Extending Professional Development through Community: A Case Study of Experienced Non-Native English-Speaking Teachers of Adults Teaching English to Young Learners in Peru
Loading...
Links to Files
Permanent Link
Author/Creator
Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2023-01-01
Type of Work
Department
Language, Literacy & Culture
Program
Language Literacy and Culture
Citation of Original Publication
Rights
This item may be protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. It is made available by UMBC for non-commercial research and education. For permission to publish or reproduce, please see http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/specoll/repro.php or contact Special Collections at speccoll(at)umbc.edu
Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author.
Distribution Rights granted to UMBC by the author.
Subjects
Continuous Professional Development (CPD) and Capacity Building
Education Leadership
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as an International Language
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Communities of Practice (CoPs)
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) or Early Language Learners
Education Leadership
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) or English as an International Language
Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and Communities of Practice (CoPs)
Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Teaching English to Young Learners (TEYL) or Early Language Learners
Abstract
Desire for English learning globally has increased demands from parents and national language policies to provide English instruction to younger students over the past few decades. Simultaneously, the number of qualified teachers of English to young learners is insufficient. Teaching English to young learners (TEYL) is complex, requiring expertise in second language acquisition theory and practice, early childhood and primary education, and proficiency in English as a foreign or additional language. Reliance on private language schools and recruitment of teachers from a variety of other professions has been a common solution. In this study experienced teachers of English to adult learners (whose previous careers included architecture, engineering, education, and cattle ranching, for example) were teaching English in a Young Students Program at a Binational Center (BNC) in Peru with little to no formal preparation for working with children.This 2-year qualitative case study explores the impact of extending professional learning from a blended online course through a series of professional development events in a professional learning community (PLC) that was supported by school leaders and conducted in partnership with an institute of higher education over time. Findings of the study indicate that both teachers and school leaders developed an increased sense of self- and collective-efficacy in TEYL; experienced an increased but complex sense of professionalism in TEYL; and experienced the PLC differently depending on diverse relational and behavioral conditions in the ecology of the PLC. Sub-themes like confidence, trust, fear, and other conditions that affected the community also appear in connection to multiple interrelated findings in the evolving story of the PLC.
These findings are significant as they contribute knowledge that addresses known tensions in TEYL related to teacher practice and professionalism and a gap in the literature by including a Peruvian perspective in global discussions of TEYL; and provides new perspectives on the characteristics of PLCs outside of U.S. contexts. Findings demonstrate the potential of professional learning communities to support positive shifts in TEYL self-efficacy, practice, and professionalism, and make strong arguments for the value of school leaders participating in continuous professional development as learners in collaboration with teachers.