge for in-service teachers to be able to attend to the needs of English language learners (Adger & Peyton, 1999).
The Six-Step Framework
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Step 1 |
Bring participants together as a community of practice, work as a community to draw a preliminary needs assessment, and develop a learning plan |
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Step 2 |
Build upon existing theories and apply effective practices for the appropriate program and school population |
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Step 3 |
Design learning projects based on specific content areas through vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment |
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Step 4 |
Conduct focused observations for assessing active implementation of what participants have learned |
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Step 5 |
Offer participants opportunities for ongoing reflection and for group discussion |
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Step 6 |
Provide time and resources to participants for working as a learning community and sharing a common vision |
The following is a spiral representation of the six-step framework:
The Framework in Action
Several districts in the United States have successfully implemented this six-step approach to professional development at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. The following example comes from an inner city school district in Texas during their initial implementation of a dual language Spanish/English program at two elementary schools serving high numbers of English language learners, as well as many English-speaking students.
The Background:
- The students come from different socio-economic backgrounds.
- There is a highly diverse teaching faculty.
- Participants in the professional development include:
- 22 teachers
- the principals from both schools
- the district’s bilingual and ESL programs director
- 5 bilingual/ESL district specialists that provided support to the teachers throughout the year
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Step 1: Form a community of practice, conduct a preliminary needs assessment and develop a learning plan
Participants carried out every part of the first step. The result was a time frame and plan of action focused on how to address classroom needs through ongoing professional development. The plan included revisiting second language theories such as language transfer, biliteracy and second language acquisition theory; how to apply theories to practice according to classroom needs; how to assess implementation of what teachers learned in professional development, and ongoing reflection. |
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Step 2: Build upon a theoretical framework and demonstrate effective practices for the appropriate program and school population
In the second step, participants revisited second language teaching and learning and biliteracy theories, then implemented effective teaching strategies. In this step, the customized professional development focused on:
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helping teachers develop a common knowledge base for translating second language acquisition theories into practice
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the importance of a common underlying proficiency for second language acquisition and language transfer
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exploring the concept of biliteracy by analyzing methods of teaching, reading, and writing in both Spanish and English to second language learners
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providing practical applications through classroom examples of the structures of a balanced literacy approach
Theorists such as Cummins, Ofelia Garcia, Krashen and Collier and Thomas; work of the Center for Applied Linguistic; research by Freeman, Freeman and Mercuri, Collier and Thomas and Sonia Soltero were included in this step. |
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Step 3: Design learning projects based on specific content areas through vertical and horizontal curriculum alignment
Participants worked together to design a thematic, interdisciplinary curriculum based on self-identified growth areas, school and district goals, and connection to student achievement. Some of the projects included:
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developing a dual language curriculum based inquiry around essential questions
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teaching through strategies to help students develop academic language across content areas
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how to implement the Preview/View/Review strategy and bilingual pairs for oral language development
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developing instruction that is vertically and horizontally aligned across grade levels and topics |
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Step 4: Conduct focused observations to monitor framework implementation and improvement in classroom practice
A series of follow up observations were conducted to assess the implementation of theory into practice and give feedback to teachers on how to improve instruction for student achievement. Some of the observations focused on the use of the classroom environment as a tool for learning and how to tailor instruction to the needs of students. Subsequently, individual debriefing as well as focused group discussions followed teacher observations to get feedback on teachers’ perspectives on the process of implementation and the challenges involved. |
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Step 5: Provide opportunities for ongoing reflection on practice both individually and in groups
Administrators provided planning and refection time for teachers to work with consultants and colleagues. During the meetings, teachers:
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reflected on their implementation
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worked on refining the curriculum around units of inquiry they had planned
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set new goals for continuing implementation of effective practices
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refined the implementation of the Preview/View/Review strategy and focused on strengthening the bilingual pair structure
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worked on rethinking and refining language objectives for students with both Spanish and English L1. |
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Step 6: Provide time and resources for teachers to work as a learning community and share a common vision
The group discussed participants’ progress and individual plans in addition to discussing new goals for the upcoming month of work. Throughout this process, teachers were supported with time to collaborate, plan, and meet within and across grade levels. During these meetings teachers selected resources, discussed planning of the curriculum aligned to standards and district requirements, and set new goals for effective instruction and improved learning.
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Results
All six steps worked together as a spiral to allow teachers to develop new understanding of theory and practice to improve their skills and procedural knowledge, which are essential for attending to the academic needs of all students. The district noted the following benefits after implementation:
- Teachers, administrators, and curriculum specialists collaborate as a community of practice
- As a community, all participants identify academic needs and strategies for effective teaching and ongoing improvement of instruction
- Participants gain a deeper understanding of planning, scaffolding, and implementing curriculum
- Participants sharpen teaching and collaborative skills and procedural knowledge
- Participants engage in reflective practice throughout the school year
As the above school district demonstrates, ongoing professional development is about systematic and planned improvement in teaching and learning. Professional development calls for teachers, administrators, curriculum specialists, and policy makers to work together to address the learning needs of all students. Before implementing the six-step professional development plan, it is important to consider that effective professional development is ongoing and takes time, focus, resources, and the full commitment of all the parties involved. In return, well-implemented ongoing professional development has a positive impact on the quality of instruction and, therefore, student achievement.
Dr. Sandra Mercuri is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, Brownsville. She teaches courses in bilingual education and biliteracy. Her research interest is on the development of academic language across the content areas, the role of language in the development of scientific literacy and the effect of long-term professional development for teachers of English learners. She provides training for teachers nationwide and presents at national and international conferences Dr. Mercuri has also published articles in professional journals and books about second language acquisition and practice.
Dr. Mercuri would like to thank her colleagues, Dr. Suniti Sharma and Dr. Yvonne Freeman, for their comments on draft versions of this manuscript.
References
American Educational Research Journal (2005). Teaching teachers: Professional development to improve student achievement. Research Points. 3(1). 1-4.
Adger, C.T., & Peyton, J. (1999). Enhancing the education of immigrant students in secondary school: Structural challenges and directions. In C. Faltis & P. Wolfe (Eds.) So much to say: Adolescents, bilingualism & ESL in the secondary school (pp. 205-224). New York: Teachers College Press.
Clair, N., & Adger, C.T. (1999). Professional development for teachers in culturally diverse schools.
Collinson, V. (2000). Staff development by any other name: changing words or changing practices? The Educational Forum, 64(2), 124-132.
Dahlberg, K., & Philippot, R. (2007). Toward a differentiated model of professional Development. Mazatlán, MX: Proceedings of the 2007 IABR (Business) & TLC (Teaching) Conference.
Dall’Alba, G., & Sandberg, M. (2006). Unveiling professional development: A critical review of stage models. Review of Educational Research, 76, 383-412.
Gándara, P, Maxwell-Jolly, J, & Driscoll, A. (2005). Listening to teachers of English language learners: A survey of California teachers’ challenges, experiences, and professional development needs. Santa Cruz, CA: The Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.
Gonzalez, J. M., & Darling-Hammond, L. (1997). New concepts for new challenges: Professional development for teachers of immigrant youth. McHenry, IL: Center for Applied Linguistics
Husby, V. (2005). Individualizing professional development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
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