Abstract
An examination of pre-service English language arts (ELA) teacher preparation programs shows that many fail to adequately equip students in two crucial areas: English as a second language (ESL) grammar and ESL assessment. This chapter explains why the needs of English language learners (ELLs) in these areas are different from those of native speakers of English and why explicit Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) training in these two areas are essential for ELA teachers. The authors then describe possible curricular models and classroom activities and practices and strategies meant to close these gaps in ELA teacher training programs. They suggest that National TESOL standards need to be established for teacher preparation programs that will adequately prepare ELA teachers and others with the necessary skills and understanding to inform their practice.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ballantyne, K. G., Sanderman, A. R., Levy, J. (2008). Educating English language learners: Building teacher capacity. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition. Retrieved from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/practice/mainstream_teachers.htm. Accessed 27 May 2015.
Bernhardt, E. B. (1991). A psycholinguistic perspective on second language literacy. Reading in two languages. AILA Review, 8, 31–44.
Brown, H. D., & Abeywickrama, P. (2010). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practices (2nd ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson Education.
Campbell, C., & Evans, J. (2000). Investigation of preservice teachers' classroom assessment practices during student teaching. Journal of Educational Research, 93(6), 350–355.
Christy, J. (2005). To teach or not to teach (grammar) – No longer the question. Retrieved from http://www.glencoe.com/sec/teachingtoday/subject/to_teach.phtml. Accessed 11 November 2015.
Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation. (2012). CAEP accreditation standards and evidence: Aspirations for educator preparation. Retrieved from http://edsource.org/wp-content/uploads/commrpt.pdf. Accessed 27 May 2015.
Crusan, D. (2010). Assessment in the second language writing classroom. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Crusan, D., Plakans, L., & Gebril, A. (2016). Writing assessment literacy: Surveying second language teachers’ knowledge, beliefs, and practices. Assessing Writing, 28, 43–56. doi:10.1016/j.asw.2016.03.001.
De Jong, E. J., & Harper, C. A. (2005). Preparing mainstream teacher of English-language learners: Is being a good teacher good enough? Teacher Education Quarterly, 32(2), 101–124.
de Oliveira, L. C., & Schleppegrell, M. J. (2015). Focus on grammar and meaning. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
DelliCarpini, M., & Alonso, O. B. (2015). Teaching everything to no one and nothing to everyone: Addressing the content in content-based instruction. In T. S. C. Farrell (Ed.), International perspectives on English language teacher education: Innovations from the field (pp. 51–73). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
DeLuca, C., & Bellara, A. (2013). The current state of assessment education: Aligning policy, standards, and teacher education curriculum. Journal of Teacher Education, 64(4), 356–372.
Ellis, R. (2002). Does form-focused instruction affect the acquisition of implicit knowledge? A review of the research. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 24, 223–236.
Ellis, R. (2009). Measuring implicit and explicit knowledge of a second language. In R. Ellis, S. Loewen, C. Elder, R. Erlam, J. Philp, & H. Reinders (Eds.), Implicit and explicit knowledge in second language learning, testing and teaching (pp. 31–64). Bristol/Buffalo, NY/Toronto: Multilingual Matters.
Ferris, D. (2011). Treatment of error in second language student writing (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Folse, K. S. (2009). Keys to teaching grammar to English language learners: A practical handbook. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Folse, K. S., & Brummett, K. (2006). Pedagogical grammar courses offered by MATESOL programs in Florida. Sunshine State TESOL Journal, 5(1), 27–38.
Fregeau, L. A., & Leier, R. D. (2008). Assessing ELLs in ESL or mainstream classrooms: Quick fixes for busy teachers. The Internet TESL Journal XIV(2). Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Fregeau-AssessingELLs.html. Accessed 16 December 2014.
Gibbons, P. (2006). Bridging discourses in the ESL classroom: Students, teachers, and researchers. New York, NY: Continuum.
Gottlieb, M. (2006). Assessing English language learners: Bridges from language proficiency to academic achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Hamp-Lyons, L. (2003). Writing teachers as assessors of writing. In B. Kroll (Ed.), Exploring the dynamics of second language writing (pp. 162–189). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Hartwell, P. (1985). Grammar, grammars, and the teaching of grammar. College English, 47(2), 105–127.
Hillocks, G., Jr., & Smith, M. W. (1991). Grammars and literacy learning. In J. Flood, J. M. Jensen, D. Lapp, & J. R. Squire (Eds.), Handbook of research on teaching the English language arts (pp. 721–737). New York: Macmillan.
Klapper, J., & Rees, J. (2003). Reviewing the case for explicit grammar instruction in the university foreign language learning context. Language Teaching Research, 7(3), 285–314.
Kolln, M. (1985). A comment on “Grammar, Grammars, and the Teaching of Grammar”. College English, 47(8), 874–877.
Krashen, S. D. (1985). The input hypothesis: Issues and implications. New York: Longman.
