Writing, elementary teachers, and English language learners: a case study of teacher reported pedagogical knowledge and collaborative inquiry in a title 1 school

This qualitative case study was conducted to investigated whether selected 3rd-5th
teachers in a Title 1 school increased their understanding as they described and used their
pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) in writing aligned with the Common Core
Anchor Standards 1-6. It also examined how the teachers collaborated to advance their
knowledge in the area of ELs in the classroom. Qualitative data were collected in the
form of 15 participant interviews and 15 Learning Team Meeting (LTM) observations.
The data from the interviews and observations were used to investigate how participants
implemented the Common Core Anchor Standards (CCAS) 1-6 in their classrooms. The
data also sought to examine how the participants’ collaboration in LTMs contributed to
the selected 3rd-5th grade teachers’ PCK with respect to CCAS 1-6 and support for their
English language learners (EL). The findings indicated that participants recognized various EL instructional strategies embedded in the subject matter of writing. Further, the data indicated that the dual language participants collaborated as an effective means for delivering various EL instructional strategies.