Redefining ‘community’ through collaboration and co-teaching: a case study of an ESOL specialist, a literacy specialist, and a fifth-grade teacher

Abstract

This article explores the development of a professional learning community through a case study of three teachers – an ESOL specialist, a literacy specialist, and a fifth-grade teacher – who engaged in co-teaching and collaboration. The emerging community of practice offered these teachers a space to learn and problem-solve by utilizing their specialized disciplinary knowledge of students and expanding the application of reading strategies during language arts. Concurrently, opportunities for revising curriculum and instruction remained unrealized, as teachers struggled to negotiate roles and responsibilities within the top-down administratively initiated collaboration that required redefining their professional community. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

Keywords:

• Communities of practice
• co-teaching
• English language learner
• elementary teachers
• reading specialist

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. No Child Left Behind Act. (2002). P.L. 107-110, 20 U.S.C. § 6319.

2. Armbruster, Lehr, Osborn, Adler, and National Institute for Literacy (US) (2009).

3. LEP is an official term utilized by the district that stems from previous federal guidelines. This term is often used in schools for identification purposes; however, more recent federal legislation no longer utilizes this deficit-based label and instead refers to English Learners.