ESL Professional Development & Ethics Flashcards

What is 'action research' in the context of ESL teacher professional development?

Answer: A systematic inquiry process where teachers study a question about their own practice to improve student learning

Action research empowers teachers to identify a classroom challenge, gather evidence, implement a change, and reflect on its effect—all within their own practice.

Which approach to error correction involves the teacher rephrasing a learner's incorrect utterance correctly without explicitly pointing out the error?

Answer: Recast

A recast is an implicit corrective feedback move where the teacher reformulates the error in correct form without interrupting the flow of communication.

What is 'translanguaging' in contemporary ESL pedagogy?

Answer: A pedagogical practice that views multilingual learners' entire linguistic repertoire as a unified resource for communication and learning

Translanguaging embraces multilingual learners' full linguistic repertoire—including L1—as a cognitive and communicative resource rather than a problem to eliminate.

What ethical obligation must ESL teachers fulfill when recommending a student for special education evaluation?

Answer: Ensure language difference and learning disability are carefully distinguished, and that evaluation is culturally and linguistically appropriate

ESL teachers must rule out language acquisition as the cause of academic difficulties before referring, and advocate for non-biased, linguistically appropriate assessments.

What is the role of 'peer coaching' in ESL teacher professional development?

Answer: A collaborative, non-evaluative process where teachers observe each other and share feedback to refine instructional skills

Peer coaching creates a trusting, reciprocal relationship where teachers observe, reflect, and offer feedback to each other without the judgment of formal evaluation.

Which of the following best describes an ESL teacher's responsibility under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?

Answer: ESL teachers may participate in IEP team meetings and ensure language needs are addressed alongside disability accommodations

ELLs with disabilities are entitled to both language support and special education services, and ESL teachers play an important role in the IEP process.