Classroom Teachers' Understanding of the Needs of English-Language Learners and the Influence on the Students' Identities

Abstract

Grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy, this case study explored the practices of a general education classroom teacher teaching middle grade English language learners (ELLs). The purpose of this study was to examine the teacher's beliefs about her role in teaching ELLs, and the relationship between her teaching approaches and the students' identities. Findings suggest that, according to the teacher's beliefs and approaches, the ELLs' identities were shaped through actions that positioned them as resourceful and intellectual instead of powerless and inferior. The active involvement on the part of the teacher played a role in the mainstream peers' positioning of the ELLs as acceptable and, as a result, the ELLs' interaction with peers increased. The findings suggest the significance of the teacher's role for ELLs' literacy learning and positive identities in the mainstream context.