Lucas, T., Villegas, A. M., & Freedson-Gonzalez, M. (2008). Linguistically responsive teacher education: Preparing classroom teachers to teach English language learners. Journal of Teacher Education, 59(4), 361–373.
Lucas, T., & Villegas, A. M. (2011). A framework for preparing linguistically responsive teachers. In T. Lucas (Ed.), Teacher preparation for linguistically diverse classrooms: A resource for teacher educators (pp. 55–72). New York, NY: Routledge.
Macaro, E., & Masterman, L. (2006). Does explicit grammar instruction make all the difference. Language Teaching Research, 10(3), 297–327.
Mertler, C. (2009). Teachers’ assessment knowledge and their perceptions of the impact of classroom assessment professional development. Improving Schools, 12(1), 101–113.
Metzger, K. L. (2012). How should I change the way I teach/model grammar instruction in my methods course? One teacher educator's critical view of his own pedagogy. The Language Arts Journal of Michigan, 27(2), 63–68.
Myhill, D., Jones, S., & Watson, A. (2013). Grammar matters: How teachers' grammatical knowledge impacts on the teaching of writing. Teaching and Teacher Education, 36, 77–91.
National Council of Teachers of English – Council on English Education. (2005/2010). Supporting linguistically and culturally diverse learners in English education. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/cee/positions/diverselearnersinee. Accessed 19 May 2015.
National Council of Teachers of English. (2006/2012). Position paper on the role of English teachers in teaching English language learners. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/teacherseducatingell. Accessed 19 May 2015.
National Council of Teachers of English. (2008/2010). English language learners: A policy research brief. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/cee/positions/diverselearnersinee. Accessed 19 May 2015.
National Education Association. (2005). Research talking points on English language learners. Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/home/13598.htm. Accessed 15 June 2015.
National Governors Association Center for Best Practices. (2010). Council of Chief State School Officers Title: Common Core State Standards (insert specific content area if you are using only one). Washington, DC: National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers.
Nazari, N. (2013). The effect of implicit and explicit grammar instruction on learners’ achievements in receptive and productive modes. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 70, 156–162.
O’Malley, J. M., & Pierce, L. V. (1996). Authentic assessment for English language learners: Practical approaches for teachers. New York: Addison-Wesley.
Ogan-Bekiroglu, F., & Suzuk, E. (2014). Pre-service teachers’ assessment literacy and its implementation into practice. The Curriculum Journal, 25(3), 344–371.
Plakans, L., & Gebril, A. (2015). Assessment myths: Applying second language research to classroom teaching. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Popham, W. (2011). Assessment literacy overlooked: A teacher educator's confession. Teacher Educator, 46(4), 265–273.
Puchta, H., Devitt, M., Gerngross, G., & Holzmann, C. (2012). Grammar songs & raps for young learners and early teens. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Reeves, J. (2006). Secondary teacher attitudes toward including English-language learners in mainstream classrooms. Faculty Publications: Department of Teaching, Learning and Teacher Education. Paper No. 116. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/teachlearnfacpub/116
Samson, J. F., & Collins, B. A. (2012). Preparing all teachers to meet the needs of English: Applying research to policy and practice for teacher effectiveness. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535608.pdf. Accessed 6 January 2015.
Smagorinsky, P., Wright, L., Augustine, S. M., O’Donnell-Allen, C., & Konopak, B. (2007). Student engagement in the teaching and learning of grammar: A case study of an early-career secondary school English teacher. Journal of Teacher Education, 58(1), 76–90.
Stiggins, R. J. (1995). Assessment literacy for the 21st century. Phi Delta Kappan, 77(3), 238–245.
Stiggins, R. J. (2002). Assessment crisis: The absence of assessment for learning. Phi Delta Kappan, 83(10), 758–765.
Taylor, L. (2009). Developing assessment literacy. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 29, 21–36.
Terrell, T. D. (1991). The role of grammar instruction in a communicative approach. TheModern Language Journal, 75(1), 52–63.
TESOL International Association. (2013, March). Overview of the Common Core State Standards initiatives for ELLs. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Wang, F. (2010). The necessity of grammar teaching. English Language Teaching 3(2), 78–81. Retrieved from http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/elt/article/viewFile/6241/5013
Weigle, S. C. (2007). Teaching writing teachers about assessment. Journal of Second Language Writing, 16, 194–209.
White, E. (2009). Are you assessment literate? Some fundamental questions regarding effective classroom-based assessment. OnCUE Journal, 3(1), 3–25.
Wigglesworth, G., & Storch, N. (2009). Pair versus individual writing: Effects on fluency, complexity and accuracy. Language Testing, 26(3), 445–466.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2016 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Haught, J., Crusan, D. (2016). Filling the Gaps: L2 Grammar and Assessment Preparation for ELA Teachers. In: de Oliveira, L., Shoffner, M. (eds) Teaching English Language Arts to English Language Learners. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59858-5_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-59858-5_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-59857-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-59858-5
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)