Abstract
Abstractof
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING TO IMPROVE MULTILINGUAL LEARNER’S VOCABULARY ACQUISITION
by
Sara Miles
Statement of Problem
According to data from the 2024 The Nation’s Report Card published by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the discrepancy between students who are identified as English Learners compared to those that are not identified as English Learners is alarming. In order to bridge this achievement gap, it is imperative that educators feel confident in delivering high quality instruction that supports emerging bilingual students as they build a foundation of vocabulary knowledge. This project aims to develop intentional, data-driven, collaborative and student-focused professional learning opportunities in order to support multilingual students’ vocabulary development so they can access the language of the curriculum and understand the content of instruction.
Sources of Data
To answer the research questions, teachers at a K-6 elementary school were invited to participate in two professional learning sessions focused on a specific vocabulary strategy meant to support multilingual learners. The study included a reflection survey, collaborative conversations and student artifacts that provided evidence of the strategy used in the classroom.
Conclusions Reached
The conclusions reached from this project support the implementation of professional learning in order to support teachers in using high quality methodologies for accelerating the language and literacy skills of multilingual learners.
______________________________, Committee Chair
Dr. Marcy Merrill
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Date