A team teaching approach to ESL: An evaluative case study

Abstract

This thesis investigates the effectiveness of a team teaching approach to delivering ESL services in two elementary classrooms: one first grade and one second grade. At C. Elementary School in suburban New Jersey, two ESL teachers partner with first and second grade teachers to deliver language arts instruction to their English language learners (ELLs) and native English speakers. The ESL teachers spend a minimum of three hours per day working collaboratively with the grade level teachers to deliver language and content support–as opposed to the traditional practice of pulling students out of the classroom for 45 minutes of isolated ESL instruction. Findings of the case study support a collaborative approach to delivering ESL services, but reveal advantages to the pull-out model as well. Working collaboratively with the grade level teacher enables the ESL teacher to better understand the curriculum and provide appropriate targeted support for ELLs. Ideally, collaborative teaching enhances the effectiveness of English language learning by providing teachers with the flexibility to support ELLs both in the mainstream classroom and in small group pull-out sessions that address the specific language needs of ELLs.