Introduction
Through the modules in this series, there is an emphasis on understanding the theories that underlie pedagogical activity with English Learners. The modules seek to build pedagogical coherence within individual teachers and a shared consensus across all teachers on effective ways to support deep subject-matter learning for English Learners.
This introductory module has three main purposes:
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Explore what it means to develop the expertise of teachers of English Learners during pre-service and in-service education.
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Explore the notion of professionalism to begin to shift the culture of teaching into an increasingly professional endeavor.
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Foster a commitment to building a common knowledge base among teachers that can provide coherence to the field of educating English Learners in secondary schools. As key ideas and practices are developed, how do we build coherence in praxis?
These ideas will be revisited in subsequent modules, inviting participants to reflect further as they build their own understanding about the teaching and learning of adolescent English Learners.
This module begins by exploring the field of teaching and learning as a whole, in order to establish benchmark concepts for the entire module series. In subsequent modules, these benchmark concepts will be applied and contextualized specifically to the education of adolescent English Learners in the United States.