Experiencing the needs and challenges of ELLs: Improving knowledge and efficacy of pre-service teachers through the use of a language immersion simulation
Keywords
ELLssimulation
language immersion
pre-service teacher training
empathy
emotional learning
SIOP strategies
teacher beliefs
experiential learning
teacher efficacy
Education (General)
L7-991
Full record
Show full item recordAbstract
Pre-service teachers need to understand how to support ELLs in their future classrooms, yet evidence suggests that pre-service ELL training may not be as effective as we need it to be. One promising strategy for increasing pre-service teachers’ efficacy and knowledge around teaching ELLs is through a shock-and-show simulation. This strategy incorporates a Swedish-language immersion experience that simulates what it may like to be an ELL and the strategies that can help support these students. There were two phases: a lesson with limited scaffolding (shock) and an extensively scaffolded lesson (show). Our participants included 87 pre-service teachers who filled out pre- and post-surveys, including closed- and open-ended questions. t-Tests were used to determine whether differences in the scores from the two surveys were significant. We analyzed qualitative data using an interpretive approach to the development of codes, categories, and themes, which we triangulated with descriptive statistics to describe the frequency of the emergent codes. Our findings suggest that shock-and-show experiences may benefit pre-service teachers’ knowledge and efficacy around ELL instruction. We theorize that the emotional component of the experience connected to the cognitive aspects may help foster greater learning among pre-service teachers concerning the difficulties and needs of ELLs.Date
2015-12-01Type
ArticleIdentifier
oai:doaj.org/article:a5e85e269ca6406fb41916f06a296fee2331-186X
10.1080/2331186X.2015.1030176
https://doaj.org/article/a5e85e269ca6406fb41916f06a296fee