Abstract Summary
In a design-based study, primary science teacher scaffolds students’ learning in biology in a multilingual classroom. Through talk-in-interaction and individual and collaborative writing, the students’ conceptual learning about ecology is supported. The teacher’s reflections concern the effectiveness of explicit language focus for fostering students’ reasoning about the science content.
Abstract :
Increasing numbers of L2 learners in European schools in combination with minimal attention to language aspects of subject teaching and learning in teacher education (Schleppegrell 2013) call for intensified efforts to develop research-informed pedagogical strategies, tools and methods for supporting all students’ learning through language across subjects and school years. Based on a current design study (Cobb et al., 2003; NordForsk Inclusive Science Education in Multilingual Classrooms), we explore how a science teacher provided with inclusive science teaching material stages structured small group talk-in-interaction and individual and collaborative writing about the concept of hypothesis (biology). The material, presented in four professional development sessions during one school year, elaborates on planned and interactive language scaffolding (Gibbons 2006). Data consists of video and audio recorded lessons and student small group discussions, students’ texts, the teacher’s reflective log and interviews. Content analysis, theories of language scaffolding and functional grammar have been used for analysis (Smit et al., 2013). Preliminary findings indicate that: 1) the teacher enacted language scaffolding strategies provided in the designed teaching material; 2) the teacher’s reflections concern the importance of explicit language focus on the key concept of ‘hypothesis’, as it seemed to promote the pupils’ science reasoning. We discuss implications for studies of collaborative interventions for improved practice through planned and interactive scaffolding.
References
Cobb, P., Confrey, J, diSessa, A., Lehrer, R. & Schauble, L. (2003). Design experiments in educational design research. Educational Researcher. 32(1), 9-13.
Gibbons, P., (2006). Bridging discourses in the ESL classroom: students, teachers and researchers. London: Continuum.
Schleppegrell, M. J. (2013). The Role of Metalanguage in Supporting Academic Language Development. Language Learning. A Journal of Research in Language Studies, 63(1), 153–170.
Smit, van Eerde & Bakker, A. (2013). A conceptualisation of whole-class scaffolding. British Educational Research Journal. 39(5), 817–834.
