Journal of Scholastic Inquiry: Special Edition
Volume 10, Page 94
The literature in preparing elementary pre-service teachers to teach ELLs and in lesson study in pre-service teacher preparation is small, yet evolving. This study contributes to the body of literature by intentionally connecting learning to teach ELLs to the collaborative practice of lesson study in a teacher preparation program. Key features of both areas of research are a combination of pedagogy, collaboration, and reflective practice. The collaborative, reflective nature of lesson study, which also integrates effective pedagogy into fieldwork, may serve to develop pre-service teachers’ pedagogy and pedagogical skills in learning to teach the growing population of ELLs. Methodology This study took place in a small, private university in California and in the elementary schools in a small city adjacent to a large metropolitan area. Survey-research methodology was used to measure the impact of collaborative research lesson planning sessions and subsequent lesson study sessions on student teachers’ professional growth. Participants Participants were 70 student teachers in the elementary teacher preparation program at the university. Student teachers were undergraduate seniors (n = 31) and graduate students (n = 39) during their final semester in the program and were 68% White, 26% Latina, and 6% Asian. All were enrolled in one of seven student teaching seminar courses, while concurrently student teaching full-time in one of five public elementary schools serving ELLs; 41% - 85% of the schools’ student populations were ELLs. Classrooms of predominately ELLs were chosen for the lesson study sessions. Specifically, in three classrooms, 95% of the students were ELLs, while two classrooms held ELL populations of 85% and 66%, respectively. Seven student teachers were chosen by university instructors of the seminar courses to teach the lesson study sessions. Lead student teachers collaborated with their mentor teachers to choose the academic content area of focus and the date of the lesson study session on the school site. University instructors invited mentor teachers to participate in the research planning session on the university campus; all mentor teachers chose to do so.
