| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ perspectives of the implementation of professional development in elementary schools in border cities between Mexico and the United States with high populations of English learners (ELs). Particularly, this study explored teachers’ perceptions of Project English Language and Literacy Acquisition (ELLA-V) as a type of formal professional development. Project ELLA-V is a U.S. federally funded Investing in Innovation (i3) grant (U411B120047). The purpose of project ELLA-V was to increase English language acquisition in students in kindergarten through third grade. Project ELLA-V focused on helping teachers understand the development of students’ English language acquisition by implementing strategies from a research-based model. A review of the literature illustrates how professional development has evolved leading up to the most recent developments in virtual professional developments (VPD), what is needed for teacher learning, the types of programs research has found to be more successful, the role of administration, the cost effectiveness of professional development, and how different programs such as virtual professional development influence teachers, their practices, and student achievement. I sought greater understanding of the effectiveness of different types of professional development, teacher satisfaction, and student success. In this multiple case study, 22 teachers and 5 principals from 14 elementary schools in four school districts were interviewed to examine their experiences with virtual professional development participation, implementation, satisfaction, and teachers’ perceived student success. Over the course of the year that ELLA-V was implemented, there were fundamental changes in beliefs and instruction of 20 teachers such that the teachers’ role evolved from teacher-centered to a student-centered instruction by engaging them in a variety of linguistic strategies and encouraging them to speak more in English. Changes in the instruction were directly related to changes in their students’ achievement.
Teachers found not only that students could produce more complex language the more they are exposed to English and practice on a regular basis, but also that students gained more confidence as a result of their participation in the program. The findings suggest that understanding children’s language development can help teachers to make the needed changes. The materials introduced in the virtual professional developments proved to be transferable to other subjects. Teachers reported that the strategies used for English language instruction were also applied to other subjects and to all instruction in some cases. Teachers reported that students’ English increased, and their academic achievement in reading, math, and science as measured by the state assessment also increased. The study revealed insights about sustainability of changed practice and successful implementation of professional development. Nine major themes emerged from the research study: (a) streamlining professional development (PD), (b) challenges and opportunities in the adaptation of virtual professional development (VPD), (c) VPD promotes and facilitates learning communities in schools and with remote sites, (d) increased teacher confidence, (e) encourages teacher reflection, (f) commitment to fidelity of implementation, (g) linking professional development to student outcomes, (h) knowledge gained from professional development highly transferable, (i) teachers as critical consumers of professional development. | en |
