Creating Exemplary Literacy Classrooms Through the Power of Teaming

Abstract

A partnership between general education teachers and special educators using a shared classroom literacy program can provide high-quality literacy instruction for all learners.We do a lot of give and take. It just works out well. Plus, we do see a lot of results-we see a lot of growth. And that's what's so exciting about it. I think children feel better about themselves too, because they aren't getting pulled out. We had to work out a schedule that was going to work for the kids. The kids are our first priority. (Kathy, third-grade teacher)

A Collaboration between ESL and Regular Classroom Teachers for ELL Students’ Literacy Development

“…In addition, the classroom teachers think that ESL teachers only teach the basics of language, but not much about content such as reading and writing, while ESL teachers feel that the classroom teachers don't know how to help ELLs develop the skills and vocabulary they need and the reading or writing strategies they teach are simply beyond ELLs. This situation, in which each side wants the other side to do more for ELLs, has caused tension between ESL and classroom teachers in many schools (Penfield, 1987, de Jong, 1995, Roessingh, 2004, Schnorr & Davern, 2005.…”