English teachers in bilingual streams: in search of identity and focus

In CLIL contexts in the Netherlands, learners use the target language meaningfully in subject lessons parallel to English classes and English teachers are expected to co-operate with subject teacher colleagues. What does this mean for content and language in English lessons and for English teachers’ pedagogical and collaborative practices? For example, it has been suggested that Teachers of English in Bilingual streams (TEBs) may need to use different language teaching methodologies to mainstream English teachers. Coyle, Hood and Marsh (2010) suggest “the language needed in CLIL settings does not necessarily follow the same grammatical progression one would find in a language-learning setting.”(Coyle et al, 2010: 35) and that this has consequences for language teachers’ approaches to planning for CLIL learners; “It is not built on a grammatical model where progression focuses on a gradation of grammatical concepts, but incorporates grammatical progression from different perspectives.” (2010: 59)To explore the challenges facing TEBs, Dale, Oostdam and Verspoor (2017) reviewed the literature on language teachers in various forms of bilingual education. They found the literature referred to a wide variety and range of types and aspects of language, types of content, theories informing LTs’ pedagogical practices and issues for LTs’ collaborative practices. Even though there were no one-fits-all approaches to be found, a framework of possible choices to be made emerged. The framework presents a landscape for TEBs in four quadrants, based on the literature.This presentation will discuss this framework in the light of a subsequent qualitative study exploring idealisations of TEBs’ pedagogical and collaborative practices in the Netherlands. Focus group discussions were held with stakeholders in bilingual streams. These included members of quality assurance panels responsible for certification of bilingual schools, practising TEBs and subject teachers. On the basis of inductive and deductive analysis of the focus group transcripts, we will discuss the extent to which stakeholders’ ideals for TEBs reflect the literature. Coyle, D., Hood, P., & Marsh, D. (2010). Content and language integrated learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Dale,L. Oostdam, R., & Verspoor, L. (2017, submitted) Searching for Identity and Focus: Towards an analytical framework for language teachers in bilingual education Manuscript in preparation