ERIC Number: EJ1026661
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1056-7941
EISSN: N/A
Using Cogenerative Dialogues to Foster Community and Support English Language Learner Students' Learning
Wassell, Beth A.; Martin, Sonya N.; Scantlebury, Kathryn
TESOL Journal, v4 n4 p759-771 Dec 2013
Given the collaborative nature of the TESOL profession, models are needed that provide opportunities for teachers and other school-based stakeholders to interact with students to understand their successes, challenges, and particular needs more clearly. In this article, the authors advocate for the use of cogenerative dialogues, a promising practice for learning more about the teaching and learning needs of English language learners (ELLs) in a specific learning context. Cogenerative dialogues are discussions involving students and teachers that foreground problems and generate strategies to improve teaching and learning. The dialogues were implemented as part of a larger, mixed-methods study in two urban middle school science classrooms in the United States. The authors discuss beneficial outcomes and tensions for both ELL students and teachers. Benefits included (1) creating opportunities for students to develop a voice, (2) assuming responsibilities for learning, (3) sharing responsibilities for language acquisition and learning, and (4) developing a sense of community. They also address two other specific concerns: the language proficiency levels of the students who are involved, and the cultural practices around critiquing teaching and learning.
Descriptors: Dialogs (Language), Teaching Methods, English (Second Language), Second Language Instruction, Second Language Learning, Middle Schools, Science Instruction, Urban Schools, Teacher Student Relationship, Mixed Methods Research, Instructional Effectiveness, Outcomes of Education, Student Attitudes, Cooperative Learning, Language Proficiency, Criticism, Learning Processes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A