Supporting English Learners in the ESL Content-Based Program Through Targeted Teacher Intervention

This design-based school improvement study focused on targeted teacher intervention to support the needs of English learners enrolled in the English as Second Language Content-Based program. Through a professional development session and intervention cycles, the researcher’s goal was to improve the knowledge and skills of the participants to allow for intentional implementation of effective instructional strategies as noted in the PLUSS model (Sanford et al., 2012). These instructional strategies included pre-teach critical vocabulary, language modeling and opportunities for practice, and using visuals and graphic organizers (Sandford et al., 2012). The researcher utilized a PD session to increase participant knowledge on EL accountability data and three collaborative intervention cycles, specifically focused on of pre-teach critical vocabulary, language modeling and opportunities for practice, and using visuals and graphic organizers to support ELs in the learning environment. The researcher provided explicit knowledge during the PD and intervention cycles that is supported by relevant literature review on effective instructional strategies for second language acquisition. The study sought to gauge if deficit thinking has an impact on the support provided for ELs that are enrolled in the ESL Content-Based program. With this insider action research model, the researcher utilized the root cause of the campus to develop driving forces that will lead to the study’s goal. The findings of this study centered around the increase in awareness and willingness to implement instructional strategies for ELs and the influence of deficit thinking.