Co-Teaching and Other Collaborative Practices in The EFL/ESL Classroom

Rationale, Research, Reflections, And Recommendations

Edited by:
Andrea Honigsfeld, Molloy College
Maria G. Dove, Molloy College

Published 2012

Much has been written about the cognitive and academic language needs of those learning English as a new language (be it a second language in the United States or other English-speaking countries or as a foreign language in all other parts of the world). Many guidebooks and professional development materials have been produced on teacher collaboration and co-teaching for special education, inclusive classrooms. Similarly, much has been published about effective strategies teachers can use to offer more culturally and linguistically responsive instruction to their language learners. However, only a few resources are available to help general education teachers and ESL (English-as-a-second-language) specialists, or two English-as-aforeign-language (EFL) teachers (such as native and nonnative English speaking) teachers to collaborate effectively.

With this volume, our goal is to offer an accessible resource, long-awaited by educators whose individual instructional practice and/or institutional paradigm shifted to a more collaborative approach to language education. Through this collection of chapters, we closely examine ESL/EFL co-teaching and other collaborative practices by (a) exploring the rationale for teacher collaboration to support ESL/EFL instruction, (b) presenting current, classroom-based, practitioner-oriented research studies and documentary accounts related to co-teaching, co-planning, co-assessing, curriculum alignment, teacher professional development, and additional collaborative practices, and (c) offering authentic teacher reflections and recommendations on collaboration and co-teaching. These three major themes are woven together throughout the entire volume, designed as a reference to both novice and experienced teachers in their endeavors to provide effective integrated, collaborative instruction for EFL or ESL learners. We also intend to help preservice and inservice ESL/EFL teachers, teacher educators, professional developers, ESL/EFL program directors, and administrators to find answers to critical questions.

CONTENTS
Foreword, Margo DelliCarpini. Preface, Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria G. Dove. Acknowledgments. PART I: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORKS AND MODELS OF COLLABORATION. Bilingual Students Within Integrated Comprehensive Services: Collaborative Strategies, Martin Scanlan, Elise Frattura, Kurt A. Schneider, and Colleen A. Capper. Mainstream and ELL Teacher Partnerships: A Model of Collaboration, Angela B. Bell and Anne B. Walker. Inclusion or Intrusion? Reculturing Schools for Collaborative ESL Instruction, Clara Lee Brown and Andrea J. Stairs. Fixing the Implementation Gap: Creating Sustainable Learning Spaces for Successful Coteaching and Collaboration, Anne Dahlman and Patricia Hoffman. Collaborative Interdisciplinary Team Teaching: A Model for Good Practice, Andrew Gladman. Coteaching for English Language Learners: Recommendations for Administrators, Jocelyn Santana, Jennifer Scully, and Shaniquia Dixon. PART II: DOCUMENTARY ACCOUNTS OF COLLABORATIVE INSTRUCTIONAL AND LEADERSHIP PRACTICES. Collaborative Conversation, Cynthia Lundgren, Ann Mabbott, and Deirdre Bird Kramer. Barn Raising in New England: Working Together on Sheltering Spaces, Patricia Page Aube, Bonnie Baer-Simahk, and Kelly Waples McLinden. Double-Teaming: Teaching Academic Language in High School Biology, Rita MacDonald, James Nagle, Theresa Akerley, and Heidi Western. E-Collaboration: Connecting ESL Teachers Across Contexts, Lan Ngo, Susan Goldstein, and Lucy Portugal. Collaboration to Teach Elementary English Language Learners: ESOL and Mainstream Teachers Confronting Challenges Through Shared Tools and Vision, Melinda Martin-Beltrán, Megan Madigan Peercy, and Ali Fuad Selvi. Sharing Vocabulary and Content Across the Disciplines, L. Jeanie Faulkner and Carol J. Kinney. Voices From the Field: Teachers’ Reflection on Coteaching Experiences, Judith B. O’Loughlin. Assuring ELLs’ Place in the Learning Community: Leadership for Inclusive ESL, George Theoharis and Joanne E. O’Toole. PART III: EMPIRICAL STUDIES ON COLLABORATION. Understanding by Design as a Tool for Collaborative Planning, Laura H. Baecher. Does the Devil Laugh When Team Teachers Make Plans? Christopher Stillwell. Summer Book Clubs for English Language Learners: Teacher Collaboration for Promoting Academic Achievement, Susan Spezzini and Abby P. Becker. Power Differentials: Pseudo-Collaboration Between ESL and Mainstream Teachers, Nelson Flores. Barriers to Collaboration Between English-as-a-Second-Language and Content Area Teachers, Beth Lewis Samuelson, Faridah Pawan, and Yu-Ju Hung. Pulling Away from Pull-Out: Coteaching ELLs in the New Latino South, Greg McClure. PART IV: COLLABORATIVE PRACTICES TO SUPPORT MENTORING AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT. Coteaching as Professional Development, Francesca Mulazzi and Jon Nordmeyer. Peer Group Mentoring: Preservice EFL Teachers’ Collaborations for Enhancing Practices, Hoa Thi Mai Nguyen and Peter Hudson. Shared Competence: Native and Nonnative English Speaking Teachers’ Collaboration That Benefits All, Jan Edwards Dormer. In Our School, We All Teach ESL: The Impact of the Collaborative Work of a Teacher Study Group, Patty St. Jean Barry. Building Communities of Practice: Support and Challenge Through Mentoring Networks, Gabriel Díaz Maggioli. Synergizing Professional Development Through Video Recording, Critical Reflection, and Peer Feedback, B. Greg Dunne and Sean H. Toland.

REVIEWS
"If teaching is an art its effectiveness rests in the work of many dedicated hands – a conviction that contributors of Coteaching and Other Collaborative Practices in the EFL/ESL Classroom unanimously share. There are many helpful books on teaching but this one is unique in its aim and concrete ways it offers “teachers to collaborate effectively” (xviii). Andrea Honigsfeld and Marla G. Dove achieve their goal of providing “an accessible resource long awaited by educators whose individual instructional practice and/or institutional paradigm shifted to a more collaborative approach to language education” (xviii). Ingeniously compiled, the twenty-six essays, divided into four parts, examine the:

rationale for teacher collaboration to support ESL/EFL instruction, presenting current, classroom-based, practitioner-oriented research studies and documentary accounts related to coteaching, coplanning, coassessing, curriculum alignment, teacher professional development, and additional collaborative practices, and offering authentic teacher reflections and recommendations on collaboration and coteaching. (xviii)" Aliou C. Niang Union Theological Seminary in Wabash Center (Read full review)

MORE INFORMATION
> Video of book launch and panel discussion at NYC's New School. (YouTube)