ESL Mentoring for Secondary Rural Educators: Math and Science Teachers Become Second Language Specialists Through Collaboration

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Author
Author
Hansen-Thomas, Holly; Grosso Richins, Liliana
Journal
TESOL Journal
Details
Resource Type
Journal
Acquisition Number
BE026434
Published Date
07-18-2017 3:54 PM
Published Year
2015
Number of Pages
11
Language(s)
Subscription Only
No
Abstract
This article draws on data from the capstone graduate course in a specially designed professional development program for rural math and science teachers that describes how participant teachers translated their newly acquired knowledge about English as a second language (ESL) into a mentoring experience for their rural content specialist peers. Teachers indicated that the mentoring experience was beneficial in that they were able to work together to identify issues relevant to their schools and to cocreate tailor-made solutions in order to support their English language learners (ELLs). They also indicated that their prior understandings of mentoring changed in positive ways, which also included shifts in their own identities as teachers. These findings suggest that peer mentoring can be a useful component of professional development for ESL-trained content teachers in small and rural schools.
Topics
Secondary Education
Science
Professional Development
Preservice Teacher Preparation
Mathematics