Teachers' Roles in Second Language Learning

Classroom Applications of Sociocultural Theory

Edited by:
Bogum Yoon, State University of New York at Binghamton
Hoe Kyeung Kim, Cleveland State University

A volume in the series: Research in Second Language Learning. Editor(s): Bogum Yoon, State University of New York at Binghamton.

Published 2012

This book is designed to provide practical applications of sociocultural theory with regard to teachers’ roles in second language education. By providing specific examples of teachers’ roles in the classroom, the book aims to help researchers, teacher educators, and classroom teachers make clear connections between practice and theory in second language learning. All the studies in this edited book are conducted in the PreK-16 classroom setting. Each chapter presents rigorous research analysis within the framework of sociocultural theory and provides rich descriptions of teachers’ roles.

The book is intended to be used in teacher education courses. The primary audience of the book is in-service teachers who work with second language learners (SLLs) in their classrooms including ESL/Bilingual classrooms or regular classrooms. Since many SLLs receive instructions both in the ESL/Bilingual classrooms and in the regular classrooms, it is important to discuss teachers’ roles in both settings. The secondary audience of the book is teacher educators and researchers who work with pre-service and in-service teachers in teacher education. This book will be an excellent resource for book study groups and practitioners working with professional learning communities.

CONTENTS
Foreword by Leo van Lier. Introduction: Sociocultural Theory as a Theoretical Framework for Understanding Teachers’ Roles in Second Language Learning, Bogum Yoon and Hoe Kyeung Kim. PART I: LINGUISTIC PERSPECTIVES. How Teacher Talk Can Guide Student Exploratory Talk: Communication, Conjecture, and Connections in a Fourth and Fifth Grade ELL Classroom, Maureen P. Boyd. Mediating Meaning in Interaction: Researching the Connection between Professional Development and Teacher Practice, Jose' David Herazo and Richard Donato. Mediating Learning and Negotiating Curricular Ideologies in a Fourth Grade Bilingual Classroom, Lara J. Handsfield. Teacher and Students’ Use of Gesture as a Meaning-Making Affordance for Second Language Learning, Alessandro Rosborough. Teacher Discourse and Code Choice in a Swedish EFL Classroom, Kristy Beers Fägersten. How do Teachers Participate, Mediate, and Intervene in the Coconstruction of Language Knowledge During Learner Interactions? Melinda Martin-Beltrán. PART II: CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES. Teacher’s Use of Funds of Knowledge to Promote Class Participation and Engagement in a EFL Context, Hoe Kyeung Kim and Soyoung Lee. Teachers’ Roles in Facilitating Novice Writers From Generation 1.5, Paula M. Carbone. Teachers’ Cultural Inclusivity and ELLs’ Participation in Language and Literacy Activities, Bogum Yoon. Working with Preschool English Language Learners: A Sociocultural Approach, Joyce Bezdicek and Georgia Earnest García. PART III: SOCIAL PERSPECTIVES. Teacher Discourse and Peer Interaction in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms, Ester J. de Jong. An ESL Instructor’s Strategic Teaching in a Collaborative Learning Community, Eun-Jeong Kim. Teachers’ Roles and Mediating Strategies of Learners’ Engagement in the L2 Classroom, Jennifer R. Smiley and Marta Antón. Second Grade ESL Literacy Success in a U.S. Mainstream Classroom, Amma Akrofi, Carole Janisch, Amira Zebidi, and Karla Lewis. About the Contributors.

REVIEWS
"The uses to which this edited book’s materials could be put are limitless. Researchers in both fields of sociocultural theory and bilingual education would greatly benefit from reading and reflecting upon the findings presented here. So would teachers and teacher educators. As they are portrayed here, the strategies, approaches, techniques, and roles teachers assume in classrooms will serve as inspirations for educators working with language learners across the globe." Jennifer Mata DePaul University in education review (Read full review)