Implementing co-teaching to support the language socialization process of immigrant students (La práctica de la coenseñanza para fomentar el proceso de socialización lingüística de los alumnos inmigrantes)

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study describes a project in a school district in New Jersey that aimed at preparing all teachers to understand and address the needs of immigrant students and English language learners (ELs). Co-teaching was implemented between the general education and the ESL teacher in elementary school classrooms to educate, inform and engage content area teachers in the education of ELs, to create a system of accountability by having both teachers share instructional responsibility for immigrant students and to facilitate the language socialization process of these students. We identify specific aspects of co-teaching that support the development of content-based English language proficiency of immigrant students while also promoting more teacher collaboration and engagement with linguistically and culturally diverse students. By engaging in co-teaching, teachers needed more common planning time, learned to use specific scaffolding and instructional strategies and made language an object of study in the classrooms.