EDUC 475ESL Leadership, Research and Advocacy

3 credits · Education · Penn State

Teachers will develop their skills as instructional leaders and researchers by conducting school-based action research projects. EDUC 475 ESL Leadership, Research and Advocacy (3) EDUC 475 , the capstone course in the ESL Specialist and Leadership Certificate program (now the online SCOPE program), is a hybrid course involving online readings and discussions and field-based action research in PreK-12 educational settings with English Language Learners. ESL faculty will provide mentoring/coaching in the field. This course is designed to familiarize ESL candidates with the processes for developing, implementing, and evaluating action research projects. The ESL candidates will explore best practices in ESL pedagogy through implementation of various models of action research. The four areas of emphasis within EDUC 475 are as follows: a) the principles of ethical and methodologically sound action research related to ELLs; b) culturally and linguistically inclusive best practices supported by ESL research; c) collaborative partnerships between school and community to advocate for ELLs and their families; and d) ESL research, evaluation, and assessment for dissemination of research findings, professional development, and continuous quality improvement within ESL programs. ESL faculty will coach and mentor ESL candidates in the field while they conduct action research. By the conclusion of this course, ESL candidates will have gathered, analyzed, and summarized their data into a research paper for potential publication, as well as developed either: a) a workshop training presentation for their school or district; or b) a draft of a conference proposal for a national, regional, or state conference.By conducting action research projects and subsequently disseminating the results of their research through professional development presentations and potential publications, candidates are expected to become instructional leaders in the ESL field. This course is the final capstone 3-credit ESL course for the ESL Specialist and Leadership Certificate program.