ERIC Number: EJ975687
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0026-7902
EISSN: N/A
Balancing Content and Language in Instruction: The Experience of Immersion Teachers
Cammarata, Laurent; Tedick, Diane J.
Modern Language Journal, v96 n2 p251-269 Sum 2012
Research on immersion teaching has consistently shown that immersion teachers tend to focus on subject matter content at the expense of language teaching. The response to that research has often entailed suggestions for teachers on how better to integrate language and content in their instruction. However, missing from the discussion are rich descriptions of the actual experiences that immersion teachers have as they attempt to balance language and content in their teaching. This phenomenological study aims to address this gap by exploring teachers' lived experience with content and language integration. In this article, authors report on findings suggesting that immersion teachers' experience with balancing language and content is a multifaceted struggle involving issues related to teacher identity, stakeholder expectations, and understandings regarding the relationship between language and content. Implications for school-based support for immersion programs as well as calls for reform in immersion teacher preparation and professional development are shared. (Contains 10 notes.)
Descriptors: Immersion Programs, Educational Change, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Teaching Methods, Teaching Experience, Phenomenology, Self Concept, Teacher Education, Elementary School Teachers, Language Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Professional Development, Spanish, Social Studies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A